by Amelia Shea
She watched his face change. They stood in front of a large old house, weathered by many storms. The owner had died years ago. The family held onto it in hopes of restoring it but when they realized the cost they decided to sell. It had been majorly neglected in the last couple years.
“Told you.” She smirked.
He turned to her. “Show me.”
She shrugged, pulling him up the long staircase to the wraparound porch. She got the key and opened up both doors. She tried to see it from his eyes. The massive foyer led to the bottom of the staircase in the center of the room. To the right was an old dining room with a large bay window.
Ethan walked into the living room. It was spacious with an old brick fireplace with floor to ceiling stone. His hand grazed over the stone.
Emory walked behind him. “Most people would probably rip it out but it’s part of the character. All three houses on the street replaced the original.”
She followed Ethan through the doorway into the kitchen. “All the others have been redone recently?”
“In the last five years.” She sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, they are amazing. I’ve gotten a tour of all three but there’s something special about keeping the original charm. When you get rid of it, it changes the house.”
He looked around the dated kitchen. Everything was the original with the exception of some newer appliances from about fifteen years ago.
Ethan turned to her and raised his eyebrows. “This is the house you love?”
Emory chuckled and grabbed his hand. “C’mon.”
She dragged him out the back door, through the deteriorating screen porch, down the cracked steps and stopped. She smiled at the view. There were three large oaks that had grown oddly, like most did down south. The moss hung low. The green grass spread through the yard and dropped at the edge of the bay. The neighboring properties were hidden from the thick pines that had grown. There was a stone walkway lined with wild flowers, leading down to the bay.
“This is why I love it.” She turned her head and saw his smile as he looked at the yard. He saw it too. It was breathtaking.
“How many bedrooms?”
“Five.”
Surprised, Ethan turned to Emory. “Five?”
“Yeah but three are really small. Remember, back in the day, bedrooms were strictly for sleeping.”
Ethan snorted. “And filling up the little rooms.”
Emory gave him a tour of the upstairs. They remained quiet as he looked around. It wasn’t his kind of house; she didn’t have any unrealistic hope that he would buy it. She did like showing him though. Eventually someone would see the beauty in this gem and it would be sold.
They walked across the oak tree lined street. “Were they all like this one, originally?”
“Similar.”
He walked to her door and again opened it, waiting for her to slide in. She put one leg in and his hand grasped her arm. She looked up.
“Thanks for showing it to me. I can see why you love it so much.”
She liked that. It may not be his thing but he understood why it was hers.
*
“Pull into the next drive on your right,” Emory instructed from the passenger side of his car.
They had driven out to the lighthouse and the pier. This was their last stop on her sightseeing tour of the area. When they had left the house, he insisted she show him around. No more houses. He wanted her off the clock and showing him what she loved about the area.
He pulled into the gravel lot. It was small, only enough for about five cars. He pulled up into the spot she pointed at and parked.
She hopped out quickly. He followed her to the path and stopped behind her.
“Isn’t it awesome?” Her voice was riddled with excitement. “Rox always makes me bring her here. We pack a cooler and lunch and sit at the end of the pier.”
Ethan looked out at the marsh. There was a long wooden pier leading into trees. The sky was blue and it looked like a picture. He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her body to his chest.
They stood in silence for a minute. He was taking in the moment. Not only the view but Emory in his arms. She clasped her hands over his on her stomach.
“Wanna see the rest?” She turned to the side, looking back at him. He couldn’t resist and leaned in, kissing her lips.
“Yes,” he whispered against her lips.
They walked to the end of the pier, hand in hand. Emory talked about Roxanne and her fear of alligators attacking. He understood his sister’s concern. It looked like an alligator haven in the marsh. They came to the end of the trail and watched two teenage boys crab off the edge of the dock.
On their way back, Emory stopped in the middle of one of the wooden walkways and sat down, dangling her feet over the edge. Ethan watched her peer up at him, squinting from the sun. The sun against her red hair made it practically glow.
He sat down next to her, leaning back on his hands, mimicking her posture.
They sat in silence watching the cranes fly in and out of the marsh. It was quiet and peaceful.
“When do you have to go back?” Her voice was low.
Ethan looked over to Emory, who stared out at the marsh. She was waiting on his answer but trying her best not to let him know that. She was failing.
“My return flight is scheduled for Tuesday. I got a call from T earlier, I need to get back for a meeting on Wednesday.”
“Does he know where you are?”
“He guessed.”
She spun around quickly to face him. “Does Rox know?”
“No.”
She nodded.
“Come back with me?”
“What?” Her eyes were on him.
“Come back with me. Come home, Em.”
“This is my home, Ethan.”
“No, it’s not. It’s where you live but it’s not home. Don’t you miss Houston and Roxanne?” He was trying to use his sister as an incentive to come back, which from the look she gave him was about to backfire.
Her face twisted and she glared at him. “Is that why you’re here? To bring me home?” She made a frustrated noise and started to get up. Ethan’s hand shot out halting her.
“Wait…Where are you going?”
“Ya know what, Ethan, this is fucked up. You come here, you…you did…” She grunted in anger and pointed at him. “Well, you know what you did.” She scrambled getting to her feet trying to pass him but he gripped her hand.
“How dare you come here, spew your bullshit, making me believe it was about us, all so I’ll come back for Roxanne?” She yanked her hand out of his grasp and he jumped up quickly, blocking her from leaving.
“What the hell are you talking about? I am here for us. My being here, and anything that has happened between us has nothing to do with my sister.”
“Us?” She snorted. “I was so stupid for believing anything you said! There is no us, Ethan. There’s me, and then you.” Her eyes heated in rage. “I wanted an us, and you didn’t. Remember?”
“That isn’t fair, Emory.” He kept his tone calm but he was growing angry at her words. Of course there was an us. How could she think he would lie to her about how he felt?
“No, Ethan, I’ll tell you what’s not fair. I’ve loved you forever. Forever! Do you even realize how long that is? And when I finally told you, you gave me nothing. All those years of loving you came down to a fucked up confession in your dad’s hallway on Thanksgiving. I put it all out there, my heart wide open, and you gave me nothing.” She screamed her last word, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
She wasn’t finished.
“Oh no, wait, you did give me something. You gave me a lasting memory of you and Nina. And let’s not forget you kicking me when I was down by telling me I’m not part of your family.” Her tears fell down her cheeks. “See, I was wrong, you gave me plenty.”
She brushed past Ethan but h
e was not about to let her go. He grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him. His scowl matched hers as they stared at one another, both livid with one another for different reasons. She just unleashed on him, now it was his turn.
“You’re right, Emory, I gave you nothing. In the hallway, after you declared your love for me, I gave you nothing.” He snarled. “I had nothing at the time. I didn’t know what to say and you didn’t give me any time to process it.”
She huffed a sarcastic laugh. “Well…”
“Shut up.” He sneered. “You had your turn, now you listen.”
“You can’t tell me…”
He interrupted and started to talk over her. “You never gave me the chance, Em. You didn’t get an instant answer and you fled. You left fucking Thanksgiving. I tried to talk to Roxanne and she refused to discuss you. Did you know that? I was told to just let it go. Then you were gone, you stopped showing up at dinners and when you did you ignored me. You refused to speak to me and answer my calls. All the while, I’m fighting this desire for you.” His voice lowered. “That kiss haunted me for the last year. I was wrong for not coming after you, I see that now. Hell I saw it then; I just didn’t know what to do. I’ve spent the last year, regretting not going after you. I regret everything.”
“I bet Nina helped you get through that year.”
His jaw locked tight, gritting his teeth. “I told you, that’s not what you think.”
She snorted in disgust. “Right…”
His temper boiling over, he threw up his arms and shouted, “I made a fucking mistake. Christ, Emory, I’m not fucking perfect. Take me off that goddamn pedestal you have me on and see me for what I am. I’m fucking flawed, I fucked up!” His rage intensified. “What I had with her meant nothing, she offered and I took it. If that makes me a bastard then so be it. Do you really think if you had told me you loved me before seeing us in my dad’s office that it would have even happened?” He leaned in closer to her. “Do you?”
Emory stepped back. “I don’t know.”
“Well, then let me enlighten you.” His glare penetrated her stare. “It would have never happened if I knew there was even a possibility I could have you. You’re crucifying me for a poor choice. I’m fucking human, I made a mistake that I regret. But I didn’t betray you, I didn’t even know how you felt.”
Ethan watched her body tremble. “But after…”
Ethan snarled. “I wasn’t with her after. The last time I had anything to do with Nina was that night at Thanksgiving. And since you are so damn interested in Nina, I’ll share this with you.” He leaned into her space. “I never slept with her. Ever. What you saw was the last sexual interaction we had. My choice, not hers.”
“But that night, at the dinner table, you said…”
“You pissed me off, I was angry with you, I just said it. I did it to hurt you. You’ve never told a lie over anger?” He seethed.
Emory clamped her mouth shut. She had told a lie, that same night.
“I wish I could do that night over. The only thing I regret more than saying I was sleeping with her was telling you that you weren’t part of our family. I will forever regret that lie.”
She stared at him in silence, no longer scowling. He heaved a heavy breath, releasing her arm.
“I meant it when I said I didn’t know you were a possibility. Things would have been so different if I had known sooner. Once I realized that I had to have you, you were done, you were over me, you had moved on. All I was left with was your hatred. I understand what my waiting did to you, Em. I get it, and I hate myself for what I put you through. But do you have any idea what it’s like to realize you love someone and it’s too late?”
“I don’t understand why you waited.”
“You’re Emory!” he shouted. His composure was dwindling and he didn’t even care.
“I don’t even know what that means.”
“You have been a part of my life, my fucking world, since I was twelve. You’ve been there for everything, Em. There’s not a memory I have with the Garrisons that doesn’t include you. Then, you tell me you love me, and then kiss me? Every vision I had of you changed that day. My love for you shifted in the last year to something different.”
She balled up her fists and shouted, “You don’t love me. Don’t you dare say that!”
“What the hell are talking about? Of course I love you! You’re Emory!”
“Why do you keep saying that?”
“Because you’re Emory. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever known. Sweet when you want to be, tough when you have to be. You’re smarter than most people I know. You see the good in people, you see what others can’t or don’t want to. You make me laugh, even if it means being the butt of the joke. Your fiery, and don’t take any shit. Hell, you say what most people are too afraid to.” He stepped in closer, slowly, gripping her waist and pulling her to him. She went willingly. He finished in a whisper, “You’re Emory.”
“But you’re not in love with me.” Her voice trembled and she bowed her head.
He lifted her chin to meet his eyes. “Falling in love with you was easy, Em. Making you see it, that’s the challenge.”
“Are you in love with me?” she whispered.
“Yes.” He brought his lips down on hers.
Chapter 12
“NOW, what?”
Her voice quivered. She was in sheer shock at Ethan’s confession. He was in love with her. She couldn’t even process the entire conversation. If she did, she’d be jumping all over the dock screaming, “He loves me.” It would have been immature and childish but that’s what happened when the boy you loved since you were six returned your feelings.
She had spent almost her whole life loving this man. From a childhood crush to a full blown first love. She had imagined it, fantasized about what it would be like to finally hear that he loved her, that he wanted her. Nothing prepared her for her heart to practically burst from his admission that he was in love with her.
Ethan had his hands at her waist, her body pulled deeply into his. He stared down at her with his lip quirked at the side. “Now, we figure it out.”
That was all he said, bringing his mouth down to her with a quick kiss. He grabbed her hand and they walked back to the car in silence. They didn’t say much on the way back to Emory’s place except for her giving him the directions to her house. It was a comfortable silence.
Emory’s mind was anything but content. How would this work? She lived five states away from him, they’d never see each other. He worked so much that he wouldn’t be able to come to her every weekend, she knew that. Although she wasn’t crazy about her job, she wasn’t just going to quit because Ethan had professed his love for her, right?
Emory slumped back in her seat. She finally got her man and now she’d never see him.
He pulled up two doors down from her house and parked. She sat, staring out the window but she could feel his eyes on her. She shook her head whispering, “It’ll never work.” Her tone was sad, almost defeated.
“Do you want it to work?”
“Of course I want it to work.”
Ethan smirked, tracing a finger over her deep scowl, down to her nose, sliding a finger across the bridge of her nose and down her cheek. “Then, we’ll make it work. I’m not losing you, Em.”
I’m not losing you, Em.
“It can’t be this easy.”
Ethan burst out laughing. “You think this has been easy?”
“Well, no but now, you and me, together, it just seems too easy.”
“If you don’t fight it, Em, it can be this easy.”
“Let’s go,” he said. He opened his door and got out, leaving her stunned at his words. Her door came open, Ethan standing next to it. He smiled down at her, offering his hand. Grabbing his hand, she got out and they walked up to her house.
Calvin had already come and gone. He would be going to tonight’s party, and pr
omised her all the details and gossip on Monday. She rarely worked on Sunday, although for most agents, it was a busy day.
She had been a great real estate agent back in Houston. She had a passion for it but here, she just couldn’t find her groove. Maybe because she didn’t know the area. Although, she was pretty sure it was because her heart had been left in Texas. She never fully got out of the gate in Beaufort. She loved the town and the area but she never gave it her all in the business.
Emory had gone up and changed her clothes, opting for yoga pants and a cute tee. From the look on Ethan’s face when she met him out on the porch, he approved. His eyes were glued to her ass as she walked by him.
She sat on the empty rocker next to him with a small table separating them. Bringing her feet up on the chair, she grabbed her beer and took a swig. Ethan watched her. He was relaxed in his chair, rocking slowly.
“No party tonight?”
Emory shook her head. “It’s been a great day, let’s not ruin it with my coworkers.”
Ethan chuckled. “Fair enough.” His face lost its smile, taking a serious turn. “Sales not as good as you had hoped?”
Emory shrugged, looking down at her beer, tracing the label. “They’re all right, I guess.”
“Em?”
She peered over at him through her lashes. His face was easy to read, as was hers. He knew she was lying. She sighed. “Fine. They suck donkey dick.”
Ethan burst out laughing in mid-sip, spraying his lap and her deck with projectile beer. Emory chuckled at the scene in front of her. The always reserved, in control Ethan, spitting beer all over her deck was hysterical. She wished she had a camera to capture this moment. She held up her hand. “Sorry.”
Ethan wiped his mouth, shaking his head, clearly amused. “Don’t be. It’s one of your many endearing characteristics.” He grinned. “I never know what the hell will come out of your mouth.”
“It’s part of my charm.”
“Yes, it is.”
Emory took another sip, resting her head back on the chair. “I don’t know why but I just can’t sell like I did back in Houston. Maybe it’s a comfort thing, ya know. Houston’s home so I’m at ease there. Here, everything’s just different.”