by Meghyn King
“Yes, ma’am.” Scarlett rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help but smile.
“Good. I love you, darling.”
“I love you too, Momma dearest.”
After her talk with her mom, Scarlett began to realize she was right. She did always find reasons to fight. According to her New York therapist, it was her fight-or-flight reaction, and while she would have run from it as a teenager, as an adult she preferred the thrill of the fight. She realized that she owed Ethan her attention.
Scarlett sent Ethan a text message with an apology and a heartfelt thank-you for the roses, and it didn’t take him long to respond, telling her that he’d call her tonight after he finished his shift. She spent the afternoon reading on her Kindle, before calling Ebony. She talked with her roommate for a while, leaving out a lot of the events that had happened, and together they organized for Ebony to talk to her wedding-planner friend. No matter how mad she was at Shiloh, she wasn’t going to let her twin sister down.
Before long, it passed 7:00 p.m. and Ethan still hadn’t called her. Scarlett began to wonder if he’d decided she was too much effort. She had just hopped out of the shower when a knock on the door startled her. She quickly put on some clothes—a simple T-shirt and knee-length pants—and opened it.
Ethan smiled in greeting. He looked gorgeous in a black button-up shirt and pair of jeans, as well as a pair of black leather boots. He could make anything look good, and right then, he was downright delicious. The collar of the shirt accentuated his collarbones, and dark chest hair peeked out from where the top buttons were undone. Much like all his clothes, it was fitted perfectly to his body, as though molded especially to him.
She didn’t realize she was staring until he cleared his throat.
“Hi.” He smiled gently at her.
“Hello.” Scarlett shifted out of the doorway and let him into the room.
“I want to apologize—” he started.
“Don’t.” Scarlett took a deep breath and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. She held out her hand, and when he slipped his hand into hers, she tugged him toward her, pulling him down onto the bed beside her. “You need to stop apologizing. I’m half to blame in this. I’m… always so ready to fight people. I wish I could tell you that I’m usually not like that, but I’d be lying.” She wrapped a hand around his arm and rested her head on his shoulder, leaning into his warmth. “I promised myself that I’d never be a victim again, but in doing so, I didn’t realize I was always looking for fights.”
“You aren’t always ready for a fight, Scarlett.” He cupped her chin and tilted her head toward him. “Sofia brings that out in you. I wish you’d tell me what she did to you.”
She grimaced. “Did you ask her?”
“Yeah, and she keeps telling me to ask you. That you were the victim and you’d tell me when you’re ready.” He pursed his lips. “I don’t know if that’s her way of avoiding telling me, or if she’s trying to be considerate toward you.”
“Do you want to cuddle?” She nodded to the bed, and Ethan grinned. They pushed themselves back farther onto the bed, and he settled on his back. She lay her head on his chest, right over his heart, where she could hear the quiet thumps of the steadily beating organ. He wrapped his arms around her and she sighed in pleasure. His heat was familiar by now, and his masculine scent calmed her nerves.
“You don’t have to tell me, Scarlett…,” he murmured into her hair, but his tone suggested that he’d really like her to, and as hard as it was, she wanted to tell him too.
“After she learned about my crush on you, Sofia made my life hell, more than she’d ever done before. She’d always found small things to tease me about before that. My weight being her favorite topic.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I wish I could say that I didn’t know what she was doing, but I did, and I was a coward not to do anything about it at the time.”
Had it been weeks ago, she would have agreed and called him out on it, but after spending these last few days with Ethan, she saw the difference in him—saw how much he’d beaten himself up over it. So she just hugged closer to him. “I found out today it was Shy who told her.”
“Shiloh?” Surprise filtered through his voice. “I didn’t know that.”
Scarlett snorted. “Neither did I, and here I was thinking I couldn’t be betrayed any more than I already had been.”
He stroked her hair, his thick fingers carding through the strands, but stayed silent. The touch was comforting, and Scarlett closed her eyes briefly.
“Things calmed down before the prom, and I thought she’d decided to leave me alone. One day at school, she approached me and told me that Jake liked me. I thought it was another trick.”
“Jake Smith?”
She nodded, chuckling quietly at the absurdity of it. Jake had been another football player, a close friend of Ethan’s, and while he hadn’t been as handsome as Ethan, he had still been quite good-looking. “I was an idiot, but she kept insisting, and I actually believed her. She told me that he wanted to take me to prom, but that he was too embarrassed to ask me. She said that we should play truth or dare at my house, and invite him then, suggested that maybe she could dare him to ask me, just so he could get up the nerve to do it.”
Ethan’s arms tightened around her shoulders, but he stayed silent.
“I believed her. I was actually excited about it. Shy was going to be there too, and some of the other girls…. I was a darn fool. They came over when Momma and Daddy went out. Jake came later, so Momma had no idea that there was a boy in my room. I was happy, Ethan. I felt like I’d finally been accepted by Sofia and her friends. I thought they’d leave me alone after that because Jake liked me.”
“What happened?”
Scarlett fisted his shirt, her fingers gripping the material tightly. “She dared me to… kiss Jake. I’d never kissed anyone before, but I just wanted to fit in. So I leaned in, and then he shoved me away so hard that I fell off the bed. Said that he’d never kiss a fat pig like me. They laughed. They fucking laughed. All of them, except Shiloh. She told them to get out, but the damage was already done. I was a wreck, and they left, laughing and oinking at me until I couldn’t hear their voices anymore.” Years of turmoil flooded through her, and even if she wanted to keep the tears at bay, she couldn’t. She choked out a sob, those tears swamping her cheeks. Pressing her face into his chest, her shoulders shook under the force of her repressed humiliation and grief. Every rule she’d made herself adhere to flew out the window, and she let go of the walls she kept erected protectively around herself. Cries expressing years of pure anguish ripped from her chest and there was nothing she could do to stop them.
Ethan’s hold on her tightened and he kissed her temple. He held her through the tears and sobs, his soothing voice murmuring to her in a constant loop. She couldn’t hear clearly what he was saying but she didn’t need to. His deep and rumbling drawl and strong arms were enough to comfort her to a soft, lulling cry.
“I didn’t know, Scarlett.” He tilted her chin up, kissing the trail that her tears left. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
She shook her head. “You weren’t there.”
“And they didn’t tell me. If they had….”
“I know.” She wiped at the tears angrily and shoved away from him, so she sat on the bed beside his thigh. She massaged her forehead. “I was so stupid back then.”
“No, you weren’t.” He straightened up behind her, his fingers kneading her shoulders. The pressure felt amazing on her sore muscles and she groaned, throwing her head back. “They were the stupid ones, but I promise you, Sofia has lived with regrets about it. She’s…. Well… karma has dealt with her for what she did to you.”
She glanced at him, brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
He curled his arm around her stomach, dragging her backward so she sat between his open thighs. “I love my sister, but I don’t think she’ll ever tell you the truth.” He pressed his cheek against hers an
d sighed. “Remember when I told you about Jeremy, and his abuse on women?”
“Yes.” A knot of dread formed in her spine. She wasn’t stupid; she already had a feeling where this was going.
“Jeremy and Sofia were married. They married a few years back, but it only lasted a couple of months.” His breathing deepened, a tightness gripping his tone as he continued. “Sofia and I grew apart for a while there, after Dad left, and we never really got it back. I was angry at Sofia for her drug use, and she was angry at me about Dad. She thought I should have been able to do something about him leaving. I wasn’t invited to their wedding. Momma and Lois matched them up, and Momma always crowed about how perfect they were together. I thought everything was going okay so I stayed out of it. I was busy focusing on my career, had just started my training.”
Scarlett caressed his forearm, encouraging him to go on.
“A few months after their wedding, I got a call from Sofia. She begged me to come and get her. I didn’t know what was going on, but she was crying, and I didn’t hesitate. I went to their house, and when I got there….”
His arms tensed around her, and she could feel the anger radiating off him. She didn’t need to look at him to know that he’d clenched his jaw tightly.
“She was sitting on the front doorstep, blood pouring over her face and neck. She looked like something out of a horror movie. I wanted to call an ambulance, but she wouldn’t let me. I thought she’d bleed out on the ground, so I took her and rushed her to the hospital. It took hours for the bleeding to stop, and when she was finally calm enough I begged her to tell me what happened. She wouldn’t. She refused, but I didn’t need to be a professional to figure it out.” He exhaled heavily. “I wanted to kill him. I didn’t care if I went to jail. I was going to kill him.”
“What stopped you?”
“Sofia. She asked me not to, promised me she’d make a statement against him.” He dropped his forehead onto Scarlett’s shoulder. “She didn’t. After she got out of hospital, she refused to let me take her to the station. No matter how much I begged her, she wouldn’t do it, and he got away with what he did to her.”
Scarlett spun in his arms, dragging him into a hug. She held on to him tightly, and even though he didn’t cry like she had, he held her just as tight, accepting her comforting embrace. They sat like that for a long while, just holding each other in a comfortable silence.
“Do you want to go to the Strawberry Festival with me?” Ethan’s sudden request was loud in the otherwise quiet room—not even the noisy clock on her bedside table daring to make a noise.
“As your date?”
“Yes.”
She was pressed so tightly against him that she could feel he was holding his breath, and it was endearing. It was hard to believe that this was Ethan Antonelli, former high school football star and popular teen. “I’d love to go to the festival with you.”
His grin lit up the room, and warmth infused her body, chasing away any lingering ghosts of the past that had been haunting the room that night.
They settled into each other’s arms and spent the rest of the night talking and touching and getting to know each other on a whole new level.
The next morning, Ethan headed home to get ready for work, with the promise he’d be by later that night to pick her up for the festival.
Scarlett visited her mom in the morning and went shopping again during the day. Ponchatoula wasn’t the kind of town you could seriously go shopping in, unless you liked antiques, that is, but there were some businesses that Scarlett didn’t mind visiting. Her philosophy was that a woman couldn’t have too many clothes, so she bought a beautiful violet playsuit to add to her already-extensive wardrobe. It’d be perfect for the festival tonight.
She drove past the park on the way back to the hotel, and at midday the event was in full swing. Because it was a Friday, most people were still at work, but some local businesses closed for the afternoon so they could get their party mood going. She noted some familiar faces and hoped she bumped into them later that night. There were always plenty of things to do, including an egg toss, and some wonderful live music. There were all kinds of activities on offer that made the townspeople hang around all day.
By the time the evening rolled around, she was dressed in her playsuit, with some light, natural makeup to complete her look for the night. She chose a pair of white flats because she knew the damage that grass could do to high heels. She’d seen it more than once when tourists took on that particular challenge.
Ethan knocked on her door at six thirty, and she greeted him with a passionate kiss. He was dressed in another button-up shirt, similar to the one he wore the night before, but this time a deep forest green instead of black. Paired with jeans and shiny black dress shoes, he looked gorgeous, but she didn’t expect any less.
He scanned the length of her body, licking his lips. “Fuck, you look amazing.”
Scarlett couldn’t stop a shy grin curling her lips. “I don’t usually like playsuits. Dresses have easier access.” She winked at him.
He laughed. “That’s all right, I’ll make sure to take extra care of you tonight, and I’ll kiss every inch of skin I expose.”
A shiver ran up her spine. “I can’t wait.”
“I have something for you.” He pulled out a rose corsage from his pocket. “Would you go with me to the Strawberry Festival?”
Scarlett laughed. “This isn’t prom.”
“No, but you didn’t go to yours because it was ruined by a bunch of bullies. I want to make it up to you.” He slipped the corsage onto her wrist. “What do you say, Miss Prescott?”
Scarlett curtsied. Her stomach fluttered at the sweet gesture, and she couldn’t stop her heart from skipping a beat. “I’d be honored to go to the festival with you, Mr. Antonelli.”
He held out his arm to her. “Shall we?”
“The town will gossip.”
“I don’t care.” He shrugged. “Unless you do?”
She didn’t even hesitate. “I couldn’t give a damn about those nosy bastards.”
Glee danced in his eyes. “Then, shall we?”
She hooked her arm in his elbow and they exited her room, heading to his car, which he told her was parked downstairs in the visitor area. It was the first time she’d be seeing his civilian car, having only seen him in the police cruiser so far, and as soon as she saw they were headed for a shiny red Mazda MX-5, she stopped on the spot in shock. Her eyes widened, her mouth watering at its sheer beauty.
“You didn’t tell me you had an MX-5,” she said breathlessly.
Ethan laughed. “You didn’t ask what kind of car I had.”
She realized she hadn’t but knew she shouldn’t have been surprised to find out he drove an MX-5. This was the Ethan she remembered. He’d always loved sports cars and had constantly gone on about how he’d buy one when he got out of college. “Did your ex buy you this too?”
“No, this baby is all mine. I saved up every penny for Adele.” He led her close to the beauty, opening the door for Scarlett. “Ma’am.” He gestured for her to get inside.
“I like your baby. A lot.” Scarlett surged forward, crushing her mouth on his. The peppermint of his toothpaste exploded against her tongue once again as he shoved her against the car. It was like he was devouring her whole, and she loved every minute of it.
“We shouldn’t do this here,” he groaned against her lips. “We need to get to the festival.”
“Do we, though?” she purred, pressing herself harder against his chest.
“Yes. I owe you a date, and you owe me an egg toss.”
His words broke through her lust-infused fog. “What?”
“Egg toss. Don’t tell me you forgot about the egg toss. You were a pro at it when we were teens.” He grinned cheekily.
“Oh, I see how it is.” She snorted with laughter. “You’re only using me for my egg tossing skills.”
“Yep.” He ran a hand up her back and cupped her neck, d
ragging her in for another short but fierce kiss. “Now let’s get in Adele and give this town something to gossip about.”
“Hell yes.”
Ethan held out his hand to help her from the car, and Scarlett made a big deal out of it, giggling like an immature teenager and fluttering her eyes at him. That did the trick. The few people who were standing around the car park were already whispering madly to each other, but Ethan just rolled his eyes at her dramatics.
“I have to live here, you know?”
She winked at him. “And you’ll be the talk of the town. ‘That terrible scarlet woman who left Ethan in the lurch when she went back home’.”
“I reckon it’d be more along the lines of, ‘Ethan won that beautiful woman’s heart and she decided to stay in town to be with him’.”
Scarlett nearly tripped over her own feet. She frowned at him. “Ethan, I’m not staying in town. After Shiloh’s wedding, I’m leaving. You know that, right?”
His grin faltered but didn’t disappear. “I know that. It was… a joke.”
Except it wasn’t, and Scarlett’s heart ached. It was like her fears were taunting her. She had Ethan thinking that she just might move back for him, and it was another reminder why she didn’t break her rules. Ever. They were set in place to not only protect her, but the man too, and now looked what had happened.
She forced a smile on her face and cupped his elbow. “Let’s go win this egg toss.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
They headed into the festival, which was roaring with life. Scarlett recognized a few people immediately, and some of them waved at her and Ethan. The park was filled with food stalls, which were laden with all manner of strawberry-infused goodies, from desserts to hot dishes, all making Scarlett’s mouth water with how good they looked and smelled. Her favorite was the strawberry-rhubarb pie from a local pastry chef, and she made a mental note to visit her stall later.