He sighs, a bit disgruntled, but I know he would make that bet over and over again. That’s what I’ve always loved about my parents. They’ve never lost their spark over the years. They’re still as playful with each other as they were when I was a kid.
They love each other, and I don’t just mean a little. It’s a soul-deep sort of love. The kind of love that comes around only once in a lifetime.Truelove.
I remember one time my father had to go out of town for a doctor’s conference, and my mother slept on the couch the whole week he was gone. When I asked her about it, she said it didn’t feel right sleeping in their bed without him. If I had been in that situation and Chelsea had left, I think I would’ve slept just fine.
That should have been my first sign she wasn’t the one for me. That something was missing in our relationship. That spark. That longing.Yearning.
I’ve never yearned for anything until ...
My attention slips to Odette, who has her head thrown back mid-laugh. I have no idea what the ladies are talking about, but whatever it is, she’s clearly enjoying herself.
Seeinghersmile makesmesmile, and my father doesn’t miss it.
“Anything on your mind, son?”
“Hmm?”
He nods toward where I can’t seem to peel my eyes away from. “You seem a little distracted, is all.”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
He chuckles like he doesn’t believe me, and I get it. I wouldn’t believe me either. Not since my eyes have already drifted back toward Odette.
“I’m here if you want to talk. No matter what it is, even if it’s about something that you don’t think you should be doing but already are.”
I swallow roughly.
Fuck. He knows. I don’t know how he does—probably because I’m not being very subtle—but he knows.
I take a step closer to him to keep this conversation private. “Okay, so maybe there is a little something going on.”
He lifts both brows comically high. “You don’t say?”
“Please never quit your day job, Pops. Being a funny guy doesn’t suit you.”
“And sneaking around doesn’t suit you either. If you’re trying to be subtle, you’re doing a damn bad job at it.”
He’s right. I am. Hell, I think I’vebeendoing a bad job this entire time, and maybe that’s for a reason. Maybe it’s because what I’m doing with Odette doesn’t feel like something I should be hiding. Something that feels so good can’t be bad, can it?
Don’t even get me started on how natural it feels to have her here either. I was worried it would be awkward, but it’s not. It feels like any other Saturday, any other Stevens family dinner. It’s like she’s always belonged here with us, and I guess, in a way, she kind of has with being Izzy’s friend. Now, though, it feels like more than that.
Or maybe I’m reading too much into things. Who knows?
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think what you’re doing is wrong.”
Nowthatsurprises me. I figured he’d have a lecture about sneaking around with a younger woman locked and loaded. Or at least one about sneaking around with your sister’s best friend.
He doesn’t. He just gives me an understanding look.
“You don’t?”
He shakes his head. “No. Sometimes the people in our lives become something bigger, something more, and it’s okay to explore those feelings, even if you’re worried about the outcome.”
“She’s Izzy’s best friend.”
“So what? That’s not all she is. She’s a person too. If Izzy can’t see that, then that’s her fault.”
Tension claws at the back of my neck. It’s that same tension I’ve had since Odette and I started this thing.
