Page 39 of Waiting to Love You

Aren’t you lucky? I still have one more class this afternoon.

Seth

Aww, I was hoping you could play hooky, but I’ll settle for lunch. You in?

Bristol

Of course!

Seth

Thank goodness! I thought I was going to have to beg. I’ll grab some sandwiches from Just the Drip and be there in about an hour.

Bristol

Sounds good! See you soon. X

“Why in the hell did I add that?” I mumble to the empty room, instantly wanting to unsend the message.

Seth and I have been getting to know each other more and more with each passing day, but I still haven’t worked up the courage to tell him about our little girl. I know most people would think I’m being heartless, but I never believed I would see Seth again, and now that he’s back in town, I honestly don’t know what to say to him. “Hey, you have a daughter,” would seem like an obvious choice, but it’s not that easy.

“Because you’re gone for this man but aren’t ready to admit it to yourself.” The sound of Leia’s voice causes me to jump in my seat, dropping my phone on the floor.

Why the hell does she have to be so perceptive? I want to snap back at Leia and tell her she has it all wrong, but that’d be a lie. I want Seth Williams. I want him just as much, if not more than I did when I met him over a year ago, but that scares the shit out of me. I have a huge life-altering secret that I need to tell him on top of trying to figure out whatever this is between us without causing us both a world of hurt. And I’ve been hurt enough to last a lifetime. I’m not about to put myself in that kind of situation again.

“Jesus, woman. I swear you need a bell tied around your neck or something.” I groan, leaning over to grab my phone.

“I made more than enough noise coming in here. You were so focused on your phone that a bomb could’ve gone off in here and you wouldn’t have heard a thing.” Leia snickers, giving me a one-armed hug before dropping into the seat beside me.

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“I wasn’t even in here and I can say with certainty it was,” Audrey comes strolling into the breakroom, Selina right on her heels. “Now, what am I agreeing to?”

“That Bristol is gone for Seth.” Leia raises her eyebrow in my direction, daring me to disagree with her.

“Yeah, that’s a given,” Selina replies, walking around the table and taking the seat across from me.

“I agree, too,” Audrey says as she takes a seat on my other side.

“Thanks. I’m glad to know that you all have an opinion on my relationship.”

Leia leans back in her chair, wiggling her eyebrows. “A relationship, huh?”

“OMG! We aren’t teenagers anymore.” I reach up and pinch the bridge of my nose, quickly losing my patience with my friends.

“Maybe, but I live with two of them. I have an excuse.” Audrey holds her hands up in surrender. “But seriously, if you aren’t in a relationship with Seth, then what do you call it?”

“Friends. We. Are. Friends,” I respond, punctuating each word with a nod of my head.

I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t attracted to Seth. Attracted might not be the correct word to use, but I’m going to roll with it. I had expected that we’d have dinner that first night. I’d tell him about our daughter, and we’d find some way to co-exist with each other, but that’s not what happened at all. The idea of there possibly being something more between us never crossed my mind. But when his lips pressed against mine that first night, all rational thought went out the window. I reach up and touch my lips, remembering his against mine. The way his body pressed against mine reignited the fire burning deep inside me.

“With benefits,” Selina snickers, causing me to roll my eyes, just as the sound of the bell above the door sounds. “Speak of the devil.”

“Will you three behave for once?” I grumble, pushing back from the table and heading toward the front of the studio.

“What would be the fun in that?” Leia shouts loud enough for me to hear, followed by peals of laughter.

“Hello, ladies,” Seth says loud enough for them to hear.

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