by M. M. Koenig
Ethan’s grandma chuckled. “My name is Ava. Ethan has called me Yaya since he could speak. I’m full-blooded Irish, but I grew up in Greece. That’s where I met my husband. We passed both heritages on to our daughter. Ethan embraced each side in his own ways. He likes to cover his body with tributes to my Irish ancestry, but uses more of the Greek references.”
“It really is wonderful to meet you. This is my best friend, Bri,” I said, gesturing to her. She gave Ava a warm smile.
Ava picked up her glass and directed her gaze to me. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have?” I asked, dumbfounded.
Ava smiled and took a sip of her tea. “Ethan has been talking my ear off for the past couple of months. It warmed my heart to know someone finally came along to open him up again.”
“Was he closed off before he met Mia?” Bri jumped in.
I wrinkled my eyebrows in agitation.
Ava sighed as sadness filled her face. “Not always. After Nikita passed away, Ethan shut down. He’s still not the man he was before she died.”
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” I said softly.
Ava brightened with a smile. “I know Nikita would’ve loved you. She meant everything to him. Ethan fell apart after her death. I still don’t think he’s come to terms with it yet.”
Her openness stunned me. Bri’s eyes urged me to ask more questions, but I kept my mouth shut. She crinkled her forehead before taking matters into her own hands.
“I don’t want to be terribly rude by asking, but what happened to her? Ethan has become such a presence in Mia’s life and she’s like a sister to me. I just want to make sure she’s in good hands with him,” Bri said sincerely.
I kicked her under the table. She winced before rubbing her leg.
Ava shook her head with a small grin. “I like that you’re protective of your friend, and open to my grandson’s involvement with her. I hear it hasn’t always been easy.”
“Umm … the way they came together was certainly under interesting circumstances, but I believe they would’ve crossed paths one way or another,” Bri replied cautiously.
Her eyes darted to mine, with a huge apology behind them.
Ava watched us intently and said, “I agree. To answer your question, Nikita passed away from breast cancer. It broke our hearts to lose her that way at such a young age.”
“When did she pass?” I asked quietly.
Ava sniffed. “Five years ago. She let go shortly before Thanksgiving. I expected Ethan to leave after it happened, but he stayed here, and continued to work for Liam.”
I glanced over to Bri and silently begged her to stop prying, but she ignored me.
“Does he come to visit you often?” Bri asked.
Ava glanced at her thoughtfully before finishing her tea. “Ethan used to spend every summer here with Nikita when he was a child. Since her passing, he doesn’t come down to visit as often. I don’t blame him for not coming around. There are so many memories of Nikita here. I’m sure it’s painful for him even now. My husband passed away two summers ago. Ethan took that hard as well.”
I reached across the table and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m so sorry you’ve had to experience so much loss in such a short amount of time.”
Ava tilted her head to the side with a soft smile. “I’m grateful Ethan found you. You’ve brought him back to life. I see a glimmer in his eyes again. I thought it was gone until I saw him with you this morning.”
“You should know that he did the same for me. I think finding each other has helped heal some of the broken parts in both of us,” I confessed.
Bri softened as Ava rested her arms in her lap, with her eyes drifting to the lake. A part of me believed the intense connection Ethan and I shared was because we were very much broken people when we found each other. I began to feel guilty for finding this out from her rather than him. Ava caught on to my thoughts.
“It’s OK Mia. Ethan won’t be angry.”
“I’ll do my best to get him to visit more. I fell in love with this place today.”
Ava beamed. “I love this place too, and so does Ethan.”
Bri opened her mouth to get back to her inquisition, but snapped it shut when we heard the boys coming. I looked over to see all four of them covered in paint. I smiled at the sight because it looked like a Skittles package had puked all over them. Ava rose from her chair and strolled into the diner. She appeared moments later with several sets of towels and walked over to the edge of the patio.
“Ethan, you know the rules. You’re not coming up here covered in paint,” Ava hollered.
“I know, Yaya. We weren’t going to sit down without cleaning up.”
I trained an eye on Ethan and started to drool a little. His hair had blue streaks running through it. They blended perfectly with his black hair. As he was scrubbing, he caught me staring. A devilish gleam entered his eyes. He ran up the stairs and crossed over to me in a flash. Ethan placed his hands on my cheeks and brought me forward for a kiss before smearing paint all over my face.
“You’re a real pain in the ass sometimes,” I whined, shoving him away.
“Ethan – now she’s going to have to clean up too,” Ava chastised.
“Sorry Yaya. I live to get a reaction out of Mia,” Ethan justified.
“You two were made for each other. You’re both a pain in the ass,” Bri butted in.
I narrowed my eyes at her, but kept my mouth shut. Trey had approached from behind and ran his paint-covered hands across her cheeks. Bri gasped and pushed her chair into him. Ava looked at the four of us. She gave a shake of the head and pointed to the diner. Shane and Jackson were laughing hysterically at the rest of us. Ethan and I made our way inside with Trey and Bri right behind us.
“I thought the point of paintball was to not get hit? It looks like you each took turns standing still to be shot at,” I muttered.
“It got intense,” Trey said animatedly.
“Clearly,” Bri replied dryly.
They went into the men’s room to clean up as Ethan pushed me towards the women’s restroom. He locked the door, ushered us over to the sink, and stood behind me with his heart racing. His hands ran suggestively along each of my arms before bringing my hands under the facet. The small room, coupled with his closeness, had my pulse rising. His tongue slid up my throat. I tilted my head to the side as he sucked along my jaw and over to my mouth. My body was begging me to shed our clothes, but my brain remained surprisingly in control. I gave myself a few more minutes to appreciate his luscious lips before sealing mine. If I gave Ethan any more time, there wasn’t a chance in hell we’d have made it out of there without having sex.
“We could take a few extra minutes to get real dirty before we clean up,” Ethan whispered sinfully into my ear.
His teeth grazed the bottom of my earlobe and everything south of me clenched, wanting more.
“Absolutely not,” I replied hoarsely.
I grabbed paper towels and rubbed my cheeks clean. Ethan finished scrubbing his face, hands, and elbows. I waited for him on the other side of the bathroom so that the rising heat didn’t consume more of my body. Ethan smirked as he strutted over to me. He grasped my hand as he opened the door. His other hand drifted to my ass, which he gave a gentle pinch. My resolve was fading with each touch he laid on my body. I took steady breaths to prevent myself from turning around. He flashed his dimples to goad me some more. I averted my eyes from him and focused on cooling down my overheated body.
“You’re going to regret shooting me down,” Ethan teased.
“I’ll survive. Let’s go eat,” I replied, with a roll of my eyes.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Pieces of You
We finished lunch with plenty of the day left. With such a busy morning, I had no idea what to expect for the afternoon. While I sat in thought, Ethan got up with handfuls of empty plates. I did the same since it was a tad awkward to have his grandma waiting on us. The rest of
the gang remained in quiet conversation. As Ethan and I entered the diner with the dirty dishes, Ava stopped us and placed a loving hand on Ethan’s cheek.
“Sweetheart, you don’t need to clean up. Go spend the afternoon with your girlfriend, but make sure you say goodbye before you leave,” Ava requested.
“I don’t mind Yaya. It’s the least I can do. You should get off your feet and relax. And I’d never go back to the city without seeing you before I left,” Ethan said tenderly.
We followed Ava to the kitchen to get rid of the plates. She gave Ethan a tight embrace before sauntering to a secluded area in the back. We made our way to the table where Jackson was spinning a football on the empty surface. Shane was on his phone, and Bri was on Trey’s lap, softly talking to him with their heads pressed together.
Jackson perked up at our return. “We have an even number. Let’s play some football on the beach before we head back.”
“Jackson, we finished off what I can only assume was half the kitchen’s worth of food. Let’s take like a half-hour to just chill,” I proposed.
Still on the phone, Shane nodded at my suggestion. Bri and Trey snuggled further into each other to express their answer. Ethan draped his arms around me to display his decision.
“I’m setting a timer on my phone, because I really want to play,” Jackson grumbled and sulked into his chair before grabbing his cell.
My lips twitched, but I refrained from bickering with him. Ethan shuffled us out to the beach and led us to an open spot on the sand where we sat down. I went in front of him and rested my elbows on his thighs. He wrapped his arms around my stomach with his fingers in the belt loops of my jeans.
“Thank you for introducing me to your grandma. She’s magnificent,” I said quietly.
“You two seem to have hit it off. I’m glad you like it here. It’s a very special place to me,” Ethan replied, squeezing me tightly.
“I really like her. We should try to visit her when we have open weekends. I feel like I could learn a lot from someone like her.”
“Other than my mom, Yaya has had the most influence on me.”
“We talked about her,” I admitted.
I tilted my head back to see his reaction. Ethan grabbed my chin for a quick kiss before returning his sad eyes to the water.
“My mom would’ve adored you. I know that without a doubt,” Ethan said after a bit.
“I’m so sorry she’s gone,” I whispered.
“I miss her so much. I wanted her to be here for this part of my life,” Ethan confessed, his voice full of anguish.
I tightened my grip around his knees and melded myself into his body. His grasp on me strengthened as his breath hitched. I knew being here was stirring emotions inside of him that he probably suppressed, in the same ways I did with parts of my past.
“I’ll have to drag you to dinner at Trey’s soon,” I murmured.
“Mia, I didn’t bring you here to get an invitation out of you.”
I grabbed his face and looked him in the eyes. He gazed at me with uncertainty.
“Ethan, I want you to meet Trey’s mom. It would mean a lot to me.”
This was new territory for us. We were treading lightly, as if the ground were made of glass. Ethan nodded after a minute and brought my hands to his as he hugged me firmly.
“This is the only part I can share Mia. I cut my dad’s side of the family out a long time ago. Last night was one of the many reasons why.”
My breathing staggered and Ethan caught the nerves flowing outside of my body.
“I hated him Mia. Liam was a selfish asshole that only thought of himself. He knocked up my mom when she was seventeen. He beat both of us until I was old enough to fight back. He was malicious and corrupt. The asshole got another woman pregnant and then hid it to save his reputation. He threatened my mom into silence. The bastard made everyone believe the kid was hers. I can’t stand Devin, because he’s just like my dad; evil and greedy – with nothing but hate in his heart.”
“Why didn’t—” I stopped my train of thought. Ethan urged me to look at him. His eyes reflected an openness I hadn’t seen before. I sucked in a quick breath and continued, “Why didn’t she just leave him?”
Ethan gripped my hands so tight that our knuckles turned white. His heart started racing against my back. As his grip loosened, Ethan took a deep breath and said, “Mia, my dad’s family organized the mob that still rules the city today. Between his family and Sean’s, they control the Midwest. It’s the hub between the major players on the East and West Coasts. Liam always got what he wanted by reinforcing that to those around him. My mom was beautiful and vibrant. When he got her, he made sure no one else could have her, and that she wouldn’t leave him. He threatened to kill her if she even tried. We never had the option of getting away from him. Not if we wanted to stay alive.”
Holy shit. I’m betting his life is still just as dangerous, even with his dad being dead.
I stopped breathing. That was totally not the answer I expected. Ethan gave me a slight shake. I forced myself to get in a breath of air and glanced at him, completely terrified by the questions jumping through my head. “I’m sorry Ethan,” I rasped.
He squinted his eyes before exhaling heavily. “He’s gone now. I’m not part of that family. I never was. My mom protected her parents and me from it. Yaya and Pop Pop never knew the sacrifices she made for all of us.”
“How did she manage to hide it from her family?” I asked in a baffled whisper.
My face flamed red. That slipped out against my will. Ethan let out a heavy sigh.
“In the very beginning, she assured me that there was a genuine love between them. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around. I’ve always seen it differently. He was an evil son of a bitch. Once she learned how corrupt he was, she called him on it. That was when he showed how inhumane he truly was. The beatings and the threats were enough to keep her in her place. If she wouldn’t have had me, she probably would’ve have exposed him. In everything she did, she put me first. Like someone else I know, she became very good at maintaining appearances.”
And that’s another blow to the body. This is a lot to deal with, and that’s without knowing his plans for bringing down Sean and Colin. Fuck.
“I don’t particularly like that quality in me. I guess it comes from years of solitude.”
Ethan tilted my face towards him. “I thought you spent plenty of time with Trey’s family?”
“I did, but I was still under my uncle’s care. Chase hates me. He always has,” I whispered.
“What?” Ethan asked, deepening his eyes to mine.
“It’s true. We don’t know each other. Throughout all those years, we rarely even spoke. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to either. He’s never once said he loves me or even cares about me. Chase never looks me in the eye. He made foster care seem like a pleasant option, considering how distant he was with me.”
“Mia, I doubt he hates you. I don’t think it’s possible to hate you,” Ethan disputed.
“Believe me, he does. If Chase didn’t hate me, he would’ve explained to me what happened to my parents or why I can’t remember them. He refuses to bring me any closure, and he made sure I couldn’t find the answers on my own. I can’t find one thing from my time with them. If that isn’t hate, I don’t know what is,” I argued.
He gazed at me, clearly torn as he opened his mouth to reply. He never spoke, because Jackson started shouting from behind us. Ethan shuffled us up to join the others.
Jackson made the mistake of separating the couples, with Trey, Shane and me ending up on the same team. Using our years of playing together to our advantage, we annihilated them. It didn’t help that the couples had difficulty staying focused on the game. Jackson whined the entire way back to the diner that it wasn’t a real game because the four of us couldn’t get serious enough to finish a play without making-out. I ignored him as Ethan and I jogged up the stairs to say goodbye to his grandma. She had been
sipping on a cup of coffee and watching us from the edge of the patio. As we closed the distance, her face spread into a wide grin.
“You two seemed to enjoy yourselves out there,” Ava pointed out.
“I enjoy myself whenever Mia is with me,” Ethan replied with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Me too babe,” I concurred, answering with a twinkle.
Ava gazed at us, seemingly satisfied at what she saw, before approaching us for a warm embrace. Ethan gripped my side as he brought his other arm around Ava.
“I love you Yaya. We’ll be back before you know it,” Ethan whispered.
“I love you too Ethan,” Ava replied, squeezing Ethan’s cheek affectionately.
“I’ll make sure we visit sooner rather than later. Thank you for everything,” I spoke up.
“Of course dear, it was lovely to meet you. Thank you for taking such good care of my grandson,” Ava said sincerely.
I beamed. “It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.”
Ethan pouted and poked me in the side. Ava let out a throaty chuckle. She kept her hand on his cheek for another moment before she walked into the diner without a look back. Ethan sighed as he watched her go. He placed a hand into my jeans pocket and turned us to face the others.
As a group, we strolled along the boardwalk at an unhurried pace on our way back to the motorcycles. Jackson and Shane led the pack, clearly anxious to ride again. Bri kept her head against Trey’s arm with their hands locked together. Ethan and I brought up the rear in peaceful silence. We paused every so often to watch the water and savor our connection to it.
Before long, we were back on the bikes to make the trip back to reality. The day had been nothing short of perfection. My head fell into Ethan’s neck and I took shallow breaths to keep the sadness from consuming me. I truly didn’t want to leave such a magical place. There was nothing but a world of mistakes for me in the city.
Ethan reached for my sides as he turned to face me. He ran his hand up my thigh to retrieve the iPod from earlier this morning. He concentrated on it to find the playlist he wanted me to listen to for the ride. He picked up my helmet before giving me the headphones.