by Zoe York
His container of sandwiches was upside down on the sidewalk, but still intact. She scooped it up and hustled after him as he ushered her inside, saying to Tanner as they went, “Stay away from Lily or you’ll be messing with me. Understood?”
A zing of awareness zipped up Lily’s spine at Ethan’s possessive words. He might not be ready to marry her, but the man she’d once known as her protector seemed to be back, as well as her extra large crush.
Shoot.
Ethan had just assaulted a man. That wasn’t his style. Not at all.
But having him move in after Lily told him not to touch her, then seeing that panicked look in her eyes had taken Ethan back to when she’d been picked on as a kid. Nobody deserved that. And as an adult she deserved better from both men.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have resorted to violence.” He’d gotten lucky with that punch. He could have easily ended up in a fight he knew his body couldn’t finish. What a stupid, moronic thing to do, acting like a caveman. What had come over him?
He knew better than to act like that.
But Lily... He’d do anything to keep her safe, and that guy had a serious lack of boundaries.
“Does he bother you often?”
Lily was pale, and he worried that he’d scared her.
“I’m sorry. You’re safe with me. I’d never hurt you,” he assured her.
She released an exasperated-sounding sigh. “Ethan, I know that. He…Tanner sometimes forgets we’ve broken up.”
Ethan didn’t like the sound of that.
“Thank you, by the way,” she said softly.
“For acting like some primal beast who can’t use his words to resolve a conflict?”
She gave him a small smile as he led her into the meeting room where he was supposed to deliver the lunch. He got the feeling Lily was underplaying things. The guy was obviously acting against her wishes and she was putting up with it due to a fear of causing a scene. Ethan’s best guess was that Tanner took advantage of her politeness and sent unwanted texts, made frequent phone calls and likely added a few unwanted drunken middle-of-the-night visits. Basic harassment that she shouldn’t stand for.
If Ethan had the right to act on her behalf—more than he already had—he’d give that guy a free trip to the moon, courtesy of his—
No, no. He needed to take it down a notch. He couldn’t stoop to Tanner’s level and infringe on Lily’s life, her world. Even though he was like a big brother to her and really wanted to send Tanner out of her life forever.
But she should speak up, even if it hurt Tanner’s feelings. He had it coming.
Lily had lifted the dome off the tray of broken, mixed up sandwiches. Some fine day this was turning out to be. Now he was going to have to go all the way back to the kitchen and remake them. Plus he’d completely forgotten the kabobs.
And his hand hurt. He hadn’t punched anyone since the days of he and Devon play fighting, and he’d forgotten how much it hurt to smack your knuckles against someone else’s jaw.
Lily had cleaned her hands with one of the disposable towelettes he often tucked in with the sandwiches and she was studiously rebuilding the sandwiches, her bottom lip tucked in as though fighting to control her emotions.
She looked lost, alone, vulnerable. She needed someone to help her build the independent life she so rightly deserved.
If he said no to her offer it meant leaving her to face it all alone. He couldn’t imagine denying her the opportunity to enjoy her passion, which happened to be his least-loved work. He also couldn’t imagine going home to his quiet house and waiting for something better to come along.
This was it. And it was Lily. Family.
She looked up slowly as he came to stand beside her. He ignored the sandwiches, watching her face instead.
“I want to help you, Lily, and I think we should get married.”
Her expression opened like a ray of sunshine after a week of rain, and she threw her arms around him, hugging him close. So close he thought she might feel a little bit like home.
Lily didn’t want to let go of Ethan. She wanted to hang on forever and fight the happy sobs threatening to burst forth. But he was already easing out of her grip.
“Thank you so much, Ethan.”
“And whenever you want out, whenever you feel you have a good grasp of the reins, we’ll break up and it’ll all be yours, at today’s value.”
The tightness in her chest eased up and she smiled at him in gratitude. She not only now had an ex on the run, but possibly a job, a livelihood and even a home. And a family—the Mattsons. It would be like she’d never left, plus now she’d have her own kitchen.
No more being on her own.
“We’ll keep it low-key,” she offered.
Ethan was looking nervous, as if afraid she might hug him again, and she forced herself to hold back, listen to his conditions. But in reality, she’d do just about anything.
“Walk in, walk out,” he agreed. “No party, no wedding. Okay?”
She nodded quickly.
Unable to resist, she threw herself at Ethan again. “Thank you, thank you,” she whispered into his neck. He held her close, his aftershave smelling so much like him, so familiar, that it brought tears to her eyes. He was her safe place, and like always, she felt like she belonged, a part of something wonderful.
“Well, would you look at that?” said an amused voice. “Ethan’s got himself a girlfriend.”
Lily slipped out of her fiancé’s arms—fiancé! Ethan! Oh, would wonders never cease?—and turned to see his older brother leaning in the doorway, looking surprisingly dapper in a shirt and tie.
“Devon!” She began laughing at the sight. “Is that really you?” She knew the man best with grease and grime coating his jeans and T-shirt, from work he’d been doing under his car. “Mr. Mayor?”
“Lily Harper.” He grinned and opened his arms; she threw herself into his hug. “I heard you were in town.”
She stood back, flicking his tie. “What’s this?”
He smoothed it down. “I have to dress the part, according to my wife.”
“I still can’t believe you’re mayor. And married.”
When Ethan stepped forward and slung an arm over Lily’s shoulders, Devon gave them a curious look. “Speaking of wives and life changes and all that…why are you two acting like a couple?”
Lily cut a glance at Ethan, who cleared his throat. “We’re getting married,” he said quickly.
He looked just like he had when he’d confessed to breaking a window to his father. The shattered pane had been her fault, but he’d taken the blame, knowing she couldn’t afford to replace it.
Just another reason to love the guy for all eternity.
He’d even refused her attempts at repayment, saying he was an accessory, since he’d been trying to teach her how to hit a softball hard enough that she’d stop being picked last in gym class. It hadn’t worked, but she’d enjoyed spending the time with Ethan—until she’d broken the window.
“Get real.” Devon’s jaw was hanging and he looked from Ethan to Lily and back again. “You two? Married? To each other?”
Lily felt her cheeks flush and she began to stammer. “I—It’s just—We, um…”
“Buzz off,” Ethan said, scowling at his brother as he snugged Lily closer.
Mmm, that felt nice. She could get used to it.
“No, I get it,” Devon said with a knowing smile. “Ethan, you’re a lucky man, but Lily…” He gave a chuckle. “You can’t do better than my grumpy little brother?”
Ethan shoved Devon off as he tried to give him an affectionate hair rub.
“Welcome to the family. Ethan, where’s her ring?”
“I just proposed. Give me a chance, man.”
“Usually you get the ring before you propose. You should know that by now.” Devon quickly changed the subject, and Lily suspected it was for reasons to do with Dani Demare, Ethan’s ex-fiancée. The story was that she’d left him wh
en she’d found out he was paralyzed. “Let me know if you guys need anything—my wife designs wedding gowns if you want something special.”
“I met Olivia a few months ago,” Lily said. “She seems nice.”
“And will be your sister-in-law,” Devon said with a grin.
Sister-in-law. Lily felt her eyes dampen again. She was gaining a big family filled with love and joking and…everything. She’d have Devon as a brother, her best friend, Mandy, as a true sister at long last. Add in Mandy’s husband, Frankie, plus Ethan’s mom, dad and stepmom…
It was overwhelming.
Her life felt inexplicably full all of a sudden. Even if it was just temporary, it filled a well inside her she hadn’t realized was dry.
“I’m going to make everyone a nice big meal,” she announced. She’d learned to cook in the Mattsons’ kitchen and couldn’t imagine a better way to reignite the old feelings of gratitude, acceptance and home than with a big dinner.
“I thought we weren’t doing a party,” Ethan said.
“It’s just a way to say thanks and bring everyone together.” She could pour her love for them into a tasty pot of soup or a crusty loaf of homemade bread.
“Lily’s back! Let her cook,” Devon crowed. “Can you make that coconut upside-down cake you used to bake back in high school? I haven’t had that in forever.”
Lily felt her world grow bigger. “I sure can.”
“Oh, and those cookies you used to send in those care packages back when I was earning my degree. And your bean soup.” He wrapped an arm around her, sneaking her away from Ethan. “You know, my brother’s a bit of a bear. Maybe you could come work as a cook for Olivia and me. If nothing else, we smile a lot more.”
Lily caught Ethan glowering at his brother. “If you want her cooking you can get it at Benny’s, or here through catering. She’s not your personal slave.” He shoved the tray of sandwiches toward Devon.
His brother frowned, obviously noticing the ones she hadn’t finished putting back together. “Huh?”
“I dropped them,” Ethan said, turning to leave. “Bon appetite.”
Lily giggled.
“Welcome to the family, Lily,” Devon said. “And good luck with grumpy-pants.”
Ethan drove home, exhausted from dealing with Lily and her marriage proposal on top of his day. He’d been on his feet for hours and his body was rebelling at the effort he’d put into hiding his limp and bad shoulder from Lily. All he wanted to do was curl up in bed and let himself slip into sleep. But he was going to have to pull an all-nighter if he wanted to get through the thirty-nine emails waiting from clients, update a website to ensure its online checkout system remained secure, as well as relocate a few sites to a more reliable, robust server.
Never mind the fact that in twelve hours the offer to accept the contract for handling Burke’s website would expire.
One thing at a time, he reminded himself. Dr. Leham had warned him to chill out and prioritize, let the less vital things slide. Plus it was only four thirty. Still lots of day left. Ethan could work for a few hours, take a supper break, work some more, stretch, work, catch a few hours of sleep, then get up early and begin working again. And somewhere in there determine what exactly he and Lily were going to do in regards to the whole marriage thing.
He turned his SUV onto his street, grateful for the shade provided by the large trees overhanging the road. How was marrying Lily the only way to get everything he wanted? And why was she settling for him, a broken, messed up, grumpy man?
He was going to marry her, though. He already knew that. They just had to figure out the logistics before the news carried far and wide and expectations of a big wedding began to grow. Because in Blueberry Springs, weddings, graduations, baby showers and funerals were big to-dos. To deny the town the opportunity to come together and celebrate their “love” was akin to…well, he wasn’t sure, but he knew it was bad.
And that meant he and Lily had to sneak off and get married soon. Really soon.
Ethan worried that he might have given her the wrong impression today, though. One that suggested he had the ability to keep her safe, protect her like a man—a husband—should be able to. He’d lucked out with a well-timed punch to Tanner’s jaw, but was certain he wouldn’t get that chance twice. He was going to have to talk to a friend, Logan Stone, who worked in private security, to see if there was anything he could do to help protect Lily.
Ethan parked outside his small house, surprised to see his mother sitting on his front step.
“Mom?”
“My TV broke.”
He checked his smartwatch as he climbed out of his vehicle. Her favorite TV shows were long over. “Why didn’t you let yourself in?”
“I did.” He noticed the cup of coffee on the step beside her.
“Is that fresh?” He could use a pot of java right about now.
“Decaf.”
Leaves rustled on the tree beside him as the wind picked up, bringing with it a weather change he could feel in his thigh. He eased onto the step next to his mom, massaging his leg where the steel rod had been placed through the bone. The persistent ache made him feel like an eighty-year-old man instead of one nearing his thirties.
He was a modern miracle though, and should count his blessings. That’s what his mom had told him ten years ago when he’d woken up from the medically induced coma two weeks after the accident. Most doctors believed he shouldn’t have even survived the accident, and there had been many dark moments during his five-year recovery that Ethan had wished he hadn’t.
He’d been told it was sheer luck that his truck hadn’t been buried under the mountain of snow that had slid off the side of the mountain and across the road, taking him with it. More luck that his truck had been found. But it hadn’t been pretty. It had taken rescuers five hours to free him and get him to hospital, and he’d been in the intensive care unit for several weeks, released into a rehabilitation facility four months and a dozen surgeries later. It had been a long, slow recovery, full of more surgeries, and more hope. But Ethan’s family had been there every step of the way and still seemed to be looking out for him despite his renewed independence.
“What are you up to?” he asked his mom.
“Waiting for you. Is your leg okay?”
“It’s fine.” There was no need for her to worry about it. It was what it was. “I’m thinking of getting married.” He settled in beside her even though he knew his joints would pay for sitting on the shaded, cool concrete for any length of time.
His mother, who’d just been taking a sip of coffee, spit it out all over the step, her painted-on eyebrows arched high in disbelief.
“Nice. Thanks, Mom.” He reached for the railing and struggled to stand.
“You’re doing too much. Sit.”
Ethan complied, only because it felt nice to think his mom had sat and waited for him after seeking him out.
“So? Married?” she asked, peeking over at him, her coffee secured on the step below.
“Yep.”
“I don’t know who we’ll ever find, though.” She said it in a kind way, but it still brought up a well of hurt, rejection and failure. “You’re on your own too much and have been ever since spending your twenties in rehab to get your mobility back.”
Before he could speak, she added brightly, “Lily Harper’s back in town. She brought me scones, the sweet thing. I can’t believe she remembered.” His mother smiled, obviously happy to be thought of. “You used to bring me things, too, you know.”
As a kid he’d bring home things from his day, such as a four-leaf clover he’d found in the square on Main Street, a library book he thought might interest her, soup from Benny’s restaurant. He didn’t do that any longer and he wasn’t sure why. Probably because he’d grown up and realized there were only so many dandelion bouquets a mom could act thrilled over.
“Did she say anything?” he asked, referring to her visit with Lily.
“No, she sat there l
ike a statue. Of course she said stuff!” His mom laughed, suddenly in good spirits. She smelled like coffee and candies. “She wants to buy your restaurant, you know.”
“What would you say if I told you I was thinking of marrying her?” He had a sudden lump in his throat, not for the deception, but from something else. Something he couldn’t even begin to identify.
His mother was stunned into silence, hands frozen to her thighs.
“Why?” she asked slowly.
Okay, that hurt.
“Do you love her?” His mother was looking at him as if he’d said he’d made contact with aliens. Half intrigued by his looniness and half—okay, more like nine-tenths—in utter disbelief.
He put his bad arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. “Oh, Mom.”
“What? You two aren’t even dating. Are you?”
“Well, we were talking about marriage today.”
His mother leaned into him, taking away some of the empty feeling inside—what moms were so good at doing.
They remained silent for a few moments.
“Do you need a ring?” his mom asked.
Ethan blinked at the sudden shift in topic, his mind devoid of anything useful such as thoughts or words. The lump in his throat was back.
“Oh, Ethan.” His mom tsked, shaking her head. “You are a special boy, you know that?” She cupped his chin, gazing at him with affection. “Marry her before she changes her mind. You might not do any better.”
Any better than a fake marriage?
Unfortunately, she was probably right.
“Your father told me you’re going to propose to Lily.”
Ethan put his grandfather on speaker as he copied files from one server to another.
“It’s a thought,” he replied carefully, hoping to downplay the arrangement. Gramps was the only one still willing to bust Ethan’s balls, and he had a special knack for hitting where it hurt the most. Even Devon tended to back off when push came to shove.
“Well, your father plans on meddling.”
“What else is new?”
