Page 69 of A Tempting Seduction

I gave some serious thought to my dad’s question. Lydia Brennan, my ex-girlfriend who'd been focused on her career, her friends and me, I admitted to myself that I was also a priority. We’d dated for two years, and I’d almost convinced myself that we could make a life together. She’d lived in Knoxville, but she’d even felt that was too small town for her. She always wanted to work in a marketing firm in Nashville, whereas I wanted to make a life in Jasper Creek. Then there was the way she never seemed to warm up to Carrie’s kids. In the end, we just weren’t a good fit, despite the fact she was a lovely woman with a good heart.

“Ruby seems really content living here in Jasper Creek and she’s sincerely enjoys spending time with JR and Suzy. Carrie says she’s great with her brood, too.”

“But she just works at a coffee shop. Doesn’t seem to have much ambition.”

“She’s the manager,” I defended. Then I gave my dad the side-eye. My old man was just yanking my chain. Trying to see how deeply invested I was into Ruby. “I see your game, old man.”

Dad chuckled. “So, tell me about her. Tell me the things that matter.”

“Ruby makes me feel like I've been holding my breath my entire life and I'm finally getting oxygen.” The words came out rougher than I'd intended. “When I look at her, I don't see the next logical step in my life plan. I see the person I want to build a life with, in whatever crazy way it turns out. I know I’m going to enjoy the ride.”

Dad nodded slowly. “That's a heck of a difference.”

“I think about her when I wake up in the morning. I think about her when I'm at work. I think about her when I'm trying to fall asleep at night.” I ran my hand through my hair. “I've never felt like this about anyone before.”

“Like what?”

“Like I'd rearrange my entire world if she asked me to. Like I'd fight anyone who tried to hurt her. Like I want to know every single thing about her, even the stuff that scares her.” I laughed, but it came out shaky. “Heck, especially the stuff that scares her.”

Dad was quiet for a long moment, studying my face in the dim porch light.

“Your mother felt the same way about me,” he said finally. “Said I made her feel like everything before me was just practice for the real thing.”

“How did you know Mom was the one?”

“Because when I thought about my future, she was in every single picture.” Dad's voice carried the weight of forty-five years of marriage. “Because I'd rather fight with her than be happy with anyone else. Because she made me want to be the man she saw when she looked at me.”

I felt something settle in my chest, a certainty that had been building for weeks finally crystallizing into something solid.

“Ruby’s it for me.”

“I can see that.” Dad's smile was warm and approving. “The question is, what are you going to do about it?”

“I have no idea.” I laughed, but it was more honest than frustrated. “She's got secrets, Dad. Things she's not telling me. I can see it in her eyes sometimes, this distance that comes over her like she's remembering something she'd rather forget.”

“Most people have secrets, son. Some are darker than others.”

“How do you get someone to trust you with the hard stuff?”

Dad was quiet for a moment, considering his words.

“You show them that you're safe,” he said eventually. “You prove that you'll stick around when things get difficult. You make it clear that there's nothing they could tell you that would change how you feel about them.”

“And if the secrets are really bad?”

“Then you deal with them together.” Dad met my eyes. “That's what love is, Ford. It's not finding someone perfect. It's finding someone whose imperfections you can live with, whose broken pieces fit with yours.”

I thought about Ruby's skittishness when I'd asked about her past, the way she sometimes got this haunted look when she thought no one was watching. Whatever she was hiding, it was big enough to make her run all the way to Jasper Creek.

“I should get going,” I said, standing up and draining the last of my coffee. “Ruby's expecting me back.”

Dad's eyebrows shot up. “Is she now?” He grinned as one eyebrow shot up.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, old man.”

“My mind is exactly where it should be. Go on. Don't keep the girl waiting.”

I was halfway to my truck when Dad called out again.