Ethan and I were staying in a hotel in a complex nearby that had a theater and restaurants. We went straight to the room so he could get changed. We stepped in, closed the door, and quickly enjoyed some time alone in each other’s arms. When he released me so he could get ready for dinner, I slipped off my shoes and crawled onto the bed. I fluffed the pillows and stretched out. I turned onto my side, propped my head on my hand, and looked at him. Ethan was standing perfectly still, watching me, one eyebrow raised.
After a few seconds, Ethan put his hands on his hips and looked at the ceiling. He said, “Evi, you can’t just lie there. Get up and go stand by the door.”
“What? Are you crazy?” I laughed as I replied.
“No, I’m not crazy! There is no way I can stand to be in this room with you if you are going to be lying in bed like that staring at me.”
With a puzzled expression, I gaped at him. “Seriously? You want me to stand by the door while you change? Are you really that modest Ethan?”
“Oh no! This is not about modesty at all. This is about getting you off of the bed or we aren’t going to leave the room.”
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. “Oh.” I blushed a little. “Well, what’s wrong with spending time alone together before dinner?”
“Evi, I want to go to dinner first. We have all night to be alone babe. I can hardly wait.”
“Why can’t we be alone before and after dinner?” I asked in a very flirty tone.
“Evi, stop it. Get off of that bed and go stand by the door. Now! Please. I want to wait until after dinner so we have all night together. You’re not making this easy.” He looked expectant of my accommodating his request. I really liked his bossy side. It felt like a challenge.
“Fine Ethan. If me lying here on this bed is that irresistible to you, I’d hate to torture you for another second. But, I am going to watch you change your clothes.”
I put my shoes back on and stood against the door dramatically acting like I was being held to it by restraints. He laughed at me and rolled his eyes.
Ethan started changing quickly. I was giggling at him losing balance and being so hurried. As he was putting his shorts on, he was moving so fast, I finally burst out laughing.
“What the heck is so funny Everclear?”
Barely able to speak through gasps for air, I yelled, “Ethan, I never, ever thought I’d be a girl whose boyfriend would be so adverse to being with her, that he’s willing to actually put his clothes on his body like he’s in a fast forward movie! My goodness, you can’t seem to get dressed fast enough. I’ve always thought this scenario would be in reverse. I figured if I wanted to make love to you, like I do, you’d be taking your clothes off at this speed. If this weren’t so hilarious, I’d probably be offended!”
Ethan was laughing too, “Evi, stop it! I just want to get to dinner.”
“Geez, you sure are obsessed with dinner tonight.” Suddenly a strange thought entered my mind, and before I could think about it I asked, “Ethan, you aren’t going to break up with me tonight are you?” I was joking with him, but like I said, the thought did cross my mind.
“God no Evi! Would I be standing here half naked if I were breaking up with you? Don’t be ridiculous. I love you. You know that!”
“Ah, just checking.” I smiled and winked at him, but I was getting impatient.
“Ethan?”
He paused to look at me, “What now Evi?”
“I want you to know that I don’t need a bed to make you want me. I can get you over here to me with one word.” I smiled in a sly way.
“Evi, don’t. Can you please just let me get ready?”
“Ethan, stand still and look at me.” He had put his shirt on, but he hadn’t buttoned it nor his shorts yet. He paused.
“Okay, fine Evi. I’ll play. Let’s see who is stronger.”
I shifted my position against the door, arching my back, sliding one foot up, and pressing my hands flat on the surface by my sides. I whispered in a sultry tone, letting him know how much I truly wanted him, “Pleeease…”
He didn’t hesitate. Ethan rushed over to me, dropped to his knees, lifted my shirt, and licked my stomach. His lips, tongue and hands moved up my body. He stood, then pressed every part of him into me as he kissed me. He pulled my leg up over his hip and I held on. My hands were inside his shirt gripped to his back.
Once I was so dizzy, I could hardly stand, he pulled back from me. Slowing his panting to even deep breaths he said, “That was a good word Everclear, but I’m stronger. You’re going to have to wait. Besides, no matter how that turned out, I was going to be the winner.” He literally grinned at me, stepped back, pulled my top down, and buttoned his own shirt.
I was dumbfounded, but able to laugh. I didn’t try again to lure him, after all, he was right.
Since my mood had been shut down, I decided I should pressure him to hurry. “Ugh! Ethan, let’s go. Didn’t the Army teach you to get dressed faster than this?”
“You’re killing me Evi! Stop it. I’d be dressed by now if you’d quit interrupting.”
When Ethan was finally ready, we left the room and continued our evening.
At dinner, we made plans for camping trips and we talked about all the things we would do together at home that we had never done before. The month was going to be so weird, and so fun. Suddenly, it occurred to us both that no one knew we were seeing each other except my parents and Jarren. We had never told anyone else that Ethan had been coming to visit me in Charleston. We decided we’d tell everyone, but maybe save how serious our relationship had grown for some other time.
When we left the restaurant and got in my car, Ethan asked in a quiet voice, “Mind if we skip a movie Evi?”
I answered, “Of course not. Are you tired from traveling all day? Do you want to go back to the room?”
“No, let’s drive downtown. There’s a bookstore I want to go to before it closes.”
“Okay,” I replied quizzically.
His suggestion seemed out of the ordinary, but I was fully aware that we hadn’t had a normal relationship to that point, so I figured he liked bookstores. Ethan drove us downtown because he knew right where he wanted to go.
The sun was still up since it doesn’t set until almost ten p.m. in Idaho during the summer. The stores were open until nine. We had plenty of time for Ethan to shop.
We parked. He opened my door for me, and we walked the few blocks to the shop of his choice. The little store was tucked between a deli and a bakery in a historical brick building. It long and narrow with hardwood floors, wooden shelves, and it had a high ceiling with dropped warehouse style light fixtures.
When we walked into the bookstore, we immediately parted and wandered in different directions. Since this detour was his idea, I gave him space while I browsed for a few minutes.
The clerk tapping on a keyboard caught my attention. I saw Ethan at the register. I meandered a bit more making my way to him. When I stepped to his side I put my hand on his lower back to wait for him to pay. I glanced at the book laying on the counter, and I saw something unexpected and surprising. It was a Bible. It was beautiful. My brow pinched and I opened my mouth to ask about it.
“I’ll tell you in a minute,” he said smiling.
“Okay,” I quietly replied.
After his purchase was complete, we went outside. Ethan stopped me at the nearest bench and invited me to sit beside him. He opened up the Bible and took a pen out of his pocket. He signed his name on the “Records of Family Marriages” page.
I started shaking.
Ethan said to me, never losing eye contact, “My grandpa told me that in his day, people didn’t need formal certificates to say they were married. Couples were married when they agreed to love only each other forever, when they agreed to love only each other for richer or poorer, when they agreed to love only each other for better or worse, in sickness and in health, and, most important, when they said these vows and made these promises before God
. They sealed marriages by writing their names in their family Bible. This is now our family Bible.”
He took out two rings, a gold band for him and a diamond band for me and said, “I know you remember, quite well, the last time I asked you to marry me Evi. It was the most important moment of my life and I meant it. I promise you, I meant it. That single moment is one I will never regret, and one I will always love more than any other. Now, I want to ask you again,” he held the diamond band out to me, “Everclear Jordan, will you marry me forever?”
“Yes!” I replied in elation. Tears fell out of pure happiness.
Ethan put the ring on my finger, then he put on his own ring. After I signed my name in the Bible, he wrote the date, 25th of May, 2012.
“Evi, you know I can’t legally get married. I’d be expelled from school, but I want you to know that my promises to love you truly are forever. As far as I am concerned we are married now, forever. Do you understand me?”
I couldn’t speak. There was nothing for me to say except, “Yes.” I wrapped my arms around his neck as we kissed.
I took the little black velvet bag from his hand that had held our rings and I put it in my pocket. I mustered up, “I’ll keep the rings safe and with me everywhere I go Ethan, I promise. And, I will keep the Bible too.” And that I did.
Ethan’s insistence that we wait until after dinner to be together now made perfect sense. He was so thoughtful and loving. At that point in time, we had only been together twice. Thankfully, we had the whole night and the next morning ahead of us. We went back to our room and thoroughly enjoyed being alone. We made love again, and again, and again the next morning, as a married couple, at least in our minds. We had another wonderful secret.
I took Ethan to Ponderosa the next afternoon. We decided to act casual around his family. We knew Brody and Kieron would be at his house and would probably give me strange looks since I was their best buddy. I also knew Brody would want details, but I wanted Ethan to give that explanation this time.
Confidently, we walked into Ethan’s parents’ house together. As suspected, strange looks were sent my way courtesy of my two besties. No one asked why I was the friend who had picked him up, and I was glad, because I would not have had a response.
Everyone was so excited to see Ethan, they didn’t bother to ask questions. They jumped up, gathered around and hugged him. I had had the past twenty-four hours alone with him, including a marriage, so I let myself out quietly.
Backing out of their front door, I stole one more glance at the man of dreams. Ethan was watching me. He gave me the most beautiful smile and a wink. It felt like there were magnets in my heart pulling towards him. I felt like I was truly leaving my husband behind. It didn’t seem fair. I managed to blow him a little kiss, then I closed the door.
The Parker’s were having a party that night, so we both knew I’d be back soon. Ethan would have time to pose for photos, eat treats that his grandma baked him, and answer all of his mom’s questions before all of their friends began arriving.
A nap was on my agenda. I went home for a few hours, slept, ate, and got ready for my first public evening in Ponderosa with my boyfriend, no husband, no boyfriend.
Assuming I had given the Parkers ample time to catch up and enjoy Ethan as a family, I returned to Ethan’s house that evening a little before eight. I parked and instead of going to the back gate, I was going to enter through the front door. Walking down the sloped, circular driveway, I heard a car door shut behind me. I looked back and Kieron had clambered out of someone’s car. My instinct was to wait for him to catch up, so I paused.
Though I probably should not have been shocked, I was.
“Geez Kieron! I can not believe you! You’re drunk! You can’t go into the Parkers’ house like this. What is wrong with you?” I scolded him, but it was pointless. Not much of anything was going to be comprehensible to him in that state.
Kieron draped his arm over my shoulders and started mumbling something in my face about us being together or dating again this summer. I wasn’t sure what he was saying, so I sort of laughed then turned my head away from him rolling my eyes.
That guy had no idea how much I had changed in the past ten months, heck the past two months. I put my arm around his waist to try to hold him up, but he started getting a little too affectionate with me. We was trying to wrap his arms around me. He started pressing his nose to my ear and my neck as he continued mumbling.
When he started kissing my neck and trying to kiss me, I yelled, “Kieron! You need to stop. You also need to call someone to come get you. You should not be here like this.”
Even though he was crossing lines, I was still trying to hold him up. He was getting too heavy, and I wasn’t going to be able to keep his hands off of me much longer.
I texted Ethan with my free hand, “Get out front. Hurry!”
Ethan didn’t hesitate! He was fast. He ran out the door to the driveway, grabbed Kieron and commanded, “Let him go Evi! Move!” Ethan was angry at first. However, once he realized how drunk Kieron was, he relaxed a bit and seemed more annoyed than anything.
As Ethan hoisted Kieron from under his arms I yelped, “Ouch! Kieron! What the heck? You jerk, let go of my hair!”
Kieron laughed and in a groggy, incoherent way, mumbled to Ethan, “I love her man.”
“Let her go Kieron, and no you don’t.”
I peeled my entangled hair from between Kieron’s fingers. He shifted his hold onto Ethan freeing me from his grip. Kieron and I never had an issue with personal space, so I wasn’t shocked at him for grabbing onto me. I looked at Ethan and shook my head.
“Two sleeping bags huh Evi? Wise choice,” Ethan said to me. I bent over and screamed a laugh. Smiling and shaking his head, Ethan said, “Oh Evi, you and your emergencies! You scare me.”
“Well did this one count Ethan? I couldn’t handle him on my own? He was sliding all over me, breathing in my ear, trying to kiss me, and apparently attached to my hair!”
“Yeah! I’ll give you this one babe.” Ethan laughed, but he has been trained for real crises, so my constant “Help me!” messages were very amusing to him.
Without much effort, Ethan got Kieron into the house and put him in one of their guest bedrooms. It was evident that Ethan was not inexperienced with Kieron’s state. He whispered in such a big brother way, “Kieron, dude, sleep it off. I put a trashcan right here beside you in case you need it. I’ll check on you in a little while.”
Just as he was passing out, Kieron grabbed Ethan’s arm, and although he thought he was whispering, he was not, he said, “Ethan, hey make sure no one gets near Evi. We’re dating again. I think she’s saving herself for me.”
Ethan and I snickered, and I made a quiet gag sound. Kieron was out. Ethan turned to me, put his hands on my hips, and pulled my lower body tight to his. I placed my hands on each of his shoulders. He said, “No Kieron, she saved herself for me,” and he kissed me so slowly. Oh, another kiss that left me wanting to climb all over him.
We heard a slurred voice from behind us mumble, “I heard that.”
We stopped kissing and Ethan turned to him and said, “Good!”
Kieron was out.
Hoping no one would notice, we walked down the hall to Ethan’s room, closed the door and locked it. Although, in the back of my mind, I didn’t really care because we were married.
We leaned against the door, and I stood up on my tiptoes so I could be close to Ethan’s face. I whispered to him, “Exactly one year ago, we stood alone in this room. It was the first time I had ever stood face to face, alone with a boy. Right here, in this very spot, you broke an innocent young girl’s heart by telling her you loved someone else. You broke her heart when you told her she should go find the one who was going to love only her and pursue only her.” I was teasing him at first, but unexpectedly, it hurt at the same time.
“Oh, please don’t remind me of that Evi. Please don’t,” he whispered and couldn’t look at me.
“Of course you did. I’m so glad you waited for me. The instant you touched me that night, I knew without a doubt, that I was going to come for you. I just didn’t know how or when. I’m here. We’re here.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Ethan bent down, scooped me into his arms, and carried me to his bed. He slid his hands up my skirt, but I wiggled away from him smiling. I wanted him, but he needed to be stopped. I reminded him, “Ethaaan, you have guests. This is going to have to wait a few more hours. Besides, we need to figure out how to have time alone now that we’re home. I don’t want to be with you in your parents’ house or in my parents’ house. It feels so deceitful.”
Ethan whispered while kissing my neck over and over again, “Okay. We’ll wait until we’re alone. I think we’ll be spending a lot of time down on the beach, and I know we’ll be camping a lot over the next three weeks!”
I giggled, wrapped my legs around him and agreed wholeheartedly.
We went out and joined the party and had a great night with all of our high school friends. We ate, played games, sat by the fire, and slid down the hill to the beach.
Everyone figured out at Ethan’s party that we were dating. After all, we couldn’t keep our hands or lips off of each other.
Those three weeks we spent in Ponderosa, Ethan and I camped as many times as we possible so we could be alone. We hiked. We fished. We played in the rivers. We soaked in the hot springs. It was wonderful simply enjoying one another. We slept in two sleeping bags… which we zipped together of course.
We loved our camping trips because we wore our wedding rings when no one else was around. Otherwise, they were always with me, either in a pocket or in a purse. I didn’t go anywhere without our rings. Every minute of the three weeks we spent together was perfect.
Chapter 19
Just for Now Page 15
