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“You made it,” Maeve said breathlessly. She had run to the front door when Ethan had knocked. She hated to admit how much she had worried when she hadn’t been able to get a hold of him, but hearing that he’d been working made her feel like a fool and she was glad she hadn’t voiced her concerns.
Paranoid much?
Ethan bent down for a quick peck. “Thanks so much for being willing to feed me.” He grinned. “I wasn’t looking forward to warming up old pizza.”
Maeve scrunched her nose and shook her head. “Eww...no. That’s just wrong.”
Ethan chuckled and rubbed his hands together before blowing on them. “Geez. It’s getting cold out there.”
Maeve took his hand. “Yikes. Let’s warm you up.” She led him to the kitchen. “Mom! Ethan’s here.”
Mom’s head popped up over the couch. “Ethan! You made it!”
Maeve rolled her eyes. “That’s what I said.”
Ethan was still smiling. “Sorry, Mama Em. I got held up.”
Mom waved off his concerns. “It’s fine. Your plate’s in the oven.”
“I’ll get it,” Maeve assured her parent. “Stay with Dad.”
“When you’re done eating, come over here,” Dad called out. “I have a few questions about the addition.”
“You got it, Tony,” Ethan answered.
Maeve got an oven mitt and pulled out the hot plate. “Have a seat,” she said softly. “I’ll get you a glass and some silverware.”
Ethan sat down and leaned back in his seat. “I could get used to this,” he teased when she set down the plate.
Maeve glared playfully. “Don’t count on it. You’re an adult, I don’t always spoil.”
Ethan caught her hand before she got too far. Pulling her back, he tugged her down until their mouths were close together. “Then I’ll count myself special,” he whispered.
Maeve felt hot all over. Man...she loved this. She loved his playfulness and was beginning to wonder how she’d ever held it off for so long. She had never been so happy as she was now that they were dating.
Ethan pulled a little farther and gave her a soft, lingering kiss. “Boyfriend privileges are amazing,” he teased.
Maeve huffed and softly smacked his shoulder. “Incorrigible.”
“Whipped,” he shot back.
Maeve shook her head, but there was no stopping the smile on her face. It stayed in place while she got him a glass of water, a napkin and silverware. Finally, she sat back down, handing him everything he needed. “Eat up.”
“Thanks,” he said. “You’re amazing.”
“I wish I could take credit,” Maeve said with a sigh. “But it was all Mom’s doing.”
He stuffed a large bite in his mouth. “True. You definitely don’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen.”
She frowned. “How do you know that?”
Ethan raised a challenging eyebrow. “Just because you weren’t speaking to me doesn’t mean I wasn’t watching.”
Meave shrugged. “I guess the genes just passed me over. Estelle cooks like Mom and learned all of Dad’s Italian recipes. Aspen, as you know, can bake like nobody’s business. Me?” She made a face. “There were no culinary genes left by that point.”
“Antonio wasn’t much of a chef either, if I remember correctly,” Ethan said as he wiped his mouth.
Maeve shook her head. “Actually, he had a knack for it, but he didn’t have the patience. Always said it was easier to just toss something in the microwave.”
“Ah. Guess I missed that one.”
“See? You don’t know all my family secrets,” Maeve teased.
“I said I was watching you,” Ethan corrected her. “Not your brother.”
Maeve laughed. “I thought the two of you were friends.”
Ethan shrugged as he took another bite. “Doesn’t mean he was my first priority.”
Maeve felt a little bit of the shame from the previous years begin to creep in. “Ethan...I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head. “Nope. We already went over this, remember? We both made mistakes. We’re both moving on. No more sorries.”
She nodded, drawing a random design on the table. “Still. I feel like such an idiot for hanging onto those feelings for so long.”
Ethan set down his fork and cupped her cheek. “Sweetheart, you were traumatized. I don’t blame you one bit.” He sighed. “I blame myself for not realizing something had happened. You stormed out of that water and out of my life and it never once occurred to my teenage brain that something had happened in the water. I thought you were angry that you’d fallen or something like that and just kept expecting you to get over it.” He made a face. “Guess I learned better.”
“Still...” She shook her head. “I’m still sorry. I’ve made us both miserable for too long.”
He kissed her cheek. “No more,” he whispered against her skin.
“Okay,” she whispered back.
“Maeve? Are you going to share that boy? Or do I have to come break it up over there?”
Ethan chuckled as Maeve turned bright red. “Be there in a minute, Tony. I’m just finishing up.”
“Well, tell Maeve to let you eat and then you’ll actually finish.”
“Leave them alone,” Mom scolded. “You can talk to Ethan any time.”
“Apparently not,” Dad shot back. “He’s too busy eating or kissing my daughter to bother talking to me.”
Ethan choked on a bite and Maeve groaned, putting her face in her hands. “I think maybe it’s time I moved out,” she muttered.
“Now see what you’ve done?” Mom said loudly. “You’re making my children leave!”
“How is that my fault? They grew up and you threw them a party when they graduated and became adults!” Dad argued back. “If you wanted them to stay, don’t be so excited when they become adults.”
“They all came back,” Mom said with a sniff. “Probably because I did throw the party. They came back for my food.”
“Or my chocolate.”
Even from the kitchen table, Maeve could see her mother’s eyes roll. “Nobody eats your chocolate,” she said with a laugh. “It’s just for looking at.”
Dad’s thinning arms went around his wife. “Good thing you’re not chocolate, then, huh?”
Ethan choked again.
“Daaad!” Maeve shouted. “If I don’t get to kiss, neither do you!”
“It’s my house!” he shouted.
“And they’re my eyes,” Maeve retorted. “I’m going blind watching you two smooch.”
“It’s been happening since before you were born,” he said breezily, not the least bit concerned with her disgust. “I’m not stopping any time soon. Learn to turn away.”
Maeve smiled at Ethan and shook her head. “They’re terrible,” she mouthed.
Ethan put his arm on the back of her chair. “They’re perfect.”
*****
ETHAN’S EYES WERE STINGING from too much time on the computer, but he wasn’t ready to go home yet. He couldn’t seem to stop laughing at Mama Em and Tony. They were hilarious and exactly the type of couple he hoped he and Maeve would be someday.
The ache that never seemed to fully heal from the loss of his parents grew a little stronger as Ethan watched the two adults bicker like young children, but in some ways it was good. It meant he loved his parents. It meant he’d had a good relationship with them. And it meant he came from a family and now he was looking forward to working toward his own.
His arm that was looped around Maeve’s shoulders tightened slightly, pulling her into his side just a bit more. It seemed insane that he had spent so much time watching her from afar and now had the right to hold and to touch whenever he wanted. He sort of wanted to ask Maeve to punch him to make sure he was awake, but there was a small part of him that was afraid she’d actually take him up on the offer.
“Where’s that little puppy of yours?” Mama Em asked as she stood from the couch and walked toward the kitchen.
Ethan stiffened. “Aw, crud.”
Maeve straightened, pulling out of his arms. “What? Where is he?”
Ethan slapped his face. “At my house. He was being such a punk today at the shop that I ended up taking him home and putting him in his kennel.”
Maeve grinned. “Let me guess. He’s still there.”
Ethan leapt to his feet. “Yes. And who knows how nasty that thing is.”
Maeve stood up and walked with him toward the door. “Why not just kennel him at the shop?”
Ethan groaned. “Because every little kid who comes in opens it up and lets him out.”
Her laughter grew. “I think Tox might be a bigger troublemaker than you are.”
Ethan glared playfully at her. “Oh, yeah? Are you challenging me to see how much trouble I can get into?”
Maeve’s jaw dropped when her father shouted.
“Yes, she is! Have her walk you home and give her a little show of what you’re capable of.”
“Antony Harrison!” Mama Em scolded. “Will you leave them alone? No one wants their dad interfering in their dating life.”
“It’s the Italian in him.” Maeve groaned. “Please ignore everything he says.”
“Actually, I think it’s a fine idea.” Before she could protest, Ethan grabbed Maeve’s hand and began to drag her out the door. “She’ll be back soon!” he called to Tony, who laughed when Mama Em screeched in outrage.
“It’s a good thing they like you,” Maeve said as he dragged her across the lawn.
“The question is, do you like me?” Ethan asked. He skipped up the front steps, nearly losing his hold on Maeve as a result. To his consternation, he couldn’t open the front door without dropping her hand, but he grabbed it back as soon as possible. “Tox?”
The kennel shook and the puppy whined pitifully.
“Oh, you sweet thing,” Maeve said, rushing over and opening the door. Tox burst out, his body dancing so much he could hardly stand on his feet. He kept slipping on the hardwood, his tail flicking back and forth like a whip.
“Oh...no, no, no!” Maeve grabbed him and ran back across the room, leaving a trail of liquid in her wake. “Grab the paper towels!” she called to Ethan.
Ethan flipped on the lights and eyed the mess. “And this is why Mom never wanted a dog,” he grumbled. Muttering under his breath, he headed to the kitchen to find cleaning supplies. He slowly worked his way to the front door, grateful he didn’t have carpet in the front room, making the clean-up much easier. Once done, he noticed Maeve was still sitting on the porch steps. “What’re you doing?”
Maeve looked over her shoulder and smiled. “I think Tox needed a little space to burn off some energy.”
Ethan walked up and looked out on the grass where the puppy was fighting some imaginary foe. First he’d run in circles, then he’d bend down, attacking a random patch of green before running again. “Hopefully he burns enough that he’ll sleep tonight.” Ethan rubbed the back of his head. “I might have saved myself some trouble at the shop but created more at home.”
Maeve patted the wood next to her and Ethan sat down. “He’s a social puppy. He might do better if you took him to work.”
“I can’t afford to have him keep eating the lines,” Ethan complained.
Maeve’s grin widened. “Finally found a problem you don’t have an easy solution to, huh?”
Ethan bit back the response that she had been just such a problem. That answer, even if said in jest, would more than likely land him in the dog house. “Why are you so gleeful about it?”
Maeve shrugged and turned back to watching the dog. “You just always seem to glide through life so easily...like one of your surfing sessions. Always smiling, always laughing...everyone loved you and you loved everyone.” She turned to him. “It’s kind of funny to see something so small finally knock you off your game.”
“Glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Ethan asid, making sure she knew just how annoying that was. “I aim to be entertaining.”
Maeve laughed a little before resting her head on his shoulder.
Ethan held his breath. This moment. This. Moment. Life was far from perfect. Ethan, of all people, knew that more than most. But for a split second...it felt perfect. The woman he’d been in love with for years was curled up at his side, trusting him enough to lean on him and initiate a touch. He was excited and eager for the business opportunity sitting at the shop. It had such potential to shift his career into the stratosphere that he couldn’t help but feel excitement for the future. And even that stupid dog was adding a little fun to his life as he sat there with Maeve on his shoulder, who was laughing at Tox’s antics.
What more could he possibly ask for?
“Have you ever thought about trying to surf again?” What the heck was that? Ethan mentally punched himself. That was not what he had planned to say. Things were good right now. Really good. Why in the world would his brain ruin it by bringing up the very thing that had driven them apart?
Maeve didn’t answer him right away and Ethan prepared himself for her anger.
“No,” she said softly. “And yes.”
Well, now he was curious. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve thought about that experience almost every day, but not...in a good way and never with the intent of repeating it.”
Ethan winced. He knew that was a stupid thing to bring up. How could he ruin their perfect evening with something that reminded her of a traumatic experience?
“But I don’t know that it would be a bad thing,” she murmured.
His eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “What?”
Maeve shrugged against him. “I’m not saying I want to go. But since you bring it up, I’m starting to wonder if conquering my fear would be better than letting it continue to control me.”
Ethan didn’t have a response for that. He loved surfing. He loved Maeve. Bringing the two of them together was kind of a natural thing, but he wasn’t sure how far he should push something like that. Instead of trying to figure it out, he wrapped his other arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “We’ll figure it out as we go along. There’s no need to hurry.”