Chapter 28 – Seth #2
He laughs. “I always have you just enjoy torturing yourself for your mistakes until you’re so beat up you can’t think straight.
Stop worrying about whether Bri will leave in the future and start realizing that she’s already part of Sawyer’s world no matter what happens.
Sawyer isn’t going to let Bri go that easily, and I don’t think Bri will let her go either.
They’ve bonded outside of you. Probably more than you realize. ”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Did you know Bri’s re-reading the Twilight series because the girls in Sawyer’s class are reading it for the first time?”
What?
“Apparently,” he continues, amusement filling his voice, “the girls have a group chat where they talk about whatever fantasy books they’re reading. Like a little book club. And guess who they added to it?” He chuckles. “They made Bri an honorary member of their group along with their moms.”
“How do I not know about this?”
Levi laughs. “Because you don’t text Bri as much as I do.”
That instantly annoys me. “You what?”
“We text sometimes,” he says casually and I can tell he’s flipped back into playful, annoying, teasing Levi and no longer the serious version of him.
“Relax, brother,” he chuckles. “It’s completely innocent. She’s all yours.”
My stomach drops.
“Do you talk about me?”
“Not really. It’s usually just funny memes and hockey. She’s been giving me tips for that knee issue I’ve been having.”
“Hm.”
Levi has never gone out of his way to connect with a woman that I’ve dated and surprisingly, it doesn’t bother me. That much.
“Just don’t be a dick to her. Tell her exactly how you feel and stop looking for signs that she’s going to leave you. Bri told me that she’s been working with Sawyer on her dives. You know what she told Sawyer she needs to work on?”
“What?”
“That she needs to trust the floor is going to be there when she dives. To stop looking down and just… trust that it’ll still be there. That’s what you need to do. Jump, and trust that Bri will still be there when you dive.”
“Damn. That’s kind of poetic.”
“She’s fucking awesome, dude. Don’t fuck it up.”
I laugh and smile. “I know she is.”
My phone buzzes in my palm with Bri’s name on the screen.
“Speaking of her,” I mutter. “She’s calling. Gotta go.”
“Love you, man,” Levi says, his voice softer this time.
For the first time I say it back without hesitation.
“Love you too. I’ll call soon.” And this time I intend to.
I swipe to answer, pulling the lasagna out of the oven with one hand, the other holding the phone to my ear.
“Hey, baby.”
I haven’t made this lasagna in years. Not since before my divorce.
I used to make it all the time when it was just me, Sawyer, and my mom’s handwritten recipe propped up against the flour canister.
But after everything fell apart, I stopped.
Stopped cooking. Stopped trying. And I feel like shit knowing I’ve had this recipe memorized for years but haven’t made it for Sawyer in so damn long.
That changes tonight.
After tonight, I’m going to do better. I’ll cook for her again. I won’t rely only on Bri’s delicious meals to fill the gaps in our life. I’ll be the dad she needs, and I’ll jump, without checking to see if the floor’s still there when I dive.
“Hey,” Bri’s happy voice filters through the phone but there’s an edge to it.
“Uh-oh. What’s going on?”
She laughs. “So, I just got home, showered and shaved.”
“Hm…” I lean against the counter smiling. “I like where this is going. Keep talking.”
Her laughter bubbles through the line, and fuck, I decide at once—I want to make that sound my damn ringtone. Wake up to it every morning. How the hell could I ever have a bad day if I start it with her?
“And?” I prompt, my grin widening.
“And Natasha said Rhiannon is having one of her infamous game nights tonight.”
“What’s that got to do with us?” I ask, even though I already know the answer. The answer is my plans to have a quiet night in just went out the window.
Despite every fiber of my being screaming that I have zero interest in Rhiannon Carpenter’s chaotic game nights, I know that I’m about to say yes.
Because if that’s where Bri’s going to be after I haven’t seen her for the last three nights, then I’m there.
It could be a thousand-mile road trip, and I’d still be there in the car, letting her play her emo music and smiling while she sings along loudly.
"Do you want to go?" she asks softly. "I know we're keeping things quiet right now, but I can't tell Natasha no or she'll grill me on where I'm going instead. Which means I'll have to explain about our date night, which means people will know—" Her voice trails off.
I know what it means. And the thing is, I don't mind.
I don't want to sneak around anymore. I want to kiss her without checking over my shoulder first or hiding in a damn supply closet.
I want to hold her hand in front of my brothers, take her somewhere and not care who sees us.
Levi already knows which means Boone will find out eventually.
I'm done keeping secrets. But Bri isn't. And that's the part that makes me pause.
I blow out a breath, running a hand through my hair. I need to talk to her. This isn’t some stupid miscommunication trope where we beat around the bush about our feelings. I need to tell her exactly what I’m thinking and lay it all out on the line.
“Bri, I don’t want to hide my feelings for you.”
“Seth…”
I swallow down the fear. She’s not ready. I need to give her space. I need to prove to her why she can trust me.
“What time is game night?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. If you’re there, I’m there.”
I hear her let out a soft sigh, and I swear I can feel her smile through the phone. Probably has heart eyes and thinks I’m her prince charming. I hope I don’t let her down.
“I was hoping you’d say that. It’s right now. Did you already get something for dinner?”
I glance down at the lasagna that’s cooling on the counter. Made from scratch. My mama’s homemade recipe. Plenty to feed the whole neighborhood, though the thought of sharing it makes me irrationally possessive because I made it for Bri not our friends.
“I made lasagna.”
Her breath catches. “Oh my God, Seth. That’s so sweet.” Her voice softens. “Let’s just stay in. We don’t have to go.”
“No. It’ll reheat fine.”
“That’s perfect. I bet we’ll be starving when we get back to your place tonight. Can’t wait to taste it.”
I smile. She knows that the night might start at Rhiannon’s house, but she’s coming back here tonight. That gives me the kind of reassurance I didn’t even know I needed.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes?”
“See you soon.”
I grab my wallet and keys, covering the lasagna with foil and tucking it away in the fridge.
My stomach’s tight as I head out the door, already thinking about what’s coming later.
I don’t want to go to this damn game night, but it’ll be worth it.
Because after tonight me and Bri are having a conversation about what the hell we’re doing.
No more tiptoeing around the truth. No more searching for the floor before I jump. I’m putting it all out there.
And I can only hope she’s ready for what comes next.