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“Then I’ll nurse my broken heart and miss you.”
“It wouldn’t just be you disappearing from my life, though. Right?” I talked slowly, trying to get a full picture of the reality lying before me.
“I’d be lying if I said you’re wrong.”
Surprisingly, that hurt to think about. That if my relationship with Seth soured, so would my relationship with the others. I’d be all alone again, and right after I learned what it meant to have people around me.
It was simple. If I let this kiss push Seth and me apart, I’d not only lose him, I’d lose all the others too. And if I didn’t let it do anything? What would that mean? That we were something? I never thought of dating before. Frankly, it scared the crap out of me. Didn’t that mean I had to be vulnerable around them? That I had to open up to them and tell them all my secrets? I couldn’t do that.
“Cadence, you don’t have to think this hard.” Seth grabbed my hand and squeezed it, drawing my attention back to him and out of my whirling thoughts. “You have a big heart. You try to hide it, but I see it. You adore Calvin. You care for all those children you sang for at the charity event.” He chuckled. “You accepted Toby without ever batting an eye. Toby has a big personality, and he can be difficult to handle, but you accepted him as is without finding him annoying.”
“I—”
“I don’t plan to let you go. I have no intention of pushing you away. I already told you, that kiss can be what you want it to be, and it doesn’t have to be anything bad. I want you around more. The guys want you around more.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Even Bryan?”
“Bryan has a stubborn personality, but it’s only spurred on by his huge heart and instinct to make sure we’re okay. And while I haven’t talked to him about it, I know he cares about you too, in his own way.”
I snorted.
“We want you with us, Cadence. It’s okay if that confuses you. Take your time to think about it. Think about what you want from us, if we’re worthy of being your friends. I can say this, you are worth it, and we already consider you a friend of ours. That won’t change.”
“I can’t figure out if you’re asking me out or if you want to be my friend,” I admitted.
Seth chuckled, a smile stretching all the way across his face. “Both, but I’m okay with accepting only friendship for now. Don’t want to overwhelm you.”
The only response I could give him was a nod.
“Good. Now get ready. I’ll go to your house with you in case the asshole is still there and then you can go to school. You should be able to be there in time for lunch.”
“Thank you, Seth.”
He leaned up, pulling me into him, and gave me a peck on the cheek. “Anytime. I mean it, Cadence. You need me, I’m there.”
I crawled out of bed and went to the guest room I should have woken up in. I found some clean clothes and threw on the smallest pants and shirt I could find, though they were still too large for me. The entire time, I felt a little numb, unsure of what to even think at that moment.
Seth was already waiting for me when I came down the stairs.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Not really. I mean, he was in my house. What if he came back last night and is waiting for me? What if he comes back later on?”
“Cadence,” Seth said, grabbing my face, each hand on a cheek. He made me look up at him. “If you want, you can stay here until you’re comfortable going back home. The police are staying to guard your house to make sure he doesn’t come back, but if you don’t feel safe, stay here. Do you want to do that? I won’t let that asshole get to you.”
I sighed, my shoulders slumping with relief. “I would like that.”
“Then while we’re there, pack a bag, and I’ll bring it back here. I’m not working today. I called in.”
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Too late. So after school, come back here.”
“Thank you, Seth.”
He leaned over and kissed my forehead. I was quickly loving those sweet innocent kisses. “You’re welcome. Now let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
