When I got home I called Paul and assured him I was safe and sound. I laughed at how silly his concern was for me as I hung up. He still tried to come home with me until I drove off and left him in the dust at the gate.
I froze when I saw the many texts and calls I had from Ethan. I had turned off my phone when he called the first time and had completely forgotten to turn it back on. When I saw his last text was frantic, I immediately called him.
He picked up on the first ring. “Aly? Where have you been? I was just getting ready to come over to see if you’re okay,” he breathed into the phone.
I felt awful. “Ethan, I am so sorry. I’m fine. I was at a dinner with Paul and I’d turned off my phone. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you and worried you.”
He paused for a minute. “A dinner?”
Oh no, I thought. “Yeah, he took me to his house for dinner. It was a spur of the moment thing. We had some stuff to discuss and we both needed to get away from the office.”
He sighed into the phone. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Hearing him say that made me feel even guiltier. I realized I didn’t report to him, but with everything that had developed between us recently, I didn’t want to hurt him. I continued trying to explain.
“I’m fine. And I am sorry I didn’t let you know. We have that meeting with Mr. Halliday coming up on Friday and I’ve been getting ready for it on my own you know so—”
“Stop, Aly,” he said. “Please stop trying to explain, it’s only making it worse. It does confuse me and angers me a bit, to be honest. I’ve been patient and will continue to be but I have to say, I don’t get why you would even want to spend more time with him than you have to. The guy hurt you; I don’t understand how you are okay with him suddenly. You know I love you and I am here for you but that is something that confuses me.”
I sat back on my bed, trying to absorb what he just said.
“I’m sorry, Ethan, I don’t have an answer. You’re right though, it doesn’t make sense. I do have to work with him and to do that, I need to be as professional as possible, but going to his house for dinner wasn’t necessary. I’m just so confused.”
He sighed into the phone. “I know you are, and I am the last person that wants to make you feel bad. Please understand my need to tell you that though.”
I closed my eyes as tears started, again. “I do,” I whispered.
“Let’s drop this for now. I’m just glad to know you’re okay,” he replied.
I suddenly remembered Missy wanted to get together Friday night.
“You’ll never guess who surprised me at work today,” I told him, grateful to be able to change the subject.
“You got me. Who?” he asked.
“Missy Laughlin,” I replied.
“No way. Missy?” he asked. “What’s she doing in town?”
I told him everything that had happened and what she was up to. “She wants to go out Friday night with us before she leaves on Saturday. Are you available?”
“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “Man, I haven’t seen her in years. Sounds like she’s still the same old Missy.”
I rolled my eyes. “She most definitely is.”
“Okay, Aly. It’s late and we both have work tomorrow. Are you free for lunch?”
“Yes, I would love to,” I answered.
“Good. I’ve missed you,” he whispered.
I was so relieved to hear him say that. “I’ve missed you too.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you,” he said softly.
“See you tomorrow, Ethan,” I said, hanging up and feeling horrible not saying the words back to him. I knew I loved him, but I couldn’t say it to him. Not yet.
You would think that a girl who has two extremely hot guys after her would be eating it up, but I wasn’t. It was killing me. I knew I’d have to make a decision soon, more for my sanity, than for theirs.
The next day was so busy that Paul and I didn’t have time to talk about the night before. We finally sat down and discussed our game plan for the Halliday meeting. We were both in agreement on what we wanted to say and Paul agreed to let me try handling it at first.
Lunchtime came and Ethan strode into the office. My eyes widened at how good he looked in his dark grey slacks and light blue button down shirt. His hair was styled perfectly and his hazel eyes lit up when he saw me.
“Ready to go?” he asked, leaning over to kiss my cheek.
I told Paul I was leaving and walked out the door. Ethan grabbed my hand and led me toward the entrance, not the parking garage. Before I could ask him where we were going, Trisha came out of the restroom, her eyes opening wide at seeing us.
I immediately felt the tension. “Oh, hey, Trisha,” I said, looking between her and Ethan.
She looked at him, but answered me. “Hey.”
Something had happened between the two of them, which was obvious. Feeling even more awkward, I took a step back, but Ethan gripped my hand even harder. Trisha looked down at our joined hands and pain filled her eyes.
“I have to get back to work,” she whispered then dashed away.
I looked up at Ethan and he shook his head. He continued leading me to the entrance then walked outside. He turned right and continued on, not saying a word.
I finally stopped, refusing to go anymore with no explanation. “What was that all about?” I asked.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making more spikes appear. “Can we talk about this at lunch instead of in the middle of the sidewalk?”
Knowing that made more sense, I nodded. We continued walking until we reached our favorite cafe. I should have known, I smiled to myself.
We were seated and I immediately dove in. “So?”
He raised his eyes to me, and chuckled. “You don’t waste time, do you?”
I shook my head, “Nope.”
The server came then and we gave him our orders. Once he’d left, Ethan sighed and grabbed for my hand.
“Well, I told Trisha nothing could happen between us,” he said very softly.
“Go on.”
He looked down. “I told her I’ve always been in love with you and that I’d finally told you. I told her that I was going to fight for you, that I only wanted you.”
Slam!
My heart almost flew out of my chest. I looked at him and saw the intensity in his eyes, the absolute sincerity. I started to twirl a strand of hair around my finger. I was melting.
“I meant it, Aly,” he said, lowering his gaze. “I couldn’t lead her on when I knew nothing was going to happen. Haven’t you ever wondered why my relationships never work out?” He glanced back up to me. “They never work out because of you.”
The server decided that was the moment to bring our food. I sat back in my chair, stunned at what Ethan had just told me.
Once the server finally left, I responded. “I don’t know what to say. I guess I hadn’t ever thought it was because of me your relationships never worked out. I thought you were just too picky.”
He took a bite of his cheeseburger, shaking his head. “No, that’s not it. They just weren’t you.”
I stared down at my pasta, twirling it around my fork. Looking back at him, the strong realization that I wanted to be with him slammed into my chest I felt like I couldn’t breathe and I covered my mouth with my hand.
Ethan looked at me alarmed. “What is it?” he asked, covering my other hand with his. I couldn’t speak for a minute, and felt the tears start to come again.
When I could finally speak, I couldn’t hold back the words. “I love you too, Ethan,” I whispered, my breath catching. I did, I knew I did. I felt like a fool for taking this long to fully see it.
His eyes grew wide, and he squeezed my hand. “What did you just say?” he asked in a whisper.
I smiled at him while wiping a tear from my face. “I do, I love you. You are so amazing and so good to me. I don’t deserve you.”
He raised my hand to his lips. “Don’t say that. Holy shit, Aly. Does this mean what I think it means?” he asked in awe.
I watched as he kissed each finger, mesmerized. When he stopped, I looked up at him, his eyes full with love. “Yes, Ethan, it does. I need you and can’t imagine not having you with me, in every way. I’m sorry it took me so long to finally see it.”
He stared at me, his eyes blazing. “I don’t care about that. All that matters is what you’re saying to me now. I love you so much, Aly. Ever since that first night we met in that club, you’ve taken my breath away. To hear you finally say you love me, and you want me, is something that had always been in my dreams, until now.”
I wiped my eyes with my napkin, overcome with so much love for him. I was such a fool. Deep down I knew he was the right one, but having loved Paul for so long, I didn’t see it. I was about to respond when the server appeared.
“Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to see how your meals are tasting?”
Ethan smiled, his eyes never leaving mine. “Mine is great. Aly?”
I looked at my plate. I’d hardly taken a bite. “It’s good,” I told him.
He nodded and walked off. Ethan and I continued just sitting there, staring at each other. We both seemed to be in shock at what had just occurred. He finally broke the silence.
“What now? What about Paul?”
My mood took a dive at the mention of Paul’s name. I hadn’t even thought about that. “Oh, man. Paul...” I said in a whisper. Ethan started rubbing circles on my hand with his thumb.
“It’s okay, Aly. I know it’s hard and a lot will change but if it’s the right decision, it will work out.”
“I know it’s the right decision, Ethan,” I said, leaning over the table closer to him. “Without a doubt, I know it’s right.”
He leaned closer to me and ran the back of his hand down my cheek. “Good. Everything will work out. If you want me to be there when you tell him, I will.”
I shook my head. “Thank you but no. I need to do it on my own. I need to get through the meeting with Mr. Halliday first. I’ll tell him soon though.”
He frowned at that. “Are you sure? I hate to see you having to deal with him like you have been. I also want to shout to the world you’re finally mine,” he said with a grin.
I laughed. “Believe me, I do too. I promise I’ll do it soon. Please just give me a few days.”
He nodded. “That’s fine, Aly. No pressure. You’ve just made me the happiest man alive, how can I complain about anything else?” He leaned even closer and planted a light kiss on my lips. “I love you so much. Thank you.”
I looked at this man, this man who had been my best friend for so long. I looked at this man who was now my love, my soulmate, and I felt such an overwhelming peace I thought I’d cry from the relief it brought me. To know who I wanted, who I was supposed to be with, meant the world to me. Realizing I’d be hurting Paul brought knots to my stomach, I don’t think I’d ever have to do anything harder than tell him we wouldn’t be together. But looking back up at Ethan, I knew it would be okay, that I would finally be okay.
We sat there eating the rest of our lunch just holding hands and staring at one another. I swear it was like we were in a cheesy romance novel, but I didn’t care. I was finally with my man. Our server came with the bill. Ethan gave him his credit card. When he came back Ethan signed it, then stood. He grabbed my hand and we walked slowly back to work. I caught him looking over at me a few times, when he finally pulled me to him and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Being with him felt so right, so comfortable. I never questioned anything when I was with him. I was happy.
We got back and he pulled me into an empty conference room. I giggled as he shut the door with his foot and pulled me into his arms. Before I could say anything, his mouth was on mine in a mix of pure passion and lust. All I wanted to do was stay like that forever, to just be with Ethan and nothing else. When he finally released my lips, he brushed some hair behind my ear and looked at me.
“I love you so much, Aly,” he whispered. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me. A weight I didn’t realize was so heavy has been lifted and all I want to do is take you home and show you just how much you mean to me.”
I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. “I love you too. I can’t wait.”
He returned my kiss and groaned when I pulled away. I laughed and ran my hand through his spiky hair. “We both need to finish out the work day at least. Come get me at five?”
He growled and wrapped his arms around me in a huge hug. “Nothing could stop me. Not sure I’ll make it till then.”
After a few more kisses, I walked back to my desk and plopped down on my chair, replaying the past hour in my head. I hadn’t felt this happy in so long and it felt amazing. All that faded when I heard giggling out in the hall, getting louder as the person walked closer. My mouth dropped in shock when I saw Missy and Paul walk in. Paul’s eyes instantly showed embarrassment and I knew mine showed surprise.
Missy’s showed excitement. “There you are,” she squealed, rushing toward me. She grabbed me in a hug and I glared at Paul over her head. He put his hands up, shaking his head and mouthing, “It’s not what you think.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked as she released her hold on me.
“Well, my lunch meeting canceled so I came over here to see if I could take you to lunch, but you’d already left by the time I got here. Paul generously offered to take me out instead and you know I can’t ever turn a gorgeous man down.”
“Did he now?” I asked, glaring at him more.
Missy was oblivious. “Yes. It was just this little hole in the wall down the street, but it was sooo good,” she said, glowing from ear to ear. I continued listening to her, all the while watching Paul. He tried to hide his smirk behind his hand, but wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
“And then he was telling me about the time you were going on and on to some lady at your latest job site and how you made her so nervous, she took a few steps back from you. I was dying because I know how passionate you get about things and could totally see that happening.”
I didn’t think my glares could get worse, but they so did when I heard that. Paul started laughing when he saw my face and I jerked my head away, refusing to look at him anymore. Missy kept rambling on about their lunch, barely stopping to take a breath. When she finally did, I took full advantage.
“Well, it sounds like fun. Sorry I missed it,” I said sarcastically.
“Oh, me too,” Missy exclaimed. “I wish I could stay, but I have to get back to my meetings. Hey, are we still on for Friday night? Did you talk to Ethan?”
I gulped, looking over at Paul. His eyes perked up hearing that and I wanted to throttle her right then and there.
“Uh, yeah. We’re still on. Ethan’s excited to see you.” I couldn’t help the smile that came over my face at his name. Paul was looking at me and I could tell he noticed. My stomach churned at knowing what I’d soon have to tell him.
She clapped her hands. “Oh, yay! I can’t wait to see him. I need to get my hands on that boy,” she said, chuckling. She then looked over to Paul. “Are you coming?”
He looked at me. “I wasn’t invited,” he said with something that sounded like hurt in his voice.
I felt horrible, but I had no desire to spend the evening with the man whose heart I would soon break. I couldn’t think of a worse situation to be in.
“Of course you’re invited,” I said, completely dying inside.
He gave me a look that told me he knew I was full of it. “Then I’ll be there.”
Missy clapped her hands again and told us she’d see us then, practically skipping out of the office. I looked after her, willing her to come back and save me from being alone with Paul, but of course she didn’t. I decided then that I needed to use the restroom and started heading that way.
His hand reached out and grabbed my wrist so fast I gasped in surprise. He turned me to face him, his other hand going to my lower back. I looked out the door that Missy had left open and thankfully didn’t see anyone there.
“So, when were you going to invite me to this little get-together?” he asked as he pulled me closer to him.
I resisted. “Um, soon?” I said, having it come out as a question.
He smiled and led me down the hall, around the corner by the restroom. “Liar,” he said as he lowered his head and started kissing my neck.
I placed my hands on his chest and pushed. I knew I no longer wanted this. He smiled at me, leaning down to try again. I turned my head to the side, doing my best not to burst out and tell him we were over. I had to wait until after our meeting with Mr. Halliday. I needed Paul to focus on that so we could do our best to try to convince him to let us help him. Paul wouldn’t have any of it, though. He grabbed my hand and started kissing my wrist.
“You had no intention of inviting me, did you?” he asked between kisses.
“Uh, yes I did,” I told him, trying to yank my arm away. He held on, giving me a challenging look as he kept going. He had just started traveling higher when I heard a voice down the hall.
We both whipped our heads in the direction at the same time. Paul coughed, nodded his head downward, indicating he had a problem. I looked and instantly blushed when I saw what his problem was. He chuckled again as he went into the men’s room and I walked back toward the office to see who was there.
When I reached the waiting area, I stopped in my tracks. There on his phone, was none other than Walter Hammond, Casey’s father. He saw me as I came into view and his face darkened. He turned around to finish his conversation and all I wanted to do was go to the restroom to throw up.