There was a knock at the door, and Seth rushed down the hall to open it. He swung the door open to find a perplexed Tara staring at him.

“Is everything okay?” Her concerned eyes searched his face.

“Everything’s great.” He cocked his head to the side, wondering if she could see the turmoil on his face. “Why do you ask?”

“I had to knock,” she said, as though those four words should explain everything.

“Yes, I heard. That’s why I came to open the door.” The furrow between his eyebrows deepened.

“You weren’t waiting for me this time?” She sounded a smidgen disappointed.

He understood now. He had always opened the door for her before she even reached it. Lost in his thoughts, he’d forgotten for a moment that she was coming soon. He pulled her into his arms. “Of course, I was waiting for you. I was counting the seconds. I just got distracted at the last minute.”

“That’s totally fine,” she said wrapping her free arm around his waist. The other was holding a folded garment bag. “It was silly of me to be so surprised that I had to knock on the door. You’ve spoiled me.”

“And I haven’t stopped spoiling you. It was just a bleep. You don’t know how desperate I am to see your face every time we’re apart.” Afraid that he’d revealed too much of his feelings, he swiftly changed the subject. “Come on in. We have to get ready for our date.”

Tara came in after him, her laughter a thing of beauty. “How long do we have? I don’t want to make us late for your secret reservations.”

“About forty-five minutes. I know it’s a bit tight since you have to do your hair and makeup, too.”

“Most men have no idea how long it takes a woman to get ready for a special occasion.”

“I am a fashion photographer. I know how much effort goes into all that. Men have it so much easier.”

“You so do. How long do you need to get ready? Like ten minutes?”

“Tops,” he said.

“Yup. Easy. Where should I change?”

“My room.” He took the garment bag from her hand and led her to the guest bedroom. “Do I get to stay and watch you change?”

Tara laughed and planted her hands firmly on his chest and pushed him out the door. “Not a chance. You have to let me surprise you a little, too.”

He pulled her to him for a fast, hard kiss before she closed the door on his face. He stood grinning for a minute before he jumped into action. God, he was actually nervous. Did he think she might say no?

Seth rushed to the office to change into the tuxedo he’d borrowed from Landon’s closet. They were similar enough in size that it fit pretty well. At the hallway bathroom, he slicked his hair back from his forehead with a bit of hair wax. He studied himself in the mirror and shrugged. Not too shabby. Because he struggled a bit with the bow tie, it took him fifteen minutes to finish up.