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He hesitates, then nods. “I will. Good night, Jenna.”
“Good night,” I say.
Seth smiles softly, then heads down the hall towards the stairs, and that tiny smile warms me almost as much as his kisses do.
Almost.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Seth
Though my sister is the one who excels in the culinary arts, I’m not incompetent in the kitchen, and that’s mostly thanks to the man sliding into the breakfast nook at the inn across from me. Both John and Jackie made sure Jess and I knew how to fend for ourselves, which is why I find it odd that Ember isn’t trusted alone—or, really, supervised—in the kitchen. Just because she’s adopted doesn’t mean she isn’t a Bryant.
“I heard what happened last night,” John says after he murmured a brief blessing over our lunch. He scoops some potato salad onto his plate and glances at me. “I’m guessing that’s why you’re here?”
At first, I think he’s talking about how I kissed Jenna, told her I loved her, soothed her son after a nightmare, and slept in her guest bedroom. Heat crawls up my neck, and I loosen the collar of my uniform shirt. Is one of the windows open next to us, letting the July warmth in? But then I remember the accident, which is yes, the reason I’m here.
Relieved it’s not the former, I nod. “Jenna mentioned I should talk to you. I sort of…broke down on her last night.”
Correction: it was early this morning. And it wasn’t my finest moment, having Jenna see me in such a vulnerable state of mind. I felt like I was standing there emotionally naked, and the idea of her seeing the secret parts of my feelings was terrifying. But she didn’t drive me to the nearest mental hospital and check me into it. Nor did she push me out the door. She kissed me and washed my face and, best of all, told me she loved me.
I’m literally running on not even four hours of sleep right now, and I can still say I haven’t slept as good as I slept last night. I got up before Jenna and the kids because I had to go into work at six, but I left a note and a surprise on the counter.
“Jenna suggested it, huh?” There’s a sparkle in John’s eyes. His brows wiggle up and down as he grins at me. “I think she’s good for you. Considering you’ve never asked me to take any other girl—and her children—on our boat before, I’d venture to say you like her.”
I feel the earlier heat bleed into my cheeks and bite into my grilled burger, buying myself time by chewing and swallowing a little extra slowly. “To be honest with you,” I say cautiously, “I more than like her.”
“Good!” John would probably clap me on the shoulder if we were having this conversation while standing, and it’s almost like I can feel his hand there anyway. “It’s about time you found someone youmore than liked.You might be pretty, but I don’t think you deserve to be a bachelor for the rest of your life.”
“Honestly, prior to this past month and a half, I probably would’ve disagreed with you.” I pause and my lips twitch. “Well, except for the pretty part.”
“Ah, yes, of course. How could I forget you’re just cocky enough to say something like that?” he teases, taking a bite of salad. “But why would you disagree?”
I twist my glass of lemonade on its coaster, pondering how to respond. “Well, I guess I just didn’t really feel like I deserved to have a woman Imore than liked—”
“You can say the four-letter word, Seth. I’ve been married for thirty-eight years. I think I can handle it.”
A nervous chuckle slips by my lips. “I didn’t feel like I deserved to have a woman I loved. After Sierra and how that relationship ended, I don’t know. I thought maybe I was destined to being alone for the rest of my life. It’s not like I have the highest-paying or safest job, either.”
“Believe me, I know the feeling.” John’s smile softens like he’s remembering something from the past. “When Jackie and I met, we were practically forbidden from seeing each other. Her parents didn’t want their cultured daughter going out with the local chief of police. You know, typical stereotypical story.”
I laugh because it sounds like something that would come out of one of Ember’s beloved novels, and pop a chip in my mouth.
“It didn’t stop us, of course,” John continues, shaking his head. “Gosh, even when I think of it now, I can’t believe it. I don’t know how in the world Jacqueline Watters, attorney of family law, fell in love with me. I mean, yeah, I’m also just cocky enough to know I was a good-looking guy, but shoot. She could’ve had her pick of men who made three times more than my salary. Or more, considering the people the Watters family knew. Probably could’ve gone with a different romance trope like ‘arranged marriage’ instead of our forbidden love, even.”
I let out a low whistle. “Ember’s bookish language is really rubbing off on you, isn’t it?”
“My daughter has recently recruited me to help her take photos for herbookstagram—books and Instagram, I guess—so, yes. I’m the guy to go to if you need a good romance suggestion nowadays.”
“Ah. I’ll have to keep that in mind.” I won’t, but it sounds good.
John chuckles. “Anyway, Jackie and I were…unlikely as a couple. We came from different backgrounds, ran in vastly different social circles, and probably made about as much sense as a white flag in a warzone. And yet, despite all our differences, something just felt right. I don’t really believe in soulmates like there is one person out there for you and that’s it, because in cases of death or divorce—such as Jenna—there will likely be another person. That said, I do believe, when two people are meant to be together, you can’t keep them apart. Someone could go to extremes like a threat, but if those two people honest-to-God love each other and want the best for one another?” He taps his heart. “Nothing can prevent that love story from unfolding.”
I let his words settle over me as we eat in silence for a little while, trying to decide how I feel about them. I mean, I agree—there may not be only one person out there who we’re destined to be with. But…
“What if someone doesn’t lose their spouse or get divorced, though?” I ask. “Is there another person who won’t fall in love?”
John shakes his head. He rests his elbows on the table and clasps his hands. “No. Or it’s unlikely. Depending on the choices we make, the outcomes are different. For instance, if you would’ve stayed with Sierra despite the hell that relationship likely would’ve been, you probably wouldn’t have met Jenna. Or, if Jenna and Pete never got divorced, she probably wouldn’t have met you.”
