the hell was with all this silent communication today?
Ethan nodded his head at Mia, the silent question being answered. Mia smiled and nodded her head. Luke wondered what his best friends were up to. He looked to Allie and she was curious as well.
“The two of you know so much about me and Ethan,” Mia began and instantly had Luke on alert. “I wonder sometimes if between the two of you, you know me better than I do. And I’m pretty sure Ethan would probably say the same thing. Over the years, you two have become irreplaceable in my life. Your friendship was one of the things that got me through some very hard times. I trust you both with my life and of the ones I love. And it’s for that reason that Ethan and I would like for you two to be Pierce and Rory’s godparents.”
“Seriously?” he asked, completely shocked at this request. He glanced over at Allie who seemed to have the same reaction.
“There’s no one else I could see in the part but you two,” Ethan said.
“I’d be honored,” Allie spoke happily, her beautiful hazel eyes just a little glassy.
“I’ll do this,” Luke stated, turning his attention on Mia because he had a request of his own … just for her. “But don’t go dying on us, okay?”
Swallowing her tears, Mia nodded. He knew she was thinking of the times Death had knocked on her door. Too many times. He could see that it still haunted her. And that had been his intent—he did not want to lose his best friends.
“Godfather … I like the sound of that.”
The women rolled their eyes and laughed at him. He didn’t care. He was so damn happy about this. He loved those boys so much and wondered if this is what Mia felt for Kaitlyn. It didn’t matter that they were not his blood family, they were family regardless.
Ethan
September 2012
Returning home from a long practice, all Ethan wanted to do was crawl into bed with his wife, sex completely optional … okay, completely mandatory.
In the kitchen, he found Bridgette, their nanny, feeding the boys. She had been a find. He and Mia had loved the tall, blonde nanny immediately. They just clicked with her. Her values were the same as theirs when it came to raising children. But most importantly, the boys seemed to bond with her the moment she held them.
After a gaggle of “dadas,” Ethan kissed his boys and set out to find his wife. Opening the double doors to their master suite, Ethan heard her lyrical voice coming from the bathroom. With the construction of the studio and having Bridge around, Mia was completely different from when they’d started this whole process. A smile came to his face. He loved that his wife sang in the shower. He hoped to use that to his advantage and join her.
But when he entered the bathroom, she wasn’t in the shower, but standing in front of the bathroom counter, phone sitting atop of it, clad only in a fluffy towel, singing.
This is the end of something wonderful.
The end … of me and you.
This is you breakin’ me in two.
The end … of me loving you.
The way she sang the lyrics—slow and so full of pain—pulled at his heart. Who was she singing this to?
“Okay … work with that,” she said to whoever was on the other line. “I need to get ready before Ethan gets home … yeah,” she said with a laugh. “Talk to you later.”
She looked up into the mirror and her eyes locked onto him and she smiled. “Hi.”
“Hi, suga. Who were you singing to on the phone?” Ethan asked, standing in the doorway.
“Marty. I had an idea while I was in the shower,” she said, smiling at him matter-of-factly, like it was no big deal to find your wife singing an emotional song over the phone, in only her towel. She made her way across the bathroom to their closet where she started to pull out clothes.
“Oh,” he said. He didn’t know what else he could say. Being around for the creative process for her music was strange. Like randomly singing naked on the phone or zoning out as ideas came to her. He had never seen her write the music, just the recording part. It was a bit of an adjustment.
Following her to the closet, he leaned back against the wall and watched her get dressed. Things were different than they’d been a year