“Not a problem. We still have some leftover cupcakes, remember?” He jumped at the chance to forestall the moment that would determine his entire future.
He forced himself to relax his grip on the chair and carefully let go. His fingers felt stiff from holding on to it like a lifeline. Walking slowly to the counter, he picked up the box of cupcakes and a plate for Tara to use.
When he set both of them in front of her, she glanced at her plate and frowned. “You aren’t having any? That isn’t like you.”
“I’m still trying to get the butterflies to settle down in my stomach.”
Looking unconvinced, she took a giant bite of her cupcake and got frosting on the corners of her mouth. Seth plucked a napkin from the stand and knelt in front of Tara. He tenderly wiped away the buttercream. And because he couldn’t help himself, he kissed her softly on her lips.
“I love you, Tara,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”
She became motionless—as still as the moon mirrored on a midnight lake. And ice seeped into his veins and froze his cells.Please say something. Say anything. Please.
“No.” She pushed away from him and shot to her feet.
“No?” His voice sounded as though he was hearing it from under water. He gradually stood from his crouching position.
Tara made a desperate sound and rushed into his arms. His arms automatically wrapped around her, and she kissed him, hard and demanding. He groaned deep in his chest and kissed her back, matching her raw heat. Then, she fumbled for his belt and unbuckled it, snapping him out of the fog of desire.
“Wait,” he said, turning his face away. She pressed her lips against his to stop the words, and unzipped his pants. “Tara. Stop.”
She whimpered, “No, no, no.”
“Tara, look at me.” He held her away with a firm hold on her arms. “We can’t do this right now. We need to talk.”
“But why?” she cried, her eyes desperate and wild.
“Baby, I need you to calm down.” Of all the reactions, this wasn’t what he’d expected. She was falling apart.Oh, God.Was he going to lose her? “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“Seth…” Her chin trembled, and she clamped her mouth shut and took a deep breath through her nose. “We have a dating dare. We have one more date left.”
“Yes, we do have a dating dare, but it doesn’t have to end with one last date,” he said soothingly. She just needed time for the idea to sink in.
“But we promised not to fall in love with each other.” Her voice rose, and she ripped her arms out of his hands and put the table between them. “You broke the rule.”
“I did.” A corner of his lips lifted in wry humor. “I completely broke the rule. I am so much in love with you.”
“Please don’t say that.” She took another step back.
“Why, Tara? I’m only speaking the truth.” Wanting to ease her worry, he buried his hands inside his pockets, despite his desperation to hold her tight in his arms. “Will you please hear me out?”
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she insisted, fire leaping into her eyes.
“It wasn’t. I never imagined I would be able to love again. So deeply that my past relationship feels like child’s play. This is real. It’s mind-blowing and life-altering love.” She stood still and silent, and Seth took that as a small victory. “I love you, and I want to be with you. I need to be with you.”
“But you’re leaving next week.” She shook her head, and her fingers wrestled with each other. “You’re going to be on the other side of the world.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. I can stay.” He smiled, and nodded encouragingly at her. She was freaking out because she was worried he would ask her to come with him. “I want to stay in Weldon with you.”
“What?” Incredulity spread across her face, and the bottom dropped out of his stomach. “What the hell, Seth?”
“It’s okay. It’s what I want. I’ll decline my Paris position and open a photography studio here.” His words tripped over each other.
“You’re going to turn down the chance of a lifetime to take small-town wedding photos and pregnancy shots?” she yelled, her hands curled into fists.
“Anything. I’ll do anything to be able to stay here with you,” Seth said, begging her to hear him. All that mattered to him was being with her. She just needed to understand that. “Fashion photography is only a job. I’m not trading a lifetime with you for it.”
“I do not want to be that person who makes you give up your dreams. I cannot be the person that takes away your amazing chance.” A sob escaped her, and she bit her lips to stop the trembling. “I once let a person use my love for him to manipulate and control me. I was so lost that I couldn’t even remember who the real me was. I refuse to do that to you. Don’t make me become that person.”
