Page 89 of The Dating Dare

“Did you… did you just see Tara?” Seth said, his voice breaking.

“I did. I put her in bed and stayed till she fell asleep.” She searched his eyes. “She’s hurting so much, Seth. She’s so sorry she hurt you.”

It felt as though fire engulfed his heart. He wanted to rush to her side and somehow ease her pain, but he was the source of her pain, wasn’t he?

“She’s hurting?” Landon asked incredulously. “She’s the one who rejected him. How ever much she is hurting, it can’t be a fraction of what Seth is going through.”

“How could you say that?” Aubrey turned to her husband. “She didn’t want to hurt Seth.”

“Well, that certainly didn’t go as she planned then,” his brother mumbled.

Aubrey’s chest rose as she prepared to blast some sense into Landon. Seth interrupted the needless argument. “Landon, relax. And Aubrey, I apologize on my big brother’s behalf. You know he’s always been protective of me. He’s just rearing with guilt because I got hurt and there’s no way for him to fix it.”

“I know,” she said quietly, and took ahold of Landon’s hand. “And I’m just taking my frustration out on him. Sorry for being such asses.”

“What can I do? You’re family.” Seth managed a smile.

Aubrey smiled, and Landon laughed sheepishly. He put his arm around his wife and pulled her close, as though they needed to share each other’s strength. Seth pushed down the burst of envy he felt. He wasn’t himself.

“So what are you going to do?” Landon asked Seth.

“For now? I’m leaving for Paris tomorrow morning.”

“What?” Aubrey and Landon yelled in unison.

When Morgan’s cry pierced through the walls, Aubrey sighed and shook her head. She turned to Landon. “I’ll go. You stay and talk with Seth.”

“Thank you,” he said to his wife’s already-retreating back.

“Sorry to drop that on you like that,” Seth began. “It was an impulsive decision. I just couldn’t stay here any longer… so close to her. But I’m only leaving a few days earlier. It isn’t a big deal.”

“But don’t you want to talk to Tara before you leave?”

“I can’t. I can’t see her without begging her to have me. Neither of us is ready for that yet. We both need time.” His entire being ached like an open wound, and his heart was too raw to risk rejection for a second time right now. He didn’t know if he could survive it. No matter how much he longed to run to her, he needed time to heal. “It’s going to be hell staying away from her, but the distance should help. She won’t be twenty minutes away anymore. Too bad the distance won’t help me miss her less.”

“I understand. Do you need help with packing?”

“No, everything is packed and ready. I’m just going to roll out of bed tomorrow morning and leave. It’s an early flight, so don’t bother getting up for me.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll already be up anyways. We’re new parents, remember? Besides, there is no way I’m letting my brother leave the country without one last hug.”

Seth nodded, too choked up to speak. His brother had his back if he couldn’t make it through this one on his own. Because no matter what happened, he was going to get through this. He would find his way back to Tara.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Tara was still in bed late the next morning when Aubrey texted her.

AUBREY:Tara, are you awake?

TARA:Define awake.

AUBREY:I have something to tell you.

TARA:Then tell me already.

AUBREY:Seth left this morning.

Her stomach dropped to her toes, shot back up, and rammed into her throat. She swallowed the bile, and sat up in bed.

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