"You're part of it now,” I informed him.
His eyes lifted to mine. For a second he looked genuinely surprised. Then something softened, vulnerability maybe. The sight made my chest ache.
Before he could say anything, Chris shouted from across the yard. "Dane!"
I looked over, a little bit miffed Chris interrupted our little moment.
"What?" I demanded.
“Dad wants help moving the lawn chairs. Bring your mate, too,” Chris said.
Without thinking, I glanced at Seth and noticed his cheeks were slightly pink. He didn’t miss the word Chris had used, or the matter-of-fact way he said it.
The silence lasted exactly half a second.
Then Chris said, “Well? What are you guys waiting for?”
He walked away, and I looked at Seth again. His eyes were still wide, but I grinned and he grinned back. We followed Chris, and helped dad move the lawn chairs.
For the rest of the evening, I didn’t miss the tender glances Seth shared with me. As sunset painted the sky gold and orange, people started drifting home.
Eventually Seth and I slipped away from the group, far enough to reach the tree line. The sounds of laughter followed us. It was softer now, comforting.
We stood together beneath the fading light. For a while neither of us spoke, then Seth sighed.
"I used to think I would never be happy after Darryl."
The words hit harder than I expected. I felt my stomach drop, but reminded myself to be patient. Seth had more to say. He looked out toward the trees, expression contemplative.
"I thought maybe I was moving on because that's what people do,” Seth said.
I stayed silent, waiting. Then he smiled slightly.
"Turns out I was just waiting for the right person,” Seth said.
Everything inside me stopped for one perfect second, then restarted all at once. My inner wolf preened inside me.
"Seth..." I ventured.
He looked at me. There was no uncertainty or hesitation there anymore, merely warm and open affection For a second, I simply stared at him.
The setting sun painted everything gold around us. Fireflies drifted lazily between the trees. Behind us, I could still hear the distant sounds of my family laughing around the cookout.
But none of it seemed important, not compared to the man standing in front of me.
A man who owned a coffee shop I walked into one ordinary afternoon, and who somehow changed my entire life.
My chest felt too full and tight. There were a hundred things I wanted to say and yet felt that none of them would come out right. Seth smiled patiently, like he already knew.
My wolf went quiet inside me, simply content and certain. I reached up and brushed a loose curl away from Seth's forehead. His gaze never left mine.
"Hi," he murmured. “Where did your mind go?”
The smile that escaped me felt helpless. "Hi. Uh, well.”
Seth laughed quietly. The sound wrapped around my heart and squeezed. That did it, and I stepped closer. I settled one hand at his waist, and cupped his cheek with the other.
Then I kissed him, because there wasn't really anything else to do. Seth kissed me back immediately, slow and certain, as if he wanted to assure me that he wasn't going anywhere.
