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MERCY GRANT’S EARDRUMS SEEMED TO split, and so probably did the eardrums of everybody else in the church. Maybe in the neighboring buildings, too.
"Shhhh, Stevie, it's going to be okay." She scooped up her five-year-old son and shot outside, sending apologetic glances around.
Once outside, she wiped his tears. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
But Stevie only shook his head and seemed to turn up the volume. She had no clue what was happening to her son. Was she a bad mother?
Stevie wiggled in her hands, obviously wanting to leave, and Mercy placed him on the ground. She stayed close to make sure he wouldn't bolt.
Mercy didn't think Stevie could scream any louder, but after he ended up on the asphalt, looked around, and took a deep breath, he proved her wrong.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she whirled around.
Ethan Echeverría, her best friend and ladies’ man extraordinaire.
Their friendship had started in junior high and survived Ethan's tumultuous high school and college years and her marriage and widowhood. She’d even had a crush on him when she’d been a teenager. But he’d started changing girlfriends depending on the season by then already, so she’d kept it a secret.
"What’s going on?" She read his lips rather than heard him.
Stevie stopped screaming, probably taking a breath to get more air into his lungs.
"I was unloading groceries when I thought I heard Stevie scream." Ethan leaned to her son. “What happened, buddy?”
Mercy cringed. The nearest grocery store was a block away. She hoped that Ethan meant that store and not the one halfway across Rios Azules.
Just great.
Instead of answering Ethan’s question, Stevie let out such a loud scream she was surprised that windows in the cars in the parking lot didn’t shatter.
"I don’t know. Stevie is upset about something." Leave it to her to state the obvious.
"How about we go get some ice cream? Stevie can wait for us here." Ethan winked at her.
Mercy gasped. She’d never leave her son. Then she realized the reason Ethan said it.
The screaming stopped.
“Ice cream?” Her son zeroed in on Ethan, his eyes full of surprise, curiosity, and hurt.
“Yes, buddy. I think I’ll go for chocolate. Which one do you prefer, Mercy?” Ethan turned to her.
“Peach. Or maybe chocolate with caramel. We’ll see.” The sweet, cold, refreshing concoction sounded appealing, especially considering it was already in the high eighties in south Texas in the middle of spring. But even more than the idea of having an ice cream, she enjoyed the silence. She’d never realized how much she loved the soft whisper of trees, the light breeze on her skin, the encouraging smile on Ethan’s lips...
Whoa.
Where did that come from?
Anyway, Stevie was her priority, not Ethan.
Ethan extended his hand to her son. “What about you, buddy? Wanna tag along? What kind of ice cream do you like?”
Stevie took Ethan’s hand, and the wide grin on her boy’s face tugged at Mercy’s heart. “Strawberry.”
“Good choice. If your mom approves, of course.” Ethan turned that irresistible smile at her.
Stevie looked up, his eyes hopeful. “Mommy?”
“Just one. Let’s go.” She took Stevie’s other hand.
Thankfully, the ice cream parlor was next door to the church, so they just walked there. To the passersby, they probably looked like a small family.
Mercy’s throat constricted. Once upon a time, she did have a small family, marrying the man she fell head over heels for, Cole Grant. But that happiness hadn’t lasted long. She’d learned the hard way that people who professed to love you the most were the ones who could hurt you the most, too.
She glanced at Ethan, who was showing Stevie different cars that passed on the road and explaining their makes and models. She doubted Stevie would remember any of them, but the boy listened with an open mouth.
Ethan had always liked cars, had spent his childhood and adolescence tinkering with them in one of the auto shops his father owned. Now, there were seven auto shops, and Ethan managed them all.
How much did Stevie miss having a father figure in his life? Judging by the way he leaned to Ethan, a lot. And the older Stevie got, the more he’d miss it. Her heart squeezed in her chest.
Stevie obviously needed a dad. But after the way Cole had left a hole in her heart, she couldn’t imagine ever remarrying.
They entered the ice cream parlor, met by the cool wave of the air conditioner. Ethan ordered ice cream: chocolate, peach, strawberry, and chocolate with caramel. They settled at a table near the window, and immediately a large glob of pink sweetness ended up on Stevie’s T-shirt. She held back a groan. She needed to do laundry, anyway.
“I missed you, Mercy.” Ethan gently wiped the gooey stuff from Stevie’s green T-shirt with napkins. For a confirmed bachelor, he was surprisingly good with kids. “I haven’t seen you in two weeks. You said you’d call me when you had a chance.”
Mercy felt a sting of guilt. But it wasn’t like he lacked company. He was rumored to date every night. And she was sure taking care of seven auto shops didn’t leave time for being bored.
“Sorry. I didn’t have a chance.” She adjusted the cone with the ice cream in her little boy’s hand, and Stevie started consuming the ice cream with surprising speed. “My son is my world. You know that.”
“I do. That’s why I don’t call you much. But... it’s nice to see you and Stevie again.” Ethan handed her the cones.
She could see why he was so popular with women. It wasn’t just because he took them to popular restaurants or gave them flowers, or because he drove an expensive car, or because he was so well-built and handsome, though there was that.
The man had tons of charisma. His smile was open, his compliments sincere, and his gifts generous. She knew him well enough to realize he had a good heart, too.
Before she’d met Cole, she’d wished badly Ethan wouldn’t share that heart with a new girl every month. Those times were gone, of course. It was none of her business who he shared his heart with now. According to the Rios Azules grapevine, he dated a gorgeous redhead named Leah these days. News traveled fast in a small town.
“Mommy, your ice cream is melting!” Her son’s voice interrupted her musings.
“Right. Thank you, sweetie.” She took a small bite of the peach cone.
Mercy closed her eyes for a moment. The ice cream was smooth, sweet, and oh so delicious.
When she opened her eyes, Stevie was almost done with his ice cream, and Ethan had a strange expression in his eyes. Some kind of longing.
That expression made his dark, expressive eyes even more gorgeous, if that was possible. He looked at her as if he... was attracted to her. She had a strange movement in her chest, similar to the one she’d had when she’d been fifteen and met Ethan for the first time.
She needed to snap out of it.
“Sweetie, how do you like your ice cream? We should thank Mr. Ethan for treating us, right?” She wiped Stevie’s chin and cringed inwardly at the ruined T-shirt.
Nearly done with his strawberry ice cream, the boy nodded enthusiastically. “Thank you for treating us, Mr. Ethan.”
Ethan leaned to her son. “Buddy, how about you ride on my shoulders? We’ll go check out what the bathroom here is like, okay? They might have some of that funny soap we can make bubbles with.”
“Yay!” Stevie jumped from his seat. “Mommy, can I? Pretty please?”
“Pretty please?” Ethan grinned.
How could she resist the attack of two smiles? “Sure. I’ll be here, Stevie.”
Soon Ethan and Stevie were on the way to the bathroom, where presumably Ethan would clean the boy’s T-shirt while entertaining him with soap bubbles.
Mercy took bites of her ice cream, alternating between peach and chocolate with caramel. But the taste turned bitter in her mouth as she thought about the bad news her boss had given her yesterday. The company had switched to a different health insurance plan with much higher premiums and way less coverage. Mercy’s heart squeezed painfully.
After paying off Cole’s gambling debts that had kept popping up last year, she couldn’t afford to pay medical bills if anything happened to her or Stevie. Mercy took several more bites of chocolate with caramel ice cream and rubbed her forehead in thought. She could find a job as an accountant somewhere else, but it would take time in a small town. Besides, despite Mercy being a good employee, her boss had said she wouldn’t give Mercy good references if she tried to leave.
Mercy hushed down resentment against her supervisor and her late husband and hurried to finish her ice cream, though she could hardly discern the taste now. But no matter how disastrous her marriage had been, she was grateful to God for giving her Stevie.
Judging by the laughter and giggles, Ethan and her son were on the way back. Her boy was on Ethan’s shoulders again. She wouldn’t mind leaning on those broad shoulders...
Mercy winced.
What am I thinking?
Must be a sugar kick from too much ice cream.
“I need to talk to you,” Ethan mouthed.
She tensed. Nothing good ever came out of that sentence.
“It’s about me getting married, and it’s serious.” He settled Stevie in a chair.
Her heart sank. She’d never thought she’d see the day when Ethan would marry.
She should be happy for him. She really should. Moisture sprang to her eyes. Must be tears of happiness.
“Congratulations. Who’s the girl?” She pushed the words past the lump in her throat. Was it that redhead, Leah?
Ethan’s eyes widened. “Oh, you didn’t understand.”
They looked at Stevie, who was squirming in his seat by now, then glanced out the window at a small playground. They’d known each other for so many years, sometimes they could read each other’s thoughts.
“How about we go to the playground?” Ethan placed Stevie on his shoulders again while the boy let out an enthusiastic yelp.
They all headed outside. There was a kid already running through the maze there, his mom relaxing on a nearby bench, so Stevie found an immediate playmate.
Ethan and Mercy hung close to the playground. Mercy felt she’d burst from curiosity if she didn’t hear exactly what Ethan had meant.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “So are you or are you not getting married?”
Ethan sighed, not looking like the happiest man alive she imagined the groom was supposed to be. “Yes and no.”
Mercy couldn’t imagine a woman in their small town saying no to Ethan’s proposal. Everybody here adored him. But for some reason, it became easier to breathe. “She didn’t return your feelings? Or you didn’t ask her yet?”
“No.” Ethan shifted from one leg to the other.
She decided to chalk up her initial reaction to her disappointment at his keeping something as big as this from her. “Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this? I thought we were better friends than that. As soon as I realized I fell in love with Cole, I told you right away.”
“You sure did.” A shadow passed over Ethan’s face.
“When are you going to ask her?” Mercy kept Stevie in her view and blinked rapidly.
Those happy tears were coming back again. There was no way it could be tears of disappointment because Ethan was getting married.
“Now.”
“You mean, after you talk to me?” Mercy tapped her foot against the asphalt impatiently. Why did she have to drag everything out of him?
“No, I mean, I’m asking you now.”
“What?” She must be hearing things. What had they put in that ice cream?
“It’s not me. It’s my dad.”
“Your dad wants to marry me?” She must have gone too many nights with too little sleep. She was definitely hearing things.
“No.” Ethan grimaced, glanced Stevie’s way, and lowered his voice. “My dad wants me to marry. I turned thirty, and he said he’s waited long enough.”
Mercy’s jaw dropped. “I’m supposed to make your dad happy by marrying you? Do you realize what you’re saying?”
A muscle moved in Ethan’s cheek. “You make it sound so cold-hearted. And like marrying me is such a hardship. You know me well.”
“Yes, exactly. I know you well.” Mercy groaned. “You have a new girlfriend every month or more often. Sorry, but you’re not husband material. And after my disastrous marriage, I’m not wife material, either.”
“My dad gave me an ultimatum. If I don’t marry, he’ll give the auto shops to my younger brother. He’ll run them into the ground.” There were pleading notes in Ethan’s voice.
She’d never heard pleading notes in Ethan’s voice. Until now. The auto shops meant a lot to him.
Her anger dissipated. “I’m sure there will be plenty of willing candidates.” Was it the sting of jealousy? It couldn’t be, of course. “Why would you ask me?”
“Because I know you. I trust you. My parents adore you. Because I want to give you and Stevie the home and stability you deserve. And I think you’re beautiful and amazing and... Because...” He shielded his eyes. “Never mind. I only have to stay married for a year. Dad isn’t cruel. He said if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.”
“Are you kidding me?” This time Mercy groaned so loudly birds flew up from the trees. She kept her eye on Stevie, but her thoughts were tumultuous. “When I married Cole, I did it for life. I don’t intend to remarry.”
“I’d never treat you the way Cole did.” Ethan’s voice dipped.
Doubt wormed inside her. Marrying Ethan would solve many of her problems, including the recent one, a health insurance policy that was worse than having none. Then she shook her head. “If I truly fell in love and married again, it would be for life. Not for a year. When I give my vow to cherish my husband forever, I mean it. Let’s forget this conversation ever happened.”
Something filtered through the fog of indignation.
Hold on a second.
Ethan thinks I’m beautiful?
He’d never told her that before. They’d just been friends.
Her heart did a strange tumble in her chest.
No, it must be a ploy to get what he wanted, and that was the auto shops.
Ethan reached for her hand. “You don’t like me?”
Tingles from his touch surprised her. It wasn’t the reaction she wanted to have to her best friend. Her pulse spiked. Not liking him wasn’t an issue. Liking him was. She wasn’t the naïve and trusting girl she once had been. Cole had taken care of that.
“It’s not that.” Mercy sighed.
Call her old-fashioned, but she had her own ideas about happily ever after, and a modern marriage of convenience wasn’t for her.
“Mr. Ethan, look!” Stevie ran faster.
“Good job, buddy!” Ethan yelled back.
Her heart skipped a beat. Ever since Stevie had been born, she’d done what was best for her son, even if it meant she had to sleep less or eat less. Ethan would make a great father for her son, but for how long? The track record of Ethan’s relationships spoke for itself. They never lasted.
Was her son already getting attached to Ethan? If she was crazy enough to agree to his weird proposal... After a year, Ethan would hold on to the chain of auto shops. He deserved it; he really did.
But if he decided that his relationship with Mercy wasn’t working out, like so many others, she and her son might be left with crushed hearts.
For the second time.
***
THE NEXT DAY, ETHAN drove to Mercy’s place. It was a weekend, so he hoped she’d be home.
The ruined proposal weighed heavily on his mind. Maybe he should’ve invited her to some expensive restaurant, given her a ring with a huge diamond.
Ethan frowned as he made a turn onto the familiar street. No, that wouldn’t have worked, either. He’d known Mercy since they’d been teens. An open approach was the best one with her. And huge diamonds never impressed her, anyway.
Well, she was right. He could find a different candidate without much effort. But when he thought about meeting his bride at the altar, Mercy’s lovely image appeared in front of his eyes, her long blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, her blue eyes sparkling...
Ethan slowed down over the speed bump.
He’d done a good job hiding his feelings for her for years. How come he’d only realized he’d been falling for her when she’d confessed she’d been in love with Cole?
Another speed bump jerked him out of his memories. This wasn’t a neighborhood he desired for Mercy and her child. She’d had to sell the house to pay off debts Cole had left. Still, she’d refused Ethan’s help. He’d kept his distance the last years out of respect to her marriage then widowhood, or he’d have tried to help earlier. He hated the permanent imprint of despair Cole had left in Mercy’s eyes.
Ethan gritted his teeth. He could do nothing about that now.
But if she married him, he could provide for her and her little boy. The thought gave him a warm feeling.
His hands-free phone announced that Leah was calling. He grimaced and ignored it. He’d broken up with Leah the day before yesterday, but the woman obviously didn’t want to take no for an answer.
Ethan made another turn, feeling a small sting of guilt at leaving Leah. But he’d made it clear to her from the get-go that he hadn’t been looking for a relationship.
Maybe it was because his mother had left him when he’d been five years old, taking Ethan’s younger brother with her and leaving Ethan with his father. She’d come back half a year later, but Ethan had never forgotten the pain of being lonely and unwanted, the crushing fear that his mother would never return.
His heart squeezed in his chest. These days, Ethan preferred to leave women before they had a chance to leave him.
The phone stopped ringing.
He’d encountered many beautiful women over the years, some of them more wonderful than others. But every time he met with one of them, he found himself missing Mercy, her kind smile, her easy laughter, the tiny dots in her blue eyes, the funny way she crinkled her nose when she was deep in thought. He missed the way his heart tumbled and the world seemed to stop when she’d hugged him when they’d been in high school and she hadn’t met Cole yet. Or when she’d fleetingly touched his hand when he’d walked her home from school.
Ethan entered the gate of the apartment complex. He could easily imagine Mercy by his side every day. There was an aura of compassion and optimism about her, despite all the bad things that had happened to her. He didn’t want to be married for just a year. No, not at all. But his dad had given him that option, and he’d passed it on to Mercy to make it easier for her.
Ethan parked near her apartment. Mercy’s car was parked nearby, so she must be home.
He didn’t come to reinstate his offer, unless he had a good opportunity to do so. He’d come to hopefully take Mercy and Stevie to a water park. Granted, they’d have to drive several hours to get there, but he could just see the wide grin on Stevie’s face. Ethan would insist on paying for the tickets, whether Mercy wanted him to or not.
Ethan locked his car and headed toward her apartment. Scratched walls, fast-food wrappers discarded on the sidewalk, and the pungent smell of stale food didn’t sit well with him. Mercy and Stevie deserved a better life than this.
The loud screeching announced the opening of a door that was in dire need of oiling. The sound of hurried steps made him look in that direction.
Mercy carried Stevie, his body still, his face pale.
Chills ran down Ethan’s spine as he rushed to her. “What happened?”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I need to get him to the hospital.” Mercy’s eyes were frantic.
