by Shelly Crane
“Is there something…you want to ask me? You can just get whatever you want out of my head, you know. What’s mine is yours. Dig around until you’re satisfied that I’m not the Devil.” He smirked, but it wasn’t the sexy kind; it was the bitter kind. I wanted the sexy kind back, even if I was confused.
I used his own words on him. “No. I’m not going to take those things from you, Seth. I want you to give those things to me because you want me to have them.”
His smirk disappeared. He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, his head fell forward as he let out a breath. “Ava, we can’t keep doing this. This is getting us nowhere.”
“Agreed,” I whispered.
“So let’s call a ceasefire.” He turned to face me as he set his coffee on the table, but stayed a safe distance. I knew he was giving me my space, letting me feel comfortable in the bubble of calm I had created—however fragile or false it may have been. “No matter what you think of me, I didn’t plan this. I’ll start at the beginning, okay?” he suggested quietly and waited for me to agree.
I nodded.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, his phone rang.
Let it ring. Let it ring.
“I can’t, Ava,” he muttered as he looked down at the name on the screen, clearly hearing my begging. He glanced up and pleaded with me with that gaze. “I know that we need to do this. But my family…needs me, too. Especially after Harper was here earlier and I sent her away. Gaston will be angry. I…” He growled—like an actual growl that if I wasn’t bonded to the boy, would have scared me. “I don’t know what the hell to do. I’m being pulled in two directions.”
I shouldn’t have. It wasn’t the right thing, but I did it anyway. “What do you feel is the right thing right now?”
Making him choose so early. Wrong move.
“I’m sorry, Ava. My uncle, he…” He sighed as the ringing stopped. “I have to figure out a way to make this right and the only way to do that is to be there and talk to them, make them see that they don’t have to hold this grudge anymore. That us bonding is a sign, a reason to stop this. I’m trying to protect you.”
He phone dinged again, but this time, he seemed surprised by the text. I tried not to be angry and I purposely avoided reading it.
I leaned up and began putting my shoes on. “Okay.”
“We made some progress today. Please don’t leave angry.”
“I’m not angry,” I remarked flatly and stood. “I’ll walk to my car. It’s not far.”
“I’ll walk with you.”
“No, it’s fine,” I said harder. Softer I said, “I’m fine. Thanks. You go take care of the things you need to. I’m going to go home and see my family, too. Probably a good thing. I need to check on my parents and see how they’re doing with all this—make sure Dad’s still okay after what happened last night.”
He winced. “I’m still really sorry about that.”
“I don’t want you to be sorry, Seth,” I said and realized in my very soul that my next words were true, “I want you to be on my side.”
My words crushed him, I could see. But I couldn’t move as I turned to go. He didn’t make me beg to be released; he kindly showed me mercy.
He softly rumbled, “I’ll see you later. Go ahead and go, check on your dad. Everything will be fine.”
If he wasn’t with me he was against me, and my saying so obviously meant that I thought he wasn’t. He wanted to stop me, but after the last time I accused him of wanting to take my touch for himself instead of give it to me, he wasn’t going to dare say it, what with our already shaky foundation crumbling where we stood.
I was surprised that he was going to just let me go and surprised that Mom hadn’t gone ballistic and come after me. I stopped before the door, my feet itched, torn between running away and running to the boy who held my heartbeat in his chest.
With soft, whispering pleadings in my head, I turned back and came to him as he stood perfectly still. He opened his arms and accepted me with a deep, contented sigh. I pressed my forehead to his chin, closing my eyes and letting our touch carry me away to a second’s worth of bliss. It was worth every bit of agony and embarrassment and torment. His palm coasted up the back of my arm before settling on the back of my neck. His thumb came around under my chin to tilt my head back. He stared, so close to my face. He could have kissed me, and, who knew, I might have let him in that moment. I was so blissed out and unencumbered in the moment and situation.
He murmured quietly, “Can I see you later?”
He wanted to see my eyes when he asked me that question. That’s why he tilted my head back. He didn’t want to come if I didn’t truly want him there. He was begging me not to give up on him.
“Why don’t you just wait and see how it goes. I’d hate for you make plans, them not work out, and you feel guilty.”
He licked his lip a little in thought. “Can I see you later?” he repeated as though nothing else had been spoken between us.
I let my breath go slowly. “Yeah,” I whispered.
Seven
So it turned out that Mom sent my cousin Drake to “escort” me home and had texted Seth to let him know. That’s why neither Seth nor my mom had a problem with me leaving and roaming around town by myself. Pfft. I felt so cheated. I actually thought I had freedom. Silly, naïve, little Ava. Drake met me at the door when I emerged Seth’s apartment and all the Legos fell into place. He saw it all happen on my face, too, and apologized.
“Sorry, cuz. From what I hear, things aren’t working out so well. Want to me kick his—”
“No,” I laughed and looped my arm through his. I put my head on his shoulder, sighing. “Let’s just go home and then you can have Mom make you something yummy for being her lap dog. And I can reap the benefits.”
He laughed. “Being her lap dag does have its good sides. The woman can cook.” When I didn’t say anything in return as we crossed the street he stopped. “Hey.” I lifted my head, but it took me a minute to look at him. “It happened,” he said excitedly for me. “It may not be perfect yet, but it will be.”
“You think?”
I turned to look across the street to find Seth watching me go. He was leaning back against his truck door, his legs and arms crossed. He looked so sad in that moment, like he wasn’t sure if he’d ever see me again, or he wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to see him again. Drake looked back at him, too.
“This is your last chance,” he joked. “I’ll do it. I’ll take care of the problem right now.”
I laughed, but felt this need to make him sure he knew.
Come tonight. I smiled, biting my lip. When you’re done with…your family. Come see me.
His lips immediately rose into a smile that had my stomach doing flips. He pushed off his truck and hopped inside, speeding away quickly.
Drake chuckled. “Was it something I said?”
I laughed under my breath. “No,” I breathed. “Hopefully, it was something I said and he’s trying to hurry back.”
He grinned. “Who knew you would be the biggest sap.” He put his fingers under his chin and spoke in his highest falsetto. “Oh, Seth.” I punched his arm, but he kept going. “You’re the strongest brute of them all!”
He followed me back to my house in his big truck where Mom had homemade sweet rolls ready. She wrapped some up for him and sent him on his merry way. Pretty sad when bodyguards can happily be paid in baked goods.
That night, I told them how I went to Seth’s apartment after he found me at the firehouse. And then it began. The infamous roll fight, which Rodney always started. And lost.
Rodney tossed a little piece of roll into Dad’s plate. Dad looked at me and I shook my head. Dad grinned, knowing the culprit. He then took a roll and tossed the entire thing at Rodney’s face and made it stop right before it smacked. Rodney’s eyes, wide as lemons, stared cross-eyed at it before plucking it out of the air and tossing it back at Dad.
“You just started a wa-aaar,”
Mom sang.
“Mamma’s right,” Dad growled and chucked another roll at him, borrowing Mom’s ability and slamming the roll into Rod’s shoulder.
“Ow, Dad!” he groaned and leaned his head back on his chair. “How could you hit your son?” he said to the ceiling dramatically.
Mom laughed as we waited for Rodney’s retaliation. It came in the form of a roll flying up from Rod’s hand under the table, up and over the table, over the light fixture, and into Dad’s waiting hand.
He smirked. “Amateur.”
He wasn’t ready for Rod’s other roll to come barreling at him as he preened and gloated. It smacked into his forehead. His forehead. Rodney and Mom were laughing so hard, Rodney almost fell off of his chair. Dad hadn’t been bested at roll retaliation in…ever.
“Yes!” Both hands in the air was the only way Rod handled his gloating. “He shoots, he scores, he wins, folks!” Rodney yelled and high-fived Mom. “Dad, that was epic. Can we do an instant replay so I can put this on my YouTube channel?”
Dad quickly flicked his fingers of both hands up, making Rodney’s shirt go up over his head and then wrap around, twisting and trapping him.
“Dude! Payback will be swift, old man!” he yelled from his cocoon.
I laughed at my family and sat back watching, soaking it in. Thinking how close I was to losing all this. It was upwards of the eight o’clock hour and still no Seth. Mom had even postponed dinner to see if he’d make it. I hadn’t told her he was coming, but she could apparently tell with all my pacing. We never ate dinner at eight o’clock at night.
I felt Mom kissing my hair and hadn’t even seen her get up I was so dazed. I smiled at her, but knew I was failing at showing them I was fine. I got up to help her clear plates, the tinkling of the china barely heard over Rodney and Dad’s grunting as they wrestled on the living room floor.
Mom laughed. “Caleb,” she sang, “don’t be mad when Rodney puts your feet over your head and puts the proof on Instagram again.”
“Classic,” Rodney managed to wheeze from under him.
“Whose side are you on, woman!” Dad laughed and gave her a look. I rolled my eyes, knowing that look was nothing if not bedroom-driven.
Rodney finally got his head loose. “I’ll call child protective services.”
“Ha!” Dad scoffed and noogied Rodney’s head. “They’d crack you like the FBI. Rookie.”
Mom and I laughed and finished up the dishes. There were hardly any.
“I’ll call Grandpa!” Rodney yelled as he finally got the upper hand on Dad and slammed him to the floor.
He ‘oomphed’ and shook his head in mock shame. “I bet you would, traitor.”
I barely heard my phone ding over the commotion, but I did. Mom did, too, and gave me a reassuring smile and a head nod. When I didn’t run for it like she thought I would she scowled at me and flung her hand. My phone raced through the air stopping abruptly before it would have smashed into my chest with force. I didn’t even flinch, used to her antics. I gave her a look as Dad and Rodney kept at it, oblivious to anything else going on.
‘Talk to him,’ she mouthed. And then she said loudly over the ruckus. “That yuckiness in your gut, that unease and worry about what’s going on, it won’t go away until you talk to him.”
I smiled as best I could and nodded. I sat in my dining room chair and opened the text.
I’m so sorry. There was a family emergency. I won’t be able to come tonight and I hate that you were right about me breaking my promise. I’ll be there first thing in the morning, no matter what. Nothing, no family emergency, NOTHING, could keep me away. I’ll be there. I’m so sorry. Don’t give up on me, Ava.
I stared at it for a minute before looking up.
“He’s not coming,” I told her and stood. “I’m going to bed.”
She intercepted me as I tried to scoot from the room. “Not so fast.” She wrapped her arms around me and spoke softly, but firmly. I knew it was my mother talking, not the leader of her race, not the woman who had endured the wrath of many, not the woman who held the fate of so many on her shoulders. This was just the woman who had been in love herself and wanted to comfort her daughter. “This stage sucks. The not-knowing-what’s-going-to-happen stage. Even the strongest of relationships go through it.” She leaned back. “I know that it’s hard to be one of those couples. The ones that seem to be fated for something greater.” My breath caught in my throat. “Your dad and I were one of those because we were the first imprint in so many years, and then the Visionary stuff happened, and every one spent so much time focusing on us that it was hard for us to focus on us sometimes. There is a reason for this, sweetheart. I promise you. It doesn’t seem like it now, and it hurts and it sucks. But the universe doesn’t hand out blank cards to play. You will know your hand soon enough.”
“Mom,” I could barely get the word out. She wiped my cheek clear of tears before a shadow filled the doorframe and looked at us.
Dad sighed one of those long sighs which you could tell that he was angry and hurt and wanted to bust heads and hold me and do all sorts of things all at once. “Come here, baby girl,” he finally said.
His arms were so tight. When I was a little girl, I used to joke about him squeezing all my stuffing out because his hugs were so hard. He said he couldn’t help it, that he needed to hug me as hard and as long as he could because one day somebody would come and take me away from him to marry me. I’d say gross, over the years it changed to eww, then maybe, then when, then why not now, then it happened…and it was a Watson.
“I’m okay, Daddy.”
“No, you’re not.” He leaned me back and took my face in his hands. It was the same move that Seth had made, but the meaning was completely different. Both were meant to soothe me, both were meant to show me love of some degree, both were meant to make me see them dead on and know that they meant what they were saying. In that moment, I appreciated them both for it. “You’re not okay, Ave, but you will be.”
“I hope you’re right.”
He put an arm around me and another out for Mom to come into. “My girls,” he mused and kissed my hair. “I know I’m right, Ava, because I saw Seth last night. I was worried before, and I still am, but not about him. I’m worried about his family. He won’t hurt you—well, not on purpose.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s in pretty deep with his family. You guys haven’t seen him with them or heard him talk about them. His cousin, Harper, was at his apartment when we got there yesterday.” Dad tensed, but I smoothed his shirt. “It was fine; it was just her. She tried to get him to come…” I almost said home. But that wasn’t his home. I shook my head. “She wanted him to go with her to her family’s house. Something about family problems. But when he saw how upset I was, he stayed.”
“See?” Mom said and rubbed my arm. “That means something.”
“But as soon as he got a text from them later on—when we were about to talk about his family and how he was adopted by them, he told me he had to go. And then he didn’t come tonight when he said he would because of a family emergency.”
“That could be them, though,” Dad suspected. “I bet his family knew he was supposed to come here and threw something at him so he couldn’t come. We have to remember there are more dynamics at play here than just a boy meeting a girl. These families have been fighting since before even my father was born. That isn’t going to stop just because you two bonded. No matter how much we want it.”
My chest fell, deflated. He noticed. “I hoped that they might call a ceasefire of some sorts, at least for a little while—maybe even some pretense of it, but it doesn’t look as if that’s the case. They are and will always be our enemy. Seth, unfortunately, will have to choose a side.”
“Why can’t it just be easy…like when you guys bonded?”
They looked at each and laughed. Mom whispered, looking at Dad, “If that was easy, then I don’t want to know what hard looks like.”
“
But you know what I mean,” I forged on. “At least you knew Dad loved you. At least you didn’t have to wonder if it was all a plot.”
“Neither do you,” Dad said low and looked away from Mom. “I knew that your mom was mine from the moment I took her hand and nothing and no one would have stood in my way. If Grandpa and Gran and the entire Jacobson clan decided they hated her, we would have run off together the second she agreed to it. That’s not because of who I am, that’s because I’m Virtuoso, and no one is going to keep my woman from me. Seth looked at you the way I look at your mom. That isn’t something you can fake, especially after only knowing you just one day. That’s something in you, something in your guts and soul, imprinted on you, something written on your heart from that first touch that doesn’t go away.”
My lips were parted in shock. I glanced at Mom and she was in a similar state. “Dad,” I squeaked.
He smiled. “I have my moments.”
I slipped a little bit back into the darkness. “But the Watsons aren’t like the rest of the Virtuoso. They don’t care about their women like everyone else.”
“Ava,” he said slowly, “Seth is not a Watson.”
It was then that it all crashed down on me. I felt the first little bit of happiness smack me and I smiled, giving Daddy what I knew he wanted and needed. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“What am I? Chop suey?”
I smiled at Mom and gripped her tightly around her neck. “Thank you, Momma.”
“Aww, you haven’t called me ‘Mamma’ in years.” She rubbed my back and smoothed my hair as I continued to hold on.
“Today, you reminded me why you’re Mom, not the Visionary. And you’re really good at it.” I tightened my grip. “I know you’re both, but sometimes, Mom needs to trump the other—even if it could cause a Virtuoso worldwide incident.”
Dad chuckled, as Mom squeezed me tighter. “You guys always come before my duties.” I nodded. “Just like I know you’ll come before any drama and obstacles with his family. He’ll get there, Ava. He’s just confused. His entire world just crumbled and came together all in the same day. Remember that.”
