8. Dane
DANE
The drive back should’ve cleared my head. That was usually how this worked.
You drove long enough, rolled the windows down, let the night air hit you in the face a little, and eventually your thoughts untangled themselves into something manageable.
Mine apparently hadn’t gotten the memo, because all I could think about was Seth and our first kiss, and how amazing it was. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
Amazing didn’t even cover it. I could still remember exactly how Seth had sounded when he’d inhaled softly against my mouth. The warmth of him pressed close.
Then I remembered the conversation we had before the kiss. His ex of five years. I blew out a breath slowly.
That wasn’t some casual relationship that fizzled after a couple months. That was real history. Hell, Seth had said they’d been friends before they even dated.
Friends first, then together for years. No wonder he’d looked wrecked talking about the wedding.
A quiet little voice in the back of my mind asked something I absolutely did not appreciate. Do you even have a chance?
I frowned at the windshield.
“That’s not the point,” I said aloud.
It didn’t matter in the long run, because what we had wasn’t real. The fake dating thing had started because Seth needed a wedding date and I needed my mother to get off my back.
That was it. It was supposed to be simple, somewhere between pretending to be Seth’s date and actually kissing him, things had apparently stopped feeling simple.
Which made things deeply inconvenient. I groaned softly and scrubbed a hand down my face.
“Get it together,” I told myself.
The truck rolled up the driveway a few minutes later.
The house lights were still on, warm against the dark, and for half a second I considered just sitting in the truck until my parents went to sleep.
Unfortunately, my cabin was still under renovation. The second I stepped into the kitchen, I knew I’d made a tactical error.
Mom was sitting at the table with a cup of tea like she’d been waiting for me. Predator behavior.
“There you are,” she said brightly.
I immediately narrowed my eyes.
“Why do you sound prepared?” I asked.
“So Levi mentioned to me you saw Seth today,” she said, tone casual.
My brother was an absolute traitor. I mentally added Levi to my growing list of siblings I might eventually fight in a parking lot. To be fair, I had technically texted him earlier.
Mostly because he’d asked what I was doing, and I’d stupidly responded with, “Out with Seth.”
That should’ve been harmless information. Unfortunately, my mother could probably extract state secrets from my brothers with enough persistence and baked goods.
Didn’t she have hobbies? Actually, she did. Unfortunately, one of them was apparently monitoring my romantic life like it was a full-time occupation.
I reminded myself she meant well. Mostly.
“Yeah,” I said carefully, setting my keys on the counter. “We had a great time.”
I intentionally did not elaborate. Mom sipped her tea, watching me over the rim of the mug with terrifying patience.
“Did you now?” She asked.
Danger bells rang in my head.
She continued, “Things are going well then, between you and Seth?”
There it was, the setup. I didn’t know what the trap was yet, but I could practically hear leaves rustling over the pit.
“Yeah,” I said cautiously. “Great.”
It was a safe enough answer. I merely needed to provide minimal details, and I’ll be fine. That was what I convinced myself anyway. Mom smiled, and then she sprung the trap.
“Then you should invite him over for dinner tomorrow night,” she said.
I blinked. “What?”
“Even Carter and Devon are driving up,” she continued cheerfully. “It’ll be nice for everyone to spend time together.”
I stared at her in disbelief. It was absolutely unbelievable that I hadn’t seen this coming.
Bringing Seth to a pack event was one thing. That had been loud and chaotic enough that he could disappear into the crowd whenever he wanted.
But a family dinner? An actual sit-down dinner with my parents, my brothers, and even Carter and Devon, well.
That was intimate territory. And worse, Seth already had enough on his mind.
The memory of his expression earlier flickered through my head again. The way his voice had gone quieter talking about his ex. The exhaustion underneath it.
The last thing he needed was to get dragged into another one of my family’s emotionally aggressive bonding sessions.
“Um,” I said intelligently. “I need to check with Seth. It’s kind of impromptu.”
Mom waved a hand dismissively. “Seth’s such a nice boy. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
Nice boy. My wolf perked up proudly at that like she’d complimented us personally. I ignored it.
“I’ll, uh, get back to you,” I said. “And ask him first.”
Mom beamed at me like this was already settled. “Perfect.”
It was not perfect, but exactly the opposite of perfect. I escaped before she could add anything else, heading upstairs two steps at a time.
The second I got to my room, I shut the door behind me and leaned against it.
“Okay,” I muttered.
My life had become absurdly complicated very quickly. I dropped onto the edge of my bed and pulled out my phone.
For a second, I just stared at Seth’s contact, then I started typing.
Dane: Hey. Can I call you? Emergency.
I hit send before I could rethink the wording. Immediately afterward, I realized maybe the word emergency had been dramatic.
What if Seth thought something terrible happened? What if he called me in a panic thinking someone died?
I was midway through deciding whether I should send a follow-up clarification when my phone buzzed. It was Seth, already calling, and I answered immediately.
“Hey,” I said.
“Are you okay?” Seth asked at the exact same time. The concern in his voice hit me straight in the chest.
“Yeah,” I said quickly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
There was a pause.
“Okay,” Seth said slowly. “Because you texted me emergency and I wondered if something bad really happened.”
I snorted despite myself.
“Sorry, but no. I’m perfecting fine,” I assured him.
“Good. That would’ve complicated things.”
His voice sounded warm and relaxed.
It occured to me that just hearing it loosened something in my chest I hadn’t realized was tight. I leaned back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
“So,” Seth said after a second. “What’s the emergency?”
I rubbed a hand over my face. “My mother.”
Seth laughed immediately. “That bad?”
“You have no idea.”
“Oh no,” Seth said, amusement already creeping into his voice. “What happened?”
I sighed dramatically. “She wants you to come to family dinner tomorrow.”
There was momentary silence. I could almost picture his shocked expression.
“…What?”
“Exactly my reaction,” I muttered.
I heard rustling on Seth’s end, like he’d sat up straighter wherever he was.
“Wait,” he said slowly. “Like… dinner, dinner?”
“Affirmative,” I told him.
“With your whole family?” Seth asked.
“Yes, I know it’s a lot to ask, and you can say no,” I informed him.
Seth made a strangled noise somewhere between laughter and panic.
Despite everything tangled in my head tonight, despite the confusion and the uncertainty and the lingering question of whether Seth was still hung up on his ex…well.
Hearing him laugh still felt like relief.
By the time I pulled into the café parking lot, I’d already come up with at least six different ways Seth could reasonably get out of dinner tonight.
I could tell mom he was too tired from work, had a headache or some kind of family emergency. Honestly, I was willing to help him fake most of them.
It wasn’t because I didn’t want him there, that was the problem.
I wanted him there a little too much. Which meant my brain had spent the entire drive over replaying our first kiss on replay.
I parked across from the café and glanced toward the windows.
The evening rush had finally died down. There were only a few customers lingered inside now, illuminated by the warm amber glow hanging over the counter.
For a second, I considered texting Seth and telling him he didn’t actually have to do this. That my family would survive without meeting him properly.
After all, Seth didn’t owe me anything just because I’d agreed to be his fake date. Before I could decide, the café door opened, and then Seth stepped outside.
My thoughts derailed immediately. He’d changed after his shift. He no longer had his apron on, no coffee stains.
Instead, he wore dark jeans and a soft forest-green shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. It was a simple and casual look. Unfortunately, he looked incredible.
The green made his eyes look warmer somehow, deep brown under the streetlights. His curls were slightly damp again, like he’d splashed water on his face before leaving work.
He spotted my truck and smiled. My wolf practically sat up. Seth walked over and climbed into the passenger seat.
“Hey,” he said.
I stared at him for one second too long.
“You look great,” I blurted.
Seth blinked, clearly caught off guard. Then a shy smile tugged at his mouth.
“Thanks,” he said quietly. “You too.”
There it was again, that incredibly tempting mouth. My gaze dropped there automatically before I could stop myself. Bad idea, I immediately thought to myself.
The second I looked at Seth’s lips, I wanted to kiss him again.
Focus, I silently chided myself. I dragged my attention back upward.
Seth was watching me now, expression just curious enough that I wondered if he’d noticed exactly where my thoughts had wandered.
“You sure you’re okay doing this?” I asked, clearing my throat and starting the truck. “Because now’s your last chance to escape.”
“I thought you said it was an emergency.”
“It was,” I said gravely. “My mother.”
Seth laughed softly. Then his expression gentled slightly.
“I’m okay,” he said. “Really.”
“You don’t have to force yourself if you’re tired from work,” I pointed out.
“I survived eight hours of customers asking if oat milk tastes healthier than regular milk,” Seth said. “I can survive dinner.”
“That bad today?” I asked.
“One guy asked me if coffee beans were gluten free.”