“Lucy, what’d I tell you about that damn phone,” Noah barked in his ‘Dad’ voice. In response, Lucy’s eyes rolled so far back in her head I worried they’d get stuck that way.
“God, Dad. Chill out. I’m just texting Krista real quick. I’ll put it away in a second.” She went right back to her phone and commenced texting like her tall, built, intimidating-to-everyone-else-on-the-planet-except-her father hadn’t said a word. I had to give it to the girl, she had some balls.
“I swear to Christ,” Noah grumbled while swinging his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Pre-teen girls are going to be the death of me. I don’t remember you ever being such a massive pain in my ass, Eliza. Maybe you can teach my girl here a few things.”
Lucy, unfazed by her father’s words, simply snorted and turned to head for the house, eyes still on her phone.
“Eliza was always the exception to the rule,” Ethan said in a soft voice, causing my body to go stiff. I wasn’t going to look at him. I wasn’t. But I could hear the reverence in his tone and my stupid eye-balls just wouldn’t listen, tipping in his direction against my will. Those honey-colored eyes of his flashed as soon as mine hit them, shining with sincerity that I just couldn’t handle at that moment.
“What the hell’s everyone standing around the driveway for?” My father’s booming voice called from the open front door. I used his appearance as my means of escape, pulling away from our small group to go to him.
“Hey, Daddy.” I gave him a genuine smile and stood on my tip-toes to kiss his scowling cheek.
“You don’t come home enough,” he huffed.
With a laugh, I said, “I just saw you yesterday, old man. Plus, you come to the café for lunch almost every day. And I was here for dinner last week!”
“Still not enough,” he grumbled, but he did it, wrapping me in a tight bear hug. There was nothing better than one of my father’s hugs. With the exception of heartbreak, they could pretty much mend anything. “I think you should consider moving back in here.”
At that all too familiar topic, my head fell back on a groan. “Not again, Dad. We’ve talked about this a million times.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by Chloe. I could have kissed the woman. “Leave her alone, Derrick. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and her apartment’s only a few minutes away. You’re being ridiculous.”
Shooting her a murderous glare before turning away, he announced to everyone, “Let’s eat!”
AS IF HAVING dinner with Ethan present wasn’t bad enough, he’d taken the seat right across from me so it was damn near impossible to avoid eye contact. And even though, I’d somehow managed I could feel his gaze like a tangible thing along my skin. The few times I accidentally looked up, or my curiosity forced me to, he was staring back at me with an expression on his face that I couldn’t read.
My belly dipped every time I saw his eyes glimmer, making me hate myself for my reaction. I didn’t want to feel anything for him other than disdain. Unfortunately, my body had other ideas. He’d always been attractive. I wasn’t blind growing up, but once my childhood crush waned, the obsession with his appearance had fallen to the back burner. However, grown up Eliza couldn’t help but notice just how fine Ethan had grown up to be.
And damn, was that man fine.
My father’s voice cut through my head, bringing me back to real time. “So, Ethan, how’s the knee feeling?”
I begrudgingly found myself looking in his direction, waiting for his answer. Old Eliza cared about Ethan’s wellbeing more than her own. It appeared that was a particularly hard habit to break.
“It’s fine. Getting better every day.” My chest squeezed uncomfortably, because despite his casual return, I could see the tension tightening the skin around his mouth and eyes. That was something that only I’d been able to read when we were younger, and that still seemed to be the case today.
“He’s been doing PT with Fletch and is down to only one crutch,” Harlow chirped like he was just days away from being fully healed. Ethan’s face grew tighter, telling me just how badly he was handling not being in the game. I knew exactly how much football meant to him and seeing that pain on his face, although masked well, made me sad for him. I didn’t want to care, but I wasn’t a heartless person. I just couldn’t help it.
“That’s good, son,” Dad replied. “We’ve missed watching you on Sunday’s. Next season will be here before you know it.”
The fork in Ethan’s hand looked like it was seconds away from being bent in half thanks to his white-knuckled grip. I wasn’t sure exactly what possessed me to do it, but I found myself speaking up to divert attention. “Noah, how’s the high school team looking this year? Sorry I haven’t been able to make it to any of the games. Things with the café have been crazy.”
The conversation smoothly transitioned from Ethan to Pembrooke High and when my eyes skated past his to return to my plate I couldn’t miss the thankful smile he shot my way. I ignored the look and rubbed my head.
The sharp pains in my temples had returned throughout dinner, shooting daggers through my skull at a faster rate. I needed to get away from that table, and fast. My rioting emotions when it came to Ethan, coupled with the screams of the three spawns of Satan at the other end of the table were a recipe for disaster.
“Hey.” At the sound of Ethan’s insistent voice I had no choice but to look at him. And the concern marring his brow only made the tightness in my chest worse, and added a belly flip for good measure. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I answered shortly, picking up my fork and stabbing at a piece of roast on my plate. In spite of the fact my stomach was protesting the thought of food, I was more than willing to shovel the rest of my dinner into my mouth if it meant I could get out of there faster.
“You don’t look fine,” he continued to push. “You’re really pale, kiddo.”
Now it was my fork in danger of being bent in half. “He’s right, baby girl,” my father spoke carefully from beside me at the head of the table. “You’re not looking too good. Is it a migraine?”
I clenched my eyes shut and nodded. I had no choice but to tell the truth. That damned incessant pain in my head wasn’t going to let up. With each passing minute, it was growing closer and closer to becoming unbearable. I pulled in a deep breath and pushed up from my chair, holding on to the edge of the table for balance. “I need to get home before it’s so bad I can’t drive.”
My father shot up and wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me to his side so he could take most of my weight. “Like hell you do. You aren’t driving like this, Eliza. You can stay here tonight.”
“And sleep where?” I asked with a chuckle, immediately wincing when the noise sliced through my head. “Dad, I need dark and quiet. I love all of you more than anything, but you have to admit, that’s not something I can get here.”
He looked like he wanted to argue but didn’t seeing as I was totally right.
“I’ll take her home.”
My eyes went wide at Ethan’s declaration. “Good idea, son,” Dad spoke up. Noah nodded in agreement. Son of a bitch. Neither of them knew about what went down between me and Ethan. Men were so freaking clueless it was painful.
I was just about to protest when Harlow jumped into the fray, bless her heart. “Oh, you don’t have to. I’ll take her home.”
“Wildflower, you’ve had two glasses of wine already,” Noah pointed out, earning himself a killing look from his wife. He looked startled. Poor guy had no clue what he’d just done to earn her wrath.
“Then I’ll take her.” Chloe stood from her chair and began to move my way.
“That doesn’t make sense, sunshine,” Dad argued. “You’d have to go there and come back. If Ethan takes her, he can stay to make sure she’s okay, and Noah and Harlow can just swing by to pick him up on their way home.”
I watched with growing panic as Harlow and Chloe’s faces fell in defeat. My father’s argument was j
ust too solid. Sometimes I really hated his stupid cop brain.
“That settles it,” Ethan spoke, standing from the table and grabbing the one crutch. He reahed into the pocket of his jeans — jeans which fit him really well, I’d unfortunately noticed — and pulled out a set of keys, tossing them to my dad. “I’m moving a little slower these days. You mind getting her into my truck, Derrick?”
Dad caught the keys and all but carried me out of the house.
And just like that, thanks to my traitorous head, I was forced to spend alone time with the enemy.
Ethan
SEEING ELIZA IN so much pain twisted my gut into painful knots that only squeezed tighter with every pained moan or whimper that came from her as we made the drive to her apartment. Maneuvering her up the steps was a definite struggle, but I somehow managed to get her up, and find her keys in her purse without jostling her too much. It was once we got inside that things became more difficult.
“What’s going on?” I looked from where I held Eliza close to my side toward the woman standing from the couch. “Holy shit. Ethan?”
“Lilly?” I asked the blonde standing in front of us who looked somewhat familiar. I’d only met her a couple of times back in the day. She was one of Eliza’s closest friends, but she’d lived in Jackson Hole so I didn’t see her all that often.
“What the hell happened?” she asked, rushing to Eliza and cupping her cheeks.
“Migraine,” Eliza answered in a small voice. “Just need one of my pills and sleep. I’ll be okay.” She sounded far from okay, and just hearing that ripped at my heart.
“Oh, babe,” Lilly mumbled. “Okay. I’ll take care of it.” To my surprise, she moved to my girl’s other side and tried pulling her from my arms. “I got her, Ethan. You can go now.”
“What?”
The look she gave me was anything but friendly. “I said you can go. I’ll take care of her.”
Something proprietary coursed through my veins at her sharp words, and I found myself holding tighter to Eliza. She was mine. “Like hell I’m leaving. I’ll take care of her.”
Lilly’s face pinched up in distaste. “She doesn’t need you. You’ve already caused enough damage. Just leave. Let someone who actually cares about her take care of her.”
My eyes widened as anger began to simmer in my blood. “You think I don’t care about her?”
“I think you’ve already proven just how much you care,” she scoffed and pulled at Eliza. “Just let her go. This isn’t going to win you any brownie points.”
I tugged her back against me. “Fuck that,” I growled. “I fucking care, and I’m not going anywhere.” Oh, if she only knew just how much I cared about Eliza.
The two of us were in a standoff so intense that neither of us noticed Eliza’s whimpers. “Jesus!” Lilly snapped. “How selfish can you be? Just leave her alone.” She gave another tug.
“I’m. Not. Leaving,” I ground out.
We instantly stopped struggling when Eliza’s pained voice croaked, “I’m going to be sick.”
“Shit,” Lilly breathed.
Eliza lurched, trying to get away, but I refused to let go. Holding most of her weight, I dropped my crutch and began leading her to the bathroom down the hall. We managed to make it just seconds before she lost the entire contents of her stomach in the toilet.
That tightening in my own stomach returned as I held her hair in one hand, using the other to rub soothing circles on her back as she heaved and groaned at the same time. “Shh. It’s okay, sweetheart.” I tried my best to comfort her, all the while feeling like the biggest shit for not being able to take her pain away.
Once she was finished, I helped her to the sink to rinse her mouth and all but carried her into what I hoped was her bedroom, so consumed with taking care of her that I hadn’t even noticed the pain in my knee. I just wanted to make her better. In that moment, I’d have given anything to make her better. I pulled the covers back and helped ease her in. Not wanting to be far from her, I climbed into the bed, resting my back against the headboard and shifted so that her head was in my lap.
“Here.” Lilly rushed into the room with a glass of water and a pill in her hand. “I have your migraine pill, sweetie. I need you to sit up and take it for me. It’ll just take a second, can you do that?”
“Yeah,” she whispered, coming up on one elbow, eyes still clenched closed.
Once she finished, she laid her head back on my thigh with a sigh. Lilly disappeared for a few minutes before coming back with a damp washcloth that she rested across Eliza’s forehead. While she was gone, I’d been running my fingers through Eliza’s hair, memorizing the soft, silky feel of it. Her body eventually loosened and her breathing evened out, and I knew she was asleep. Lilly looked like she wanted to rip my head off with her bare hands but was holding back because her friend finally seemed to be comfortable. “I don’t like this,” she whispered. “I think you’re an asshole, but she’s comfortable right now so I’m going to let it slide.”
“Big of you,” I grumbled back defensively, even though I knew I really had no right to be defensive.
“But so help me God, Prewitt, if you hurt her again, missing one season is going to be the least of your worries.”
My jaw ticked as I clenched my teeth so tight I was surprised one of them didn’t break. “I won’t,” I finally answered. What I didn't say was that I couldn't hurt her again. Because there was no way I'd survive causing Eliza that kind of pain for a second time. Living without her for six years was like walking around with a missing limb. Now that I'd returned, I knew there was no way I could go back to that existence.
With one last glare, she headed for the door, shut off the bedroom light, and pulled the door closed behind her, leaving me alone with the biggest regret of my life. I managed to settle myself enough to prop my injured knee and pulled my cellphone from my pocket.
Ethan: Don’t pick me up. I’m staying here tonight.
My sister took less than a minute to respond.
Harlow: I don’t think that’s a good idea.
I felt my jaw clench again.
Ethan: Wasn’t asking your opinion, sis. I’m staying here. She’s not okay, and I’m not leaving her.
Her following response made my gut clench again and my chest squeeze so tight it felt like someone’s fist was wrapped around it.
Harlow: She wasn’t okay after you left the first time. None of us were. But don’t make her go through that again.
I shoved my phone into my pocket without replying. I didn’t think I could have possibly felt any worse than I already had, but picturing Eliza hurting and crushed after leaving her behind six years ago killed more than anything I’d ever experienced. Shifting down in the bed, I pulled Eliza more firmly against me until her whole body was fitted against my side. She mumbled incoherently and snuggled deeper, making my insides warm. One of my arms instinctively wrapped firmly around her, holding her in place as if I was afraid she’d disappear.
Everything about her, the warm, soft curves of her body pressed against me, the softness of her hair as I continued to run my fingers through it, the subtle smell of her, something like vanilla and almonds, it all hit me with the force of a Mack truck. Yes, I’d missed her like crazy. I made a huge mistake in throwing her away years ago, but something about this… now… it felt different. The fear I’d experienced at discovering I was falling for my best friend… my sixteen-year-old best friend, was gone. She was an adult now, so it was like those mental blocks I’d thrown up years ago had come crashing to the ground.
I couldn’t remember ever feeling the way about Eliza that I felt as I lay there in her bed, surrounded by her intoxicating sent. I wasn’t a stranger to lust and attraction. I’d had my fair share of plenty since being drafted into the NFL. It was amazing how many women threw themselves at pro football players. But what I was feeling for Eliza just then was stronger than anything I’d ever felt for another woman.
And fuck if that didn’t
make me feel the world’s biggest asshole.
Because I’d thrown it all away
AT SOME POINT in the middle of the night, my bladder woke me up from the most comfortable sleep I’d had in years. The last thing I wanted to do was untangle my and Eliza’s bodies, but nature called, and a grown ass man, pissing her bed wasn’t something I thought she’d take too kindly to.
I slid gently from the bed, not wanting to wake her, and slowly made my way to the bathroom. My knee throbbed like a bitch as I made my way across the hall and used the bathroom. I rummaged around the medicine cabinet for some ibuprofen, knowing if I didn’t take something, I’d feel it even worse in the morning. When I came up empty, I decided to check out the kitchen in the hopes they stashed their meds in there. What I hadn’t expected was for Lilly to be awake and standing in the kitchen.
“Sneaking out?”
I frowned as I pulled open a cabinet door. “Just looking for some pain meds. Knee’s killing me.”
She stood silent for several seconds as I rummaged through the cabinets, coming up empty. Finally, with a resounding sigh, she moved to the other side of the space and opened a cabinet, then tossed me a bottle of ibuprofen. “Here. This should help.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled as I popped the cap and put the bottle to my lips, swallowing three tablets dry.
“Welcome.”
We stood there, wrapped in uncomfortable quiet for a few minutes before I finally couldn’t take it any longer. “I know I hurt her,” I spoke, staring down at the pill bottle in my hands as I peeled back the label with my thumb nail. “I’m not here to do it again, whether you believe that or not. I want to make things right.”
She didn’t say a word, forcing my gaze to meet hers as she studied me closely. “Can I ask you a question?”
Coming Full Circle (the Pembrooke series Book 2) Page 6
