Page 41 of Second Chance with Seth

That stings, and I recoil from him. “I need to speak to Everly.”

“No, you don’t,” he says, and I notice him clench his fists just briefly. It’s not done as a sign of aggression, but more of anxiety, and I recall Everly’s words… about Owen having a history. So, while I could move him, I’m not going to, and instead I step away, resuming my seat. I hear his sigh of relief before he walks around the other side of the counter and stands in front of me, folding his arms.

“Everly’s upset,” I whisper, just loud enough for him to hear.

“I know.”

“It’s my fault.”

“I know that too. It’s nothing new. She’s been upset for a while, and it’s mostly been your fault.” He moves closer still, unfolding his arms now. “I get that you probably don’t think you need my advice, but for what it’s worth, I’d say you’re going about this the wrong way.”

“Oh? How do you know that?”

“Because I know you fucked up. I might not have known Everly when you left her, and she may not have told me everylittle detail of what happened between the two of you, but I know you fucked up.”

I could ask him how he knows that if he doesn’t know the detail, or my side of the story, but there seems little point in pretending, or denying the obvious truth.

“Yeah,” I say. “I did.”

“And I’m guessing you’re here because you wanna make it right again?”

“I am.”

“In which case, you’re going about this the wrong way.”

“Once again… how do you know that?”

“Because the first time you came here, on Saturday, you quizzed her about me.”

“She told you that?”

“Yes. She also told me she’d put you straight about me yesterday, when you went for a walk. But the point is, why were you asking?”

“Because I was jealous,” I admit, and he nods his head.

“I get that… even if you had no cause. But did you honestly think the best way of working things out with Everly was to question her like that? Considering you were the one who walked away, what on earth made you think you had the right?”

“Nothing, and I apologized for it.”

“It sounds to me like you do a lot of apologizing.”

“I’ve needed to, but what gives you the right to judge me, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“The right of being Everly’s friend. She’s been my friend, too. She gave me a chance when no-one else would, and I’m grateful to her… which is why I’ve made a point of being here for her when she needed me.”

“Unlike me, I suppose?” I say, the truth hitting me like a sucker punch.

“Yes.”

Truth or not, I still don’t like being judged by a stranger, even if he is a friend of Everly’s. “And has it occurred to you I could have been here, if she’d told me she was pregnant?”

“Yes. But has it occurred to you that you could have come back of your own accord?”

“Of course it has. But she had nine fucking months in which to tell me she was carrying my child, and three months since River was born to let me know I have a daughter, and I only found out because I came back to work things out with her.”

“I get that,” he says, nodding his head. “It might surprise you, but I really do. The problem is, Everly’s in the kitchen, crying all over Sandra, because she thinks you’re judging her about River… not just that she didn’t tell you about her, but also over how she cares for her.”

“All I did was offer to help with River… to sit with her, or take her for a walk, and she shut me out, just like she used to. She accused me of acting like a father.”

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