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“About a week after he came to town.”
Chrissy listened and nodded her head. “I don’t know Seb that well, but from what I’ve witnessed, Savage men fall hard, and they fall fast. I’m not saying you’re wrong. But I am saying you shouldn’t close the door on something without making sure you have all the facts. I just think that you should at least talk to him. Tell him how you feel and ask him how he feels. Don’t leave anything left unsaid, you’ll regret it if you do.”
“C-town, we’re up!” Jessa said into the karaoke mic.
“Just think about it.” Chrissy gave Kennedy a quick hug before joining Jess on stage to perform a rousing rendition of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and KiKi Dee.
Chrissy’s advice rolled around in Kennedy’s head. Seb had been trying to talk to her all week, but she’d been putting him off saying she was busy. The truth was, she didn’t trust herself around him.
One look in his eyes and she was toast.
But maybe Chrissy was right.
Kennedy had put off talking to her dad for over a year, and now, things hadn’t magically changed overnight, but they could be in the same room together. She’d told him that they didn’t need to make a schedule to visit Nana, and he’d even messaged her asking if it would be okay if he came tonight with Seb’s mom. She’d told him that was fine.
Kennedy wasn’t happy about him being there, but she wasn’t upset about it either. Which, for her, was progress.
She had to admit, she felt better after their talk.
So maybe Chrissy was right. Maybe she should talk to Seb.
Her eyes found him once again, this time he was looking straight at her.
As soon as they locked eyes, everything around her faded away. It was like she had tunnel vision just for him. The rest of the world disappeared.
She was still staring at him when Knox called his name and he looked away.
As soon as he did, everything around her came back to life.
After that she knew, the only way she could talk to him was if she was wearing a blindfold and there was at least six feet between them like they were social distancing. Otherwise, she knew exactly what would happen, she’d be screwed. Literally.
* * *
Seb was holed up in a private corner, away from the crowd as he watched Kennedy who was on the back patio talking to a group of women. She smiled and then laughed at something, and her head fell back. His eyes drank in the slope of her neck. His lips tingled with the memory of kissing her there. He knew exactly the spot that would make her body vibrate with a moan of pleasure.
He’d done his best to give her space tonight. He was scared that if he didn’t he might say or do something that he couldn’t take back.
Over the past week, he’d convinced himself that he shouldn’t tell her how he felt. He’d made a case for the reasons that was selfish and she’d be better off without him. But the second he saw her tonight; all those reasons had flown out the window.
He was scared that if he did talk to her, he’d tell her he loved her. That he wanted to marry her. That he wanted her to be the mother of his children.
But if he really loved her, shouldn’t he want what’s best for her? Shouldn’t he want her to have all the things she wanted on her list?
“Hey, Seb.” Michael Dawes smiled as he approached him.
Seb lifted his chin in a nod. He’d done what his mom wanted and talked to Ford. The conversation had gone surprisingly well. His brother had listened to him, which was more than Seb thought was going to happen.
He’d fulfilled his duty and his mom had asked him not to be a dick tonight, so for her, he was going to try, but he wasn’t a fan of the man. Kennedy might have been okay with him being there, but Seb had been asking around about him. He’d found out that he was quite the conman in his day. He didn’t trust a word that came out of his mouth.
“Your mom was showing me some of your work online. It’s really impressive.”
“Thanks.” This man definitely wasn’t going to get in Seb’s good books by bringing up his career. All that did was make Seb more agitated. Spending the past two months surrounded by tattooing had been both good and bad for his mental health. He’d missed the world he’d dedicated his entire life to so much. But being a part of it without actually being able to tattoo had been torture.
Just like being so close to Kennedy and not being able to touch her, to kiss her, even just talk to her was excruciating.
“Listen, man, I just wanted to tell you that, I’m not sure what you’ve heard about me, whatever it is, I’m sure it’s true. I’m not proud of the man I was. In fact, I’m ashamed. I’m doing everything I can to make amends for my behavior and I just want you to know that I really care about your mom. I totally understand that you are protective of her—”
“I’m not worried about my mom.” Seb was done biting his tongue. He turned toward Michael, so the two men were nose to nose. “She worked doubles in a trauma unit of one of the busiest hospitals in the country for nearly thirty years. She dealt with the politics of the medical field, the arrogance of doctors and surgeons, and patients who were combative, abusive, and mentally unstable. And that was just her professional career.
