Hi everyone! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I was reading through your reviews, and I just wanted to thank everyone for reading! I read your questions about Seth's age in relation to the women he dated, and I will surely be addressing that! I don't think that Seth was entirely honest with Jane about his relationship history... but I will elaborate- don't worry! Also, remember, one can date around a hell of a lot without actually sleeping with them!
I hope you like this chapter!
Twenty-One: Life-Raft
Jane's POV
The next week was hell.
I had lied to Seth, when I told him that the time alone was nice. Nice. I still couldn't believe I had actually said it. The time without Seth was confusing, terrible, terrifying, and overwhelming. I felt like I went through every emotion imaginable: anger, betrayal, fear, pain, sadness, and even a little excitement. When I told him that I had gotten caught up on all of my schoolwork, what I really meant, was that I had spent every waking minute working on homework, just for the sake at not having to think about anything else. School was the only thing that could take my mind off of what was happening in my life. I needed the distraction. Without it, I feared that I would lose my mind.
Even more so, I was terrified for an entirely different reason. I wasn't playing. I couldn't. I had no idea what was happening to me, or who or what to attribute this to, because it was so unbelievable. Even after my parents died, and after I left my cheating ex-boyfriend and was all alone- even then, I played. But I didn't just play. I lived for the minutes, hours, days spent bleeding my soul onto the keys and hearing it ringing out and soaring through my ears, then my body, then my entire being. I couldn't live without it, and now, I couldn't live with it. I couldn't play. I just couldn't.
So, it was with all of these heavy, terrible, conflicting emotions, that I forced myself to put on a dress, and to ring the doorbell of Pastor Dean's house. I took a step back, and about a half second later, Matt Collins opened up the front door. His face was filled with excitement, the kind that always made grown men look like little boys, and made girls like me stick around much longer than they should and spend way too much money on their Christmas presents; I couldn't help it, it was just so cute.
I couldn't help but smile. I hated to admit to myself how good it felt, to have a natural smile for the first time in weeks.
"Jane!" Matt exclaimed, opening up the door widely. I got a waft of the smell of the inside of his home. Matt's house was warm. It still had the imprint of a woman, but with two men living in it, it smelled more of heavy Febreze than a natural scent from baking. Still, it always smelled like fall, no matter the season.
"Hi Matt," I smiled just a little bit, stepping inside. A wave of nostalgia hit me in the gut. I swallowed down the newest lump in my throat. God, my life was a freaking nightmare.
"I didn't think you'd come," He told me honestly, automatically reaching towards me to help me out of my coat, and then, once it was off, strewing it on the banister leading up to their rooms. I knew a lot about Matt's room; I spent a lot of time up there as a kid.
"You thought I'd ditch you?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Hoped not," He grinned at me. "Will it lose me cool points if I say yes?"
I rolled my eyes. "Matt. I've known you since birth. You are a lot of things; cool is not, and has never been one of them."
"Did I mention I missed how nice you are?" He murmured.
I giggled, as we both stepped into the kitchen.
Pastor Dean was standing at the stove, looking utterly and entirely conflicted. The confusion on his face was almost palpable in the room, and it was concerning enough for me to inquire about it.
"Is everything okay?" I asked, even before we exchanged pleasantries.
Though, before he could respond, suddenly, an explosion sounded near the stove. A waft of grey smoke erupted into the air, and unexpectantly, the stove was on fire.
I jumped back, a small scream slipping between my lips before I could stop it.
"Shit!" Matt exclaimed.
"Language!" Pastor Dean demanded, his eyes growing pointed, before he seemed to remember that his house was currently catching fire, and turned his attention back to the real, pressing matter.
"Matthew!" He exclaimed, his voice breathless. "Get the fire extinguisher!"
Matt's voice sounded incredulous. "We have a fire extinguisher?"
"Matthew!"
"Just put water on it!" Matt replied.
"No!" I finally lurched into action. I threw my hands out. "There will be absolutely no water used right now! Do both of you understand?"
Both of the men's eyes in the room widened. They nodded their heads like little puppies. I grabbed a large dishtowel lying across the countertop and hesitantly began swatting at it, seeing how it would react, before fully putting the fire out. It wasn't something that really scared me; having a mom that loved to spend quality time with her daughter teaching her how to cook, resulted in a lot of near-death and possible fire situations. This wasn't the first kitchen fire that I had dealt with.
Only, both Pastor Dean and his son, were staring at me like they had just met the second-coming of Jesus Himself.
"Jeeze Mcalister!" Matt was grinning, his eyes wide with admiration and his mouth open.
I blushed.
"Oh Jane," Pastor Dean sighed, placing a hand to his head. "I'm so sorry. Honey, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I quickly shook my head, taking a deep breath and waving my hand absentmindedly. "Really, it's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal!" Matt exclaimed. "We almost just died! You saved our lives, Jane!" Suddenly, he threw his arms around me, engulfing me in a ginormous bear hug that was so familiar, but nervously new at the same time. Even though it had only been a year since my parents died, I hadn't been close to Matt in more like three. When I had been best friends with him, he was still a boy. Now, Matt was a man. I felt a pang of guilt at being so close to him, at touching him, hugging him, regardless of where I stood with Seth. It left a bad taste in my mouth. I wondered, not for the first time, how anyone ever cheated if they actually gave a single damn about the person.
"Pizza?" Pastor Dean asked, seeming to let it go and accept the situation in it's entirety.
"Papa Johns or no deal!" Matt yelled, much too loudly for inside, but, I guessed with two guys living alone in a house, there wasn't really a need for an inside voice.
"I think that was God telling us that it was a pizza night, anyways," Pastor Dean joked, winking at me out of the corner of his eye.
I chucked.
"I'm sorry," He picked up the landline. I loved the fact that they still had a landline; it was so intriguing in such an odd way. "It might be a while, now."
"That's cool," Matt pulled on my hand.
"Matthew," Pastor Dean's voice was calm, cool and collected, like he had said what he was about to say hundreds of times before. "You know the rules."
"Door open, got it," He grinned. "Don't worry. No virtue stealing going on, here!"
I blushed a thousand shades of crimson. I was currenly in my pastor's house, but I just realized that I was currenly in my pastor's house for the first time... un-pure. Woops. I felt a little unholy all of a sudden. What was even worse, was that I wouldn't have taken a second of it back. Being with Seth were the best moments of my entire life. Pure pleasure. I thought that playing cleared my mind, but when I was with Seth like that, it was like anything and everything that had and would ever happen to me that was bad, just melted away. For those minutes, it was only gratification. Pure indulgence. That thought made me blush even darker.
Matt pulled me upstairs, and let go of my hand once we were in his bedroom. All at once, my mind went entirely blank. My mouth dropped.
"Wow," I blurted, not able to help myself.
"A little bit of a change, huh Mcalister?"
"A little bit?" I burst out laughing. "Wow, Matt! I'm impressed."
"What?" He grinned. "Were you expecting buzz lightgear sheets?"
I nodded my head. "And ninja turtle pillows. Where are all of your trophies?"
"Jane!" Matt laughed. "That was like ten years ago!"
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Ugh, more like two."
"They were really comfortable sheets."
I giggled. "This is nice, Matt," I murmured. "Did you do this all yourself?" I wasn't trying to be dramatic, or poke fun at him in any way. In fact, I truly was impressed. What once had been a little boy's room filled with knick nacks and superheros, was now a muted palette of dark greys. He had heavy, wooden furniture that anchored the room, and a desk with a computer. All hints of childness had left.
"Wow," I said again, unable to help myself. "When did we grow up?"
Matt took a seat in his desk chair, and then swiveled it towards me. "Probably around the time that you stopped coming around," He shot me a teasing glace.
I sighed, biting the corner of my lip. "About that," I began.
"You really don't have to explain yourself, Jane," Matt shook his head. "I'm just kidding."
I shook my head. "But you deserve one," I couldn't help tears from springing up to my eyes. "I ignored you."
"You were grieving."
"Oh I was running, Matt." I moaned and then lied down on the side of his bed. I sighed, picking myself up, and then sat down on the edge of it. We sat in silence for a moment before I finally spoke. "You know, he hated you."
Matt's eyes widened. "Who?"
"You know," I rolled my eyes. "Trash-bag, or whatever you called him."
"Oh," He laughed. "Yeah, I figured."
"That's why I stopped coming around, even before my parents."
"It's fine, Jane."
"No it's not," My voice cracked at the end. "I make terrible decisions. I hurt people and I let what other people want overpower what I want and I hate myself." I angrily swiped at my cheeks and then took another big, deep breath.
"Okay, wow," Matt's eyes widened. "You don't really think that, do you Jane?"
I shook my head. "No," I whimpered. "But I'm self-loathing. I can't help but be a little dramatic."
"Does this have something to do with Seth not being here with you?"
"No," I pouted.
"You're acting very pathetic right now," Matt giggled. "It's kind of adorable. Pathetic, but adorable none-the-less."
Suddenly, I burst out laughing, and then the two of us laughed together for longer than we should have, because it wasn't that funny, but for some reason, we just couldn't stop.
Finally, Matt sighed. "I think your problem is just that you have terrible taste in men, Jane. Have you ever thought about Christian mingle?"
"Shut up," I giggled. "No, it's not that. I mean, yes, I have had terrible taste in the past, but Seth's different. Seth's a great guy," My voice got quiet.
"Yet he's not here," Matt mused.
"Extrenuating circumstances," I murmured. "This time, it's not necessarily his fault."
"Try me."
I looked at him hesitantly. I looked at Matt, with his innocent, trusting eyes, the only friend that I had ever had that never gave up on me, the one who didn't care if I was cool and called me every day for a month after my mom died, even when I never answered, and I wanted to tell him. I really, really thought about it, too. But I couldn't. I promised Seth that I wouldn't, and I wasn't about to break that promise.
Perhaps, though, I could tell him, without acutally telling him.
"There was this... secret," I began slowly. "But it wasn't his secret, necessarily. More like a family secret. Really... weird. And because he kept that secret from me, some messed up things happened."
Matt pondered my admission for a moment. "That's a little vague, Jane, but I kind of understand. Why'd he keep it from you?"
"Apparently, it wasn't his secret to tell."
He frowned. "So, you're more mad about that secret than him keeping it from you?"
"Maybe a little bit of both?" I shrugged, then I moaned. "I'm not sure. It's just, Matt, trust me, it's insane. Absolutely insane. I have no idea what to think right now."
"Alright, idea," He stood up, and then came to sit next to me. He leaned in closer so that he could speak softer to me. "Stop thinking so much."
I frowned. "What?"
"Thinking," He repeated gently. "Stop it. You're driving yourself mad, I can see that. Stop it. You're overthinking it because you're afraid that you're going to make the same mistakes as before."
"But that was the problem before, Matt! I didn't think! I knew what was happening and I just, let it go. I forced it out of my head. I let him treat me like dirt and cheat on me and-,"
"That's denial," Matt spoke slowly. "It wasn't that you weren't thinking, Jane, you were thinking, you were just ignoring your thoughts."
I swallowed. "Still. It's not like I can shut my brain off. I have to protect myself, Matt. After everything," My voice broke. I dropped my face to my lap.
I felt his finger touch the bottom of my chin, and then he slowly pressed it up until I was looking at him. "You've been through hell, Jane," He whispered to me, his eyes sad. "I can't imagine how scary it is to let yourself actually be happy, but the thing is, the only way that, that can actually happen, is if you let it."
"But," I frowned.
"Everyone's going to have a secret," He shook his head, interrupting me. "Or something. No one's perfect. But the thing is, there's a big difference between not being perfect, and being a total prick. I saw how that guy looked at you, and from how you talk about him, he's not a prick, Jane. He's only human."
I let out a short laugh. "If you only knew, Matt."
"You're trying to figure out what you want, when I think you already know what you want, don't you?"
I gulped. "But," I whispered. "I'm...,"
"Scared?"
I nodded my head, my watery eyes meeting his.
"You can't let fear keep you from happiness, Jane," He smiled gently at me. "And I say this knowing full well what you've been through. You're fighting this because you've been through so much, you don't think that happiness really exists."
"Does it?" I interrupted.
He slowly nodded his head. "I have to believe that. I believe in God, so I have to believe that there's a reason... for all of this. And I have to believe that He's not cruel."
"But, how is that possible?" I asked sadly, desperately needing something to hold onto, some kind of... hope.
"Jane, have you ever heard of the row boat story?"
I frowned. "What?"
Matt smiled. "There was this man, he was rowing a boat, but the rapids were too strong. He hit a rock, and the boat slowly started filling up with water. So, the man prays to God for God to save him. Another boat comes, sees him drowning, and throws out a life-raft, telling him to get in. The man says no, that he prayed out to God and that he knows God will save him. This happens two more times, and on the last time, the water was up to his chin. Still, he said no, that he had prayed out to God and that he knew that God would save him. Finally, the water covered his head, and the man drowned."
My mouth dropped. "That's a terrible story, Matt!"
"It's not over yet!" He laughed. "So once he got to Heaven, he saw God, and he finally could talk about what had happened. He said, 'God! I called out to you, but you didn't save me! Why didn't you save me?' and you know what God said?"
"Hopefully that he was sorry," I answered.
"No," He gave me a pointed expression that reminded me so much of his father it was kind of shocking. "He said 'Son, I sent you three boats.'"
My entire being softened. I nodded my head, finally understanding.
"See, sometimes in life God sends you a life-raft, you just have to be willing enough to get in."
I nodded my head slowly and then gulped, not quite sure what to say. "You're going to be an awesome preacher one day, you know that?"
Matt laughed. "I'm not going to be a preacher, Jane."
I looked at him with surprise. "You're not?"
He shook his head.
"But you always wanted to be."
"I was ten," Matt laughed. "I think I want to be a pilot, to be entirely honest with you."
"Oh... well... Really?" I couldn't help myself.
"Yes," Matt laughed. "I love my dad, but I wouldn't want his job for the world."
"But that story," I began.
"That's the story my dad told me a few months after my mom died."
I deflated.
"I was four at the time, so it didn't really help, but I figured you might get it, so I recycled it. Don't tell."
I bit the corner of my lip, smiling that honest kind of smile again that felt good and terrible at the same time.
"You're a good recycler," I murmured.
"And you're a great listener," He smiled at me. "Got anything else I can help you with?"
At that exact moment, my stomach growled.
Matt laughed, "Pizza must be coming soon, come on." He stood up, and held out his hand. I placed mine in his, and then let him pull me up, only, once we were up, I let myself fall into him, and hugged him tightly, hoping that in that one, since hug, I was able to push through from me to him, what he had done for me tonight, and how much I needed to hear that.
"I'm sorry I stayed away for so long," I whispered into his shirt. "I think I was scared of you, too. You reminded me so much of them."
He hugged me tightly. "It's alright, Jane. You're here now; that's got to count for something."
"I sure hope so," I murmured, pulling my head away. "Think you could put in a good word with the man upstairs for me?" I grinned ridiculously.
Matt rolled his eyes. "You know, just because I'm a preachers son doesn't mean that I have greater authority. You get that, right?"
I sighed. "At this point I'm willing to try anything."
"Pizza's here!" Matt's dad's voice rang out from downstairs.
"Thank God," We both said at the same time, and then burst out laughing, that uncontrollable, silent kind of laugh, that made my stomach hurt and my knees weak.
It felt so good.
Later that night, I was pacing the floor. I had gotten home from Matt's about an hour ago, and his words still rang strong and steady in my ears. What he told me, mixed with what Lena told me, were finally, suddenly, starting to make sense to me. It was like that one, stupid, symbolic story finally clicked the switches of my brain into place. I had no idea how to feel. I knew pain, and grief, and anger, and even happiness, but I had no idea what to think about a realization.
I had never felt a coming to Jesus moment, and I had no idea what to do with it. I was used to just being sad and then eventually learning how to deal with that, never realizing that I didn't have to be anymore. It was like for the first time in my entire life, I was given an out, and I was made to understand. Had God been sending me life-boats for an entire year now, but I refused to take them?
I thought back to how Matt called me every day for a month after my parents died, and then every week for six months, and then every month for a year. What if I had answered? What if he had said something that would have helped? What if I needed him to heal?
But I can't say that I would have changed anything, or the decisions that I had made up until this point, not even if I knew now that I should have decided differently. My decisions led me to Seth, and right now, as I finally allowed myself to see my truth clearly, I realized that he healed a lot of me that I wasn't ready to let free yet. I could feel it, it felt like my soul; it was aching and pounding in my chest. Was that... joy? Excitement? I didn't have to be sad. It was such a foreign concept, but I had never even thought it before.
What Matt gave me tonight was a life-raft, and I wasn't about to waste it this time.
I picked up my phone, and I dialed Seth's number.
He answered on the third ring.
"Jane?" He asked, his voice high and hopeful.
I closed my eyes and breathed in his voice. Seth. He was so sweet. So kind. Maybe he was a life-raft, too.
"Hi," I finally spoke.
"Hi," Seth's voice was gentle. It reminded me of how gentle he could be with his hands, and made me reminisce on things that made my heart race fast.
"What're you doing?" I whispered. For some reason, my excitement had dwindled since the first moment that I heard Seth's voice. It was replaced with something else... something calm. Peace.
"I'm at Sam's, just about to head to a bonfire."
A beat passed before I answered. "I like bonfires."
There was a moment of silence that followed. Then, his voice was unsure. "Really?" He asked; I was able to even hear the surprise mixed with uncertainty.
"Yes," I smiled to myself.
"Well," His voice waivered now. "It's actually, a counsel meeting, Jane. With all the counsel members and the... pack," He hesitated before saying the word.
At this, I actually did freeze. Regardless of what I had come to tonight, I was suddenly confronted with my uneasiness and confusion about Seth's secret, itself. I took a deep breath. Don't talk yourself out of your own happiness, I told myself.
"I want to go," I told him steadily.
I heard him take an intake of breath, then, "Really?" He asked. If surprise was in his voice before, now, it was pure shock.
"Yes," I stated definitively.
"You sure?" He asked again, but now I could sense the excitement behind his voice. It made me smile to myself.
"Could you send me Sam's address?" I asked, an answer in itself. "I'm not sure I remember how to get there."
"Do you want me to pick you up?" He answered immediately.
I took another, long, deep breath. "No," I answered; I could even hear my uncertainty. "That's something else that's going to be figured out tonight."
"What?" Seth asked.
"Nothing," I sighed. "I'll be over in a half hour, okay?"
"Okay," Seth whispered. "Hey, Jane?"
I bit the corner of my lip. "Yeah?"
"Drive safe, honey. Okay?"
I closed my eyes. Seth calling me that, mixed with his obvious concern for me, was enough to make me start crying all over again. How could I have stayed away from him this long? But then, I reminded myself to stop blaming myself. Any girl would have reacted the way that I had if they found out that their boyfriend was a werewolf and they had just accidentally had sex with a vampire. I needed to cut myself some slack.
"I will," I whispered back. "I promise."
"See you soon, Jane," He murmured.
"See you soon, Seth," I just barely breathed, pressing off on my phone.
I changed out of my nicer dinner clothes and into my favorite, comfy pair of ripped jeans and a crewneck sweatshirt that Seth got me that one time he was waiting for me to finish my test. Then, I stood in the kitchen for ten whole minutes, just staring at the small alcove with a computer, chair, and basket that we had always used for bills and important papers, trying to convince myself to do what I was hell-bent on doing.
I re-crossed my arms and tapped my foot. Even I was annoyed with myself, but I no matter the mental pep-talk I gave myself, I wasn't able to reach out to where the hooks lining the back wall, holding two sets of car keys, hung. I stared at the Rolling Stones keychain; my dad had been a huge fan. I remembered him twirling it around in his hand, annoyed that I was taking so long and was going to be late for my private piano lessons. I remembered it faintly, but also distinctly. Oddly enough, I remembered it with smells. With the smells of my mom's stew, that she had worked hard finishing before we had to leave because she didn't want me practicing on an empty stomach. I remembered the feeling of her kissing my cheek. I remember I didn't appreciate it. I remember I didn't appreciate any of it, not nearly enough. I remembered the mindless "thank you," called behind me before I slammed the car door. I remembered all of it, but I wasn't sad for it. I was happy that I remembered it.
For the first time, I wondered if I had always been thinking about my memories in the wrong way. What if it wasn't a painful reminder of the past, but instead, a blessing? My memories kept them here. I didn't have to keep everything exactly as it was, or live a frozen life, worried that if I moved even one of their things on their dresser that they would disappear. They wouldn't ever disappear, not ever.
A slow smile formed on my lips. I smiled at that set of car keys. Another life boat, I thought to myself.
Seth's POV
I was worried how Jane was going to get to me. I hated her taking Ubers, because I wasn't sure those were always entirely safe, and the thought of her walking made me want to gauge my eyeballs out. Yet, I knew that it wasn't the time for me to push her right now.
She was coming. That alone was enough to make my heart beat harder in my chest. She was coming to me. Not only that, but she sounded... better. I knew that Jane was taking time to work on herself, and I was willing to give her as much time as she needed, but the truth was, that I was worried. What if by finding herself, she realized that she didn't want me anymore?
Honestly, I wondered if for the first time in imprint history, the two wouldn't end up together. I wondered about that a lot.
But the way she sounded on the phone. That gave me hope.
Still, I was very worried about her means of transportation.
I was sitting in the kitchen, staring out the front window, when Jane pulled up. I hadn't told anyone that she was coming, in fear that she would change her mind. Even I was surprised when she pulled up the driveway. At first, I wondered if it was even her. She was driving a car that seemed familiar, but I was sure I had never seen before. It was a black Nissan; a simple car, nothing special, but I could still make out her silhouette behind the wheel.
My breath caught in my throat. I popped up. She was here. Jane was here.
She opened the door and then hesitantly stepped out. Once the car door shut, I noticed a few of the others in the kitchen turn towards the sound.
"Is that Jane?" Emily asked, her voice holding the shock that I was sure everyone else in the entire room felt.
I ignored her, and everyone else's quick, surprised questions, and rushed out the front door. As soon as the screen door closed behind me, she turned in my direction. And then my Jane, my sweet, perfect, and beautiful Jane, she looked at me. Immediately her expression fell, and then, much to my surprise, a full, honest smile erupted on her face. Holy crap. She was back.
I rushed to her.
"I'm surprised I didn't get pulled over I was driving here so fast," She spoke quickly, that giant smile still on her face, right before we connected. I crushed her to my chest, and then held her tightly, nudging my face into her neck and taking deep, greedy breaths of her. God, I had imagined this moment in my dreams since she left. This didn't seem real.
"I'm so sorry," She spoke into my shirt, her voice muffled.
"Shhh," I immediately shook my head. "Don't be sorry," I kissed her cheek, then her forehead, then the top of her head, then the side. I couldn't stop. "Don't be sorry," I kissed her some more. I couldn't get enough of her. I held the sides of her face in my hands and kissed her forehead then her nose. "Don't be sorry."
"Okay," She reached for my wrists and then squeezed, shutting her eyes.
"I'm sorry," I told her honestly.
"Jane's lips pulled up into a small smile. "I forgive you, Seth. I just want to move on and work past it now."
"You forgive me?" I pulled back to look her in the eyes so I could tell if she was lying or not. What I saw, surprised me.
Jane's lips were pulled into a wide grin. She had a sparkle behind her eyes that I hadn't seen in a while.
"Yes," She whispered. "I realized that I forgave you a long time ago, I was just too scared to admit it."
I cocked my head at her. "Long story," She giggled. "I'm here, though," Her sweet, innocent voice was hopeful now. Jesus Christ, did she think I would turn her away?
"I love you so much," I told her sternly.
Jane giggled. "I love you too, Seth."
I grinned, ear-to-ear.
She laughed again, and then I stroked my thumbs across the length of her cheeks, and I kissed her. Hell, the moment our lips touched, I felt that spark of electricity. It started on my skin, and then spread all through me until it became me. Jane's lips were like kryptonite. She overwhelmed me with the smallest of touches. Kissing her was otherworldly. I swore I was put here on this earth to kiss her. I swore it.
"Hey!" I heard a chorus of voices behind us. Reluctantly, I pulled away, if anything out of respect for Jane.
"Oh Jane, it's so nice to see you again!" Emily was the first one to approach. I pulled away from Jane so that Em could pull her into a tight hug.
"Wow, that was much less self-loathing than I had to go through!" Jared joked. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Seth's a lucky dog! Literally."
"Nice," I rolled my eyes.
"Hey," Lena practically danced over to us. "Are you super mad at me still?"
Jane chuckled. "I was never mad at you," She smiled at her. "I needed to hear it."
"Hear what?"
They both made eye contact, and then a small giggle was shared between them.
"Come on," Embry came up to us, latching both Lena and Jane around the shoulders. "It's about to start."
"Okay," Jane blushed.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to me to lead her towards the bonfire where there was already a crowd.
"I've never been to a council meeting before," She whispered up to me.
I smiled down at her. "You nervous?"
Jane's giant, brown eyes grew wide. "Should I be?"
I laughed. "No, babe," I kissed the top of her head. "You'll just hear some new things," I spoke into her hair. "Are you ready for that?"
Jane grinned up at me. "Yes," She nodded her head. "Hit me with your best shot, Seth Clearwater. I'm ready for you."
I hope you all liked this chapter! I am so excited to write about the counsel meeting! How does everyone feel about Jane's new perspective this chapter? I am so excited! Let me know below!
