"They never really grew up," he said with a forced smile. "I guess we should call them The Lost Boys instead of The Stooges."
"They never married?"
"The Stooges?" Ethan snorted. "No. Believe me, when you meet them you'll understand why."
Emma paused in the middle of biting into her sandwich to look at him. When she met them, a shiver of delight went through her at his words and the unspoken promise behind them.
"Why do you call them The Stooges?" she asked.
He smiled as he rested his elbows on the counter before her. "Yet another thing you'll understand when you meet them."
She grinned back at him and took a bite of her sandwich. Her smile faded as her thoughts returned to the events of the day. "Your life may be chaotic, but no dead things were left on your front porch."
One day she would understand there were plenty of dead things and blood in his life, but she had enough going on without dumping more horror in her lap right now. He would probably have to do it sooner rather than later from what he'd heard about the beginning of his parent's relationship, and what he'd witnessed with Isabelle and Stefan, but right now all he cared about was keeping her safe.
She finished off the first sandwich and began to peel the crust from the next one methodically. "No dead cats at least," he said.
"That's always a bonus."
When she finished the second sandwich, she picked at the crust on her plate. "You pull the crust off just to eat it?" he asked.
Her forehead furrowed as she glanced at the plate. "I never really thought about it, it's just something I've always done. I guess it is kind of weird."
"Not at all," he assured her as he leaned forward to kiss her. "Do you want another one?"
She thought about it for a second before shaking her head. "No, I'm good."
The door opened, and she turned to watch as Jill and Mandy entered the house. "Why is there a bucket of water and a sponge outside?" Jill's eyes were on something Emma couldn't see as she asked the question.
Emma wasn't ready to deal with their concern yet, but she knew she had to. "I forgot about those," Ethan said as he walked around the counter toward them.
Grabbing the plate full of remaining crust, Emma made her way over to the trashcan and dumped them inside. She heard Ethan talking with her friends, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. When Mandy and Jill appeared on the other side of the breakfast bar, she knew they'd already received the rundown on what happened. Mandy looked like she was trying not to vomit, and Jill was about three shades paler than yesterday.
"Are you okay?" Jill demanded.
Emma didn't know how to answer that question.
"Of course she's not okay. I swear, Emma, if I see that asshole I'm going to kill him!" Mandy declared as she stormed around the counter and hurried over to her. "Don't worry, hon; we're going to keep you safe. That piece of shit won't dare come around the three of us."
Emma tried not to cry as Mandy and Jill threw their arms around her and huddled close.
Ethan cleared his throat from the doorway. "Okay, four of us," Mandy amended.
The warmth and security of her friend's arms helped to ease her anguish. She wiped her eyes as she stepped away from their embrace.
"Thanks, guys, but I think it would be best if you stayed away from him. He's crazier than he used to be. I don't understand this," she said with a shake of her head.
"They say people like him escalate, Emma. No one knows why, but the police will catch him," Jill brushed the hair back from her face in an attempt to calm her further.
"I hope so. That poor cat." Emma shuddered and hugged herself. "Tristan's completely lost it."
Mandy and Jill were unable to keep their uneasiness hidden from her as they exchanged a look. "We will get through this," Mandy promised. "Maybe we should go home early."
Panic shot through her, and her gaze flew to Ethan. His jaw clenched, he folded his arms over his chest, but he didn't say anything. The thought had already crossed her mind that she should leave. Tristan would follow her, she was certain of that, but she would be away from her friends, and they would be safer.
"Maybe I should just go," she suggested.
"Absolutely not!" Jill said vehemently. "We're not letting you travel alone with that douchebag running around. If you go, we all go."
"Jill—"
"No arguments," Mandy interrupted. "Jill is right."
"If you would like to go, I will go with you," Ethan said. "I'll make sure you stay safe. No one will harm you, Emma. Not while I'm around."
Jill and Mandy glanced at her in surprise, but their surprise was nothing compared to hers.
"Your brothers are coming, Ethan, your family is here," she said.
"They'll understand. You're my biggest concern right now."
If she hadn't already been falling in love with him, those words would have started the plunge. As it was, she realized he had just pushed her completely over the edge. How was it possible she'd only known him for such a short time, yet he’d taken possession of her heart in a way no other man ever had?
It seemed too good to be true, and she supposed she should be leery, but she couldn't be when he said things like that and stayed by her side when others would bolt.
Tristan had shown her how awful a relationship could be, and he was continuing to show her that now. With Ethan, she saw how fantastic one could be...what it could be like to trust someone and have them raise her up instead of trying to tear her down. Her heart continued to swell with love, and she was beginning to feel like an idiot for standing there staring at him.
"Awww," Jill said so
