I grin as we get in the truck, looking at Seth as he buckles into the passenger side. I turn on the ignition, and Seth shoots me with a warning glare.
“Buckle.”
“Fine, geesh, don’t get your panties all twisted.” I reach back and buckle up.
“You’re such a liar, Jos.” His body is tense and I push my lips together to try and suppress my grin.
I put in the massive vehicle into reverse and start backing out of the driveway. I turn to Seth and pout. “You still love me, right?”
Being alert while driving isn’t really my style. My eyes are on Seth instead of my rearview mirror and I back over the curb in front of our house. The truck lurches as the tires land on the street. I gasp and hit the brakes. Daring a look at Seth, I see him with his eyes tightly shut, fists clenched on his knees, trying to control his breathing.
Gulping down my nervousness, I try to maneuver the car so I won’t have to go over the curb with the front tires. Not finding a way to avoid it, I ease back. We both jerk as the tires hit the bump. When I’m on the street, I brake and start to put the truck in drive. Seth’s hand darts out and moves it to park.
He flings his seatbelt off and opens his door.
“Get out of the fucking car, Jos. I’m driving.” He slices me with a thunderous glare and I recoil. I face forward and keep my hands on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white from my tight grip.
Seth comes to my side and opens my door. I refuse to look at him. He reaches over and unbuckles my seatbelt. “C’mon. Get out. I can’t let you drive.”
My heart pounds in stubbornness. Seth’s hand guides my hair behind my ear. “Josie. Get out. I know you didn’t mean to, but you’re not driving. I love you too much to let you drive.”
I sigh and get out of the seat. I hop into the passenger side and look out the window as Seth drives. After a minute, Seth reaches over and takes my hand. The tension building in my chest releases as I feel his thumb running over my palm.
“I just wanted it to be a perfect birthday. I didn’t want you to have to do anything.”
He stops at a stop sign and looks over at me. “I know, baby, but I don’t need anything. The fact that I get to spend it with you in the first place is enough. It will always be enough. You are everything.”
“Are you mad at me?”
He squeezes my hand and lifts it to his mouth. “No, but you will never be allowed to drive my car ever again. And honestly, I’m considering being your goddamn chauffeur after what I just witnessed. I knew there was a reason I always drive you.”
I throw my hand out and slap him across the chest. “Just shut up and drive.”
“Your wish is my command, princess. Where to?”
“Head toward Raleigh, and stop at The Underground first to eat. Then … it’s a surprise.” My voice gets higher at the end of the sentence in my enthusiasm. I think I’m more excited about his birthday gift than he is going to be.
At the stoplight, he leans over and kisses my cheek. “You’re adorable, you know that?”
“I’ve been told.” I turn my face so my lips catch his before he turns back to the road.
“By who?”
“The usual. Brody.”
Seth’s head bangs against the headrest and he squeezes my hand harder. “You’re asking for it, Jos.”
I giggle and lean across to kiss his cheek. I make sure it’s extra slobbery. “I’m just teasing. Do you know how adorable you are?”
“I’ve been told.” His lips curve and he sneaks a peek at me.
“By who?”
“Alice.” Silence fills the cab for a few seconds before Seth can’t hold back his laughter.
“Seth George Montgomery, if this wasn’t your birthday, I would freaking strangle you for mentioning her name.”
“I’m just teasin’. You’re the only girl for me.”
“I better be.” I give him my best glare, and he leans forward to kiss the crease between my eyes.
“You’re too beautiful to frown like that.”
“And you’re too handsome.”
“If I had let you keep driving, you probably would have fucked my face up in a wreck. Would that have made you happier?”
I laugh, despite the horrid image. “Shut up, Seth. And don’t get in a car accident. You have precious cargo aboard.”
He looks over at me and grins. “Yes, you are, pretty girl. I’m always careful.”
He has no clue I’m referring to something else entirely, but that’s okay. I bite my lip to hide a smile and look out the window for the rest of the drive
The Underground is like an adult Chuck-E-Cheese. With blinding, flashing lights and loud music, it gives the space a club atmosphere, but the games make it an adult paradise. About once a month, Seth and I come here to drink some beer, down burning shots of vodka, and get ridiculously competitive with the games.
Drunk and challenging each other at arcade games? It’s a blast for us and a disaster for the workers and customers.
We take a seat at our regular booth and Seth gets up to order our drinks and put some more points on our game card.
“Corona?” he asks. It’s my usual drink, but he asks anyway. For a few seconds, I can’t think. Can’t speak. I feel cold, but my palms are sweaty.
“Um, actually, I’m still not feeling too great so just a water for now.”
Seth. My sweet fiancé who worries over me constantly. His face falls and his eyes flash with concern. He places a hand on my forehead and lifts my chin.
“We should go back home. You should be in bed until you’re better.”
Seth loves taking care of me when I’m sick. Last month I had the flu, and he canceled all his work so he could stay home and take care of me. We watched every season of Breaking Bad on Netflix as we nuzzled each other for comfort. He couldn’t take the sickness away, but his company helped me not think about how I was vomiting and sneezing every few minutes.
Sometimes it’s nice to be taken care of. Sometimes we all need a partner to hold us up when life around us is crumbling.
“I’m fine, Seth, I promise. I’m feeling a lot better now. I don’t want to push it with alcohol, though.”
His thumb runs across my cheekbone—plotting a way he can convince me to go home, I’m sure. “Fine. But tell me if you’re feeling sick at all. I’ll take you straight home.”
“Promise.” I lean up and give him a chaste kiss before he walks away.
So this magical make-you-feel-better-pill that Brooke gave me doesn’t really take away the nausea. I’m not throwing up, but I’m still not feeling like myself. I pick at my salad, receiving warning stares from Seth every time I grimace.
He doesn’t mention it again, but I notice how closely he’s watching me, looking for any reason to take me back home. I put on a brave face and work through a quarter of my salad before suggesting we go play games.
“One more time,” Seth says after I beat him in another game of skee-ball.
“Seth! That was our seventh game. You’re not going to beat me.”
He snakes his arm around my waist and pulls me against him. Grinning down at me with an impossibly charming look, he pleads his case. “Come on, Pussycat. It’s rigged. I’m gonna kick your ass this time.”
“It isn’t rigged.” I tip my head back and laugh.
“It is! I’m telling you.”
“How?” I quirk an eyebrow as I wait for a ludicrous response.
He doesn’t disappoint. “You’re too damn beautiful. I can’t concentrate,” he mumbles against my neck.
I shove him away, but he grabs the hem of my shirt and pulls me back. His fingertips glide across my ribs and my body instantly caves into his touch. A rush of air leaves me as a blast of sharp sensations assault me.
“I’m serious. One more time. Let’s make a wager for whoever wins this time.”
“You’re crazy, Sethy. It’ll be an easy win for me.” I run my hands up the soft cotton of his shirt and around his neck.
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“Let’s make a deal.”
“Fine. If I win, I want you to do the dishes for two weeks.”
He grins and presses his lips gently against my cheek. Can’t. Breathe.
“Deal.” His eyes meet mine and he swallows hard. “So I don’t want you to get mad at me, but here’s my deal.” He pauses briefly. “I want to talk about starting a family.”
Thump, thump. The drum of my heart trembles through my skin. I look away so he won’t see through me. I just need a few more hours, and I don’t have to lie to him anymore. I look back at him, his expression wary and hopeful. Brooke was right.
I decide to feign ignorance. I raise my eyebrows. “You mean like getting a dog or cat?”
He strokes his jaw, then brings his hand to my neck, his thumb running against my pulse. No doubt he can feel how fast my heart’s beating. “No, Jos.” He lets out a low laugh. “If I win I want to start talking about becoming parents.”
“To a puppy?” I drag out each word as I assume confusion.
“A baby. Adoption. I want to talk about having kids.”
His eyes hold mine—pleading me not to get upset. His body tenses as he waits for my answer, probably mistaking the tight grasp I have on the back of his shirt as me freaking out about what he’s asking.
Releasing the tight hold I have on him, I back up. “Okay. I’ll go first.”
He doesn’t say anything else, but the glint in his eyes is unmistakable. He thinks he accomplished something huge.
Seth swipes the game card in our skee-ball machine and I take a deep breath. I’m so trying to get out of dishes for two weeks. The noise in the room explodes when a popular song comes on and I look back at Seth to see him dancing to the hard beat. He turns around and obnoxiously shakes his butt at me. Sticking out my tongue, I try to ignore the loud music and play. Not my best, but I think it’s still enough to win.
Of course, as soon as I move away from the machine, the song changes to a boring one and the people go back to their games.
“If I didn’t know better, I would swear you did that on purpose.”
Seth raises his arms in innocence. “I can’t help it if these people like to get crunk, Pussycat.” Ever the mature adult, he jumps in front of the machine and rubs his palms together. “Time to kick your ass.”
His first roll lands in the gutter and I laugh loudly. “For someone who played soccer most of his life, you sure do suck at this game.”
He shoots me with a wry grin. “We use our feet in soccer, Jos. Not hands.”
I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. He’s too busy looking at the extra skin of my stomach from my raised arms to notice. “I know you use your feet in soccer. I’m not dumb.”
He looks up then and leans over to plant a quick kiss on my lips. “I know you’re not. I was just teasing.”
He finishes his turn and keeps his eyes glued to the numbers scrolling across the top.
“Yes,” he shouts as I shriek.
“What? There’s no way!”
“I kicked your ass so hard, Pussycat. Don’t be a sore loser.”
“You beat me by ten points. I hardly consider that kicking my ass.”
His arms wrap around me and he spins me around. “It’s a win and you know it.”
“Did you just hustle me?” I ask when he puts my feet back on the ground.
Seth’s grin turns devious and he licks his lips. “Say hustle again. It’s hot comin’ out of your mouth.”
“Ugh! You’re impossible.” My squirming only makes him tighten his hold on me.
“You’re just mad that I’m awesome.”
“You wish. One out of eight games is far from awesome.”
“We’ll bring this discussion of awesomeness up again later. Tonight.” He leans down and speaks low in my ear, his breath hot and tingly against my skin. “When you’re sweaty and breathing hard from just how awesome I can be.”
“Seth,” I breathe, brain foggy from the impact he has on me. I reach into his pocket and his body tenses, looking around to make sure we don’t have an audience, I pull out his phone and look at the time. “We have to go.”
I withdraw from his arms and grab his hand. He groans and stomps his feet until I stare at him disbelievingly, and he chuckles, throwing an arm around my shoulders. He walks me to the truck, arm tightening as soon as we step outside. I look up at him, confused by his rigid posture and the way he surveys the parking lot.
Before I can ask him what’s wrong, he looks down at me, a flicker of a smile on his mouth. “So, what happened to my innocent Josie who likes to wear sun dresses and no makeup?” He opens my door and helps me in. Getting in on his side, he continues, “Not that this isn’t hot.” His eyes rake my silhouette. “I’ve been hard for you all fucking night.”
“You’ll see why in a minute. Head over to RALE.”
He tries to suppress a grin, turning away from me and firing up the engine. “Whatever you say, pretty girl.”
Seth pulls into the parking garage when we get there, and I rush us inside so he won’t see the sign announcing who will be playing tonight. We walk in and the atmosphere is brimming with excitement.
RALE is a theater that was built in the early 1900s. You walk in and the dulled hardwood floor covers the space of a large dance floor. To the left there’s a bar the length of the wall. Looking up, a wraparound balcony overlooks the stage and the audience, but that’s not the heart of the show. Everyone knows the best spot is in the middle of the crowd. It pulsates with energy and inspiration. It’s large enough for a nice crowd, but small enough for an intimate interaction with the bands.
The best concerts are held here.
Seth buys me a water bottle in case I start feeling sick again, and we walk to stand in the middle of the crowd. We get close to the stage, which is lucky for me since I’m so short that I can barely see anything.
“Who’s playing?” Seth asks, pulling my back against his chest. His hands hold mine in front of my stomach, and he plays with the engagement ring on my finger.
“You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”
He nuzzles the crook of my neck and I feel him inhale deeply. He reaches a hand to cup my cheek and turns my head to look at him.
“I love you so much, Josie. I can’t wait to marry you.”
Warmth like the heat of burning embers in a dying fire coil in the pit of my stomach and into my chest—filling me. Consuming me.
“Me either, Seth. I can’t wait to be your wife.”
Chapter 6
Seth
There’s nothing sweeter than the girl you love telling you she can’t wait to marry you. It’s surreal in a way I never thought I would care about.
I brush her lips softly with mine, eyes closing as I pull her full bottom lip between my teeth. She’s here, wrapped in my arms, and yet, sometimes, the way these moments feel way too intense to be real. Can she really love me?
Am I really this lucky?
I don’t like to dwell on the thought, because I ultimately come to the conclusion that I don’t deserve this. Her. And that scares the shit out of me.
I lean my forehead against hers, taking her in—her languorous posture, her spearmint, shampooed hair, small body slightly shaky in my arms, eyes heavy and cheeks flushed as she waits for me to kiss her. I want this moment seared in my memory for as long as I’m alive.
Closing my eyes, I kiss her deeply. She hums in satisfaction and her ten delicate fingers reach behind her and tangle into my hair. The numbers on the clock melt away with every second she holds me to her. The world around us doesn’t matter. Why would it? Nothing can compare.
The crowd starts screaming and clapping, pushing us in waves of excitement as a guitar starts playing a familiar rift.
It’s not until I hear the lead singer belting out a song that I know do I pull away. I look down at my fiancée, eyes wide. “No fucking way, Jos,” I say, shocked.
Her eyes crinkle and she leans up to kiss my jaw. “Yep.”<
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She gets excited and starts jumping up and down. We turn toward the stage, and sure enough, I see a band I never thought I’d see again.
The drumming is hard, the singing is loud, and the crowd is wild. I look back down at Josie, and I instantly understand why she dressed the way she did tonight. The girl I love, the one who listens to terrible pop garbage on the radio is dancing and singing along to hardcore rock music. This isn’t real.
I keep a firm hold on her hips and get into the music with the rest of the audience. Heads are banging. Hips are grinding. Sweat is starting to form on the back of my neck, and I get lost in the vibrations of the instruments.
After the final note in their first song, the lead vocalist grabs a water bottle and takes a swig. He comes up to the microphone and looks down at the crowd, particularly the front row where a girl is screaming with bouncing tits. He shakes his brown hair out of his face, gives her a wink, and turns to look back out into the audience.
“Hello, North Carolina! I’m Ollie and we’re, She want the D—” The girls scream when he and all the band members look down and point at their crotches. Including Josie. I pinch her side and she giggles. “—isco, and we’re not leaving ‘til you’re all satisfied.”
More screams erupt and Josie cups her hands around her mouth and lets out a wail. I laugh and pull her tighter against my chest, her hand resting on top of mine on her bare stomach.
“You’re the best,” I holler into her ear above the music. She grins and shakes her head.
Taking me to see this band is possibly the coolest thing she’s ever done for me. I remember the night I met Ollie, Mason, and Ty. A couple beers turned into multiple dares involving hard liquor, and for a week and a half, I played the drums for their band at random pubs across London. Their drummer quit last second and they needed a stand-in.
It was a week to remember that’s for sure—or maybe it wasn’t since we were always too wasted to know what was going on. I have a tattoo done by the guitarist to prove it. There was a ton of music and way too much of us spilling our life stories to each other.
We formed a solid friendship in that time, but ever since I came back to the United States, I haven’t had much contact with them. Seeing them is a memory of a different time—one of the best moments of my life.
That's a Relief (Promises, Promises Book 3) Page 4