“It appears that Seth beat me out here. I was hoping to spare him the Jacobson ambush—”
“Pfft,” Ember scoffed and everybody laughed.
“He was laughing when I came out.” I looked up at him and grinned. “That’s better than crying in a corner.”
He laughed nervously as everyone laughed around us.
Ember yelled, “Dawson totally deserved it!”
Dawson rolled his eyes and came to Seth’s side. “I can see right now that I’m going to have to rescue you on more than one occasion. The Jacobson women are a force to be reckoned with.” He smiled at me. “Except,” he tapped my nose with his finger, “this one right here. You’re safe with this one.”
“Hey!” Maria said and laughed as she scooted into his arms. “I didn’t say a word, buster. Why am I getting thrown under the bus?”
“Because you’re the worst one,” he said, laughing. “Silent, calculating, waiting in the wings. Ember lets you know she’s coming from a mile away, no one could miss her.”
“Hey, pal!” Ember said, her mouth full of something that Mom was passing around.
“Laurelyn’s swift and cunning, but sugar-sweet.”
“Oh,” she laughed, “you think adding the ‘sugar’ on at the end is going to save you.”
He kept going. “And Maggie is the sweetest one in the bunch, but if you tick her off, all she has to do is look at you and poof—you’re gone like yesterday’s leftovers.”
Mom straightened from giving Grandpa Peter a hug and then shrugged. “True. So watch it, buddy.”
Seth’s fingers rubbed against mine as he laughed.
You were worried about nothing. Your family is great.
This is just a few of them. And this isn’t even the loud ones.
He seemed surprised and Ember said, “See. Told you they could talk already.”
I looked to see she was talking to her parents.
“All right,” Dad called and swooped in, clapping Seth on the shoulder. “Who wants to come with me and show Seth how to lose at horseshoes?” He pointed. “Mom, you cannot come.”
Nana laughed. “Fine.” She hooked her arm through mine. “I wanted to talk boys with my granddaughter anyway.”
Seth and I looked at each other. I so did not want to leave him yet. No one but us and Mom and Dad knew what had happened last night.
He winked. I’ll be fine, sweetheart.
Dawson, Dad, Uncle Bish and the rest of the guys took Seth out to the garage while the girls stayed inside to “gab”. Which was code for grill me on how a fireman kissed.
Mom rolled her eyes and told them to leave me alone, but there was no satisfying the frenzy that had begun in my living room.
“I don’t want Seth to kiss and tell, so why would I?”
“Great answer, babe,” Mom said and winked.
“Oh, boo, bad answer. And your avoidance of the question is an answer in itself that he is, in fact, a terrific kisser.” I stared at Ember and wondered where her brain got the energy. “You really don’t think he’s not out there telling everyone that you’re an awesome tongue twister?” She thought about it as I lifted an eyebrow. “Okay, you’re right. He’s probably not out there telling your dad and uncles and granddad how well you kiss. That one took a second to catch up with me. But at the fire station then? I’m sure he tells all.”
“Trust me, he doesn’t. Can we talk about something else? Like you, Maria?”
“Why me?” she said and glared, giving me a look.
“Duh. Because you’re preg…” Oh, she hadn’t told the rest of the family. Only her parents. “Prego sauce is…awesome.” She winced at my bad attempt to fix it and then laughed when people turned to look at her, completely getting what I had just let spill. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t know you hadn’t told anyone.”
“It’s okay,” she drawled and came to hug me. “We were just going to wait until after your party. We didn’t want to take any of the focus off of you and Seth.”
“Please, take our focus. We don’t want it.”
She laughed. “That’s why we didn’t want to. This is your only time to be in the spotlight and show him off. Everyone is so happy for you, Ave. Don’t run from that. Eat it up and be proud to have found him, for this one day.”
I could have cried. “Thanks, M. I am sorry.”
“No worries.” She looked back at the group of women, waiting eagerly for us to finish. “Yes, I’m pregnant,” she sang and they exploded with every nice thing someone could say in this scenario.
When we moseyed to the garage, Dad, Uncle Bish, and Uncle Kyle had already started cooking on the grills. I went up behind Dad and hugged him from behind, my chin on his arm. “Hey.”
“Hey, there, Ave!” Uncle Kyle called over the fan of the stove as he flipped hotdogs on another grill and saluted me with his tongs. I smiled.
“Why so sad all of a sudden, baby girl?” Dad asked as he moved the ribs around.
“Not sad. Just…I didn’t realize that I looked like that last night…when I came in.” He patted my hands as I moved back. “That must have been scary, and I was just worried about Seth and…”
He hugged me to him. “You’re supposed to worry about him. I’m supposed to worry about you. That’s the way of it.”
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
He chuckled a little. “Between the two of you apologizing there won’t be anyone having fun today.” I squinted. “He came to me and told me that he doesn’t work there anymore. That he’ll figure something else out after the summit. And I believe him.” He kissed my forehead. “Now go have some fun and stop being sorry.”
I smiled. “I love you, Dad.”
His smile in return was big. “Never gets old hearing it. I love you, too, baby.”
I pointed at the grill as I walked away. “Don’t burn those like last time, Champion.”
“If one more person brings that up…”
I found Seth by the jukebox that Mom bought Dad for his birthday a few years back. He and Dawson were flipping through, trying to find something to play. I could see they were going to be friends, kindred spirits and all that, outsiders who were now insiders. Humans.
“Whatcha doing?” I sang.
“Nothing,” he said quickly, pressing buttons, and turned to face me. “What are you doing?”
“Did you have fun losing at horseshoes?” I smiled to ease the sting.
“How do you know I lost?” He arched his brow as he came toward me. When we connected it was as easy as breathing, like we already had a way of doing things, a rhythm that was so in tune. Our hands sought each other’s and we got as close as was proper.
I grinned. “I know my family. They don’t lose at horseshoes. It’s their game.”
“What else do they play?” he said, game-face on.
“Um,” it hadn’t escaped my notice that practically the entire family was watching. “Darts? There’s a pool table upstairs. Cornhole?”
“Cornhole!” He grinned. “Oh, it’s go time.”
I laughed, but sobered. “Wait, what about your ribs?”
“I’m fine. I can toss a beanbag.”
I looked for Uncle Bish to get it set up, when I heard Dawson say, ‘Yes’ and then the jukebox started to play.
I glanced at him, confused at Seth’s smug smile, until I heard “Til Then” by The Orioles come over the speakers. I felt my lips part and stared at him, knowing that I was going to get made fun of later for this, but it just didn’t seem to matter all that much in that moment.
I heard Ember say from behind me, “He even puts up with her crappy tastes in music. Wow, he really is a keeper.”
I cracked a smile and ignored her. “Hungry?”
“Starved.”
“Come on, Mamma!” Grandpa Peter pulled Grandma Rachel to the middle near us. “Dance with me.”
“It’s not crappy.”
I jerked back to look at him. “What?”
“Your music. It’
s not crappy. Music is what speaks to your soul, what moves us and makes us feel alive. We find the kind we feel that does that for us and we don’t feel ashamed for it.”
No one had ever stuck up for me about my music except Dad and Gran. Everybody else thought it was strange for me to love it so much. “I do listen to regular music, also, I just…love the older stuff.”
“It speaks to you,” he said low and smiled.
“Yeah.”
“That’s kind of how I feel when I draw. I feel…like I’m doing what I was put here to do. I thought that was fighting fires at one time, but… I think all art does that to people, brings out this piece of you that was hidden or locked away. Makes you feel.”
I nodded. I heard them laughing behind us and saw a few of them dancing, but the song ended. I looked back at Seth and nodded my head toward the back kitchen. “I think it’s time you had a Jacobson rib sandwich.”
“Lovebirds go through the line first!” Maria yelled. She rubbed her belly and poked it out. “Hurry up, we’re starving.”
“You’re barely pregnant, M,” I said, grabbing a couple plates as Seth followed me. “You can’t use that one yet.”
“Oh, yes I can!” she sang happily.
I tried not to let the eyes on us deter me from being my normal self with him. He didn’t seem to notice everyone as we washed our hands and moved into the kitchen. He watched me get everything ready, watching my fingers and then my face, then my hands again, and my face with interest. When our eyes would meet, he’d smile.
Everyone was so bad at trying to look like they weren’t watching us like their favorite soap opera.
When I had the buns on the plate, I took a few of Dad’s ribs, cooked to perfection, and pulled the meat from the bone with my fingers. He moved closer, his fingers cupping my elbow. I hissed a breath through my lips and looked over my shoulder to his face—so close. His face was dark, his eyes were hooded, and his lips were pout—almost comically so. It was such a stark contrasting about-face to where he was not two minutes before that I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong. But he stopped me.
I never really got why guys at the station talked about their wives cooking for them and making them lunch. I thought a sandwich and a sweet tea was enough, but seeing you right now…making that for me…
Stop it.
He smiled. I am completely serious.
I know and that’s why you have to stop. You’re making me totally crazy. I shook my head.
His shoulders shook with a silent laugh. “Do we need to keep score on that, Miss I’ll wear tights every day to torture you?” he said aloud and Dawson laughed into his fist, not knowing what we were talking about, but he was close enough to hear and got the gist.
“No.” I smirked. “No, we don’t,” I said coyly and bit into my lip smartly as I turned.
Uhoh. I started something, didn’t I?
I looked at him and he was thoroughly enjoying this.
Baby, you started a war.
He laughed out loud, kissing my temple, and staying right behind me as I finished them. His hand was on the counter next to my arm and I swear, the parts of us that weren’t touching were crackling with electricity.
I put another piece of meat on the buns, licking my finger, pretending that I hadn’t heard his small groan in my mind, and then reached for Mom’s coleslaw. He reached for it, too, since he was taller.
“I got it,” he said in my ear.
“And then you,” I explained, as unflustered as I could manage, “top it with a little slaw and you’re done once you put your condiments on.”
He came next to me and eyed the bottles. He took the mayo and squirted it on both. I just watched. Then he reached for the mustard barbeque sauce… There’s no way that he—
He squirted it on mine and then eyed it. “I guess I can give it a try.” Then he squirted it on his as well. He gave me a sideways smile that was filled with happiness and everything I hoped I would see shining through.
“How did you…” I shook my head. “You’ve got to stop doing this,” I barely murmured through my numb lips that wanted nothing more than to drag him away to a dark corner and kiss him until he could no longer breathe.
“Stop doing what?” he whispered back, taking the ends of my fingers in his.
“Knowing me so completely.”
Fifteen
“Thank you for making him feel at home,” I told everyone when Seth was somewhere with Dawson. Getting more marshmallows probably. “I know you all have a grudge against the Watsons, for good reason, and I appreciate it that you didn’t take it out on him or hold it against him.”
“So…” Uncle Bish asked slowly. And here we go. He looked back to make sure they weren’t coming yet. “He still lives with them? Still talks to them? I mean, Maggie told us that he’s not really one of them, that he’s one of the people that they kept in the compound, but—”
“Uncle Bish,” I begged.
He held up his hands. “Okay.”
“He’s trying so hard to make this an easy transition. His family isn’t happy about it. For all intents and purposes, they raised him. They’re his family.” Everyone looked around and I slung my hand out. “No. No, we’re not doing this. For right now. All you have to know is that he’s my significant. Okay?” I moved to sit next to Grandpa Peter. “Hey, Gramps. How you doing?”
“Oh, I’m all right,” he said, age had taken some of his voice and strength away, but he was still as vibrant as ever. He and Nana were always off doing something, seeing something, going somewhere. He’d spent his whole life working so hard to take care of his family and that’s what he’d done. Now it was his turn to have some fun and relax. They still went on gem expeditions once a month or so to keep up the funds. “How are doing, honey?” he asked softly.
“I’m all right. Seth is amazing, I just…” I looked up and looked in his eyes, just like Daddy’s. “I just wish everyone thought of him like I did, instead of as a Watson. I feel like everyone thinks that he might have an agenda…or be used for some plot one day or something. They’re being nice, but I can tell they all want to ask.”
“Well,” he drawled, “you did almost get kidnapped the first night he came to see you.” He twisted his lips. I sighed.
There was nothing to say to that except, “He didn’t have anything to do with that.”
He nodded. “Yeah. He was just a ploy?”
“Gramps.”
He covered the tops of my arms with his palms. “Ave, you know I love you, but I used to be the Champion and that doesn’t turn off. The Watsons are not finished here.”
I shivered. “I think they’ve given up. Seth is their family—”
“No, he isn’t. They’ve had the sting of revenge in their veins long before they stole a little boy to experiment on.” I moaned in pain at the thought of him as a kid…I couldn’t even think. He looked so stricken. “I’m so sorry, Ava. I wasn’t thinking. That was stupid of me.” He pulled me to him, rocking me and patting my back. “I’m so sorry, honey.” I heard him say for someone to stop looking, that I was fine, so…that was awesome.
Grandpa Jim sat down next to me just as Seth was returning with Dawson in the distance laughing at something. “Hey, Ave. How’s things?”
“I’m okay. I haven’t seen you and Grammy in a while.”
He smiled. “We’ve been away. She’s got the travel bug.” He leaned closer and brushed my hair back. “We miss you. And are so happy for you. We just want what’s best for you.” He looked up and leaned back.
I looked and scooted over on the big blog bench around the fire pit to make room for Seth. He had a blanket on his arm, too, and tossed it around us.
“Awww,” Ember sighed, but Dawson was passing blankets around to the girls and lifted his arms in a what-am-chopped-liver motion as he handed her one. “Oh. Well, whatever. It’s still sweet.”
He smirked and went to his wife on the lounger. The snow on the ground had mostly melted, but around the
fire, it was definitely gone now. We came out here to do the fire and some marshmallows.
But as Seth settled in next to me under the blanket, I could tell something wasn’t quite right. As Seth put his arm around me and tugged me to his side so we’d be as warm as possible, I could feel the shift in the air.
I looked up at his face to see if he noticed it, too. He smiled and I realized how close we were. He tugged the edges of the blanket around my neck and his together, making our faces almost touch. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, but it came out a whisper. I tried again, but in a low voice so our conversation would be ours and no one else’s. “Yeah. Are you having an okay time? Everybody…behaving?”
He chuckled and answer just as low. “Everybody’s been great.” He was surprised. He expected there to be some discord. “Your family is just so nice. Are they being like this for my benefit?”
I turned a little letting my knee sit atop his thigh. “No,” I said truthfully, “this is them. They don’t really know how to be any other way. Just crazy.”
He laughed and looked around at everyone. His face changed and he grimaced. “Crazy’s better than fighting and plotting.”
I moved my hand to his thigh, his hand covered mine. I thought of what I could say in that moment as he thought about his life, how different things were now, how he remembered his childhood, how he couldn’t remember all of it. And then Grandpa Jim spoke and an eerie quite fell over everyone. The only noise that could be heard except his deep timbered voice was the crack of the fire in front of us and the banging of my heart, begging for what was about to happen not to be true.
“So, Seth,” he began and smiled, not meeting my eyes, not looking my way, “Caleb tells me you’re a fireman, but you have a…business degree that you have no plans to use?”
Seth’s brow bunched at the odd line of questioning that seemed to come out of nowhere, but gave an easy smile. “Yeah. My family…” He wished he hadn’t said that, but he kept going. “They wanted me to go to college and have a degree of some kind to fall back on, but I wanted to be a fireman.”