Just before lunch, there’s a knock on my door. Ethan texted me earlier and told me he was bringing me lunch so we could talk, so I know it has to be him.
“Hey, babe.” He walks through the door and sets the food down on the table before he pulls me into his chest. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
He rears back so his eyes can meet mine. “Are you sure? I’m not gonna lie, Amelia…earlier with Anne? You took me completely by surprise.”
“Well, the entire thing surprised me too, but I know it was the best thing for her.”
“She’s planning on filing for divorce.” He lets me go and grabs the food as we settle into the couch and begin eating.
“I know. We talked about it, and it’s her decision. And you know what? I don’t blame her.”
“Really?”
“Her husband is the one that went off on me a few weeks ago, Ethan. He was controlling and just plain mean. And Anne said seeing me was a last resort for her to save the relationship anyway. But why fight for something they both don’t want? Why invest any more of your time into someone that doesn’t want the same things you do?”
My mind has been reeling with thoughts of Anne all morning, and I know it’s not going to stop there.
“Well, you know I have no problem helping her get out.” He avoids my gaze while we speak. “But I’m just more worried about how this might affect you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I mean, I know her husband had you questioning things that day, and now she’s choosing divorce.”
I stand from the couch, staring down at him. “I’m not against divorce, Ethan. And I know that not all of my clients are going to stay together, as I’ve had plenty that have separated,” I assure him. “Ultimately, I just want to know that she’s happy. That’s what matters to me.”
“Well, she left my office feeling relieved and strong about her decision. I told her to follow up with you, though, if she needs someone to talk to.” Ethan stands now and closes the distance between us. “You’re sure you’re okay?” Wrapping his arms around my waist, he encases me in his embrace, and I feel like I can breathe again.
“Yes, I’m okay.”
And then the corner of his mouth lifts up. “Do you realize that we just worked together?”
“You mean combined forces?”
“Yeah, used our superpowers for good.”
His metaphor has me laughing. “We did. Look at how far we’ve come, Ethan.” Running my hands through his hair, I stare up into his eyes. “We went from competing and trying to piss each other off to having lunch together in my office and you consoling me out of concern.”
With a light press of his lips to mine, he says, “I never thought I’d get this far with another woman again, Amelia. I…my feelings for you…” He takes a deep breath. “They’re really fucking strong. Seriously, it scares me how much I enjoy being with you.”
“I feel the same way,” I reply, rising on my tiptoes and pressing my mouth to his, knowing that he can’t say those things and not see a future with me. And as we kiss, I relinquish that last little bit of restraint I was holding onto for my feelings for him.
The past two months of dating Ethan have made me realize everything I was missing before in other relationships. Even though Ethan and I are opposites in many ways, we balance each other out. I can make him smile and relax when I know he struggles with that. He really is an incredible father to his son, which makes him even sexier to me, and I love being able to spend time with him and Oliver together. Our physical connection is unreal as well, something that is extremely important to me because I feel safe and confident with him.
And I know it’s early to think this way, but after last weekend when they swam at my house and how Ethan makes me feel every time we’re together, all I see is my future with these two guys—they are who I want in my life. It’s like those daydreams I had as a little girl are finally becoming a reality, and the man in those visions, whose face was always blurry, is starting to look like Ethan.
“So, do you want to hear something funny that will hopefully turn your day around?” Ethan asks when we part.
“Okay…”
“Now, I just want to preface this story with the notion that what my son did is not your fault.”
Now I’m taking a step back from him. “Oh my God, Ethan. What did Oliver do?”
He runs a hand through his hair as we stand there. “I swear to God, nothing can prepare you for the choices that children make sometimes. No parent is equipped to handle this shit, no matter how together you think you have it.”
“You’re scaring me. Is he okay?” I shriek, borderline manic now, afraid I did something to hurt his kid.
“Calm down. He’s fine. I just…” He bites his lip, fighting his laughter. “I got a phone call from Oliver’s teacher this morning regarding the story and picture he created the other day in class. Each Monday morning, they share what they did over the weekend, and Oliver recalled how he fell off a spinning pole and hit his head last weekend.”
I freeze, my eyes bugging out of my head as my mouth drops open. “No…”
“Yup. My son basically drew a picture of himself looking like a stripper and wrote a sentence or two to back it up.”
I fall forward, bracing my hands on my knees as laughter bubbles out of me. “Oh. My. God.”
Ethan holds his stomach as he joins me, laughing so hard we can barely breathe. “I swear, I didn’t even know what to say. And then I had to explain to her what had happened. I told his teacher that it happened on a jungle gym, not in your house, and I think she bought it. But holy shit...”
“I’ve traumatized your son, Ethan!”
“No.” He shakes his head, still laughing. “He’s five, Amelia. He’s going to talk about weird shit and tell stories. This isn’t the first time he’s done something like that. I remember the first time I cussed in front of him in the car. I told some fucker to get out of my way. Then a few days later, we were in the grocery store, and some lady had her cart blocking the aisle, so Oliver said to her, ‘Hey, fucker. Get out of the way!’”
“I’m…I don’t even know what to say to that.” My cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing.
“Same. He was three. But this whole conversation made you laugh, didn’t it?”
Nodding, I walk back over to him and throw my arms around his neck. “It did. You have this uncanny ability to make me smile after I feel pretty sad. It’s one of my favorite things about you.”
“You’re welcome. By the way, I was wondering if you’d like to take Oliver to the zoo with me on Sunday? They have—”
“I’ll be there.”
His eyebrows pop up. “Wow. Just like that, you agree? I thought for sure I’d have to convince you a little more.”
I shake my head at him. “Nope. I told you, I’m in this. Plus, it’s been years since I’ve been to the zoo, and the last time I went, it was with the girls. Penelope was drunk by one o’clock, and we were kindly asked to leave when she tried to get the gorilla to hump the glass.”
“She’s special, isn’t she?”
“You have no idea.”
Ethan glances over at the clock on my wall. “We have fifteen minutes of lunch left. Care to let me take care of you in another way before I have to get back to work?”
“What did you have in mind?”
He backs me up to my desk, lifting me up and setting me on top of it. “Well, I am still hungry. Perhaps I’ll find something to satisfy my appetite down here.” And then he slowly lowers himself to the ground, lifts my dress, and makes me come on his tongue, turning my entire day around yet again.
* * *