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I licked my lips and glanced back down at our hands. “Do you?” I finally asked.
“Do I what?”
“Seth!”
He chuckled and pulled my hand closer to him, running his thumb across the sensitive part of my inner wrist. “Ask me properly. Even if I’m a man, I want to feel needed too. To feel special. Unless, you don’t want to date me?”
The vulnerable question at the end sent my heart into overdrive. It had been like he was bracing himself and that was the last thing I wanted to happen.
“You’re wrong!” I leaned forward, the edge of the picnic table biting into my stomach a little. “That isn’t it. I do want to ask you.”
“Then ask me,” he said softly.
I briefly glanced around us, noting that we were in our own little bubble, everyone distracted with food and games. I met his dark eyes, getting lost in them briefly. Seth always felt steady to me. Strong but intuitive. Considerate. I had never met anyone as considerate as he was. I had been too used to people taking from me, but he had only given.
“Will you go out with me?” I asked. “I’m already dating Paxon and Justin, but would you still have me? Are you willing to explore what this can be with me?”
The smile that stretched across Seth’s face was breathtaking and beautiful. “Yes, I’d be honored.”
Warmth bloomed across my chest and through my body.
“And now that I’m your boyfriend, I get to take you out on a date.”
“A date? Where?”
“I’ll figure it out. I’m going to go see my parents for Thanksgiving so do you mind giving me some of your time the Sunday before?”
“When do you leave?” I asked.
“That Monday. I’m going to spend the week with them.”
That felt like a long time. Since meeting Seth, I hadn’t gone two days without seeing or talking to him. It felt weird to think about how long he was going to be gone. It scared me a little bit too.
Would I still be able to sleep at his house? Should I grab all my things and stay away while he was gone?
I swallowed all my fears and forced a smile. “Your parents must be excited to see you.”
His expression softened. “I miss them too. They nearly came out when they heard about the car chase. It almost felt like I was talking about an action movie when I was telling them about it. But work kept them there, and I reassured them I was safe. Thankfully, my aunt reassured them too.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“Nope. You don’t get to apologize for what bad people did. That wasn’t your fault. It was theirs.”
“I guess,” I mumbled.
“No guessing. It’s the truth. Not your fault. Say it back to me.”
I pressed my lips together.
“Cadence.”
I released my breath. “Fine. It wasn’t my fault.”
“Great. Now say it again, but while you’re looking at me.”
I glared at him. “It wasn’t my fault.”
His grin was a bit infectious and my own lips twitched.
