A moment later, Slade saw Ethan mutter something - most likely a curse, he thought in amusement - just before striding towards his fiancée.
Wonders never ceased indeed, Slade mused as he resumed walking. Like the other guys, Slade had privately thought the younger man a lost cause and doomed to an unhappy marriage with Guilia. And yet just last week, Slade and everyone else in Hartland had the shock of their life, seeing Ethan, Anah, and Guilia having dinner together and all three of them actually looking happy.
If it had been him and Kady, and they were going to have dinner with her ex-boyfriend...
Slade's lip curled.
Not a fucking chance.
The college boy was gone by the time Slade reached his friends. Ethan appeared a lot more relaxed now while Anah, well...the girl's kiss-swollen lips were a dead giveaway, and so was the pinkish blush that still colored her face.
Anah could feel her cheeks turning even redder when she saw Slade's smirk. "You saw it," she said unhappily. "Didn't you?"
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Ethan retorted.
"Are you kidding me?" Anah was torn between exasperation and frustration. "Chris and I were just talking about our report!"
"Stop saying that," Ethan snapped.
"Saying what?"
"Our report," Ethan mimicked. "You make it sound like you have a fucking kid with him—-"
It was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard Ethan say, and Anah couldn't help bursting into laughter.
When Ethan heard Slade cough, he said pleasantly, "I forgot to tell you. Kady was here earlier, and she asked me to let you know she won't be able to join us for lunch. She also needs to work on a report."
Slade shrugged. "It happens."
"She had a guy with him, too," Ethan drawled.
Slade stiffened.
"And you know how that idiot was looking at my Anah, didn't you? Well, the guy with Kady was a lot worse. He was staring at her like—-"
Slade had already stalked off before Ethan could finish speaking.
"That was such an evil thing to do," Anah accused him.
"I only told him the truth. You saw how that guy was staring at Kady—-"
"Because he forgot his glasses," Anah protested, "and he could barely see anything."
"Let's stop talking about other men," Ethan dismissed.
"Only if you promise me to stop preten—-" Her voice trailed off when Ethan suddenly took her hand and placed it over his chest.
Oh.
"I'll never lie to you again," Ethan said evenly. "And I meant it."
So this hard, furious beating of his heart—-
"I don't have to pretend I feel jealous about other men."
Anah gulped.
"Because I am jealous," Ethan said simply, "and I doubt I'm going to feel less possessive anytime soon." The past was still too fresh in his mind, and there were still nights when he woke up enveloped in cold sweat, and the only thing that could calm him down was the sight of Anah, curled up against him.
He looked down at Anah, and unlike before, the moment he felt the urge to say the words...there was no longer any need to hold them back.
"I love you, Anah."
But instead of saying the words back, Anah suddenly started fumbling through her tote bag.
Ethan frowned. "Are you missing anything?"
Anah shook her head. "There are people looking at us."
Ah.
"Found it." Anah came up with a book, and his eyes gleamed as she flipped it open to cover her face.
A moment later—-
"I love you, too." Just saying the words made Anah feel like bursting with happiness, and her heart skipped a beat when she felt Ethan pull her close.
He brushed his lips against her cheek, and her heart skipped another beat.
They started walking, his arm around her shoulders, and she gave up counting the number of times her heart would skip a beat.
She knew she should be used to it by now, but...
Hopeless, Anah thought with an inner sigh.
Everything about Ethan would always make her heart skip a beat.
Always did.
And always would.
Anah was startled when Ethan suddenly reached for her wrist.
"I almost forgot."
She glanced down and saw Ethan attaching a third charm to the bracelet he had given her years ago. She knew now that the cloud was meant to symbolize how she seemed like a dream to him, and as for the third...
"Ethan!"
He grinned. "You like it?"
"A phonebooth. Seriously?"
"I can't wait to hear how you'll try explaining it to our friends."
Anah made a face.
"And what do you know..." Ethan suddenly stopped walking that Anah ended up half-bumping into him.
"What are you loo—-" Her jaw dropped when she saw what had caught his attention. Oh no.
But he had already started dragging her towards the phonebooth.
The End
Author's Note
19 June 2020 Friday 2150H
Quezon City, Philippines
Hello again everyone!
Writing this book took a bit longer than expected, but I can't say I regret the extra time I spent with Ethan and Anah. I can only hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
As always, a quick note for those new to my work - Ethan and Anah's story is Book #8 of my newly merged rancher series - the first four is set in Evergreen, Texas (Anah's hometown) and features modern-day mail-order bride romances. The succeeding ones are set in Wyoming.
Slade's story is (the retitled) Billionaire Rancher, Secret Lover while Thornton's story is (also retitled) Billionaire Rancher, Secret Crush. Sarah and Damian also have their own story, and it's (retitled as well, lol) A Heartless Billionaire Rancher.
On a personal note, I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. I've been struggling a lot more with social anxiety these days, so I'm sorry if I'm not so active online. But please know that I always look forward to hearing from you guys, so if you'd like to drop me a line, please feel free to email or send me a message on my Facebook page, Instagram, or website.
In the meantime, I'll keep
