by Lisa Carter
He gave her that ridiculously heart-quivering, knee-buckling smile of his, and she was struck momentarily speechless. When he wasn’t around, she told herself she must disremember him being so handsome. Yet the next time she saw him, she realized afresh she hadn’t recalled even the half of it. Or maybe it was just her he affected so.
Ethan opened the cab door. “A good time, I think, was had by all.”
Both girls lay, heads back, zonked out in their booster seats.
“It looks like you did.” She hugged her arms around herself. “Callie sent photos. And you’ve managed to perform quite a feat—wearing my girls out.”
He grinned. “I aim to please.”
Amber’s heart lurched. Ethan Green did please. Oh, so much.
Stella’s eyes popped open. “Mommy?” She stretched out her arms.
“Hey, honey.” Amber smiled. “Did you have a good time at the dance?”
Ethan unfastened the booster seat buckle.
Nodding, Stella rubbed her eyes. “I wish you had come to the dance with us.”
Amber bit her lip. She wished she could’ve been there, too. Images of the four of them being together flashed into her mind. Callie taking fun family pictures of her, Ethan and the girls.
Crazy, impossible dreams. Stop it, Amber.
Lifting Stella from the car seat, he handed her to Amber. Laying her head on her mother’s shoulder, Stella’s arms went around Amber’s neck. She breathed in the sweet scent of her child.
This was real, Amber reminded herself. Stella, Lucy and her. The rest was only a bittersweet, never to be attained illusion.
He freed an unresponsive Lucy from her seat. “I’ll carry her inside.” Cradling Lucy’s inert form against his chest, he winked at Amber. “Maybe they’ll sleep until noon.”
“Not going to happen.” Lips quirking, she led the way into the house. “The girls get up before the chickens.”
She stepped aside, allowing him to pass. “If you wouldn’t mind laying Lucy on her bed, I’d appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
Closing the door, she shifted Stella to her other hip and followed him down the hall. Her girls were getting too big to carry—moments like this would soon come to an end. Stumbling behind him, her eyes watered.
She blinked the moisture away. It wasn’t like her to be so emotional. The fatigue of her daily grind must be catching up to her.
Using his shoulder, he flicked the light switch on their bedroom wall. He scanned the white painted dresser and the cheerful quilts that covered the two small beds.
“Their room is just as it should be.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Did Grandma make the quilts for them?”
“Yes. She’s become such an important person in our lives. Thank you so much for not making her leave Truelove. I don’t know what we would do without her.” Amber choked up.
He looked away as if her words made him uncomfortable. “Which bed is Lucy’s?”
She gestured to the one on the left.
Ethan laid Lucy on top of the covers, and she immediately curled into a ball. He stuck his hands in his trouser pockets. “I guess I should go.”
Amber’s heart pounded. She didn’t want him to go. Not yet.
“Ladies need their beauty sleep.” His eyes cut to hers. “N-not you, though.” Red crept from beneath the starched collar of his blue shirt. “I—I mean, because you’ve already got plenty of beauty,” he stammered.
Amber’s heart quickened. “You think I’m beautiful?”
His face softened. “I’ve always thought you were beautiful.”
Their gazes locked.
“If you’re not in a hurry, maybe you could wait while I get the girls settled.” Hiding a blush, she set Stella on her bed. “I’d like to get them into their pajamas, but I think teeth-brushing will have to be put off until morning.” Her heart in her throat, she angled. “Stay. Unless there’s somewhere else you need to be.”
They shared a long look.
“I can’t think of a single place I’d rather be than here, Amber.” He swallowed. “With you.”
He headed toward the living room, and she helped Stella slip into her pajamas. Limp as a wet rag, getting Lucy changed was like dressing a jellyfish. Amber tucked her between the sheets.
“Efan...” Lucy murmured. “Where’s Efan, Mommy?”
Stella flipped aside the quilt. “I need to tell him something.”
“Don’t get out of bed, Stella. I’ll get him.”
Amber hurried down the hall. Holding the framed photo of the twins’ on their fourth birthday, he looked up at the sound of her footfalls on the carpet.
“The girls want to say good-night, Ethan.”
He set down the picture. “Sure.”
When they returned to the small bedroom, the girls were already half-asleep and fading fast.
Yawning, Lucy tucked her hands beneath her pillow. “Night-night, Efan.”
He touched his palm to her cheek. “Good night, Lucy Lou.”
“I need to tell you something, Ethan,” Stella whispered.
He came over to her bed. “Yes, Stella Bella?” She scooted to give him room. He sank onto the mattress beside her.
Stella fisted the covers. “I—I...”
Eyebrow raised, he exchanged a look with Amber. Positioned at the foot of the bed, Amber shrugged.
He patted Stella’s leg under the quilt. “What is it, sweetheart?”
She flung her arms around his neck. “I—I love you, Ethan.” Stella buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder. “Forever.”
Amber held her breath.
He lifted his hands as if to embrace her, but faltered as if unsure of what he should do. Was he aware of the significance of Stella opening her heart to him? But he must have understood because after a fraction of a heartbeat, his arms went around Stella.
“I love you, too, Stella. So much.” His voice was hoarse with emotion. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Forever.”
Leaving Amber reeling. And wondering if she dared be as brave with her heart as her daughter.
* * *
After a quick kiss on her cheek, Ethan said good-night and left Amber to tuck Stella into bed.
He stumbled to the living room. Had that just happened? He raked his hand over his head. Slow-to-warm Stella loved him. And he felt shaken by her trust in him. With the sacred, precious treasure of her heart. An enormous responsibility. He scrubbed his face.
Everyone in Truelove knew Ethan Green was the poster child for irresponsibility. So what was he doing? What was he thinking, getting close to Lucy and Stella? Opening his heart to them?
He’d fail them. Disappoint them. Like he’d disappointed his parents and Kelly. He wasn’t good with relationships. He didn’t do commitment. Panicked, he would’ve fled—his second favorite fallback after anger—if he hadn’t promised to wait for Amber.
When Amber walked into the living room, he glimpsed a raw vulnerability in her azure eyes. Uncertainty and fear flickered across her lovely face. “Ethan...”
And suddenly, more than his own fears of inadequacy, he wanted to erase her fear, her pain. He wanted to be there for her. He wanted her.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Seems like a long time ago I promised to take you to prom.”
“By the time I was old enough to go to prom, you’d joined the Marines. Donald Mills took me to prom.”
Ethan frowned. “Mills the geek?”
“I would’ve done far better to have stuck with him instead of Tony.” She pursed her lips. “Donald has done well for himself with some social media company.”
Ethan held out his hand to her. “Did you save one dance for me?”
She looked from his hand to his face. “You want to dance with me? Now?”
“Am I too late to
claim my dance?” So much more hung in the balance than a mere dance.
She swallowed. “There isn’t any music.”
“We’ll make our own.”
She took a step back. “We’re not those same teenagers. Your life is in Wilmington. My life...” She gestured behind her. “My life is with them.” She moistened her lips. “What would be the point?”
Amber was right. What would be the point in starting something neither of them were free to finish? But the yearning he’d felt since the summer he turned eighteen clamored inside him. Refusing to be deflected, distracted or denied.
He took a step forward. The urgency mounted to touch his lips to hers. To taste the sweetness, which had always been such a part of who she was. To know, if only for this brief interlude in both their lives, happiness.
“Ethan...” Her voice broke. “I’m too old to dream.”
Shoving aside his doubts and misgivings, he took her in his arms. He would’ve backed off immediately if she’d tried to pull away, but she didn’t. Instead, she placed her hands on his shoulders.
“You can’t ever be too old to dream, Amber.” He pulled her close. “I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long.”
Swaying into him, she lifted her face. “You have?”
Ethan nodded. Only a fraction of an inch separated his mouth from hers. His heart jackhammering in his chest, he bent his head. He tilted his chin. His mouth found hers.
But almost as quickly he drew back, giving her the freedom to break away if she wished. Her hands interlocked behind his neck. She pulled his head toward her mouth.
“Amber...” he murmured before he kissed her again.
The sweetness he’d expected. The rush of strong feeling, however, took him by surprise. Like nothing he’d ever experienced before.
Far more than the remembered adolescent crush, this—whatever this was he felt for Amber—shook him to his core.
She trembled in his arms, and he broke off the kiss, holding her gently against his chest.
“You’ve got the weekend off?” he whispered into the silkiness of her hair.
He felt her breath against his neck. “I do.”
He kissed her forehead. “Then let’s enjoy the weekend together. What do you say?”
She searched his face for answers he couldn’t provide. Finally when he believed he could bear her silence no longer...
“The girls and I come as a package, Ethan.”
His arms tightened fractionally around her before he released her. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Another surprise. But it was true. And he could hardly wait for tomorrow.
Chapter Ten
Saturday was the most fun Amber had experienced in a long time. Ethan made everything fun. All four of them went hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains and, to the girls’ delight, ran across a waterfall. He was so patient and kind with Lucy and Stella. They’d given their heart to him completely.
Driving home after a full day of adventure, the girls fell asleep in the back seat of the truck. As he pulled next to the trailer, they even didn’t stir.
“Let them sleep.” He cut the engine. “That way we can talk, just the two of us.” He reached across the seat for her hand.
Her pulse leaping at his touch, she laced her fingers in his. “I keep meaning to ask you where you borrowed the truck.”
“I didn’t borrow it.” He gave her a crooked smile. “I bought it.”
She blinked. “You bought it?”
“Jonas Stone sold it to me. He’d already bought another vehicle for the ranch, so I bought it and sold the Harley to the dealership on the highway.”
She frowned. “But you loved that ridiculous death-machine. Why did you sell your motorcycle?”
“Because...” He squeezed her hand. “My girls needed a proper carriage to go to their princess ball last night.”
Amber’s mouth went dry. “You sold your motorcycle and bought a truck just to take Lucy and Stella to the dance?”
Ethan shrugged. “I’d been thinking about it awhile. I wanted my own set of wheels.” He looked away. “Besides, the Harley didn’t work for all of us being together.”
He’d sold his Harley so he could go places with her and the girls?
She wasn’t sure how she should respond so she let the subject drop. Later, though, after he went home, she had plenty to say to the girls. Speaking as much for their sakes as her own.
Over the next few days, she repeatedly cautioned the girls to remember Ethan was only here temporarily until Miss ErmaJean got back on her feet. And every day, his grandmother regained more of her independence. Amber begged the girls to remember that one day soon Ethan would return to his real life, which was far away.
Best not to get too attached, she admonished. It would only make his leave-taking harder. The girls would undoubtedly miss him. She would miss him, but she’d get over it. She’d get over whatever this was between them. She had once before. She would again.
Lucy and Stella blissfully ignored her warnings.
Ethan had made her no promises. And she appreciated that about him. They’d made each other no promises. Best to not make promises you can’t keep.
The next few weeks flew by. On Mother’s Day, Ethan took her, the girls and Miss ErmaJean out for lunch. Then the twins surprised her with a gift card to a big-box store.
Stella smiled. “For you, Mommy.”
“Happy Moder’s Day.” Lucy clapped. “Efan took us shopping.”
Amber’s eyes stung with unshed tears. “I’ve never received a Mother’s Day gift before.”
“I decided it was about time you did.” He squeezed her fingers. “I heard you’ve been sending out résumés and thought this might be useful.”
A lump formed at the base of her throat.
They settled into an easy routine. Ethan took to dropping by the café during her lunch break. Over turkey sandwiches and sweet tea, they laughed, discovered each other’s preferences on a host of topics and got to know each other again.
On Friday nights, ErmaJean insisted they leave the girls with her and go out on a real date. They held hands at the movies. One Friday, they went to the Asheville mall. After dining in the food court, they shopped for professional attire for her to wear to prospective job interviews.
“Do you think the hospital will hire you?”
She shuffled through the skirts on the garment rack. “They’ve expressed interest, but the hours would be hard with the girls’ schedule.”
He showed her a navy blue blazer.
She smiled. “I like that.” She scanned the price tag. “And I like the fact that it’s on clearance even better.” She tilted her head. “You’re pretty good at this.”
He cocked his head. “That’s what all my ladies tell me.”
She arched her brow. “All your ladies? You have so many?”
His lips twitched. “I have four. Grandma. Stella. Lucy.” He planted a quick kiss on her cheek. “And you.”
But in spite of the fun of having him to herself on Fridays, her favorite times with him were Monday and Wednesday nights.
On those evenings, he joined her and the girls for dinner at her place. He insisted on bringing groceries. At first, she took offense.
“I eat more than you three put together,” he said. “If you’re going to feed me, I’m providing the food.”
He also took it upon himself to make some much-needed repairs to the trailer.
Fresh and clean from their baths, the girls would cuddle against him on the couch. He read the library books the girls had checked out from school. Including their favorite storybook, which he’d given them to keep, the one about the ducklings that had belonged to Ethan as a child. Their little faces upturned to him as a sunflower turned itself to the rays of the sun. They adored him.
She
could so very easily allow herself to fall in love with him. But of course, she wouldn’t. He was leaving. She was staying.
Don’t look too hard into the future, she told herself. Just enjoy the here and now.
On her next nonclinical Saturday, he announced it was a perfect day for a picnic. Easing back into cooking, ErmaJean supplied the fixings, and they set off.
Turning off the mountain road, he parked in a glen not far from the river. He lugged the picnic basket while the girls raced ahead to the meadow.
Billowing the blanket over the tall grass, she decided it was a perfect spring day. Like puffy cotton balls, clouds drifted lazily across a brilliant blue sky. Through the trees, the sounds of the river gurgled. Birdsong filled the air with melody. Wildflowers dotted the meadow. On the other side of the riverbank, the mountains undulated in blue-green waves on the horizon.
Seated on the blanket, she handed Stella a sandwich. “I haven’t been here since I was a kid.”
Leaning back, he stretched out the long length of him and closed his eyes. “Me either.”
She passed the carrots to Lucy. “You’re still nothing but a big oversize kid.”
He grabbed a sandwich. “Good thing you like kids, eh?” He smirked.
She made sure he saw her roll her eyes.
The girls quickly finished their lunch and got up to play.
“Be careful,” she called after them. “Stay where I can see you.”
She repacked the basket. “I spent so many wonderful days here with you, Matt and Callie.”
He opened one eye. “I remember.”
She scanned the landscape for the twins. “Back then, it would’ve never occurred to me to worry about snakes.”
“That’s what being a parent does for you, I guess.”
Of course, the biggest snake had been Tony. Her father and Callie had tried to warn her, but she’d been grief-stricken with the loss of her mother and too headstrong to listen.
Marry in haste. Repent at your leisure.
She glanced across the blanket to Ethan. The knot in her stomach pulled tighter. She should remember this was a pleasant, but very temporary, dream come true.