Something was still different, though. She was different. He couldn’t pinpoint why; he just trusted the bond they shared enough to know there was something going on in her head despite what was happening with their bodies.
He smeared his lips across her cheek and whispered in her ear. “Are you okay, baby?”
She nodded in her stoic way. But he couldn’t let her shut him out right now, not when she was so open and beautiful and vulnerable. Not when it was so obvious in her kiss that she was yearning for something, yearning hard for it.
“If I could give you anything, what would you ask me for?”
“I…don’t…”
“You know. Look at me. What would you ask me for?”
Her beautiful eyes opened, her gaze meeting his directly. The words came, the ones he wanted to hear, and he knew they were true. “Your love.”
“Hey, that’s easy. Don’t you know you already have it? So it’s all good. Right?”
The little throaty sound of relief that escaped her as he spoke was the sexiest thing he’d ever heard. Her fingers clenched tighter around the back of his neck, and he dropped his forehead to hers. “I do love you, Macy. I love you.” His lips captured hers. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Given the tears that slipped from her eyes then, he wondered if maybe those words had been a burden on her for a long time. He’d been such a f**king idiot. But whatever else happened, those little words would keep him going forever. Whatever else happened, for at least one moment in his life, Macy had loved him. But he would do his damnedest to turn the moment into a lifetime. He smiled down at her. “Well, don’t cry about it.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well…you know.” Macy watched him as he flipped on the blinker to turn into her parents’ driveway. The desire to touch him, squeeze his hand, reassure him in some way, was overwhelming. She rubbed her damp palms on her jeans instead. What was she so nervous for? It was just her parents. He was the one under the gun. But…still. Oh God. She hoped this went well. This had to go well.
Not because she was eager to please her folks. Not because if they didn’t like him, she would have to give him up. Never in a million years. They weren’t like that, anyway, despite what stupid Jared might think.
What she wanted—the ridiculously sappy daydream she’d allowed to play in her head over and over the past few weeks—was for them to welcome him in, love him, be as close as possible to the parents he’d lost all those years ago. Her mom had the capacity to mother anyone, really, but her dad, despite his words the other day, might be a harder sale.
“I’m fine. Any last-minute tips for me?” he asked, and she wondered if his barely creeping up the long driveway was just a method to put off the inevitable. “I’ve never, like, met the parents before.”
If he was nervous at all, he really didn’t show it. She was more nervous than he was. And the most common thing to say in these situations was probably, Oh, just be yourself, but she wasn’t sure that was exactly the best advice, at least not for the first meeting. Maybe for, oh, the twenty-seventh or so. She loved him the way he was, but…
Giving in, she reached over to put her hand on his. “As far as my dad, he’ll talk your ear off, and all you need to do is give an enthusiastic grunt every now and then. Mom’s a little harder. She’ll ask a million questions. I already gave her the primer, though.”
“Cool. Wow,” he added as he steered around a curve and her parents’ rambling house came into view. “Nice spread.”
“If you keep on going instead of taking the circular, you’ll end up at the barn. I’ll have to show you later. You can meet my horses.”
“As long as—”
“You don’t have to get on one, I know,” she finished for him, laughing. He pulled into the circular driveway, whistling at the sight of the large fountain in the center of the greenery. Macy tried to imagine seeing all of this for the first time. She’d grown up here, so it was simply home to her, but yes, it was quite beautiful. The yellow jessamine was blooming on the archway leading to the garden, and the Chinese fringe shrubs were an explosion of fuchsia.
“Ready?” she asked as he braked. The front door of the house opened, and her mom stepped out, smiling. She must be too excited to wait.
Here we go.
They might be put off a little at first, but eventually, they would love him.
“As I’ll ever be. Don’t touch the door.”
She’d been about to do just that. “Oh, going in for the kill,” she kidded.
“I always open your doors, killjoy.” He winked at her, and she melted. She’d been doing a lot of that lately. From his touch. From the way he looked at her. As he popped open his door to get out, she grasped his arm, stopping him.
“What is it?”
“I want you to know none of this matters. My parents or what they think…what anyone thinks. You started to ask me about it the other day, and I meant to tell you. I don’t care. So you don’t even have to worry about it.” Shit, she was about to say it. And mean it, even. “Just be yourself.”
His gorgeous mouth curved at the corners, and he reached up to caress her cheek. “Babe, I don’t know any other way to be.”
With that, he got out and trotted around to her door. As he opened it, she heard her mother happily exclaim about what a gentleman he was. Macy hid a smirk as she took his offered hand and stood from her seat, tugging down at the hem of her skirt. Gentleman, right. She would make sure to keep a little distance between them at the dinner table, so his wandering hands wouldn’t get any bright ideas.
His gaze devoured her just as it had when he first picked her up earlier this evening. Just as it had when he’d backed her straight into her bedroom and toppled her on the bed. And during the rough and wild sex that followed. She’d had to redo her hair and most of her makeup afterward.
Okay. Maybe she’d keep a lot of distance between them.
God, she was blushing bright red right in front of her mother, who’d just descended the front steps. Her dad was at her mom’s heels now. He wolf-whistled as he spied Seth’s car.
“That’s a sweet ride you have there, son.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Leave it to her dad to address the car before any introductions had been made. “Um, Mom, Dad…Dad”—she insisted when he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the GTO—“this is Seth Warren. Seth, Jennifer and Daryl Rodgers.”
Her mom greeted him warmly and even gave him a quick cheek-to-cheek, but her dad was still in muscle-car heaven. “I had a Goat just like this when I was sixteen,” he said proudly. Macy rolled her eyes, but at least he managed to stick his hand out, even if he didn’t actually look at his guest. Seth shook.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Seth said.
He might as well not have spoken. “Remember, Jen? I took you on our first date in that car. It could be the same damn one.”
“Oh, wow, you’re right!”
“Maybe it is the same one,” Seth said. “Weirder sh—stuff has happened.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” He laughed. “You did all the restoration yourself?”
“That I did.” He launched into specs that were like Greek to her, because though her dad had insisted she be able drive older cars, she damn sure didn’t know what was going on under the hood of one.
I bet I’ll learn, though, hanging out with him. She smiled, watching her dad listen to Seth in rapt attention. He prowled around the GTO like he was considering jumping behind the wheel and speeding off down the driveway.
“Amazing,” he proclaimed at last.
Yep. Everything was going to be fine.
“But I do have one more question,” Dad said. He waited until the suspense built for a minute. “What the hell happened to your hair, son?”
Oh. No. He. Did. Not.
Seth passed a hand over his head and grinned, unfazed. “I did this deliberately, sir.” He gestured at her dad’s shiny dome. “What’s your excuse?”
Freaking. Hell.
Macy’s heart dropped. She closed her eyes, waiting for the fallout. One second ticked by. Two. A lifetime. Surely Dad could be civil this one—
Her dad’s laughter rang out suddenly, shocking her eyes open as he hugged her to his side and gave her a peck on the temple.
“Finally got yourself a straight shooter, Macy. I like him already.”
She blew out her held breath, so full of relief that it shuddered as it left her. He was so going to get it later for giving her that mini heart attack, but for now, she grinned across at the guy who’d given her so much more. Herself.
“I kinda like him too.”