Complicated

by M. M. Koenig

  I tilted my head to his ear and whispered in between sobs. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. Please look at me. I didn’t mean it.”

  Ethan brought his eyes to mine. They were full of so much pain. My heart was on the brink of stopping from the amount of agony ripping through it. I cried even harder and clutched him to me so he knew how sorry I was. He pulled me into him. I felt his heart racing, so I rested my hand over it and rubbed soothingly.

  “I’d never hit you. I’d never hurt you that way,” Ethan breathed.

  “Ethan, I know. I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry,” I reiterated.

  He released me to look at his hands. His expression was tortured, but his eyes held the same vacant look they had every time he spoke of the abuse his dad put him through. I grabbed his jaw and shook my head for him to let go of those thoughts. He shouldn’t have had them at all.

  “I’m going to clean up my hands so we can go. Our luggage is already in the car. We’re running late,” Ethan said quietly before getting up.

  He held his hands out for me, but I pushed myself up from the ground. I didn’t want to hurt him any more than I already had. I followed him into the suite where he disappeared down the hallway to use the bathroom. I sank into one of the couches and dropped my head to my knees. Everything I had bottled up all morning had come out in the worst way. Instead of telling Ethan all my concerns, I had been merciless with him.

  Ethan returned to the living room and slumped into the couch, keeping his distance from me. It tore me up even more. I tried to hold back the tears, but they fell anyway. Ethan scooted over and gently wrapped an arm around me until I buried myself into him.

  “Don’t cry. Let’s just get out of here. I have so much more planned for this weekend. The rest of it is just ours,” he whispered.

  He kissed me lightly before bringing us to our feet. I stumbled along next to him. Ethan guided me out the door to an Escalade that was clearly for us. He opened my door and helped me in before grabbing the keys from the valet and hopping in on his side. Before Ethan started the car, he ran his hand along my neck until I looked at him, with tears still ready for release.

  “Please don’t cry anymore. I want to forget about what happened back there just as much as you do. We’re both sorry, so please let it go,” Ethan pleaded.

  I ran my hand tenderly over his bandages and nodded. There wasn’t really much more to discuss other than how big of a jackass I was. He brought his lips to mine and kissed me deeply to reinforce his request. After he broke away, I rested my head against the window. My insides felt like a missile had blown threw them. The strong waves of desire I got around him melded with the excruciating pain coursing through me. It made me twitch with an unexplainable ache. Ethan rested his hand on my thigh and pulled out into traffic.

  “What do you have planned next?” I asked as we hit the freeway. My voice was so quiet I barely heard it myself.

  “We have to head over to Orange County to meet some people,” Ethan replied excitedly.

  I flipped down the mirror and groaned. I rummaged around in my purse for some eyeliner and eye shadow and tried to fix my makeup, but it was useless. No amount of makeup could conceal my swollen eyes. My eyelids slowly closed to give my mind a break from reality.

  It startled me when the SUV came to a stop. From what I could tell, we were at the airport. I looked over at Ethan in absolute confusion. He laughed and pulled me towards him for a brief kiss. He got out and walked round to help me out. We made our way towards the entrance for baggage claim with our hands together.

  “This seems like a really odd place to meet someone,” I muttered under my breath.

  Ethan disregarded my comment and instructed, “We’re going to need to divide and conquer. You’re going to head towards carousel eight while I wait at one.”

  “OK,” I agreed, remaining suspicious.

  Ethan’s face spread into a genuine smile as he said, “You’re adorably cute right now.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. His elusiveness did have me slipping into a better mood. Ethan ushered us through the baggage claim doors. He gave me a quick kiss before strutting towards one. My mouth curled into a full-blown grin as my eyes remained glued to his fine ass. He’d changed out of his designer suit, opting instead for a pair of black cargo shorts that hung perfectly on him. When he lifted his white polo shirt to wipe away some sweat, I had to turn away. His maroon boxers caught my eye, along with his sculptured back. A friendly fire started to scorch through me from that simple sight.

  The carousel Ethan told me to hang out by was near the escalators that new arrivals rode down. There was a lull between arriving flights, so I poked around in my purse to find my phone. I hadn’t heard from Bri yet. I needed a healthy dose of her advice, because I was becoming a bigger jackass by the minute. I had no missed calls or texts. It was later in the day so I tried calling her, but it ran to voicemail. Utterly bummed, I tossed my cell back into my purse. As I stood with my mind surprisingly thought-free, it occurred to me how big of a moron I could be at times. I had no idea who I was waiting for so how the hell was I supposed to meet them.

  As I made my way in the direction Ethan had sauntered, I saw a backwards baseball cap that looked very familiar. I did a double-take because I swore it was Jackson. I hurried my pace to catch up to whoever it was, but they remained out of my reach. I sighed and let the mystery man go. I was probably seeing things anyway.

  When I got to where Ethan was supposed to be waiting, he was nowhere in sight. I ran my hands over my face in frustration. The last thing I needed was to lose him in an airport. My eyes darted through the throngs of people, but I couldn’t see him. His face was one that you couldn’t miss – even if you were lost among a mass of bodies swarming around chaotically. I was so preoccupied by trying to find him that I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. My jaw dropped in disbelief as I came eye-to-eye with my friends.

  “Hey stranger, you look lost,” Jackson greeted, sweeping me up for a bear hug.

  “I knew I saw you!”

  I hadn’t realized how much I missed them. It had only been a couple of days, but it had been a very heavy couple of days. Jackson set me on my feet with a huge smile across his face. I shuffled towards Bri with open arms and she gave me a tight hug.

  “You have no idea how much I missed you,” I whispered.

  “I know when you’ve been crying. You did a decent job covering it up, but I can still tell. You better tell me what happened because your eyes are still red,” Bri said evenly into my ear.

  I nodded before stepping over to the other boys. Shane and Trey gave me brief hugs with expectant eyes. Everyone looked ready for some fun in the sun. The guys were in different baggy jean-shorts and tight tank tops while Bri had gone with a cute strapless sundress. Jackson started laughing when I gave no response to their unspoken inquiry.

  “If you think I have any idea on what’s going on, think again. We’ll need to find Ethan to figure that out. You guys probably know more than I do,” I spoke up.

  “I see you picked up what I sent you off to get,” Ethan said from behind, as he slipped his hands around me. “It’s good to see you guys made it out here OK. I hope you’re ready for another epic weekend.”

  I tilted my head to see his eyes gleaming with happiness. My eyes asked if he was responsible for this unexpected surprise. He nodded with a sexy grin. Ethan stepped away from me and took a moment to greet my friends. He greeted my boys with the ‘guy nod’ before giving Bri a quick hug. As he did so, he whispered something in her ear that made her scowl. My friends’ arrival had distracted me from the three strangers standing casually off to the side of our circle.

  Holy shit. Triplets. Really-fucking-hot triplets. Wow.

  “I should probably introduce the other people that flew in,” Ethan said, returning to my side. His hand settled in the back pocket of my jeans as he continued, “These are three more of my closest buddies. This is Eli, Kane, and Wade. Guys, this
is my girlfriend Mia.”

  I extended a hand and ran my eyes between each of them. I blinked repeatedly to try and separate one from the other. The only way to tell them apart was by the scruff on their faces and their hairstyles. Their dark complexion, dark brown eyes, and black hair were jaw-dropping.

  Wade kept his face smooth with his hair all over the place. It was the best bedhead I’d seen on a guy, with the exception of Ethan. His arms bulged at the sides, his legs demonstrated some serious muscles too. He shot me wink as he shook my hand.

  Eli had a very thin mustache, with his shaggy hair more neatly groomed than Wade. His chest was statuesque with his tank top outlining an eight-pack. He carried less build in his arms and legs, but nothing that would keep him from losing a fight. He shifted his weight, extending his hand to me with a warm smile.

  Kane was a combination of the other two. His hair was all over the place, but he had a groomed goatee. His shoulders were broader and his build reminded me more of Trey’s physique. He wasn’t quite as big as Wade, but had more meat on his bones than Eli.

  Like Dom and Reece, their bodies had only a few spaces without ink. It seemed to be a theme with Ethan’s friends. I was beginning to appreciate it, too, especially if Ethan threw any more identical siblings at me. Wherever these three had flown in from, it was warm, because their clothes matched my boys. After shaking Kane’s hand, I slapped my forehead.

  “It’s nice to meet you. This is Jackson, Shane, Trey, and Bri,” I said, pointing to them.

  Everyone gave a nod of hello and turned to Ethan for some direction. At least I wasn’t the only one lost. I angled my head to him too.

  Ethan laughed. “I want to thank everyone for making the trip out. It’s going to be an action-packed weekend, so we should get on the road.”

  I narrowed my eyes for more. Ethan gave me a crooked grin and gestured towards the doors to take us out to the parking ramp. His friends shrugged and started walking towards the exit. My friends followed their lead while we brought up the rear.

  Ethan drove us to a dealership where he traded in the Escalade for three Jeeps. My mind started to mull over how much this trip had to be costing him. I shrugged off the thought. It was just an invitation for another fight. He dangled a set of keys in front of me and urged me to grab Bri for some girl time. He tossed our luggage into the back of our black Jeep and walked towards the yellow one with his friends. Jackson and Shane were already in the red one that ended the row. Trey’s face was comical. It was clear he wanted to be with Bri, but he really wanted to hang out with his friends too. Bri gave him a quick kiss before shoving him towards Jackson and Shane. Trey jogged over to them and then quickly cut back to sweep her up for a longer kiss. She was on cloud nine when she hopped into the passenger seat. Ethan made his way back to me. He pulled against the seat belt and buckled me in. I let his fingers linger down my leg before he ran them up my side and placed a kiss on the ring he had given me.

  “Follow us. I love you,” Ethan said before capturing my lips.

  “Love you too,” I murmured.

  He flashed his dimples before hopping into his Jeep. I started ours and waited for them to get out in front of me. I was more than happy to follow, because driving out here scared the hell out of me. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that I thought my circulation might cut off. After we were on the interstate and away from the chaos, I relaxed some as we drove through barren desert. It was nothing but sand for miles.

  “What’s going on Mia? I know things aren’t right with you and Ethan,” Bri spoke up.

  I glanced over. Bri raised her eyebrows. I sank into my seat, with my focus on the road.

  “We’re on rocky ground right now. I’ve spent the majority of this trip pushing for answers about his company. It’s started to take its toll on us,” I admitted. Her feet settled on the dash. She propped her elbow against her knees and held her head my way, her eyes demanding more. I sighed and continued, “There was an incident before we picked everyone up.”

  “What happened?”

  I grimaced. “I said something horrible to Ethan that I didn’t mean.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I made an off-handed remark about him hitting me when I shouldn’t have, because I know he’d never hurt me that way.”

  Bri picked up her head and gazed out to the desert. The song on the radio was catchy so I turned it up to drown out the painful silence surrounding us. After the song ended, she took a deep breath and said, “I’m sure you apologized, so I’m not going to lecture you. It’s unfair Mia. You’re better than that. From the tension surrounding you two, I suspect Ethan’s revealed quite a bit.”

  I kept my mouth shut. I wasn’t ready to clue her in yet. We drove along in silence for several miles before I asked, “What’s going on back home? I’m sorry I haven’t checked in.”

  Bri fiddled with her bracelets before she looked over to me with her lower lip quivering. “I told my parents,” she confessed.

  I took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “What did they say?”

  Bri’s eyes watered. She returned her focus to the desert as the tears started to cascade down her cheeks. She continued to cry so I didn’t press her for anything else. When the tears dried out, she looked over to me. “He disowned me, as I knew he would,” Bri whimpered.

  All my anger from the past two days reignited. I took deliberate breaths to keep from flipping out entirely. Her dad was one inconsiderate bastard.

  “What did your mom say?” I asked gently.

  Bri sniffed. “She didn’t say anything at all. I told them about the baby, he said his part, and they hung up. She never said a word.”

  I banged my hands against the steering wheel. Bri had always been the perfect daughter, so why her parents couldn’t stand behind her now blew my mind away. I inhaled deeply before looking over to her. When I had her attention, my eyes had the utmost sincerity.

  “Fuck them. You don’t need them. You have us. If they don’t want to be included in the next part of your life, then it’s their loss. It’s going to be more amazing than you can possibly imagine,” I promised.

  Bri started to cry again. I did nothing to stop her. Once she had gathered herself, she grabbed my arm tightly. “I’m even more scared to tell Trey. He’s going to hate me,” she said, panicked.

  My head whipped in her direction. “Trey’s not going to hate you. He loves you. I wish you’d tell him. You know he’ll be an excellent dad,” I rebutted, frustrated.

  Her grasp lessened as she looked away. “I know he’ll be a great dad. I just feel horrible. His life is just about to start. And I’m fucking it up,” Bri whispered.

  I slammed on the brakes and pulled over. The boys were far enough ahead of us that they wouldn’t notice if we disappeared for a few minutes. After I took a few deep breaths, I urged Bri to look at me. She glanced over with her shoulders sagged.

  “You’re not fucking up his life. You didn’t plan on it. Just tell him. The longer you wait, the worse it’s going to get,” I pointed out.

  I got back on the road before Ethan could notice that we were too far behind them. We drove the rest of the way in silence. With the drama in our lives, we had very little to say or offer to one another.

  After four hours of driving, we were somewhere in Arizona. The gigantic lake covering the eastern shore as we crossed the state line distracted me. It was very different in comparison to our lakes back home. The backdrop of canyons made it even more awe-inspiring. We weaved through the city until we reached the edge of it.

  “Holy fuck-balls,” Bri muttered.

  It caught me off guard, because it was the first thing she had uttered in at least two hundred miles. She was gazing at the house off to the left of the road. It looked like her eyes were about to fall out of their sockets. My eyes widened when I saw the guys pull into the circular drive. I was staring at a Spanish-style mansion that had to cover at least two acres between the house, driveway, backyard,
and the expansive pool running along the right side of the property. A red tiled path led up to a gated entrance. I shook my head after noticing a huge fountain off to left of the path.

  Seriously. A fountain. Fuck. This place has to be insanely expensive.

  “Holy shit,” I mumbled, pulling into the driveway.

  I glanced towards Ethan, who gave me a crooked grin. I waved a hand towards the house with my eyebrows raised. He winked before catching up with his friends, who were starting to disappear into the house. My focus drifted out to the desert that was visible on the other side of the lake. The mountains in the horizon were as eye-catching as the water.

  Bri nudged my shoulder, still in shock. “How the hell does Ethan afford all this?”

  “I have no idea. It appears this is just the beginning. Lord knows what comes next.”

  “Shit. The outside already impresses me,” Bri commented, hugging her knees.

  “I don’t know why Ethan does this over-the-top stuff. It’s as surprising to me as it is to you,” I murmured.

  “Ethan asked me to help you have fun this weekend. I said I’d try, but I know you. It’s not going to happen if you keep bottling things up. I’m here when you’re ready to talk,” Bri said before jumping out of the Jeep.

  I planned to talk to her about my conversations with Ethan. I was reluctant to question him any further after our blowout. I only had one question that still demanded an answer. I deserved to know about Colin’s interest in me. I needed an answer on that before going back into that office. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the steering wheel. It terrified me more than I cared to admit that Jackson might have been right. There was a good chance that there was a connection between Colin’s interest and my situation with Harrison. I kept my eyes closed and focused on trying not to freak out.