“Before what? What changed? Why did it suddenly matter?”

He stopped and stared into the window of a bakery. “My life changed. In an instant, or so it felt. I went from being carefree and single to having a wife and a child.”

Her mouth dried. “You’re saying we’re the reason things changed at work?” When he didn’t answer her, she prompted him. “Seb?”

He glanced at her. “Until I met you I didn’t give a damn about having a career. I did a job because I was enjoying it, and if I stopped enjoying it, then I looked for something else. I didn’t feel the pressure to be more or want more. It was all about the moment.” He gave a tired smile. “All I cared about was enjoying myself. Killing it at work. Having a good time. A few beers to celebrate a good day. Another win. Another client. Another bonus. Maybe a club. Women.”

Seb Sullivan isn’t the type to settle down, Christy.

Her mouth was so dry she could barely force the words out. “And then you met me, and I ruined all that.”

A couple walked past them, hand in hand and laughing together. Christy felt a pang of envy. What did they see when they looked at her and Seb? A couple standing far apart, obviously in the middle of a difficult conversation. Family had always been the most important thing in the world to her, and right now that felt threatened. What did this mean for her? For Holly?

“Not ruined. But it was a big change for me.” He was brutally honest. “I knew everything about having fun. About making a good life for myself. Seizing the moment. Nothing about responsibility. But suddenly I had to step up. I went from single guy with no one to think about but myself—no one to please but myself—to father and husband.”

“That’s a big change.” Her heart was pounding hard. “This isn’t how you thought life would look, is it?” It was her dream, and she realized now she’d never asked him what his dream was. A key question, and yet one she’d let take second place to passion and romance.

He stared at the elaborately decorated chocolate cake in the window. “Probably not. I never saw myself married with kids.” He glanced at her with a half smile. “All far too grown-up for me. I’m the guy who never called after a date and who spent money the second he earned it. The biggest decision I had to make in my day was which restaurant to eat in. My goal was to have a good time. Not let life weigh me down. No ties. No responsibilities. I never so much as had a plant to look after. And then I met you.”

It was a struggle to get her voice to work. “Yes.”

He ran his hand over the back of his neck. “I bet you’re regretting that day.”

“What? Why would you say that?”