Too Late for Regret (Annalise and Roger) novel Chapter 161

Seth’s POV

I’m still trying to figure out a way to get closer to Laney. She keeps me at arm’s length, and it’s maddening. I finally spoke to my mother about it, as I needed her help to try to win Laney over. I was out of ideas. I ignore any woman who isn’t Laney, and she never notices. I’ve tried flowers, still nothing. I even wrote her a poem, and that’s a first; she never acknowledged receiving it.

I’m at a loss here. I don’t know what to do to convince her that I’m serious about her. She’s all I can think about. I tried jewelry, and she reacted very strongly, negatively, when I got her a pair of earrings. She quickly refused them. I was trying to show my love for her. I was trying to make her life easier, but she didn’t see it that way.

She will happily accept things from Ana or our mother. I don’t understand why it’s different when it comes from me. My mother was there today, getting the final touches done on their home. We managed to get everything on her list done, and I was happy about that. Micah and Andrew said that the gazebo was Laney’s favorite place to be. I just wanted her to be happy. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she knows that she is loved and appreciated.

She likes all the changes we made to her house. She just hates that I paid for any of it. She doesn’t want anything more to come from me. She insisted that I stop after the gazebo and landscaping were done. As far as she knew, I had stopped. Ana acted like she was the one who took up the slack, but I was the one who paid to have the interior repainted. I just didn’t want to set Laney off again. Things were better between us after I agreed to stop paying for her home improvements.

She settled down and was much happier with me after that, but still refused to go out. I’m at my wits‘ end, but I’m not giving up. Laney’s stubborn, I’ll give her that, but I am too. It’s been a year now, and I’m still not dating. I know what she was thinking: give me a little time, and I’ll mess up, but she was wrong. No scandals or issues, and my focus at work has never been better. I spend my time researching and developing new and innovative ideas for the company.

My cell phone rang as I headed home, and I saw it was Mom. I hope she had good news about how things went. Laney’s brothers had told me that she had loved using the fireplace before, but the chimney needed to be cleaned. They hadn’t used it in years. So I knew I needed to make that happen. Mom had sent me a picture of the fireplace and a secret picture of Laney when she saw the living room. Mom had done an excellent job of bringing Laney’s wishes to life.

Mom had set up the design and made some improvements. Mom had ordered everything, but I paid for half. Mom gets a discount, so it was a bargain as far as I was concerned. Mom knew what Laney wanted from looking at Laney’s book. I could tell that what Mom had created had been perfect as far as Laney was concerned. Their home was now warm and inviting.

“Hey Mom, how did it go?” I asked.

I would have liked to have been there myself to see the finished product, but I knew she didn’t want me there. She hates it when her brothers get excited to see me. She feels like they should ignore me and be on her side. They are on her side. They know I care about her, but she won’t even engage with them anymore when it comes to me. They still talk me up, but she just shuts them down.

“It went well. She loves the house. Even the decor I bought. She was very happy about that. Not so happy about the food for thought that I gave her,” Mom told me.

“What did you say?” I asked cautiously. I needed to know whether I should go over to Laney’s house to try to smooth things over. I can’t go back to square one, not after waiting a year. I turned my car around to head over to Laney’s house. I have a bad feeling about this.

“I know she’s scared, son, but it’s been a year. You are a good man. You love her, whether you’re willing to admit it or not, Seth. I wanted her to know that if she feels like being a Caldwell is too much to reach for, it’s not. We welcome her with open arms. I told her to think about it, and how much it would hurt to lose you,” my mother replied.

“Lose me? How could she possibly lose me? I’m in this until she finally accepts the fact that I care about her. I’m not going anywhere,” I said with a scoff.

“Son, she knows you care, honey, she’s testing you. The trauma from her youth has caused this. Her father left her when she was young. She thinks you’re going to leave her, too. So she’s pushing you away before you can get close enough to hurt her. She told me herself that she was scared. It is natural for her to be wary. I just wanted her to really think about losing you. How would it make her feel? She cares about you, Seth. I saw the look on her face; she doesn’t want to lose you, son,” she replied.

I immediately felt bad because she was right. I thought I knew best for Ana, thought that I was helping, and I should have left it alone. I know that Mom thought that she was doing the right thing. But now I’m getting a taste of what Ana did, and I hate it. It’s true. I had done much worse to my sister, but at the moment, I’m terrified of what damage my mother could have done to me and Laney. I didn’t want to think about anything else as I headed to her to make sure that she was okay. I wasn’t going to let her turn her back on me again.

I pulled up, and her house looks great. I haven’t been here in a while, as Laney made it clear that I should stop dropping in. But I’m not giving her a heads–up this time. I don’t want her to turn me away. Fear was racing through me, and I was determined not to leave here until I cleared everything up between us. I’m not going to let Laney’s fear or my mother’s interference ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

Andrew answered the door and welcomed me in. Micah was in the kitchen, stirring a pot on the stove and looking out the window. I could see her sitting in the gazebo. Her head was down, clearly deep in thought, and my stomach clenched.

“She’s been out there almost an hour. We were giving her some space. I’m glad you’re here, so we didn’t have to call you,” Micah told me.

“I came over to talk to her. I think Mom might have upset her,” I replied.

I didn’t really want to get into what happened today with either of them. I wanted them to stay on my side in this. They love Laney; she means the world to them. They knew I cared for her, too. I would never do anything to hurt her. No matter what my mother said, I’ll never turn my back on Laney.

I didn’t charge out the door. I was a little worried that she would start yelling at me the moment she saw me. But she didn’t. She stood up and headed for me. She seemed genuinely happy to see me, but I felt like it was a trick. Like when I got close enough, she would tell me off and kick me out. But she didn’t. Instead, she hugged me. I wish this moment could last forever, but she pulled me towards the gazebo and said, “Go ahead and sit down, Seth. We need to talk.”