with surfing magazines and schoolbooks sat within reach of the bed. Sloppy piles of books on plants and landscaping lay on their sides, interspersed with a few spy novels and thrillers. When I reached out for one, a picture frame tucked in with the books caught my eye.
I pulled it out, finding a photo of Ethan as a very small boy, wearing a big camera smile and pair of pajamas printed with little teddy bears. He was adorably cute, sitting on a couch next to a beautiful blonde woman who had her arm draped around him. There was a tinsel covered Christmas tree in the background, and the woman held a wrapped present on her lap. Until now, she had only existed as a sort of ghost to me. It was Ethan’s mother.
I studied her closely, surprised to finally see the face of the woman who had done so much to hurt Ethan. She was heavily made-up, sporting long red fingernails and a lacy outfit topped off with gaudy costume jewelry. She seemed completely artificial, the diametric opposite of Abby; I had a hard time imagining Dutch being married to a woman like that.
I was somewhat taken aback that she resembled Amber more than just a little bit, and I could only imagine what Evie would have to say about that. Always the amateur psychologist, she loved to search for hidden meanings in everyone’s behavior. Boy, I thought, did she miss the boat with Olivia!
I heard footsteps coming down the hall and I slipped the picture back amongst the books. The door creaked open and Ethan peeked his head in. He flashed me a wide smile when our eyes met.
“Good morning.”
“Hi,” I said, suddenly feeling awkward.
He came in and sat on the bed, “I was wondering when you were gonna wake up. How do you feel?”
“Fine.”
He reached up to brush a stray hair from my face, “Are you hungry?”
I nodded, looking down shyly, “I should really get home though.”
“Don’t go,” he said, “I’m making breakfast.”
I smiled, “Isn’t it kinda late?”
“It’s never too late for breakfast.”
“Don’t you have to work?”
“I took the day off.”
“Abby might be worried.”
“I already called. I told her that you fell asleep and stayed over.”
I cocked an eyebrow at him, “Really? I guess I could use some coffee… but…” I wrinkled my nose, “I need to go brush my teeth and change clothes.”
He got up and left the room, returning a minute later to hand me a new toothbrush.
“You’re certainly prepared,” I teased him.
“That’s the Boy Scout motto,” he replied.
“And you were a scout?” I asked.
“Of course I was,” he smiled, grabbing me and kissing my cheek. I squirmed away, giggling when he snared me around the waist and pulled me closer.
“I like seeing you in my bed,” he whispered in my ear, making me shiver.
He held me close, finally taking my face between his hands and looking me in the eyes with an intensity that made me forget to breathe.
“I love you,” he said.
My heart swelled with emotion, and just as I reached out to pull him down into the tangle of blankets my stomach growled angrily, making us both laugh.
“Let’s go eat,” he said, kissing my forehead before getting up to go, pausing again at the door to look back at me with a goofy grin.
By the time I slipped into the kitchen, barefoot and swimming in Ethan’s oversized clothes. I was too hungry to care about how I looked.
“Smells good in here,” I said meekly.
“Sit down,” he gestured, and I took a chair, feeling strangely like we were playing house. He set a plate of scrambled eggs and fried potatoes in front of me that made my mouth water. I dove in and started scarfing it down as if I hadn’t eaten in a week. Every bite I took reminded me that I was still alive.
I looked up to see Ethan watching me with amusement, “Thanks,” I said between bites, “It’s delicious.”
He smiled in reply, asking, “What do you want on your toast?”
After we ate I started to feel much better, and we sat sipping coffee and pretending to look at the newspaper. Every time I raised my head I met his ocean blue eyes, watching me expectantly.
“What?” I asked.
“Aren’t you going to tell me about it?”
I pressed my lips together, groping for the words. He really wasn’t going to like hearing the details, but I knew he deserved to know everything. I sighed and launched into the story. He listened quietly, his rapid