“Why do you keep running, Rose?” His voice was quiet, yet indomitable. He crossed his arms over his wide chest and waited.
The words threatened to spill over like a flood after a rainstorm. Memories collided inside her mind, and suddenly, she felt very, very tired. What if she could lay her burdens on someone else for once? Someone strong like Seth?
He has his own burdens. Don’t be selfish, Rose.
“Look, I’ll explain everything to you, but not tonight.” At his implacable look, she put her palms up, entreating him. “I promise.”
“Why do I feel like your promises are worth less than nothing lately?”
She winced. It hurt, but she deserved that. “You’re right. But I can’t talk about this here.”
Sighing, he pushed his fingers through his hair. “Fine. Tomorrow night? Or are you working?”
“I get off by eight o’clock.”
“Good. I’ll be home.”
They stared at each other, and Rose felt the gulf between them widening. Swallowing, tears imminent, she walked away from him for what felt like the thousandth time.
Throughout the rest of the evening, he didn’t try to get her attention. She noticed that he kept his back to her for the most part, although she heard him laugh and joke with his brothers. His brothers, for their part, shot him concerned glances every so often. Rose caught Caleb shaking his head at Harrison, and Harrison frowning into his beer.
When Harrison saw her looking, she whirled away and flew back into the kitchen. She didn’t even care if she got reprimanded again for loitering. Better that than having the wrath of three Thornton brothers coming down on her head.
But as fate would have it, Rose couldn’t avoid everyone related to Seth that night. Trent popped into the kitchen to steal some fries before the chef shooed him away. Trent grinned like a kid in a candy store.
“Hey, did you see Ash?” he asked Rose offhandedly. “I need to talk to him.”
“I saw him earlier. He’s probably in your office.”
“Great. Thanks, Rose.”
She followed him out, but then she found herself on the edges of a family reunion of sorts. Lizzie had Bea, and when Trent saw them, he kissed first his wife, then his daughter on their cheeks.
“I thought you two were heading home?” Trent asked. “I’ll be done soon if you want to wait for me.”
“Sure. We just stopped by to say hi to everyone.” She finally saw Rose standing there. “Oh, hey, Rose! How are you? Too bad you couldn’t come out for Caleb’s birthday. Heath said you were working.”
Trent frowned. He opened his mouth, but then shut it just in time. Rose blushed to the roots of her hair: she’d completely lied about not being able to join the party. She just hadn’t had the guts to face all the Thorntons and their significant others in one go.
She gave Lizzie a small wave. “Hi, nice to see you. I should get back to work—”
Seth walked up toward the group, at first not noticing Rose at all. She almost slipped away, but right then, he turned his head. And their gazes met.
Seth nodded at her; Rose froze, torn between running and trying to act like nothing was wrong.
But as luck would have it, Bea would save the day. The baby started to fuss, and when she began to reach out for Seth, Lizzie laughed while Trent shook his head.
“Does somebody want her uncle Seth? Here you go, sweetheart. She missed you.”
Seth took his niece without hesitation, and Bea quieted almost instantly. She laid her head on his shoulder, her fist in her mouth as she looked on with those wide baby blue eyes.
Rose’s heart melted. It completely melted into a puddle of goo, seeing a big soldier like Seth holding his tiny niece like that. He held her so gently, smiling down at her as he listened to Lizzie and Trent talk, and Rose wished she could give him a reason to smile like that.
If she let herself, she could imagine—oh, all kinds of things. Being with Seth. Loving him. God, even marrying him. And what if, one day, she could place their baby in his arms?
She wanted to cry. When she opened her eyes, she saw Seth watching her, and it was like he knew.
“I should get back to work. It was nice seeing all of you,” Rose said. As she returned to the kitchen, she could feel Seth’s gaze on her shoulders the entire time.
When Seth returned to the table that held his brothers, he felt their collective gazes on him. He drank his beer in silence. They’d acted like they’d wanted to say something all evening, but he wasn’t about to help them along.
Lizzie and Trent had left to put Bea to bed, Lizzie whispering that Seth needed to “get his head out of his ass” before patting him on the back. Helpful, he thought. As if he were the one giving off a million mixed signals.
As the youngest boy in the family, Seth had been known for pranks—along with Lizzie, his partner in crime—and getting whatever he wanted. Until Jubilee had come along.
Now, Seth felt stupidly young, with his older brothers at turns frowning and then shaking their heads at him. It reminded him of the time he and Lizzie had put a box of toads in their seventh-grade teacher’s desk, and they’d been sent home with suspensions in hand. His parents had not been remotely thrilled when they’d gotten that phone call.
Finally, Caleb broke the silence. He was the chattiest of the three, and Seth cursed Caleb for that particular skill right at that moment.
“So, Seth,” Caleb drawled as he flicked a bit of a straw wrapper across the table. “What’s up with you?”
Both Mark and Harrison rolled their eyes. Mark took a long drink of his beer while Harrison said, “What he means is: what’s going on with you and Rose?”
“Hey, I was trying to be subtle,” said Caleb.
Mark said, “You’re never subtle.”
“Whatever. Seth, just answer the question. We’re dying to know.”
“More like,” said Harrison, “we’re concerned. You haven’t been yourself lately.”
Seth almost asked what they knew about him being himself, considering he’d been on three tours back-to-back for the majority of his twenties, but he drank his beer instead. He appreciated that his brothers cared. He just didn’t particularly want them to care about this subject.
“Nothing’s going on,” Seth said, because it was sort of true. One step forward, two steps back: that was their relationship.
“Bullshit.” Caleb pointed a finger at him. “We could see everything from over here. You two looked like you were about to climb all over each other right here in the bar.”
Seth gaped at Caleb. “Seriously?” was his hoarse reply.
Mark slapped him on the shoulder. “Seriously.”
“Shit.” Seth put his face in his hands and swore again.
“I know that brotherly advice isn’t really what you want right now,” said Harrison, “but hear us out. We’ve been there. Done that. If you have feelings for Rose, don’t give up. You’ll regret it if you do.”
“What do I do if she confuses the hell out of me?” Seth shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”
“It never is,” said Mark. “Women are complicated and we’re just their loyal servants. If you manage to find one who loves you—flaws and all—don’t let her go.”