she finally crawled out of bed and retrieved her phone.
“Hey,” Ani replied warily.
“You okay?” Sawyer asked softly.
“Uh huh,” Ani replied.
“So , I just thought I should let you know that I locked the bakery up at closing and took Raffi home with me when she arrived after school,” Sawyer said pointedly.
“Thanks,” Ani replied weakly.
“Are you planning on coming back any time soon?” Sawyer asked in exasperation.
“Is Raffi okay?” Ani asked, avoiding the question.
“She’s fine,” Sawyer sighed. “We just finished homework and are going downstairs to Mama’s for pizza in a little while.”
“That’s good,” Ani whispered, leaning back into Sebastian’s arms as he came up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist.
“What am I supposed to tell Jordan when I bring her home A?” Sawyer asked , her voice filled with frustration.
“I’ll pick her up at your apartment in an hour,” Ani replied, hanging up the phone before Sawyer could ask her any more questions.
“Are you leaving now?” Sebastian lowered his face down to kiss Ani’s neck.
“Yes,” Ani replied softly, shutting her phone off at the sight of the unread texts from Jordan. “Were you supposed to go out on the boat with your dad today?” She turned around in Sebastian’s arms.
“Not in this storm,” Sebastian replied, sliding his hands over Ani’s bare ass and pressing her against him.
“I have to get dressed,” Ani laughed, untangling herself from Sebastian’s arms as he tried to kiss her.
“Come out with me tomorrow ,” Sebastian coaxed, pulling Ani back into his arms. “Come lobstering with me.”
“I have to bake,” Ani protested, slipping out of Sebastian’s arms again, and pulling on her wet jeans.
“You can’t put that wet stuff back on,” Sebastian protested, grabbing the wet clothes away from Ani. “You can wear mine.” He tossed a t-shirt and pair of jeans over to Ani. She slid Sebastian’s soft t-shirt over her head and inhaled deeply, meeting his eyes as she pulled her hair free from the neck of the shirt.
“ I can’t believe your jeans fit me,” she exclaimed, zipping up Sebastian’s faded blue jeans and rolling the bottoms up. “How are you in even better shape at thirty-three than you were at seventeen, playing high school football?”
“Pri son has its benefits,” Sebastian replied with a grin, slipping Ani’s arms into a dark blue hoodie and zipping it up. “You look sixteen again.” He stared at Ani standing before him in his jeans and hooded sweatshirt. “You were always stealing my clothes in high school.” Sebastian pulled Ani against him.
“I wanted to be surrounded by your smell,” Ani whispered back, burying her face against Sebastian’s neck. “Tell me why you refused parole,” she demanded, sliding her hands over the bells on his back. “Tell me why you insisted on serving your full sentence, bell call to bell call.”
“I wanted to be free,” Sebastian choked, moving Ani’s hands down from the bells to the cross on the church spire. “Sentence served.” He moved Ani’s hands up to the sunset and birds. “Free.”
“But you would have been out of prison,” Ani cried, trying to understand.
“Out on parole, not free,” Sebastian whispered back. “I was so young Ani. You have no idea what it was like to turn eighteen behind those bars, to grow up in prison. By the time I came up for parole, I was twenty-four, I had come of age inside, and I knew that if I got out and tasted freedom again, I’d never survive if I got sent back inside. You have no idea how many people I saw get out on parole only to be tossed back inside for a parole violation. I just couldn’t do it. I was so scared. I couldn’t face coming home to you and losing you again. I just wanted to be free, I just wanted to serve my sentence and be free again,” Sebastian choked, staring at Ani with wet eyes.
“Sentence served, bell call to bell call,” Ani
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