CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
ETHAN
I’m in heaven—total bliss.
Enveloped in the comforting embrace of sleep beside the woman who’s come to embody my deepest desires. Yet that euphoria begins to fade as I’m awakened by movement, and I crack my eyes open, witnessing said woman’s discreet departure from the warmth of our shared cocoon. The one we created within the plush confines of the hammock I purchased with the hopes of this very moment, minus the woman sneaking away.
“Ivysaur, where ya goin’?” my voice rumbles, disturbing the dark night.
A sudden thud resonates, followed by the muttered names of former presidents.
“I need to pee. And I refuse to respond to that name.” She whisper shouts into the darkness.
“Hang on, I’ll walk you to the house.”
“I’ll be fine. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
I release a throaty chuckle. “If you think I’m letting my coordinately challenged girlfriend navigate her way past a swimming pool in the dead of night, you’re very mistaken, Marsh.”
A few seconds pass as she seems to contemplate the accuracy of my words. “I concede. Lead the way.”
I grab her hand before walking her inside and making a mental note to put in some small solar lights for a pathway to the house once the hedge is down.
Once Ivy is done, we amble our way back to the hammock, and I pull her close, covering us in the warmth of the blankets. It doesn’t take long before we’re both asleep again. This really is the stuff of dreams. I know without a doubt I’m currently living in the good old days . I’ll look back on this night with vivid clarity, grateful that I had the common sense to know a good thing when it was in my arms. And hopefully, she’ll still be in my arms in the years to come.
But when morning arrives, I still don’t get the slow, sleep drunk cuddles I desperately want with this pixie I’m falling for. Instead, I’m startled awake by a whack on my chest.
“Ethan! Wake up! I’m gonna be late for school!”
I grasp her gently around the waist, burrowing into my favorite spot in the crook of her neck. “Just one more minute.”
“Ethan!” she squeaks, giggling but wriggling out of my grasp to climb over me and once again escape.
“Fine,” I grumble with fake annoyance. “I’ll drive you to your place then drop you at school?”
She’s speed walking ahead of me, shuffling in her purple crocs, teal sweatpants, and matching hoodie, making her look like a pastel dessert. Her blonde bed hair catches the first rays of sun, and I smile at her lopsided hair bow.
“Uh…about that…” She gazes back at me, while grabbing her bag from the sofa. “I think it’s better if Toby picks me up for school. ”
“Why?” I frown, not liking this development at all. Not one bit.
“Cause this is a small town, and rolling up at school in Ethan King’s truck will get tongues wagging faster than a church scandal.”
I purse my lips, fighting hard to remind the part of me that wants to argue about this that I need to pick my battles, especially when it took so much convincing to get her to give me a chance. “Right.”
We drive to Ivy’s house, talking about the final few stages of her renovations. My eyes are on the road, but I catch her gaze flickering my way every few seconds while her hand nervously folds pleats in the hem of her hoodie. “You know Toby is like a brother to me, right? He’s more of a brother than my actual brother.”
I grab her hand, lacing our fingers together. “I know. I’m just anxious to show the world that I’m yours.” I add with a wink, even though there’s a small part of me that still wants to punch Toby for being so handsy with my girl before she was my girl. The logic isn’t there, I know.
I putter around the house when we arrive, trying my best to ignore the sound of the shower going and the images that arise with it. After snuggling next to Ivy all night, I’m already struggling to keep my thoughts somewhat gentlemanly. I’ve messed up in the past, but Ivy makes me want to do things differently—to prove that I’m laying a lasting foundation instead of simply seeking momentary gratification.
She’s still getting ready when there’s an eager knock. The scowl on my face forms unconsciously as I stomp over to open the front door. I nod at Toby, with his checkered sweater vest over his button up. My arms fold while I lean against the frame, making him have to hunch his shoulders to get inside .
He doesn’t look the least bit perturbed, which annoys me even more.
“Hi.” He grins, wagging his eyebrows like we share some kind of secret.
“What’s happening to your face right now?”
“Nothing. Have a nice evening?”
“What’s it to you?” I bite out a little defensively. Ivy chooses this moment to flutter into the room, catching my death glare aimed at her dearest Toby.
She clears her throat with a reprimanding tone, her gaze unwavering as she extends a pointed finger toward the list. “Rule. Number. Three.”
I purse my lips and summon a forced smile, shifting my attention to Toby. “Thanks for escorting Ivy to school.”
“Anytime,” the little twerp chirps, draping an arm affectionately over Ivy’s shoulder. She responds by rolling her eyes, deftly sidestepping his embrace. And because I’ll probably always break rule number three, I meet her in the middle of the room. With tenderness, I cup her face in my hands and plant a fervent kiss on her slightly pink lips.
“Have a good day.” I wink, then smile triumphantly at Toby who’s awkwardly looking at his feet. Ivy’s cheeks flush adorably while she pushes her glasses up her nose, squeaking out a “You, too” before following Toby out to his car.
I blow a kiss as she peers back at me through the car window, chuckling when she waves robotically in response.
I reluctantly drag myself to the office for my other job, the one that’s started to seem less and less fulfilling. That familiar itch tingles up my spine. It’s like restlessness, except this time, it’s a feeling of not being where I want to be. This feeling usually has me eager to jump into the unknown, sailing or hiking off into a remote adventure. But now, the only place I’m yearning to be is beside Ivy .
Man, I have fallen far and fast. If Colton caught wind of this, he’d swear I was an alien who’d invaded his brother’s body.
Just when I’m starting to make a dent in the work piled up on my desk, my phone buzzes loudly over the wooden surface.
I answer, making it through a few minutes of small talk with Crystal from the Home Network. There’s excitement in her voice as she continues. “This is incredibly unusual, since things never move this quickly. But congratulations, Ethan, your pilot has officially been green-lit! We’ll send the paperwork for you to look over. Your show is gonna be a hit, I just know it!”
“Wow…” I lean back, running a hand through my hair. “That’s?—”
Colton and Ember breeze their happy, soon-to-be-married faces into my office.
“That’s exciting. Thanks, Crystal.”
“I look forward to working with you, Ethan.”
My brother and his fiancée exchange amused glances, their faces contorting into cringe-worthy expressions with each awkward sentence that slips from my lips until I end the conversation with Crystal. While I’m genuinely thrilled for Colton’s newfound happiness, there’s no denying the smugness that seems to have settled over him since popping the question. Normally, I’m the one teasing him relentlessly, but lately, it feels like the tables have turned, and I’m not quite on board with this new shift in our dynamic.
“Struggling with the ladies?” Colton remarks with a sympathetic click of his tongue. If Ember weren’t here, he’d be nursing a dead arm right now.
“Colton, don’t be the things that look like Steve Harvey’s mustache. I’ve never had that problem in my life.”
“You sure? Haven’t seen you on a date in a while.” He juts his chin forward, looking entirely too self- satisfied. I know he hasn’t told Ember about my feelings for Ivy, otherwise I’d already have endured an interrogation that would make James Bond cry. But he’s loving this opportunity to torture me with the information.
“I’d be very concerned if you had a habit of watching me on my dates, big bro.”
“Mm-kay, I’m going to interject before I pass out from rolling my eyes so much,” Ember adds with a raised finger. “We’re having an impromptu pre-rehearsal dinner tomorrow night. Can you make it?” She smiles sweetly.
“Oh, he’ll make it,” Colton smirks. “Tell him who else will be there, babe.”
“It’s basically just the wedding party and one or two others. Opal and Gail. Jed and his wife. Ivy and Toby, and the three of us, assuming you can make it.”
Toby.
That’s why my brother looks like he’s talking to someone who’s had a unibrow drawn on their face while they were sleeping. Because he knows I’ll be seething while the woman I like is sitting across the table with another man. What he doesn’t know is I’m currently dating said woman and will have to watch her fake date another man. Only slightly less agonizing than the first scenario.