I wouldn’t let anyone kick his ass over me. I had made the decision, and I’d make it over again a hundred times. “Where are you taking me?”
“You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”
I made a face. “I hate surprises.”
Seth just smiled at me. “Oh, that makes it so much better. I get to tease you and surprise you all at the same time? I like the idea of that.”
“No fair,” I said, getting up with the sheet around me. I still felt a little unsure of being totally naked with Seth, even though he’d seen, kissed, and tasted every inch of me.
We dressed and hurried out for the day, hoping no one would see that we had spent the entire night together. We stopped at a drive-thru for coffee, and Seth pulled over to put the top down when we were far enough out of town for anyone from college to see us.
“Are you still not going to tell me?” I had tried to coax it out of him for the past half hour.
“No. You’ll see. It’s not too far now.”
“It’s a good thing I trust you.” He was driving me out of town, and I hadn’t told anyone where I’d be.
“Haven’t you ever been out this way before?” he asked.
“Not in years. I think I was with my dad the last time.” It seemed like my father had taken me on a trip at some point.
“Do you and him get along?” Seth asked.
“Not really. He cheated on my mom and left her to take care of us while he ran off with his secretary. They started a new life, and he basically pretended he didn’t know me. He’s not exactly father of the year.”
“I wish my old man would forget he knew me,” said Seth. He glanced over to see the look of sadness on my face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make light. It’s just. I guess I assume that everyone else had it easier than I did.”
“I mean, he never hit me, but he was far from the loving, perfect father. I guess that’s why it’s been hard to trust anyone with a relationship, but I know you’re capable of being better than my father was. You already treat me better.”
“That’s why Clara is so hard about the cheating, isn’t it?” He was smart to put that together. I never had.
“Good call. Probably. But that’s all in the past. You’re young. You made mistakes, and you’re learning. So, where are you taking me again?” I thought if I threw that last bit in, he’d tell me.
Seth laughed. “Nice try. But seriously, it’s just around the corner. You are going to have to learn a little patience with me. I plan on surprising you a lot. I used to love to surprise my mom.”
“As long as you don’t surprise me in bad ways, I’ll learn to love it.” I was still on pins and needles waiting for the reveal. “As for patience, I guess so. I mean, it took you long enough to get with me.”
“I had to take it slow. And it’s a good thing I did. You’re all virginal and pure. I still feel like a jerk. You deserved better.”
“Stop saying that. I want you.” My smile faded. “You’re stuck with me.”
“Promise?” His smile was wider than ever.
It felt good to know I made him that happy. “Yes.”
About that time, he slowed the car and turned into a small lot that was situated just near a small café. The quaint spot was covered with ivy, and there were flowering trees and shrubs all around.
“Is this the place?” The sign was white with gold leaf. “The Tiger Lily Café?”
“Best breakfast anywhere,” he said. “And it’s kind of charming, I guess.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.
“Kind of charming? This place belongs in a movie. And no offense, but it’s kind of the last place I’d expect you to bring me, much less know about.”
“Because I’m just a big, rough, rugby player?”
“Well, yeah.”
He laughed, and I hoped I hadn’t offended him. “I found it a while back,” he explained. “When I was having problems and needed to get away, I used to come here and escape. I figured it was the last place anyone would look for me. Here, I can be myself, not who anyone expects me to be.”
“You got that right. It’s unexpected, for sure. But I like it.” I looked back at the building. “So, the best breakfast in town? I’ll have to be the judge of that.”
“No, the best anywhere. You’ll see.” He killed the Jeep and got out to come around and help me out, even though I was already standing by the door.
Seth took my hand and shut the door of the Jeep. We went inside and got a table. As we ordered, we talked. “I have a playoff game tomorrow. Coach is going to kill me if I’m not at practice on time.”
“Yeah, well, our team only has one more game, and we’re out.” I shrugged as if it was nothing.
“You don’t seem to care much.”
“It’s not like it’s going to be my career.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure. I guess I have a lot of time to decide.”
“At least you have options.”
“I’ve only ever really wanted a husband and a family most of all. I know it sounds a bit old fashioned, and it’s not like I want to be a stay-at-home mom, but I can have that and a career. My mother did. And things were fine until my father screwed it all up.” I let out a deep breath. “I guess I just want that because I want to see that it can be done. I want to see that it’s possible, and succeed at it the way my parents didn’t.”
When our food came, which was another surprise Seth ordered for us, I couldn’t believe how big the portions were. “I hope you brought your appetite,” he said.
“As it turns out, someone gave me a big appetite this morning.” I grinned at him, thinking how he could have kept me in bed, and we could have made love all day. But bringing me out on a date and spending time with me showed me how much he cared about more than just sex with me. As it turned out, sex was the easy part and the rest of the time together was the hard part. But Seth was already proving himself to be more than I ever dreamed of.
We ate and took our time walking around the small town. We went to an antique shop, where everything smelled like mothballs and cloves, and after, we took a walk to the old pier and kissed like no one was watching.
The small town was busy with its day to day, and we fit right in.
“We should head back,” said Seth with a regretful look. “I don’t want to upset Coach or give him a reason to say I told you so.”
“And I don’t want that either. But I wish we could stay.” It was nice to get away with him.
“Me too. I like it here. I guess that’s why I keep coming back. I know it’s silly, but it’s like one of those Norman Rockwell paintings. Everything looks perfect and frozen in time. I guess I always wished for a place like this growing up.”
“Thanks for bringing me and spending the day with me.” I had learned so much about him, and it was like he had literally shown me a secret piece of his world that no one else knew anything about. That made it all the more special.
He was doing a wonderful job of proving himself to me and was off to a great start.