I knew that we would make something of this relationship. If we were this strong together, nothing could break us.
Chapter Eleven
I expected a level of discomfort or awkwardness after Ethan opened up completely the night before, but when I arrived at his house in a scrubby T-shirt and stained shorts, he greeted me as if our night hadn’t happened. At one point, he lifted the base of his shirt to wipe his face of sweat. I had full view of his scars, and he didn’t look like he gave it a second thought. His gentle touches and sweet gesture nearly sent me over the edge a dozen time throughout the day. By the end of it, I texted Sylvia and insisted that we did something fun. I hadn’t spoken to her since the night at the fire station and we needed to clear the air.
She picked me up at his house at four-thirty, and I dropped my drill the second I saw her. “Are you sure you’re improving the house?” she asked, looking around at the disaster area his kitchen had become. Each room held its own disaster, but the kitchen was a new breed of destroyed. The walls were primed and prepared to be painted, tarp lined the floor at the base of each wall, the center island was covered in various tools, and all the drawers and cabinets were unhinged and resting in a pile on the floor.
“Slowly but surely,” I promised. “It’s never as good in the end if you see it in the middle of being renovated.”
“Is he okay with the disaster?” she asked.
Ethan had stepped out to get groceries, so I answered for him. “He’s perfectly okay with it… As long as it’s done next week,” I added.
My attention caught on the only empty space on the counter—the area that had become sacred to me. Sylvia leaned on it and I refrained from cringing. The memory of our night together was at the forefront of my memory.
“Are you ready?” she asked. I nodded and unplugged my tools, leaving them on the counter to continue tomorrow. I used to put them away, but he assured me that if I’d be renovating empty homes, it was only fair I treated his as if nobody lived there. I disagreed, but I knew he wouldn’t be home that night with a long shift at the fire station, so my tools wouldn’t be in his way.
We left the house after locking the door and drove downtown. “How does Mexican food sound?” She pulled into a parking space a few buildings away and parked. I reached for my door handle. “Before we get out, I need to apologize.”
“For what?” I asked, shocked that she thought she had a reason to apologize.
“For walking away after learning it was your husband who died,” she said, looking down at my ring finger. I twirled the ring subconsciously. “I knew you were married, and I knew the ring was from the marriage. You told me that you lost your husband, but I didn’t imagine it was… like that.”
I shook my head. Bruce always crossed my mind during the day, but the memory was more uplifting than usual. “I had a short life with him, but it was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for anything better, and you don’t need to apologize for being shocked about not knowing. I didn’t want you to know,” I told her.
A weight lifted from my shoulder as I realized that the air between us was finally clear.
“You can talk about him if you ever want to. I’d love to listen.”
I reached over and grabbed her hand. I squeezed it in gratitude as I realized what she was offering me. “I will keep that in mind. For now, though, I think you’ll love to hear what I have to say about Ethan.”
She squealed and jumped out of the car. I followed and waited by the sidewalk for her to come around. “I love hearing about your adorable love story with the second most eligible Jones brother around.”
I laughed and twisted my arm into hers. “Second most eligible, huh?” I asked. “I’d argue he has the first place after last night.”
Her heels dug into the ground and she turned to face me fully. “You two had sex?” she shouted. I widened my eyes and covered her mouth.
“Maybe a little more discretion,” I advised.
“Did you?” Her voice came out muffled from my hand.
Not many people were out and walking the sidewalks, but those who were could easily pass us by as we stood beside her car. I nodded with a wicked smile. “And, he took off his clothes for me.”
Her excitement grew. “He even took off his shirt?” she asked.
“Even his shirt.” I felt a light blush color my cheeks as I considered the body beneath that shirt. I couldn’t understand how he was so ashamed of a body that looked like that. He was an immaculate representation of a man, and I was thrilled for him to realize that once again.
Sylvia’s attention caught on something behind me, and her smile faded into a look of anger. I turned and saw what caught her eye. I was thoroughly convinced that there was no such thing as good karma when Taylor met my eye and smiled. She turned her attention from the path ahead of her and veered in our direction.
“Hey, you were the girl with Ethan the other day, right?” she asked. Her smile was plastered on thick, and I was taken aback by how genuine she appeared.
“I was,” I told her. My words left my lips slowly as I weighed the situation between us.
She shifted her attention to Sylvia and her smile
