Sadie (Alpha Series #1)

by Todd, E. L.

  “That was too cute,” I whispered. I kissed him on the lips then the neck.

  He smiled. “After a few years, it’s just annoying.”

  “You’re amazing, Ethan.”

  “Thanks, baby.”

  I crawled on top of him and straddled him. “We have time?”

  He moaned. “No, she’ll be back.”

  I leaned over him and inserted him inside me. “I’ll make it quick.”

  He moaned and leaned back. “Okay.”

  I rocked him from above and shoved him deep inside me. Ethan tried to stay quiet but his breathing had increased. My hands rested on his chest as I rocked into him. He sat up then guided my hips with his hands.

  “Baby, I’m going to come.”

  “Me first.”

  “Come on.”

  I bit my lips as the feeling rocked through me. “Ethan,” I whispered.

  “Yeah, baby.” He moved into me harder as he had his moment. “Yeah.”

  It was the quickest round of sex we ever had. I just wanted to get off and so did he. It was a great way to start the morning.

  “Baby, you’re so fine.”

  I smiled. “So are you.”

  “Uncle Ethan!”

  Ethan sighed. “Damn.” He rose from the bed then dressed himself. “Get ready. I’ll be back then I have to get to work.”

  “Okay.”

  Ethan left the bedroom and walked into the kitchen. He was gone for a while before he returned.

  “So, did she like it?”

  “She better.”

  “You are so cute.”

  He smiled. “So, kids turn you on?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Uh, no.”

  “I mean, men with kids turn you on.”

  I shrugged. “I guess. I just think that I admire you for being such a great brother and man. That’s a really big turn on.”

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  “Ethan?”

  “Hmm?” he asked as he fixed his tie.

  “Why haven’t you ever been in a relationship before?”

  He was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t want to settle down and have a family. I’ve been living with one for three years.”

  I felt my heart stop. “Does that mean you want one now?”

  He stopped and looked at me. “I thought that was obvious, Sadie. I’ve stopped sleeping around, cut booty calls out of my life, introduced you to my family—I think I’ve made my feelings and intentions very clear.”

  I smiled. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything, baby.”

  So he did love me. Clearly, he did. I just couldn’t bring myself to ask.

  He looked at his watch. “I have to get to work.”

  I grabbed my bag then fixed my hair in his mirror. “Okay.”

  He opened the door for me and we walked out. I stared at his ass as he walked in front of me. I loved that thing. He looked so handsome in a suit. When we reached the front door, Elisa emerged from her room with Tommy in her arms.

  “Going to work?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  “Thanks for making Becky breakfast. I’m sorry she woke you.”

  “I’m used to it.”

  She patted his shoulder. “Have a good day.”

  “You too.”

  She hugged me. “I’ll see you later, Sadie.”

  “Bye.”

  We left the townhouse then walked to the street.

  “I’ll see you later,” I said.

  He raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  “I have to go back to the apartment and you have to go to work.”

  “I’m taking you home first.”

  “It’s daytime. I’ll be fine.”

  His eyes narrowed at me. “I will take you to home then to work. Don’t argue with me.”

  “Ethan, I’ll be fine.”

  He grabbed my arm then waved down a cab. When we were inside, he held my hand.

  “I don’t want you to be late.”

  “I won’t. And don’t worry about me.”

  I decided to drop it. He couldn’t be argued with.

  When we came to the apartment, I checked on Koku then waved down another cab. When we finally arrived at the bookstore, Ethan walked me to the door.

  “Have a good day, baby.”

  “You too.”

  “Have dinner with me tonight.”

  “Okay.”

  He kissed me. “I’ll see you tonight.” He turned away then walked up the sidewalk. He disappeared from the street then I walked inside.

  I had a huge smile on my face when I approached the counter.

  My dad looked at me. “I’m glad you two worked everything out.”

  “Yeah, we’re good.”

  He nodded. “Do you have plans tonight?”

  “Well, Ethan and I were going to dinner.”

  “Oh, nevermind, then.”

  “We can all go.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I knew Ethan wouldn’t be happy about it, but I felt bad. I knew my dad was lonely even if he would never admit it. Jared spent time with him, watching sports and action movies, but I knew my brother couldn’t be with him all the time.

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.”

  “No, you’re always welcome, Dad.”

  “Okay. Where are we going?”

  “I don’t know. We haven’t decided yet.”

  “So, have you told your mother about him?”

  “Uh, no.”

  “Why?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just not ready to.”

  “How is she doing?” My dad tried to act cool, but I knew he was still in love with my mom. It was odd. My mother was completely indifferent to him, but my dad was obsessed with her. I really couldn’t figure out why.

  “She’s good. Busy.”

  “Your mother was always on the go.”

  “Yeah. She’s crazy.”

  “No. She’s just passionate.”

  “Same difference.” I opened the register and started to count the money from the day before.

  The bell over the door went off and I looked up. My heart fell when Alex walked in. This seriously couldn’t be happening.

  He raised his hands in the air before I could speak. “Just hear me out.”

  My dad raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on here?”

  Alex only had eyes for me. “I’m sorry about everything. Please just hear me out.”

  I felt my anger explode. I just wanted Alex to leave me alone. After everything he did to me, I was livid. “Get the fuck out!”

  My dad stared at me in shock. “Sadie, I better not hear you talk like that again.”

  “Shut up, Dad!”

  He stepped back, startled.

  I marched to Alex and pushed him. “I love Ethan, not you. Please leave me alone. I want nothing to do with you. Jared accepts him, so you need to get over this, Alex. Nothing will ever happen between us. Get out of my life and stay there.”

  He sighed. “Sadie—”

  “Leave!”

  “Sadie—”

  “Do you want me to call Ethan?”

  “He’s at work.”

  Damn. I couldn’t call him when he was at work. I knew exactly what he would do. He would leave work to come kick Alex’s ass. Since Ethan needed his job to support his family, I couldn’t bother him. It wasn’t worth it. “So you decided to come now because you knew he couldn’t protect me?”

  “Protect you? I’m not trying to hurt you, Sadie.”

  “Fuck you, Alex.”

  “Please give me another chance—to be your friend. Please.”

  “You don’t deserve another chance after what you did—three times.”

  “I had your best interest at heart.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You are so selfish and you know it.”

  “I won’t bring it up again, okay? Please don’t cut me out of your life. Your brother has been my fr
iend since I can remember. Please don’t ostracize me from everyone that I’m close to.”

  “You can see Jared on your own time.”

  “Sadie, please don’t be cold.”

  “Even if I wanted to forgive you, there’s nothing I can do. Ethan doesn’t like you and he has a very good reason not to. I won’t be able to change his mind.”

  “I promise I’ll never pursue you again.”

  My dad looked uncomfortable. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

  I glared at him. “Dad—stay.”

  He flinched. “Okay.”

  I looked at Alex. “I want you to leave.”

  “Please,” he begged. “I don’t want to lose your friendship.”

  I sighed. “Alex, I just need some space right now. You keep coming after me, apologizing to me, but it just makes me just as angry. It pisses off Ethan too. Give me some time and we’ll talk about it again. Your obsessive behavior just makes me trust you even less.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “Don’t be like this.”

  I shook my head. “Just go, Alex.”

  “No.”

  I felt my frustration erupt like a volcano. I looked at my dad. “Please ask Alex to leave.”

  “What? Alex is like a son to me.”

  “And I’m like a daughter to you. He tried to break up me and Ethan because he wanted to be with me, and now he won’t give me the space I ask for.”

  My dad shrugged. “People do crazy things when they are in love. I can’t blame a guy for trying.”

  I glared at him. “I thought you liked Ethan.”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Well, Alex was very disrespectful toward him.”

  My dad stepped closer to us. “Sadie, this is your problem.”

  “How can you say that? You’re my father. You’re supposed to protect me.”

  “And I always will,” he said. “But is Alex trying to hurt you?” I didn’t say anything. “It looks like he’s trying to work out your differences, and he’s willing to do anything to prove that he’s sorry. So, no, I don’t think there’s anything I can do for you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Worthless.”

  “What was that?” he snapped.

  “Nothing,” I said quickly.

  Alex looked at me. “Sadie, please?”

  I shook my head. “Just give me some space, Alex. I’ll think about it.”

  “What if I talk to Ethan?”

  I shook my head vigorously. “Stay away from him, Alex. If you think I’m being unreasonable, then you won’t want to face him.”

  Alex ran his fingers through his hair. “Well…okay then. I guess I’ll talk to you later…hopefully.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “For what it’s worth, I really am sorry.”

  I said nothing for a moment. “I know.”

  He turned around and left the store.

  My dad stared at me for a long moment. “Ever since Ethan came into your life, a lot of drama has happened.”

  “It’s just bad timing.”

  “It sounds like a lot of work.”

  “He’s worth it.”

  “Sadie—”

  “Not you too,” I said with a sigh. I knew what he was going to say.

  “Just be careful. Your mother and I were the same way.”

  I narrowed my eyes. He never talked about his relationship with my mom. “What do you mean?”

  “She and I—we were passionate. It’s a good thing but it also made our relationship extremely volatile. Like it would combust at any moment.”

  “I’m not worried about it.”

  He shrugged. “I’m just letting you know.”

  “Well, Ethan and I are wonderful together. We’ve just had some trouble along the way.”

  “It’s pretty early to experience trouble.”

  “Dad, what are you trying to say?”

  He was quiet for a moment. “Nothing.”

  I sighed. “You’ll see at dinner, Daddy.”

  He said nothing.

  We worked the rest of the afternoon until the night worker came in to take over. We knew the store wasn’t busy in the evening, but we liked to stay open anyway. I told my dad to meet at my apartment later that evening. We could decide where to go then. I wanted to text Ethan at work to let him know of the change of plans, but it completely slipped my mind. After I got home and showered, I took Koku out to do his business then waited for Ethan to come over. When I heard a knock on the door, I felt my heart explode. I practically ran to answer it.

  When I saw him standing on the threshold, I was about to jump into his arms but I stopped. He was holding a vase of red roses. They were beautiful.

  “Awe, Ethan.”

  He smiled. “I’m glad you like them, baby.”

  I took it from his hand and smelled the flowers. They smelled fresh.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  I placed them on the counter and noticed the card taped to the vase. I opened the small envelope and read the print.

  I’ll love you until the last one dies.

  I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Did he just tell me that he loved me? I wasn’t sure.

  Ethan stared at me, waiting for me to say something.

  “Uh, thank you.”

  “They are all beautiful, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  He ran his hands down the stems until he pulled one out. He dropped it on the counter and it made a loud noise. It was solid. I raised an eyebrow. I had no idea what was going on.

  “Baby, this one is fake.”

  I grabbed the plastic rose and felt the texture. It was made of cloth. “Oh.” I thought about it for a moment then it dawned on me. “Then it won’t die.”

  He smiled. “Exactly.”

  “So that means—”

  “I’ll love you forever.”

  My heart jumped into my throat at the revelation. Tears bubbled under my eyes and I felt myself become dizzy. It was so sweet and wonderful. I couldn’t believe it. “I—I love you too, Ethan.”

  “Do you really?” he asked as he rubbed his nose against mine. “I’ve loved you this whole time. I just didn’t want to scare you off.”

  “Ethan, I loved you the first time we made love.”

  “Good. Me too.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “Well, believe it, baby.”

  “I love you so much.” The tears poured down my face. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I never thought I would find you. I’ve never felt this way for anyone. I thought I was going to die alone.”

  He kissed me on the head. “I feel the same way.”

  “There were so many times I wanted to tell you the truth.”

  “I thought my sister was going to give me away—that brat.”

  I smiled. “I was hoping it was true.”

  “It definitely was.” He grabbed my face and kissed me. “Now let me make love to you.”

  I melted at his words. “Uh—we can’t.”

  “What?”

  “I’m so sorry. My dad is coming to dinner. He’ll be here any minute.”

  He stepped back. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I’m sorry. He just seemed so lonely this afternoon. I couldn’t say no.”

  He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

  “Please don’t be mad.”

  “Baby, I’m not. I like your dad. I don’t have a problem spending time with him. I—I just wanted this night to be about us. That’s why I planned this. If I had known your dad was coming, I would have rescheduled. I wanted it to be special.”

  I hugged him. “It was special, Ethan—amazing.”

  “I’ve never told a girl I loved her before. I wanted it to be perfect.”

  “It was. Nothing could have been better. I’m just so happy right now.”

  He pulled away. “I guess we have the rest of our lives, right?”

/>   Another tear fell down my cheek. “We do.”

  “Okay.”

  I jumped on my toes.

  He smiled at me. “Excited?”

  “I’m just so happy.”

  “You’re so adorable. I can’t believe someone so amazing loves me.”

  I shook my head. “I have no idea where this is coming from. I’m not particularly beautiful, but I’m not ugly. I’m decently intelligent. I’m—nothing special.”

  His eyes turned angry. “I never want to hear you say that again. You’re absolutely extraordinary—amazing. I wake up every morning knowing I’m the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t want to hear you talk like that ever again.”

  “Okay.”

  He grabbed my face and kissed me. “So, when are you going to tell your girlfriends?”

  “As soon as you leave.”

  “Do they know about our breakup fiasco?”

  “No.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, schedule a time to see them when I’m busy. I like to spend time with you. You keep blowing me off for your brother, your friends, then we had to spend time with my family.”

  I smiled. “We have the rest of our lives, right?”

  “Yeah, that’s true.” He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. “How was your day?”

  I felt my heart stop. I really didn’t want to mention the fiasco with Alex, especially since I didn’t call Ethan liked I said I would. The only reason why I didn’t was because I had good intentions. I didn’t want Ethan to lose his job over something so stupid. But I didn’t want to tell him about it now after he told me he loved me, and especially since we were about to go out with my dad. I really doubted my father would bring it up…so I decided to save it for the morning. “Good. How was yours?”

  “Filled with anxiety. I was nervous how tonight would go.”

  “I’ve loved you this whole time. I thought that was obvious.”

  He shrugged. “You can never be certain.”

  The knock on the door broke our moment.

  Ethan sighed as he dropped his hand. I walked to the door and opened it.

  “Hey,” my dad said happily. He was wearing a collared shirt and jeans.

  Ethan walked over and shook his hand. “Hello, Mr. Montague. Thanks for coming tonight.”

  “Well, thanks for the invite,” he said as he dropped his hand.

  “So what do you want to eat, Dad?” I asked.