Free Make My Heart Beat by Liz King Page B

and lean my head on his shoulder as he keeps his arm wrapped around me. We sit there, rocking back and forth, looking out over the water in silence for about an hour before Seth speaks up again. “Okay, babe. Spill it. Tell me what’s going on in the pretty head of yours.”
    I nod my head against Seth’s shoulder. “I saw him today,” I mumble. “He came up to the hospital today.”
    Seth squeezes me a little tighter. “How did that go?”
    “Not very well.”
    “Did you run away again?”
    “How did you know?” I turn my face up at him.
    Seth is smiling down at me. “Lynae, I’ve kinda figured you out. You’ve been through a shitstorm, and when you get scared, you run.”
    To think that Seth has picked up on my running away tendencies pulls at my heart a little. He isn’t the dense and cocky drummer I had pegged him as. My growling stomach breaks through the tension of our conversation. I didn’t really eat much for lunch and it’s been several hours since then. I also never got my cookies from Joe thanks to Connor’s visit. I giggle a little at the continued rumbling. ‘Sorry about that. Guess I need to let you go, and I need to find something to eat.” I’m not eating enough and I know it.
    Standing up, Seth drags his shirt back on then holds his hand out for me. “Come on, I’m buying.”
    “You don’t have to buy me dinner. I don’t want to ruin your evening.” I stand up a little too quickly. I feel lightheaded and stagger back slightly, grasping onto Seth’s shoulder.
    Seth’s concerned eyes focus intently on me. “Lynae, when was the last time you ate something?”
    I look down at my watch. I had a little bit of salad around eleven, and it’s already almost seven in the evening. “Um, a little bit before noon I guess.” I should have stopped and gotten something sooner. My doctor told me that I need to eat small snacks throughout the day despite my nausea to keep my strength up.
    “Damn it, woman. You need to feed that baby.” Seth takes in my wide eyes at his knowledge of the pregnancy. “Yeah, I know. We all do. Let’s go.”
    Seth and I end up at the same little café that Michelle and I frequent after our Saturday morning runs. Not only do they have an amazing breakfast, but they have great burgers too. And they serve those delicious cinnamon rolls all day! I know I should be uncomfortable hanging out with Seth, but I did consider him a friend before everything happened.
    While sipping on my sweet tea and nibbling on a cornbread muffin, I regard Seth shifting uncomfort ably in his seat across from me with a weird look on his face. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing.” Seth sighs. “I really want to apologize for the way I treated you that day. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I hate that I was so mean to you before you went upstairs.”
    I reach my hand across the table and lay it on top of his. “You were being a loyal friend to Connor.”
    “That doesn’t make it right that I judged you so quickly. I know you better than that, babe.” Seth looks down at our joined hands then squeezes. “When I heard the yelling I came running. Then I saw you fall. My God. You scared the shit out of us.”
    A shudder runs through me as I remember that night. My stomach rolls and I protectively place my other hand over my belly. “About that, thank you for catching me. The girls told me that if you hadn’t been at the bottom, I could have...” I can’t even say the words. I could have died . I feel tears welling up in my eyes. I don’t want to cry again. You’d think that I wouldn’t have any tears left in me after everything. “Thank you,” I murmur.
    Seth just nods then shakes his head, looking down at our connected hands.
    The waitress clears her throat as she approaches the table with our food. “Here y’all go.” When she sets Seth’s plate down, she leans forward, practically shoving her chest in his face. I roll my eyes at her blatant attempt at flirting with