It’s a blurt, a restart of Seth’s heart, and then two pairs of eyes are swiveling to him.
The words are out of his mouth before he realizes what he’s said. Before he realizes he has to go, won’t let anyone else go but him. Gripped by some fucking ridiculous need to see for himself that Lacey’s okay.
Hell, he owes it to her. She stopped him from making the biggest fucking mistake of his life. She came to him when he was at his lowest and didn’t flinch. I need you, he said, and she helped him.
She saved him that night. He knows it in his soul.
“You will?” Sal asks, untangling from Luke.
“Yeah,” he rasps out.
The look on Luke’s face is one of relief. Relief he doesn’t have to leave Sal. Relief Seth will take care of Lacey.
“Your gigs,” Sal murmurs. Wiping her eyes, she looks between Seth and Luke. “Can he?”
Luke chuckles. “Bobby’s gonna have a fuckin’ aneurysm, but yeah.” Determination roughens Luke’s voice. “A day or two. We’ll make it work. Whatever we got to do.”
Sal embraces Seth, hugging him with ferocious strength. “Thank you,” she says, her voice low and raw.
Seth tightens his grip on Sal.
Los Angeles. That’s where he’s going. It’s where he needs to be. Out there with Lacey.
Even if she is gonna rip his goddamn balls off.