A Hero Inside

by N. J. Young

  “Looking for the cinnamon?” Sally asked with a quirked eyebrow.

  Oh God, they were laughing at her. That was almost worse than disdain.

  “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “Sally, I’m so sorry.” Rushing past the older woman, Tori practically ran down the hall almost knocking over Foster, who was walking into the kitchen.

  “Tori, are you okay? Hey, where are you going?”

  She didn’t answer. She just grabbed her purse off the table in the foyer and ran to her car. She had to get out of there.

  The wind whistled, and Tori shivered in her freezing car. It took her three attempts to shove her key in the ignition. She saw the door to the Price house open, and she turned the key. The engine made a grinding sound, but didn’t start. She pumped the gas and tried again.

  Rrr…rrr…rrr. Nothing. Shit! Now was not a good time for her car to quit.

  She jumped at the knock on her window. “Tori, open the door!” Becca held her jacket. “What is wrong with you?”

  Her fingers already felt frozen on the steering wheel, and her head sagged against it. She opened the door as Luke came rushing out of the house. Luke used to be a mechanic before he took over Price Building and Construction. “It sounds like your battery might be dead, Tori. Here, let me have a look.” Before she could say a word, Luke popped the hood.

  Becca wrapped Tori’s jacket around her, and she pulled the edges closed.

  “Come on back inside. Where are you going in such a rush, anyway?”

  She started to answer, and realized she didn’t know what to say. When she looked up, Ethan was standing in the doorway to the house, his jaw set in a firm line.

  “I can’t go back inside, Becca. I need to go home.”

  Becca followed Tori’s gaze, and her eyes narrowed. “What did he do?”

  “What? Nothing.” She couldn’t even look at her friend as she twisted at her fingers. “Becca, I just need to go.”

  For a moment, Becca chewed on her lip as she looked at Tori. Finally, she said, “Okay, you wait here. I’ll grab my purse and take you home.”

  Walking over to wait by Becca’s car, Tori wondered if this was the last Thanksgiving she’d spend with the Prices.

  Chapter Eight

  Ethan walked into the kitchen to find Sally packing up Tupperware bowls full of leftovers and desserts to take to Tori’s. She turned and gave Ethan a tight hug. “It’ll be okay, sweetheart.” She put her hand to his cheek in that motherly way that always made him feel like a kid. “Tori’s had it rough. I know that girl, and I know she feels something for you. I think she’s just scared.”

  Ethan blew out a breath. “I’d never hurt her, Mom.” He shifted from one foot to the other, trying to wrap his mind around the sudden turn of events.

  “A-hem!” Becca stood by the kitchen doorway, tapping her foot, looking as though she wanted to kill him. Great. He really knew how to piss off women today. “Mom, let’s go,” Becca said before she turned and headed for the front door.

  Sally picked up her sack of food for Tori then squeezed Ethan’s hand. “And don’t worry about your sister. You’ve been away for a while, so you haven’t seen how close she and Tori have become.” She looked toward the direction her daughter had gone. “Those two girls are just like sisters. Becca’s very protective of her. We all are, really.”

  The thought of his family embracing Tori made Ethan smile. “I can understand why. She’s very lovable.” He kissed his mom on the cheek and watched as she followed Becca out the door.

  Sally had made him feel better, but his head still circled around what had gone wrong. He was good at reading body language. He thought of the way Tori had flushed when she’d caught him looking at her. The way she’d give him that little smile before her eyes would slide away and find the floor. The way her breath would catch when his skin touched hers. Yeah, he was damn sure he wasn’t mistaken. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

  So why had she pulled away? And not just pulled away, but run away? She’d nearly left skid marks in the fucking pantry in her haste to get away from him.

  Ethan grabbed a beer from the fridge and went to join Dylan and Foster in the family room.

  “There you are,” Dylan said. “You want to tell us what happened?”

  Ethan took a seat at the other end of the overstuffed leather couch from Dylan. Foster sat in the big club chair with his feet up propped up on the ottoman.

  “What is this? An intervention? You forgot Luke.” He tipped his head back as he took a swig from his bottle of beer.

  “Luke ran to pick up a battery for Tori’s car,” Dylan said.

  “I’m just curious what sent her running out of here so fast,” said Foster. “Did you say something to her?”

  “Nothing,” Ethan grumbled, shooting a glance at his brother. “I wish I’d stuck with talking.”

  Foster’s blue eyes widened dramatically. “Oh shit, man, what did you do?”

  Dylan just grinned. The asshole. “Mom said he was kissing her in the pantry.”

  Ethan shot Dylan the middle finger and took another swig of his beer. Foster’s eyes got even wider. “Mom caught you making out? Jesus, man, what are you thirty or sixteen?” He barked out a laugh.

  “Fuck you,” Ethan said. It was bad enough he’d upset Tori. He sure as hell didn’t need his brothers making fun of him.

  Foster’s smile faded. “Look, I don’t know what happened to upset Tori so much, but we’ve all become really close to her. It’s like having another little sister.”

  Sighing, Ethan rubbed his hand over his face in a frustrated gesture. “Yeah, I get that. And I sure as hell didn’t mean to upset her. I just … fuck, I like her.”

  When his brothers said nothing, he looked up at them and saw them both sitting there with open mouths. “What?”

  “Nothing, man,” Dylan answered. “I just haven’t seen you get close to anyone since Dad died. Quite the opposite, actually. You’re usually good at pulling away.”

  “Running away is more like it,” Foster supplied. When Ethan glowered at him, his brother just held his palms up. “Sorry.”

  They were right. He hadn’t been close to anyone. He and his father had been like two peas in a pod. That’s what his mom had said. Foster and Dylan were best friends as well as brothers, and Luke doted on Rebecca. Ethan had always felt like the odd man out when it came to his siblings. But his dad was always there for him, and that’s who he’d turned to and counted on for support.

  The day his dad died, Ethan felt like a piece of him had died, too. And no matter how hard he tried, he just hadn’t been able to open up to anyone since then. He hadn’t really wanted to. Until now.

  “I think I’m just tired of being alone,” he finally said.

  “You’re not alone.” The three of them looked up to see Luke standing in the doorway. Luke, who resembled their dad in every way. Dark wavy hair, black as night eyes, right down to his lean form and ever-present stubble.

  Luke sat down in a winged chair directly across from Foster and stretched his long legs out to cross one ankle over the other. “I know how hard Dad’s death was on you, Ethan. It was hard on all of us, but you most of all. The difference is we all helped each other get through it, and we’ve moved forward. You put your whole life on hold.”

  “What are you talking about? I’ve opened three restaurants.”

  “Yeah, you’re successful. You’ve worked your ass off, but emotionally, you just pushed the pause button. You didn’t want to deal with Dad’s death because you were afraid of the grief, afraid of letting yourself feel anything. So you surround yourself with millions of strangers. I’m betting you do feel very alone in that crowd in New York City. But guess what, brother? You’ve never been alone. Not really. We’ve always been here. Me, Dylan, Foster, Becca, Mom. We’re right here. Always have been. And from the looks of the way Tori was looking at you, I’m betting she’s right here, too. Don’t you think it’s time to stop running?”

&nb
sp; Foster looked back and forth between his brothers. “Fuck, I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard Luke say at one time in my life.”

  Ethan stifled a grin as Luke shot Foster the finger. “Fuck you, asshole.”

  The great thing about his brothers was that among them, there was always one of them who seemed to know what to say. Luke was right. He had been running. And it was time to stop. He was tired of being alone, of being without his family, and he was tired of having a wall up so high that no one could find their way in.

  Clapping his hands together, Luke stood up. “Well, the battery’s replaced, so I was going to take Tori’s car back to her. Does someone want to follow me to her place and take me home?” He looked pointedly at Ethan.

  A slow smile spread across Ethan’s face. “I have a better idea.”

  Chapter Nine

  Tori tossed her keys on the small coffee table and shrugged out of her coat. “Thank you for bringing me home.”

  Becca and Sally had both driven her home, and Tori was grateful that Sally had filled the fifteen-minute drive with small talk. Right now, the woman was stocking Tori’s fridge with Tupperware bowls full of leftovers.

  “Sally, you don’t have to do that. Really. Take the food home. You know all the boys will want it.”

  “Oh please.” Becca’s eyes rolled. “There are mountains of leftovers at home. Besides, we always make a ton extra when Ethan’s coming home. Right, Mom?” She smiled.

  Tori’s heart dropped at the mention of Ethan’s name. None of them had talked about him on the way here. Sally had been content to talk about holiday plans and ask Tori about school and her job. But no one had mentioned Ethan until now.

  “That’s right!” Sally shut the refrigerator door. “It’s a good thing you know how to cook, dear. You’ll have to keep that boy fed or he’s liable to chew through his arm.”

  “Keep him fed? Wait, what?” She was confused. Why would she be feeding Ethan?

  Sally just laughed. “I suppose I’m getting ahead of myself a bit.” Sitting down on Tori’s worn couch, the older woman patted the seat next to her, motioning the girls to sit.

  The only furniture Tori had in the living room was the couch, a coffee table, and a small television. Rebecca sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, curling her legs under her, and Tori sat on the couch near Sally.

  Sally tucked a wisp of graying black hair behind her ear as she spoke. “Dear, as soon as you walked into my house today, it was obvious you and Ethan felt something toward one another. Then when I walked in the pantry—”

  Oh no, this is it. “Sally, I’m so sorry!” Tori practically cried. “I would never disrespect you in any way. I—”

  Sally held up a hand to silence her. “Disrespect me? Victoria, is that what you think?” Sally leaned forward to take Tori’s hands in hers. “Tori, I think of you as a daughter. I only wish I’d known you when you were younger so Bernie and I could have taken you in and given you the home you deserved growing up.”

  Tears came to Tori’s eyes and spilled over. No one had ever said anything like that to her before.

  “My dear, you have been a part of our family since the moment you walked into it. You’ve been there for all of us. I’d hoped you might fall for one of the boys, but it was obvious you just viewed Dylan, Luke, and Foster as brothers. I can’t tell you how much my heart soared when I felt the connection between you and Ethan today.”

  She was so confused. Sally was happy about this? “But—but…”

  “Tori, does this have anything to do with what happened to you in the foster home when you were a teenager?” Becca brought her knees up and rested her chin atop them.

  When Tori’s face paled, Becca arched a brow at her. “Yeah, I thought so.” She looked at her mother. “Mom, Tori told me that when she was sixteen, one of her foster brothers made a pass at her. Her foster mom went ballistic and kicked her out. And it happened on Thanksgiving, right, Tori?”

  Swiping at a tear, Tori couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She only nodded.

  “Oh, my dear,” Sally exclaimed.

  In an instant, Tori found herself in Sally’s embrace as the older woman held her close, stroking her hair. “You listen to me. Family doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not you share blood. Tori, you are family. Do you understand me? You belong to me whether you like it or not. I love you.”

  At Sally’s words, something inside of Tori broke. A torrent of tears began, and Sally just sat on the couch and rocked her. Becca got up to sit on her other side, and the three women held each other in an embrace until her tears subsided.

  When her tears finally ebbed, she pulled away from Sally, slightly embarrassed at her outpouring of emotion.

  “I don’t know what to say,” she croaked in a voice heavy with emotion. “I love you. Both of you.” She held the hands of both women, thankful beyond belief for her family.

  “Now, one more thing,” said Sally. “Ethan.”

  Tori’s stomach did a little flip, but she didn’t shy away this time. She only nodded as Sally continued.

  “He feels something for you, dear. And he hasn’t felt something in a long time.”

  “And he’s not the only one that feels something,” Becca said, waggling her eyebrows.

  “Oh, I most certainly know that.” Sally’s eyes lit in a smile. “I saw them kissing.”

  Tori’s mouth popped open as Becca exclaimed, “Ew, Mom. It’s bad enough that she’s kissing my brother. I don’t need to hear about it. Ew.”

  Sally rolled her eyes. “Well, I don’t think it’s ew. I would have snatched up a man in a heartbeat who kissed me the way Ethan kissed you.” She tilted her head in thought. “Actually, I did. It looked to me like Ethan had the same kissing style that his father did.”

  “Ew, ew, ew! Mom!” Becca held her fingers up to close her ears shut. “La la la … I’m not listening. La la la.”

  Tori couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Sally just winked and patted her knee.

  “On that note, I’d better get home. As soon as your car is ready, I’m sure Luke will bring it by. But Tori?”

  “Yes?” she asked as she stood up.

  “Don’t let your fears hold you back. You can’t ‘what if’ yourself until you get so scared that you’re too paralyzed to move forward. If you want an opportunity—whether it’s something more with Ethan or not—you owe it to yourself to go for it. You just remember that, okay?”

  She swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I will. Thank you, Sally.” She threw her arms around the older woman and gave her a fierce hug.

  “La la la—are you two done talking yet? I’m still not listening. La la la.”

  Sally yanked Becca’s finger out of her ear. “Come on, brat. Time to go.”

  “Thank goodness. I was afraid you were going to start talking about sex.” Becca jumped up to hug Tori.

  “Don’t tempt me, dear,” Sally said. “We have a fifteen-minute drive home.”

  Becca’s blue eyes grew wide with horror.

  As the women moved around the couch to head for the door, there was a firm knock.

  “Oh, maybe that’s Luke with your car,” said Becca.

  She yanked the door open, and Ethan stood there with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, rocking back and forth on his heels.

  Chapter Ten

  His mom was waiting for him on the other side of the door, and had the biggest smile on her face that Ethan had ever seen. Becca looked back and forth between him and Tori, looking like she was watching a tennis match.

  “I, uh, I brought Tori’s car back,” he finally said. He looked past his mom and sister to where Tori stood behind her couch. He tried to read her expression. She looked like she’d been crying, but a little smile curled her lips. She looked almost … hopeful?

  “Can I talk to you?” he asked.

  His mom answered. “Yes, you should come in so you two can talk. Rebecca and I were just leaving. I want to get hom
e and get some of that Dixie pie before Foster inhales the whole thing. Come on, Rebecca.”

  When his sister didn’t move, his mom hooked an elbow underneath her arm. “I said come on, dear.”

  “Aw, dang it,” she mumbled as she walked past him.

  He leaned down as his mom stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “We’ll see you at home later, dear.” Then she looked back at Tori and smiled. “Or not.”

  With that, she shut the door behind her, leaving Ethan and Tori alone.

  Tori stood looking down instead of looking at him. That submissive nature alone was enough to make his cock hard.

  Calm the fuck down, Ethan. You’ve already scared her once.

  Looking around, he took in Tori’s small studio apartment. A large bookcase stood in the middle of the big room, separating it into two areas—the living room, which held a couch, coffee table, and TV, and the bedroom. He could make out the edge of a mattress on the floor behind the bookcase, and saw a large dresser. Orange countertops adorned the kitchenette to the left, and Ethan wondered if the landlord had bothered to update the place since 1976.

  Tori deserved better. So much better. He’d known her one day, and already, he wanted to give her the world.

  “Hi,” he said finally.

  She raised those emerald eyes up to meet his. “Hi.”

  Stepping closer, he refrained from touching her even though he wanted nothing more. “Tori,” he breathed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I came on way too strong. Please forgive me.”

  “There’s nothing to forgive, Ethan.” She shook her head lightly and took a step back. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  Oh, like hell was she going to change the subject.

  Reaching out, he grasped her upper arms and pulled her to him. “Don’t run away from me.”

  She gasped lightly and licked her lips. “I—I’m not running,” she answered.

  “I want to talk. You and me. Will you be honest with me?”

  She looked at him long and hard, and for a moment, he was scared she would tell him to drop dead. But finally, she nodded. “Yes, I’ll be honest.”