Touch The Sky | ✓

Twenty-Seven

The next morning, I wake up to sunshine streaming in through the curtains. I roll over and come up against Seth's body. His light snores fill the room and I can't help but smile affectionately at him.

I press a kiss on his bare shoulder and make a trail all the way up his neck.

He groans, his arms coming to wrap around me. 'Good morning.'

His voice is rough and low in the mornings, which makes my stomach feel a little funny.

I laugh a little at how displeased he sounds to be woken up. 'Morning.'

He kisses my forehead gently, his thumbs rubbing against my hips, slotting me in next to him.

As we lie in bed, I fill him in on the rest of the weekend and how Dad has been trying to repair all the damage we did to each other.

He sighs, his hands playing with the ends of my curls as I rest my head on his bicep. 'That sounds complicated,' he murmurs.

I laugh softly in agreement. 'Yeah. Is your family that complicated? You've never really told me much about them.'

'I know,' he replies quietly, his voice wobbling a little. 'That was never intentional. I just... don't always talk about home, you know? I accidentally got used to not talking about any of that. It was quite painful for quite a long time.'

I trace a pattern on his bare chest with my forefinger, reminding my silly brain that his unwillingness to talk about it has nothing to do with me. 'You can talk about anything you want with me, Seth, but I don't want you to feel any pressure, either.'

We have talked about Nina and about the fact that he'll always mourn her a little. From what he's told me, they had a good relationship and I know that it's been hard for him.

I also know, though, that it doesn't mean he doesn't love me. He does. He's bound to mourn his deceased wife, even if he loves someone else now.

Seth shifts ever so slightly, angling his head to look at me with intense eyes. 'I know. I love that about you, you know? I'm just not sure there's much for me to say about Nina anymore.'

I hum in assent, but don't really have a coherent response. I never really know what to say to things like that, but I don't think that's a bad thing.

'Anyway, my family are great,' he continues easily, his tone changing. 'They're ridiculous, but not really complicated. I have three sisters, all of whom are a bit crazy. My Mom and Dad are wonderful. You'll see.'

I smile at the thought of meeting them. 'Yeah, I'd love to.'

'When would be good? Mom and Dad keep pestering me that we should visit soon,' he raises an eyebrow, looking at me inquisitively.

I prop my head on my arm, so I can get a better look at him. 'I don't know. I'll have to see when I can get some time off work. Also, it depends a bit on Katie. I had been planning to go and see her again, but given that she's here this weekend, I'm not sure anymore.'

He nods, hopefully understanding where I'm coming from. 'Fair enough.'

I sigh, hoping that I've communicated everything well enough. 'It's not that I don't want to come, Seth,' I explain gently. 'I can't wait to meet everyone. I just need to check a few things, that's all. I'd have to take at least a few days off work to go all the way to Canada, you know? I don't want it to be a ridiculously short visit. I'd like to actually take some time to get to know everyone, not just a pit-stop.'

I want to genuinely invest time in getting to know his family, because as far as I'm concerned, Seth's my forever.

Seth softens, kissing me gently. 'I know, I'm sorry. I forget that you have a real job that isn't so flexible,' he grins cheekily.