“How did he seem?”
“He seems like a man who has a son that he loves who happens to be an omega and doesn’t know how to express himself. I’m not saying he’s an amazing father, and you should get over your childhood being kind of shitty, but I definitely think he’s trying more than you realize he is.” He gives a smallshrug. “I think his showing up today says more about how he feels about you than whatever words he’s given, or tried, you in the past.”
“He only showed up tonight to save face,” I argue. “He can’t have anyone thinking Asher Graves of Graves Funeral Franchise is a terrible dad.”
“Maybe,” Ember says, tilting his head in thought. “But that’s not what I saw tonight.”
“Maybe,” I mutter.
“Well, even if your father was kind of a dick, you were great,” he says, nudging my shoulder playfully.
“I spent half of dinner panicking,” I laugh.
“Yes, but you were so charming while doing it,” he chuckles.
“Those were my omega instincts trying to survive. Be cute. Don’t die. Have babies. Repeat.”
His smile warms my heart and makes it feel like it’ll beat out of my chest. His mood changes quickly, going from funny to serious in a half-second. Suddenly, his eyes are intense as he turns toward me.
“Habibi,” he whispers softly.
“Yeah?” I ask nervously.
“I want to tell you something, but I don’t want you to freak out.”
“I won’t freak out,” I say, my voice pitching higher at the end of the sentence.
If he says what I think he’s going to say, then I’m definitely going to freak out. In a good way, but still. A freak out is a freak out.
He pauses for so long, I get lost in his eyes, forgetting that we are in the middle of an intense confession. The neon crawfish buzzes overhead. Trucks drive past on the interstate. Crickets keep up their song. Ember stares deep into my eyes, into my very soul, with that beautiful smile on his face.
“I love you, Habibi.”
I gulp. Yeah. That’s what I thought he was going to say.
“You don’t need to say anything back,” he assures me, wrapping a hand around my throat like a necklace, his thumb rubbing soothingly over my scent gland. “I just really needed to finally say it out loud. I needed you to know how I feel. I needed you to know that this is real.”
I nod, acknowledging his words, but still too in shock to actually do anything about them.
“Come on,” he says, opening the car door and guiding me into the vehicle. “Let’s go home and get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long fucking day.”
The door closes behind me with athud, and as Ember walks around the front of the car, I watch him. Heloves.Helovesme.Do I love him? Maybe. How do you know if you’re in love? I’ve never been in love before. I’m not sure what it is I’m feeling. I definitely more than like him. I always want to be with him, and I miss him even if he’s only in the other room. Is that love?
I must have zoned out because the next thing I know, his door is closing, and Ember is in the passenger seat waiting for me to start the car.
“Are you okay?” he asks, concerned.
I nod.
“Are you ready to go?”
I shake my head.
“Habibi, what’s wrong?”
I take a shaky breath, bracing myself for what I’m about to say.
“I think…” I pause, gulping in air and gathering all of my courage. I’m being dumb. He already said it. Why is it so hard for me to say it back? It’s not like he’s going to take it back.
