Homecoming Day (18 page)

“What did he do?” Tucker asked, looking as if things might go badly for Seth if she didn't like the answer.

“He said he loved me. That he knew I was still mourning and he'd wait until I was ready.”

“Seth's right.”

“What?”

“You need to take your time and mourn Jay, but he wouldn't expect you to be alone.”

“How can I love someone else so soon?”

“How can you not? If I know anything about the Keller family it's that they're impossible to resist. They Kellerize you and before you even know what's happening, you find you can't live without them.”

“Did you ever have feelings for one of them?”

Tucker cut her off with a bark of laughter. “Oh, no. I mean, I love the Kellers—all the Kellers, but not any of the guys like that. You, on the other hand, have been in love with Seth for a long time. Eli tells me I'm the most obtuse person in the world when it comes to reading people, so if I can see that, how can
you
not?”

“Maybe it's not the seeing it. Maybe it's the admitting it.”

“Hey, when I was pregnant, I knew I was pregnant, but I couldn't admit it. I was scared to death. I went to Eli and told her what I thought. Saying the words made a difference—they made it real. Once I'd said, ‘I'm pregnant,' I could deal with it. So, Laura, are you in love with Seth?”

Laura didn't say anything for a moment. Then she nodded. “Yes.” And with that one word, it was as if everything got clearer. “Yes. I love Seth.”

“Nice. But maybe you should tell him, not me?”

She nodded. “You're right.”

“Yeah, like I tell the guys at the shop, always being right is a curse, but one I've learned to live with.” Tucker shrugged. “Hey, I'll leave and let you decide what to do next.”

What to do next? Find Seth and tell him.

He was still on third shift, so he had hours before he reported back to the station. If she was lucky she could catch him before he went in, because she wasn't sure she could wait until tomorrow to tell him.

Now that she'd said the words out loud, she was impatient to say them again, this time to Seth. She called Mrs. Martin, who came and got Jamie for the evening. She didn't even ask what Laura had to do. She just patted her hand and said, “Take your time, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Laura had responded. It came easier this time. Mom. She had a family.

Laura knew that this confession would need something special, and with sudden surety, she knew just what it required. It took an hour and a half of prep time, but as Laura got organized she caught herself singing JoJo's “Coming for You,” and when she realized that she was not only singing, but what she was singing, she laughed with the sheer joy of it.

She loved Seth Keller.

And it didn't mean she no longer loved Jay.

She knew that Seth didn't love Allie less.

But love wasn't about mores or lesses—it just was. There was no limit on love, the heart grows exponentially. Laura agreed.

And she needed to get to Seth and explain. She was
just pulling on her boots when someone knocked on the door.

Why had her house become the destination of choice in Erie? She didn't want to be rude, but she was going to have to get rid of whoever was here. Her desire to see Seth was increasing by the second.

She opened the door and found Seth standing there. “Seth, I was just getting ready to come to your place.” She pointed at her one booted foot, and her other socked one. “I need to talk to you.”

“Shh.”

“Shh?” she asked.

“Yes, shush, Laura. I want to say something, and I don't want you interrupting.” He stepped into the foyer and she shut the door.

“I talked to a friend at work,” he began, “Chuck had fallen for a woman who'd been burned by love and kept saying she wasn't ready to get involved. He didn't listen and made a big event out of telling her how he felt. I thought I would wait patiently for you to figure out we're meant to be together, but I was wrong. The last few days I've managed to stay away have been horrible. I need you. And I decided my buddy was right, that I should take a lesson from my teenage self. When you find love, you grab on to it, and don't waste a minute of it. I didn't think you were big on public events, but I wanted you to know how I felt, so I made a list.”

“List?” she asked.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a Post-it. “I know it's not Thanksgiving, but I don't think being thankful should fall on only one day of the year.”

Laura looked down and read the Post-it.
I'm thankful
that not only has life given me a second chance, but so has love.
She met his gaze, ready to tell him the words she'd been so afraid to say. She wanted to shout them to Seth—to the world.

“Laura, let me finish. I know it's too soon for you. That getting over losing someone takes time. So I want you to know that I'm here. For as long as it takes. I love you. You are my list. You, Jamie and my family. I'm holding on and not letting go. Ever.”

“Am I unshushed now?”

Seth's nervousness was clear. “Yes.”

“Remember the day Eli and Zac brought Ebony home?”

“Sure.”

“Homecoming Days. Of all the reasons you Kellers have to gather, those are the most significant, right?” He nodded.

She took his hand, which felt so right in hers, and led him into the kitchen. “This isn't quite as elegant as a Keller Homecoming speech, but it's just as heartfelt. The Martins, they're my family, not simply Jamie's grandparents. That realization was a Homecoming of sorts. I am not alone.”

On the counter was a covered dish. Laura removed the foil wrapping to unveil a homemade cake.

Welcome Home, Seth, it read in icing. “I'm not talking about a place, but about a feeling. We both loved people before. Really loved them. That doesn't mean we can't love someone else. I had parents I adored, but they're gone. Now I have Jay's parents. And I have you. I love you, Seth. You are my home. Mine and Jamie's.”

She didn't wait for Seth's response, but threw herself into his embrace and kissed him. She tried to put everything she hadn't said with the elegance that a Keller might have into that kiss. She loved him. She needed him. She wanted him.

Seth released her and smiled. “I love you, too.”

With that said, they sat at the kitchen table and decided to take it one day at a time. They wouldn't rush marriage, but they were committed. It wasn't the life that either of them expected, but it would be a good one. Filled with family, friends and most importantly, love.

“Welcome home, Laura,” Seth said, his arms open wide.