Hang on.Scared? “Not true.”
She shakes her head. “Clearly, it is. Otherwise you wouldn’t be such a big baby about it.”
My nostrils flare, and my eyes widen in shock. “Jesus, you get your way once and now you think you’re right about everything.”
Her lips press into a firm line. “I’m right about this.”
I don’t answer, but hold her gaze. My temperature is rising, but the worst part is, she might be onto something. My heart is going crazy just thinking about stepping foot in that awful town. “I don’t have anything to prove.”
She smirks. “You’re scared, and nothing you can say will make me think otherwise.” More softly, she continues, “It’s time, Seth. I know you can do it. I believe in you.”
Damn. Just as I’m getting worked up, she has to go and say something like that.
I deflate. “Fine, I’ll come.”
She pumps a fist, and breaks into a grin.
“Just this once,” I caution. “To prove I can.”
To my surprise, she throws her arms around me and hugs me tight. “Thank you. I’m so proud of you.”
My throat thickens with emotion and prevents me from replying so I squeeze her back and hope she knows how grateful I am to have her in my life.
Ashlin
After Seth leaves for the gym, I get to work on the nursery. We’ve completed the major alterations, and now it’s just a matter of painting and carpeting, which I’ve become reasonably comfortable with. I paint the ceiling first. It’s a paler shade of white than the walls, and once it’s dried, I can cover the edges with masking tape to stop myself from splashing anything else on it. I roller on the first layer, and then get down on my hands and knees to do the baseboards while it dries. The radio plays in the background, drowning out the silence. Sometimes I like the quiet, but other times I can’t stand it because it reminds me too much of lying in bed for days on end, utterly alone for the hours between dawn and night when Seth was working. I’d stare into space and dwell on the future I sensed slipping away from me, feeling like a ship tossed on a stormy sea with no safe harbor in sight. Thank God those days are over.
By the time Seth arrives in the afternoon, I’ve finished the ceiling and the walls are ready to go whenever I get time. I answer the door in my paint-splattered clothes, momentarily self-conscious until he kisses my cheek and gives me the tender smile that’s for my eyes only.
“You’re adorable as hell.” He touches a finger to the tip of my nose. “You’ve got a little something right here.”
I laugh. “I’ve probably got it all over.”
His lips curve in a knowing smile. “I’ll investigate very thoroughly.”
“I’m sure you will.” I wink, and sashay inside.
He follows, coming to a stop in the nursery doorway. “Looks perfect, Ash.” He paces around the room, staring at the ceiling. “This could be a professional job and I’d never know the difference.”
I glow with pride. “It’s taken a lot of trial and error to get to that point.”
He nods, and glances down at his hands.
“What is it?” I ask. I may not have spent much time with him over the last few years, but I can still tell when something is on his mind.
He walks to the window and gazes outside. “I’m going to Cedar Bend next weekend to meet Mom’s new boyfriend.”
Whoa.
I take a moment to formulate my reply. Seth and I were together for seven years, and during that time he never ventured back to his childhood home. At least, not to my knowledge. He hates that place. Hates how it treated him and his mother. Hates it for making him an outcast and the target of bullies. For being the kind of place where people lay the blame for an extramarital affair at the woman’s feet, even though she wasn’t the one breaking vows.
“That’s… good.” I keep my voice neutral, so it’s a statement rather than a question. If he’s facing his demons, it’s positive. I just hope he won’t have a meltdown while he’s at it. Seth can be either stoic or a hothead depending on the situation, but very few people have witnessed him truly losing control.
“Come with me?”
My heart stutters. “Excuse me?”
He pivots, and closes the distance between us with a few strides, then cups my face between his palms. His turbulent eyes betray the emotion roiling inside. “Please, Ash.” His thumb caresses my cheekbone. “I need you there.”
