He ran toward the problem—full speed ahead.
His man was off, and there was only one possibility as to why that was happening.
Ethan took a stab at it.
“You heard him,” he said. “Didn’t you?” he asked, knowing Gene would know who he was referring to as‘him’. It was time to talk about the big, pink, illicit elephant in the room.
His brother’s comments.
As he was getting out of bed, Gene paused. Then, he went back to what he’d been doing.
“Yeah, I heard him,” he stated, unlocking the cuffs, and leaving Ethan there. “I wish I hadn’t,” he admitted.
Then, Gene headed into the shower to get cleaned up so that the day could begin.
From bed, Ethan watched him leave.
This didn’t feel good, and the last thing he wanted was Gene upset.
What Callen had said…
It didn’t matter to him.
Oh, it mattered, but it wasn’t something Gene needed to worry about. Ethan wasn’t staying here, and he wasn’t coming back.
He was staying with Gene.
The love of his life.
Despite their youth, and what Ethan might or might not feel for Callen, as his brother or otherwise, his mind had already been made up.
He made his choice.
Getting out of bed, his ass hurt, his cheeks stung, and he checked them out in the mirror.
They were still bright red.
And there was no doubt in his mind that he probably deserved it for running his sweet man through the wringer over all of this.
It wasn’t fair to throw his trauma at Gene, making him carry it, or deal with it.
Now, he’d make amends.
Going into the shower, he found Gene trying to clean up, but he was struggling. When he didn’t even acknowledge his presence there, Ethan knew it was bad.
Real.
Bad.
So, it was time to end his worries. If he could go back in time, he’d make Gene stay in the car.
But since he couldn’t do that, he could be compassionate and understanding.
“I’m not leaving you for him,” he stated. “The bottom line, Gene, is that he’s my brother. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to me. Unless it’s me punching him in the face.”
Gene didn’t look at him.
He couldn’t.
