Scandalous Scotsman - M.J. Fields Page 0,48
no more than I asked to feel proud of yer accomplishments, yet I do.”
Arph!
“You um …”
Get it together!
“You really should have him on a leash.”
“Then how would I have guaranteed an audience with ye?” He smirks. “Not all things can be trusted to fate, Elizabeth Bloom. Sometimes it simply leads ye to it and hopes ye do the work.”
Sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.
“Like I’ve been doing in the shower every fucking day.”
Oh.
No.
He.
Didn’t.
But yes, yes, of course he did.
When Tonya walks out and sees Ethan casually sitting on the railing and me sitting in the rocking chair, my face burning red, she smiles.
Kai walks out, smiling, and hurries to her father, who leans down as if he just knew she was going to tell him something.
“I think that’s a lovely idea, a sheòid. Why don’t ye ask them if they’re free?”
Her eyes widen at him, and his at her. He nods, and then she turns and looks at me and Tonya then at me.
“We’re having dinner and a dip at”— she looks back at Ethan, who holds up six fingers, and then she turns and looks back at us— “six.”
“Simon, Bridget, and the kids will be there, as well.”
“And Ms. Maryanne,” Kai tells him.
“And Ms. Maryanne.” He nods.
“Wanna come?”
“I’m not sure—”
“We’ll be there,” Tonya says over me. “What should we bring?”
Why do we love her?
Kai looks at Ethan, and he tells her, “A swimsuit and a massive appetite.”
“But if you don’t want to eat meat, he has that handled, too,” Kai says without a hint of a whisper.
I knew that was part of the condition, the selective part of selective mutism, but it’s still a bit shocking.
To a person who doesn’t know anything about the condition, they could easily think that the person was simply being obstinate. But as I have witnessed firsthand, when Kai is nervous, she appears to want to say something yet freezes up completely.
Anxiety is a bitch, but I’m proof it can be overcome.
I look at Ethan, who looks upon her with wonder, and all I can think is how much I would give to not be afraid of being hurt.
He lied to you.
He never lied.
“Lizzie?” Tonya breaks through my thoughts, and I look at her. “Kai asked you a question.”
I look at Kai. “Sorry, sometimes I get stuck in my head and poof, the world melts away.”
She looks at me with sincere sympathy and curls her finger for me to come closer.
This is a first.
I walk over and squat down.
She leans in and whispers in my ear, “Getting stuck sucks.”
Instinctually, I wrap my arms around her. “It sure does, Kai, it sure does.”
It’s only until she doesn’t return the embrace that I lean back and look at her. Her glasses have slipped down her nose and her eyes— Ethan’s eyes— big and green and beautiful are wide and staring at me.
“Sorry,” I whisper and push her glasses up on her nose. “Hide that magic, beautiful girl.”
She smirks.
“You asked me a question?” I ask quietly.
“Are you coming?” she whispers back.
“Of course I am.”
“’Kay.”
Once they’ve gone, I pull the box out from my chair cushion.
“What’s that?” Tonya asks.
“Not sure yet.”
“Please tell me that beautiful man gave it to you.”
“Yeah.”
“Now tell me why you haven’t opened it yet.”
“How about I tell you that when he pulled it out of his pocket, I’m pretty sure I thought he was going to propose to me and got a little freaked out.”
She laughs. “What did he say?”
“Coolly, calmly, he said relax.”
I don’t tell her the other things he said, because some things you only want to be yours.
I open the box and see a little, silver apple charm.
“They’re around back, dears,” Maryanne, Ethan’s not wife, not mistress, says with a smile.
“Thank you, Maryanne. This is Tonya, my best friend, and also—”
“Kai’s school counselor.” Tonya reaches out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Maryanne.”
“Pleasure is mine.”
We follow the sidewalk around back and come to a closed fence. Beyond it is music, laughter, and the most amazing smells.
“You okay?” Tonya asks.
“I am. It’s just weird, you know, being here. Part of me doesn’t want to ruin the illusion, part can’t wait to see what’s beyond the wall, and another part is afraid I’ll be disappointed.”
“What about the part that is falling in love?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her that she’s lost her mind, but that’s not what comes out.
“That part is truly terrified.”
“I think they’re here,” Kai says excitedly.
“You ken how to open the gate; let them in.” Ethan laughs.
A