by Rose Haven
“Is everything okay?”
Toni shook her head, “Just adjusting to life as a real adult. You know, no more classes, study sessions and frat parties.”
A sense of unease washed over Ethan as he took in her stiff posture and her inability to look him in the eyes. He figured she was uneasy about their future because they hadn’t talked about it. But he was ready to put her mind at ease and unleashed the smile that always made her melt. “Well in the spirit of adulthood I think the time has come for us to talk about our future.” This time her smile was genuine and he knew he was on the right track.
“I do too.”
“Me first,” he said in that usually cocky manner of his.
Her hazel eyes widened and years later he would recognize it as fear rather than the surprise he thought it was. “I think we should break up.”
At the same time Ethan said “Will you marry me?” His thoughts cleared first. “What do you mean you want to break up?”
Toni’s shoulders sagged and his blood ran cold. “Ethan you’re a great guy but let’s face it, we’re too different. I come from old money and your family is worth less than a hundred million.”
“And?” He could hear the defensiveness in his voice, that sharp razor that cut the air.
“And I need someone more suited to me and my lifestyle.”
“Your lifestyle?” He was incredulous. “You haven’t made one dollar yet and you already have a lifestyle?”
“My father is very wealthy, more than yours anyway.” She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.
Ethan noticed the blond country club cutout walking towards her. “I guess you’ve already picked out someone with a few more zeros in his trust fund?” She nodded and Ethan decided she wasn’t worth fighting for. Wasn’t worth another minute of his time. “Okay then.” He walked away. Away from Toni and away from love. Away from any more foolish notions of happily ever after.
He hated thinking about that day but he was glad he had because it would make his resolve stronger when Vance inevitably tried to change his mind. Again. He shook his head, “Dad it isn’t going to happen. I’m leaving SE and that’s final.”
“No I don’t accept that Ethan. Look I know I didn’t do right by you for many years and I’m so damn sorry about that, I truly am. But I don’t want you to go and neither do your brothers so just think about it. Just because they found love right away doesn’t mean you have to.” He smiled into the fire burning in the stone hearth. “You’ve always forged your own path son. I don’t see why this has to be any different.”
Ethan stood and began to pace between the sofas. “It is going to be different. I’m not falling in love or settling down. Ever. It doesn’t matter how nice and sweet and beautiful and kind the woman is, I won’t love her. If I do, I won’t stick around. I just won’t.” He looked down at his father, fragile and greyer than he had been last year. His eyes were watery and worried and Ethan knew he could ease that worry, if nothing else. “Don’t worry Dad I’m not going anywhere. I won’t be at SE but I’ll always be around and I’m still a Silver.”
“I hope you don’t go anywhere Ethan. You belong here with me and your brothers. And their women,” he smiled.
“You’ve gotten your way withh two out of three sons, you should be happy.”
He nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. “I am happy. I just want you to be happy too.”
“I am perfectly happy without a woman.”
“Ah, yes. Just imagine how much happier you would be with a woman.”
Chapter Two
“I’m going away for a little while.” Ethan’s words were economical and robotic as he spoke to his family over breakfast a few days after his talk with Vance.
“Going on a tropical vacation so you can find yourself one of these?” Chase smiled at Brooke, holding up her hand to kiss it.
Ethan’s mouth kicked up to the side, unable to hide the grin at his brother’s happiness. “No. I’m just taking some time off before I return to finish my time at SE.”
“What!”
“No!” Chase and Jackson screamed at the same time.
Ethan wiped his mouth and sat his napkin on the plate before him. He shook his head because, dammit, he knew his brothers wouldn’t let him go so easily. “Don’t act surprised, it doesn’t become either of you. There was never a chance in hell that I was going to take up Vance’s ridiculous challenge so, I’ll stay until a replacement is hired and trained. Then I'll go.”
Chase turned a dark glare on his father. “Dammit dad, put an end to this now!” Brooke startled at his words but continued to run her hand up and down his back, either to rein him in or offer comfort.
Jackson stood and slammed his napkin down on the table. “You’re just going to let him go aren’t you?”
Vance shrugged even though his inner turmoil belied his ambivalent response. “At some point a man must forge his own path. Ethan has chosen his path so all we can do is support him.”
“That is such bullshit and you know it!” Jackson slammed his fist on the table, making Brooke and Galina gasp in surprise. “This isn’t Ethan’s path, it’s yours. You made this idiotic decision and its forcing Ethan out of SE!”
“I made conditions and Ethan has decided not to meet them.” Chase and Jackson stared at Vance, disgust written on both their faces while they muttered expletives. He knew his sons would be angry with him for a long time but they would get over it. He hoped.
“I guess it doesn’t matter that most of that wealth you’re dangling in front of us was earned while Ethan served as CEO?” Vance shrugged and Chase swore under his breath. “Then I suppose I’ll have to forge my own path too.” He stood and pushed his chair back.
Ethan stood and spoke, halting his brother’s steps. “Just because I won’t be at SE every day doesn’t mean we won’t see each other or hang out. We’ll still be brothers, just not coworkers.” He looked around the room, taking a second to look at his family, including the newest additions. It would hurt not seeing these people on a regular basis, over lunch and corporate functions, or simply sharing chocolates with Brooke at her desk. He may never get to do any of that again anytime soon. Who knew where his new life would take him. “I’m going for a ride. I need to clear my head,” he finished abruptly.
Inside the Silver House stables Ethan went to his favorite chestnut Arabian, Buttercup. A long ride around the property would help him calm down and wrap his mind around what his life would look like a month from now, a year from now. Would he still be here or would he be on the other side of the country? Would he start his own business or work for a competitor of SE? He had no fucking clue what he would do, he hadn’t planned on not leading Silver Enterprises into the future. Under his leadership and with the help of his brothers Ethan had made SE more successful than it had ever been.
Horses had always been his refuge from the moment he set foot in Silver House. He would spend hours helping brush and feed the half dozen horses in the stables. He would go to the stables to think, to not think, and really to just be alone. Today he wanted time on his own to clear his head and feel the wind against face while he put Buttercup through her paces. The longer he rode the more time he had to get used to walking away from his family business. It would never be easy but it was now part of his new reality so Ethan did what had always done, move forward. Just like he did when he found his mom dead in the bathtub when he was eleven years old and just like he did when he was brought to this massive property for the first time a few days later.
He hardly ever thought about his mother anymore. Not that he didn’t love her, but she couldn’t be bothered to stick around for him so he didn’t dedicate much of his headspace to her. His mother had taught him a valuable lesson about the fallacy of love and the changeable nature of commitment. It had taken him a long, long time to feel safe at Silver House and to believe Vance would let him stay until he was ready to go, but he had. He’d given him a room in the same wing as Chase and Jac
kson, paid for college and made him earn his spot at SE.
Now he was leaving it all behind anyway.
Ethan turned Buttercup around and headed back toward the stables. Once there, he brushed the horse down slowly, giving her a few apple chunks before leaving the stables. He stopped in the kitchen for water and found Brooke stealing a few of Galina’s cookies. Caught, she gifted him with a wide smile that always seemed to come so easy to her. Chase was a lucky man to have a woman like her by his side, Ethan just hoped it lasted. “You have a visitor.”
Ethan looked up at her nervous words. “For me?” She nodded. “Who is it?” When she shrugged, his curiosity got the better of him and he headed for the sitting room. He would have liked to have a shower to wash away the stink of sweat, horse and hay but since this visitor was unexpected and uninvited they would just have to deal with it.
His slow confident walk came to a quick halt inside the doorway of the sitting room. The black head of hair was shorter now than it had been years ago but the straight posture and slim neck gave her away. It was the last person he ever wanted to see again, especially this week. “What are you doing here Antonia?” The dainty neck spun around to reveal not Antonia but her younger sister Freddie. “Freddie.” His tone was a mixture of relief and disappointment that quickly turned to suspicion. “Why are you here?”
Fredericka Chesterfield took in the sight of a grown up Ethan Silver and what a sight it was. The man was even bigger and sexier than he had been when he dated her sister. She’d had a celebrity sized crush on the young man with the unusual eyes and a penchant for saying what was on his mind. Even in anger he was gorgeous, but especially so in faded jeans revealing a pair of sinfully sculpted thighs, a fitted flannel clinging to his arms, his back and chest deliciously curved and fire spitting from every pore. Goodness the man was a work of art. “It’s good to see you again Ethan, if under these less than pleasant circumstances.”
For the first time Ethan took in her face. Freddie had grown into a stunning woman, even better looking than her sister who had always been considered the beauty. They had the same black hair but Freddie had velvet green eyes and freckles dotting her face. She was a tiny woman and with her pixie haircut she looked like a sexy little fairy. She also looked…sad. He crossed his arms and kept his gaze trained on hers, not willing to repeat the question.
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes and her gaze no longer met his. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. “I don’t know how to tell you this Ethan, especially with the way things ended with you and Toni…,” she trailed off, hating to remind him of the awful thing her sister had done.
Ethan laughed bitterly. “What happened Freddie, did Paul gamble away his trust fund and poor little Toni was hoping I still carried a torch for her?”
Her eyes widened. “Yes he did, actually. But that’s not why I’m here.”
Something in her eyes made his legs suddenly feel weak and he made his way to a chair across from her and stared for a long minute. Elbows resting on his knees he took the bait. “Fine Freddie tell my why you’re here, then.”
She thought of all the ways to give him this news and figured Ethan would appreciate the direct approach. “Toni is dead.” His expression was blank revealing not even a moment of remorse and Freddie knew this meeting might not go as she had planned.
“I’m sorry for your loss Freddie, really. But what does any of this have to do with me?”
Freddie attempted to tuck a few wispy strands behind her ear, still unused to the short cut. She pulled her phone from her purse and swiped a few times before handing it to Ethan. He took it from her reluctantly but she watched him closely as he took in the first image. His eyes narrowed then scanned the image top to bottom, back up and down again. He sent her a questioning gaze. “Keep going,” she encouraged with a barely visible smile.
Ethan’s breath caught in his throat at dozens of images of a little boy with those trademark violet brown eyes he shared with his father. The little boy had his strong patrician nose and those heart-shaped lips he hated until he was about fourteen and girls told him how much they loved kissing him. He looked exactly like Ethan did at five or six years old. “How old is he?”
“You know how old he is Ethan.”
Except he didn’t know, how could he? The last time he’d seen Toni had been about seven years ago when she left him alone and heartbroken on the day of his greatest achievement. He hadn’t seen her since she proved to him, once again, that he wasn’t worth sticking around for. “Dammit! Why didn’t she tell me?” When Freddie said nothing, he knew. Toni was nothing if not industrious. “She hoped to pass it off as Paul’s but he knew the boy wasn’t his and tossed her out on her ass?” he furiously remarked.
“You got it.” She smiled at him, this time it was wistful and affectionate. “I always said you were a smart man.”
“Not smart enough, apparently.”
She smiled again at his words. She never understood why Toni broke up with Ethan. He was handsome, rich and smart. Paul had just been rich. He had old money but the man never worked a day in his life. “Well some people just have shit taste, right?”
He smiled at that. Freddie always could make him laugh. “Is he here?”
She shook her head. “I wanted to tell you first and gauge your reaction. I didn’t want Matt here in case you reacted poorly. He’s already lost Toni and I didn’t want him to feel rejected again so soon.”
Ethan nodded. “I appreciate that Freddie. When can you bring him here?”
She stood and stretched from the long drive from the city. “I can return tomorrow. He’s in town with a nanny because I assumed you’d be at SE.”
Ethan stood and came closer to her. “I really am sorry for your loss Freddie.” He wrapped his arms around her and felt his chest tighten. When she wrapped her small arms around his waist, he felt a jolt of electricity that startled him. He kissed her hair and quickly pulled back. “Let me walk you out. What time will you both be back tomorrow?”
She looked up at Ethan. “Both?”
His brows scrunched together in confusion. “Did you think you were just going to drop him off with a stranger and leave?”
“No, but I wasn’t sure what type of reception I would get so I asked the nanny if she’d stay with him for two weeks until you were comfortable together.”
He nodded his understanding, taking in all the changes in Freddie as his big hands circled her tiny waist. “Aside from Toni’s so called sins Freddie, I’ve always liked you and you will always be welcome here.” She smiled up at him and he felt that strange tug in his chest and a fire rushing through his veins. “Can you stay for a couple weeks or do you need to get back to your life?”
She smiled at his words. Ethan always had a strange way of phrasing things and it drove Toni crazy but it delighted Freddie to no end. Inside her car she looked up at him. “Haven’t you heard Ethan Silver, I’m a big deal now.”
“Oh yeah?” He smiled, seeing a glimpse of the witty kid she’d been years ago.
She nodded proudly and reached behind the passenger seat. “I’m bestselling children’s author London Lane.” She handed him a book with a fluffy puppy on it titled ‘Moondog Finds A Family.’
“Wow, congratulations Freddie. I’m sure this makes you the coolest aunt in the world.” A tear slid down her cheek at his words and his instantly frowned. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head with a watery smile. “Nothing. That was just, a really nice thing to say.”
“Well, I am Mr. Nice Guy.”
His dry delivery succeeded in making her laugh. “You really are Ethan. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
***
“Don’t keep us in suspense Ethan, tell us what that hot little fae wanted with you!” Brooke shrieked over the clang of silverware against china at dinner that night.
His brothers both stopped eating, forks half way between their plates and mouths. “What hot little fae?” Jackson asked.
“What the hell is a fae?” Chase asked, his face bunched in confusion.
Brooke waved off their questions and looked at Ethan. “Well?”
Ethan continued to chew the salmon until it was damn near liquefied in his mouth. He hadn’t planned to get into all this just yet. He still needed time to wrap his head around the fact that he was now a father, had been a father all these years but hadn’t known. Did Toni know she was pregnant when she dumped him? There were too many thoughts floating in his head to share any of them with his family so he said nothing. He just shrugged.
Understanding that he wasn’t going to volunteer any information Brooke carried on. “She has the cutest pixie cut,” she looked knowingly at Galina, “her black hair such a stark contrast with that gorgeous porcelain skin.”
Chase muttered a curse. “Not Toni? Please for the love of all that is holy tell me that bitch wasn’t here today!”
“More importantly,” Jackson interrupted, “please tell us you kicked her out on her scrawny cheating, stuck up ass!”
Ethan had to smile at the protectiveness his brothers displayed. He would miss that camaraderie when he was no longer at SE, but he still valued their loyalty. To think, at one point he thought he’d never fit with these two boys of privilege. But he’d quickly become the third Musketeer, getting into trouble and protecting them without question. And that’s why he decided to put them out of their misery. “It wasn’t Toni. She’s dead.”
“Thank goodness! Ouch!” That statement from Chase earned a swift elbow to the ribs from Brooke.
“Seriously Chase?”
He at least looked shamed by his reaction. “I just meant thank goodness it wasn’t her, not that she was dead. Although…,” Her look of fury stopped that thought cold.
He looked to Vance. “It was Freddie, Toni’s younger sister.” He went on to explain everything—including his break up with Toni—in detail and told them that Freddie would return the following day with his son, Matt.
