When you gave your heart to your best friend back in junior high when you were study buddies. The Monroe brothers were known for being athletic except for Sebastian. Hanna’s roommate was getting married and decided to move in with her fiancé. Leaving Hanna looking to move and not wanting to move with her parents. Sebastian’s cabin was done so he was moving back to the farm. But he will need a sitter to watch Ember because he still works in town at his accounting firm and on their Christmas tree farm. So he offers Hanna a room to watch Ember after school and on weekends.
She’d settled into the friend role a long time ago, but the idea of living together made her feel excited and panicked at the same time. Would he finally see how she felt about him? What if he asked her to watch Ember so he could go out with another woman? It would be torture, but she couldn’t say no.
There are a lot of Monroe boys, Sebastian, Talon, Heath, Knox, and Emmett. It seemed like everyone could see the way she felt about Seb except him. Even the brothers’ special ones were able to see it.
But Sebastian never noticed her and in fact, he had a one-and-done and even had Ember with her. Yet, she didn't find it important enough to stick around to be a part of her daughter’s life. That's where Hanna came in. Hanna was there for all those special moments. Sebastian was being overly cautious all the time and even after bidding on Hanna, planning a special date, and taking her physically he still wanted to keep her a dirty little secret. And the only reason he had leaped was because Hanna told him she wanted to start dating.
He seemed taken aback almost more worried she would bring a guy home to his house around his daughter. When he mentioned to Knox he seemed almost angry and Knox asked why it bothered him. Stating the concerns above then Knox said, Are you sure you're just not jealous since you have always had Hanna at your fingertips? Heck, Ember knows her better than her mother. He once again affirmed they are just friends. They get their routine down it’s getting close to the holiday break. It's Sunday dinner and she’s invited.
When Marley brings up wanting to hold a bachlorette auction, Hanna is all for it. Telling them she wants to get back out there and start dating and find the one. She wants marriage and a family. Knox tells Sebastian she’s a catch. She’s sweet, caring, and great with kids. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. What if she’s the one, and I’ve ignored it because I was worried about what it would mean for our friendship? I can’t sit back and watch her date someone else. Not when she doesn’t know how I feel. I need this chance.”
Knox chuckled. “I think she’s tired of waiting for you to make a move.” “I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. And he was once again being overly cautious. Let's just say the auction was a success they get close but it’s now the light of day and Sebastian is starting to freak out. He asks Hanna to keep it between them until he can figure out a way to tell Ember about them. Then he texts the family the same sentiment. She said okay that she respected him as her father as to how best to proceed. But he knew she was not happy.
When Knox came to drop Ember off he came in to congratulate them and give his brotherly advice. He was wondering why they were hiding the relationship it's such a good thing. Ember’s mother isn’t like everyone else. She could show up at any time. For Hanna, the thought of Brandy sent a chill down her body. She’d been around only a handful of times, and she needed to be the most important person around not Ember. “Why would it be confusing for Ember? Hanna’s been around her whole life, and Ember loves her like another mother.”
“But she’s not her mother. Ember has one who is not present in her life. She could show up at any time.” She barely refrained from flinching. “I thought we were keeping things quiet because of Ember, but are you saying it’s Brandy?” Sebastian hung his head. “Yes. No. I don’t know. This is new. Just give me some time to figure things out.” She couldn’t ignore the warning signs that Sebastian wasn’t all in with her.
Read to see how this plays out. You will be surprised at all the twists and turns. Sebastian reminds me of an autistic person very much on a schedule, can function if it gets messed up or he has to be rebooted, and is not in touch with his emotions. This was a very good book. Hanna needed more of a backbone.