With sudden clarity, the reality of what happened this morning slams into me.
Will Ethan regret last night? Will he change his mind about us?
A sad laugh escapes me.It’s too early for there to be an us.
Despite what my silly heart wants to lament, I should be worried Allison will make Ethan fire me.
See,tontita, this is why you don’t hook up with your employer.
The thought makes me pause because Ethan doesn’t feel like my boss exactly. I mean, I work hard around here, but I like him and his family, and he really does feel like a friend at this point. And, hell yeah, I like him as more than a friend.
Standing in the doorway of my room, I force myself to bite the bullet and see what kind of fallout happened after I returned to the house.
I find Ethan leaning against the kitchen counter. Shoulders slumped, head down, he looks deep in thought. Off to the side, Mila’s coloring at the table. Her eyes are puffy, and her cheeks are flushed.
“Hey. Where’s Cody?” I ask softly, afraid that a loud sound will shatter whatever fragile state they’re in.
I park myself next to Mila, and she immediately hops out of her seat and into my lap.
When I kiss the top of her head, it’s hard to miss the fact no one brushed her hair this morning. “Hey, honey. Did you have a good time with your momma?”
She shrugs and wipes her eyes. Although Allison’s Lexus was parked a decent distance from the truck—I could barely see it along the side of the house when I came in—I’m guessing Mila and her brother were still in the back seat. Based on Mila’s expression, she probably heard everyone yelling.
Ethan clears his throat, still not looking at me. “Cody’s with Logan. They’ll be back soon.”
Hugging Mila, I ask her if she’s hungry, but all she does is sniffle.
When Ethan finally turns and we make eye contact, I mouth, “I’m so sorry.”
God, I am. Sorry for not coming in the house last night when he suggested it. For not getting up earlier this morning. For opening my mouth around Allison.
Let’s not forget the underwear.
Hot shame burns my skin as this morning replays on fast-forward through my mind.
Ethan gives me a tight-lipped shake of his head, and I’m not totally sure what it means, but I do know this family has been through too much this morning to worry about me. He might fire me as soon as he’s done with his cup of coffee, and that would hurt, but I’d understand.
Right now, though, nothing is more important than cheering up the little girl in my arms, so I swallow back the thick knot of embarrassment.
“Mila, baby, how do you feel about Mickey Mouse pancakes? Someone recently reminded me that pancakes always make everything better. Think you might want to help me whip up a batch?” It takes everything in me to keep my voice light. To pretend I’m okay. To focus on her instead of my own bruised pride.
She perks up in my arms and nods. “Yeah, I can help. Can I stir the batter? I like stirring the batter.”
There’s my sweet girl.
Ethan gives me a half-smile.
I’ll take it.
Ethan
The morning is fucking awkward. Blue balls aside, that is.
And while I’d love to pull Tori aside to apologize, she’s getting my daughter to smile for the first time since she got home from her mother’s, and I’d do almost anything to help Mila forget all the crap her mother screamed at me.
Tori’s sweet voice fills the kitchen as she ignores all the embarrassing shit that went down an hour ago and makes my daughter breakfast. As they’re serving it up, the front door opens, and Logan strolls in with Cody.
Pulling up a bar stool next to me, he whispers, “Medusa gone?”
