Page 26 of Waiting to Love You

I melt into his chest, feeling safe in a way I’ve never experienced before. As if I can lay all my burdens at his feet and no longer worry about them.

“She would love to,” Selina chimes in, breaking the spell. “You can pick her up here around six. We should be finished by then.”

My cheeks instantly heat with embarrassment as I step out of his embrace and turn toward the door.

“I’ll be here,” he says. “It was really great seeing you, Bristol.”

I nod in response without bothering to turn around. If I take one more look into his eyes, I know I’ll tell him everything, and I don’t know if either of us is ready for that. I quickly pull the door open and step inside, not bothering to wait for my so-called friends to follow me. All three of them are on my shit list.

“Hey, Bri.” Katie flashes me a bright smile as she steps around the counter. “What can I get for you?”

I look up at the board and try to decide what I want today. I used to have a regular order of an Americano and cheese Danish, but since I had Rebekah, I haven’t been able to stomach either of them.

“She’ll have a caramel macchiato and a brownie.” Leia steps up next to me, and I scowl at her. “I’ll have an Americano, please.”

Katie types our order in, and I spin on my heels, passing Selina and Audrey on the way. If Leia is going to order for me, the least she can do is pay, too. My mind wanders as I search for a table, pondering how things could have turned out so differently if either of us were different people. I had everything I thought I wanted in life, and I was happy… until I laid eyes on Seth. I barely know anything about him, but there has always been this magnetic pull between us whenever we’re in each other’s general vicinity.

I tried to convince myself it was nothing more than me being lonely and wanting some company, but I knew in my heart it was something more. The moment our lips connected, I felt it in my soul. Seth was the man I was meant to be with. But there was one huge problem: He was shipping off to the sandbox for Lord only knew how long, with no promises he would return. He could have been hurt or, worse, killed. I didn’t know if I’d be able to handle that, so I let him go. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to.

When my dad was in the military, I watched my mom pace the hallways every night and jump every time someone unexpectedly knocked on the door, and I knew I never wanted that for myself. Despite the connection I feel with Seth, I need someone who will always put me first before everything else. Someone who will be there whenever I need them and doesn’t have to clear it with someone else first.

Don’t get me wrong; my dad loves my mom, sister, and me with all his heart. But after so many missed birthdays, school plays, and other memorable events, I wondered if there was something more important to him than us. Being in the military was a huge part of who my dad was, and I was always proud of him, but I knew that wasn’t the life I wanted for myself or my future children.

I find a quiet table in the corner and wait for my friends, and a few moments later, Leia places my order in front of me and takes a seat, followed closely by Audrey and Selina. I break off a piece of my brownie and pop it into my mouth, waiting for one of them to break the silence, but none of them do. My foot bounces under the table as the silence gets to me. I’m sure they can’t wait to share their opinions on Seth’s news.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” I screech, gaining everyone’s attention.

“Loud much?” Selina grumbles.

I slouch down in my chair, hoping to hide from all the prying eyes. The last thing I need right now is more attention.

“I don’t know why he’s here,” I mumble as I grab my cup and take a sip. The warm liquid travels down my throat, calming my nerves slightly. “I didn’t even know he was getting out.”

“I’m sure you had more important things to discuss the last time you saw each other,” Selina snorts. “Besides, he said he was here for you.”

“No, he didn’t.” I pop another piece of brownie into my mouth. “He said Tyson’s Creek was a good place to settle down, and he’s right. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else but here.”

Getting my yoga studio up and running and settling down has been my main priority since I moved here after graduating from college. I wanted to find a place to settle down, to put down roots, something I didn’t have growing up. I was always the new girl in school almost every fall because we moved around so much. New Orleans was the place we stayed the longest. I met Audrey, and everything was almost perfect, but then we had to move away. I had to start all over again from scratch. I promised myself that I’d find a place to call home. To make friends, maybe get married, and start a family. The first time I stepped foot in this small town, I knew this was the place I wanted to land. It felt like home.

“Pull your head out of your ass, Bri. You know damn well the only reason he came back here is for you,” Leia chimes in.

“Did you not see the way he looked at you? He looked the same as Vance when he—” Selina starts to say.

“Enough! We do not need to know about you and your bedroom habits!” I shout, and all four of us break out into a fit of laughter.

I wish I had as much faith in whatever this thing is that I have with Seth as my friends do. It’s been a year; he knew where I was the entire time, but I never heard a peep from him. Then again, I never gave him any inkling that I was interested in starting a relationship with him in the first place. Maybe I made more of an impression on him than I thought.

“You could do worse,” Audrey says out of nowhere as she takes a sip of her drink. “Seth is here for you. He came back for you. You could do worse in terms of baby daddies. Maybe this is a sign.”

“You and your signs, Audrey” I giggle, knowing how much her tarot cards mean to her.

I swallow the last bit of my drink and push back from the table. “Enough with my drama. We’re supposed to be relaxing.”

I give them a forced smile as I grab my trash and head toward the exit. There is no way I’m going to let my run-in with Seth ruin my first girls’ day since before Rebekah was born. We all have families and different responsibilities, and it’s rare that we all can have the same day off.

“You’re right! Besides, we need to make sure you have enough time to get ready for your date tonight.” Audrey steps up beside me and shoves her garbage into the trash can.

“I’m wearing exactly what I have on. Besides, most of my clothes are covered in some form of bodily fluid.”

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