Page 8 of Waiting to Love You
“He’s inside on the couch. I asked him to stay inside until we got the fire going. It’s supposed to get chilly tonight,” Walker replies as Leia pushes off the car, and we all follow her toward the front door.
“Of course, all you had to do was ask. If I were here, it would have turned into World War III.”
“That’s mostly because I ask. You demand.”
“Suck-up.”
“Now, now, children. Can’t we all just get along?” Riggs laughs as Walker bypasses the door and heads down the wraparound porch, disappearing around the right side of the house.
“Shut up, Riggs,” Leia snaps back before pulling the screen door open and stepping inside.
“If you’re trying to get her to like you, this isn’t the best way,” I say, just loud enough for him to hear me.
“Oh, I know, but it sure is fun.” Riggs smirks at me before holding the door open and allowing me to step inside. “Walker and I will get the grill started. Have fun, you two.”
I smile at Riggs before stepping through the door right into the main portion of the house. There is no entryway to this house, just a great room filled with cozy-looking furniture and a grand fireplace tucked into the back of the room. There are small groups of people scattered around the room, but my eyes are searching for one person. After a few moments, I find Seth sitting on the arm of the cream-colored loveseat positioned near the fireplace.
“Aren’t you going to say hi?” Leia whispers into my ear, causing me to jump slightly.
“He’s having a conversation with your dad,” I mumble, my eyes shifting toward Mr. Armstrong, who is animatedly talking to Seth about something.
“No, he is humoring my dad, waiting for you to come inside so he can whisk you away.”
“I doubt that very much,” I reply as Seth and my eyes lock with each other, and he pushes to his feet, striding toward me.
Seth is about the same size as Walker, but instead of every part of him seeming oversized, he has a leaner build. His broad shoulders fill out a dark-colored T-shirt that looks as if it were painted onto his body. My eyes continue to make their way down his body, taking in the way his jeans hug his legs before stopping at his black leather boots, tucked neatly beneath his jeans.
“Close your mouth, Bristol,” Leia giggles as I snap my mouth closed moments before he comes to a stop in front of us.
“Hello, Bristol.” His gravelly voice sends a shiver down my spine as my cheeks heat in embarrassment.
“Hi,” I respond breathily, trying to calm my heart pounding behind my rib cage. We stand there for a few moments, the air becoming even more charged between us as I try to list all the reasons starting anything with Seth is a bad idea.
Seth is a Marine.
He is deploying in two weeks with no promise of return.
The Marines will always be his first love.
These are all excellent reasons why any type of relationship with Seth is a bad idea, but my heart has other plans. Maybe Leia is right. One night to get him out of my system should be enough. We can go our separate ways when he leaves, no harm, no foul. However, the little voice in my head keeps telling me that whatever this is between Seth and me is for more than one night. These are forever kind of feelings, but forever isn’t in the cards for us.
The sound of Leia’s voice brings me back to the present as she wraps her arm around my shoulder. “Hello to you, too, Seth. I forgive you for being so wrapped up in our girl to forget I was standing here.”
“How can anyone forget you, Leia?” Seth’s eyes sparkle in amusement as he says in a husky voice, “How have you been?”
“Great. How about you? Are you ready to leave for deployment?”
Seth’s entire demeanor changes. The playful smirk that was on his face a few minutes ago disappears. “If it were up to me, I’d stay right here in Tyson’s Creek and never leave.”
My eyes widen in surprise as I notice the truth in Seth’s words shining in his eyes. Seth and I have been doing this dance around each other for months now. Sure, we’ve flirted and spent more time talking to each other than our friends when we were together, but this is the first time he has even hinted at there being something permanent between us.
No, that can’t be what he meant. Just because he wants to stay here in Tyson’s Creek doesn’t mean I’m the reason. He’s told me several times that Brady and his parents are the closest thing he has to family. Of course, he’d want to stay here in Tyson’s Creek to be near them. That can be the only explanation for what he said, right?
“It was great catching up, but I really should go check on Walker and Riggs at the grill. If I leave them unsupervised for too long, all the food will be ruined,” Leia said.
“Please don’t leave me alone with him,” I murmur in Leia’s direction, causing her to burst out laughing.
“Don’t mind her. Sometimes the brain-to-mouth filter isn’t fully engaged.” Leia flashes Seth a bright smile before motioning toward the backyard. “Seth, do you mind grabbing some steaks out of the fridge and taking them outside? I’m gonna check on my dad one more time, and I’ll be right behind you.”