“He wasn’t?” I asked.
“He was devastatingly sincere.”
I shook my head solemnly. “Brave of you not to quit on the spot.”
“I considered it.”
The easy conversation settled something restless in me.
That had started happening more lately around Seth. Being near him felt uncomplicated, at least until my feelings got involved.
Which, unfortunately, was happening more often too. The drive back toward pack territory passed quickly.
Seth seemed less nervous this time, though I still noticed him glancing out the window occasionally as the trees thickened around the road.
“You know,” he said after a while, “your family’s either going to think this is very serious or deeply suspicious.”
“They already think it’s serious.”
Seth looked horrified. “Dane.”
“I’m kidding,” I said after a slight pause.
Seth narrowed his eyes. “That pause was suspicious.”
I grinned despite myself. When we finally pulled into the driveway, lights already glowed warmly through the windows. Voices drifted faintly from inside.
Seth inhaled slowly beside me.
“Nervous?” I asked.
“A little,” he admitted.
“That’s fair.”
He glanced over. “You?”
I considered lying.
“A little,” I admitted.
That seemed to surprise him.
“Why?” Seth asked
Because somewhere along the way, I’d started questioning whether I was still pretending at all.
Instead I said, “Because my family’s insane.”
“That I already knew,” Seth told me.
Inside, the house smelled like roasted meat, garlic, and whatever dessert my mom had apparently decided required enough sugar to kill a lesser species.
The second we stepped through the door, voices carried from the dining room.
And then my mom appeared like she’d been waiting beside the entrance for our arrival. Which she probably had.
“There you are!” she said brightly.
