Page 27 of Waiting to Love You

Motherhood, bitches. It's hard to be sexy when you can guarantee you will end up with puke or urine on your clothes at some point during the day.

“Fine, but we are getting your hair and makeup done since we’ll already be at the spa,” A smug smile spreads across her face as Selina pushes through the door.

The cool air hits me in the face, and I inhale deeply, hoping to calm my nerves.

“Do I have a choice?” I quip, opening the passenger door and climbing in.

“And before you complain, I will watch Rebekah for the night. You can come get her in the morning,” Audrey says as she slides into the back seat behind me.

“I don’t plan on staying out all night,” I mumble.

I hear Selina and Leia getting into the car, and Selina starts the engine and reverses out of the parking spot.

“Whether you plan on it or not, I’m taking her,” Leia insists.

I catch a glimpse of her sticking her tongue out at me in the rearview mirror.

“I thought you were my friends. Shouldn’t you be on my side, not his?” I roll my eyes at them before turning my attention out the window.

I know all they want is for me to be happy, but I don’t know if this is the right thing. This isn’t just about me. I have Rebekah to worry about and too many unanswered questions.

“We are on your side, Bri. We’re doing this for your own good,” Leia says as she turns around and squeezes my shoulder. “Now, let’s figure out how we’re going to do your hair.”

Whether it’s for my own good or not, I know spending any amount of time with Seth is going to be nothing but trouble.

Chapter 8

Seth

“Brady!” I shout as I come barreling into our garage apartment, an ear-splitting grin on my face.

“What set your ass on fire?” he grumbles as he comes strolling out of his room. “Did you get the house?”

“Maybe. I put in an offer on it immediately,” I respond robotically, my mind racing through everything that’s happened over the last few hours.

Connor mentioned in passing one day that Audrey had moved out of her rental home a few blocks away from him and that I should look at if I was looking for some place to stay. I went to see one of the two realtors in town the same day, booking an appointment to view the house. It’s a lot bigger than I’d need for myself, but it’s the perfect place to live with a family. I had just left the realtor’s office when I ran into Bristol and her friends in front of Just the Drip.

It was a lot easier to convince Bristol to have dinner with me than I imagined, although I think that has more to do with her friends than her desire to see me. Either way, everything seems to be falling into place exactly how I imagined it would.

“That’s good, man. Fingers crossed for you.” Brady grins as he drops down on the couch.

“Thanks,” I bark over my shoulder as I head for the kitchen. “But you need to get out now. Better yet, stay gone until tomorrow, just in case.”

Bristol promised to spend time with me tonight, and I’ll be damned if I have Brady or anyone else around to distract her. I have been dreaming of this night since we said goodbye to each other on my last morning in Tyson’s Creek over a year ago. I need to ensure that everything is perfect.

“I don’t want to go,” I groan as I grab Bristol’s hands and bring them to my mouth, brushing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “I know this seems insane, Bristol, but I can see myself spending the rest of my life with you.”

The sun is barely touching the horizon as Bristol and I stand at the end of her driveway. I continue to search for the right words to explain how spending last night with her changed my world. I gave her a part of myself that I’ve never given anyone else. I know it’s fast, but I don’t care. The idea of getting into my car and never seeing her again makes my heart ache. My mind races, searching for a way to prolong our time together, but I’m shipping out on deployment in two weeks.

I want more time to show her how good we are together. I want to take her on dates and be seen in public with our friends. I want to be with her, to be the one she comes home to after a long day of work. The person she shares her burdens with when she’s having a rough time. At the moment, I’m none of those things. But I only need the chance to prove that she means everything to me.

“You have to go, or you’ll end up in jail.”

“I have two more weeks until I ship out. We could spend some time together for real this time. It will give us a chance to see…” I begin, but she places her fingertips on my lips, cutting me off.

“I told you this was a onetime thing. I can’t be in a relationship with you, Seth. Tonight is all we can have.”

I rest my forehead against hers. “I think I love you.”

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