Page 93 of Second Chance with Seth

“Was that because you worked here?”

“Not necessarily, but things are different.”

“Because you’re a father?”

“Partly. But it’s mostly because I’ve realized what’s important to me. I have different priorities now, and as much as I love working here, and I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me, my job doesn’t even make the list.”

He nodded his head, and we got down to discussing the finer details of my imminent departure, which took a lot longer than I’d expected, dragging on into the next day, and even part of the day after that. We both had other things to do in between. It wasn’t wall to wall discussions, but it was pretty full on.

It was worth it, though. Even if I was away from Everly for longer than I’d have liked, I had responsibilities to Aiden, and by spending a little time working those out, I know I’ve done the right thing… not just for us, but for him, too.

“There’s no going back?” Everly asks, surprising me back to reality.

“Why would I want to go back? This is the best decision I’ve ever made.”

“For whom?”

“Us.”

“I honestly don’t see how,” she says, and she shimmies backward. I try to hold on to her, but she shakes her head. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Oh… okay.”

I let her get up, and stand myself, bringing our wine back to the kitchen, where Everly dishes up the gnocchi, while I fetch us some silverware from the drawer. We sit opposite each other, just like we did on Monday evening, although I notice she doesn’t seem very hungry. She’s just shifting her food around the plate and gazing at it, and I know I need to explain.

Chapter Seventeen

Everly

This is a really tasty dinner. It’s one that Seth and I used to have a lot, and we’ve both always enjoyed it. The problem is, my appetite has completely disappeared.

I can’t believe he’s left his job, or that he seems to think it was such a fantastic idea. More importantly, I can’t believe he decided something like that and didn’t talk to me about it first. He’s absolutely correct that I would have tried to talk him out of it, but surely I had a right to know, didn’t I? After all, we’re supposed to be in this together, aren’t we? I thought that was the whole point of being a family… or even just being a couple. Or have I read this all wrong?

“Can I ask you something?” I say, putting down my fork. I haven’t eaten a thing, and I’m not sure I can until I get some answers.

“Sure.” He looks across at me.

“Are we together?”

He smiles. “Of course we are. I love you. I’ve told you that, over and over.”

“Then didn’t I have a right to know what you were gonna do? It affects both of us… well, all of us, I suppose, and it seems odd that you didn’t drop so much as a hint.”

“No, because like I say, I knew you’d try to talk me out of it.”

“With good reason, Seth.”

He leans back in his seat, looking me right in the eye. “Okay. Give me one good reason I shouldn’t wanna be here with you, and not in Concord.”

“It’s not practical… and it’s not necessary.”

“Yes, it is. It’s the most necessary thing I’ve ever done.”

“No, it’s not. You lived with me before, and you worked in Concord. Why does that have to be different this time?” I sit back myself, gazing at him, trying not to be distracted by his perfect face. “I’ve been wondering all week why you had to go back there and couldn’t commute like you used to, and even now I know what was keeping you away, I still can’t work it out. You could have driven back here in the evenings, and stayed with me still, couldn’t you?”

“No. I had other things to do… things that didn’t relate to my job.”

I’m not sure what he’s talking about, but I don’t want to appear suspicious again, so I lean my elbows on the table and say, “Okay, but why can’t you do it moving forward?”

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