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Ethan took a few steps closer but left a gap between them as he placed a white slip on the counter. He seemed as afraid to touch her as she was to be touched. The paper was her withdrawal slip from the casino. It had been touched so often it was clear in places. Ethan looked from the counter back up to her. “You saved my life. Do you understand that?”
She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak.
“I didn’t know what to do. You… What you did was so beyond what anyone has ever done for me. You saved me. And I couldn’t begin to repay you. Literally and figuratively.” He was moving closer again, and Sam stepped in his direction.
“You needed my help.”
“I didn’t ask you to give me your money.”
“I lost yours.”
“That was the risk. It was gambling.”
Sam shook her head. “I saw what Julian did to you. It wasn’t a question. I couldn’t let that happen to you again. Or worse.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I didn’t think you’d take the money.”
“I wouldn’t have.”
“So I was right.” Now they were only a foot away from each other, and his familiar smell made her want to close the gap and bury her face in his neck. “When did you find out?”
“When I gave Julian the money.”
That hadn’t been the reaction she’d expected. “If you’ve known the whole time, why are you just showing up now?”
Ethan reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and withdrew a thin envelope, which he placed on the counter next to the receipt. His arm brushed against hers, and even though there was no skin-to-skin contact, her head got fuzzy.
“What is this?”
“Ten thousand dollars.”
“Ethan…”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t borrow it from anyone. You don’t have to worry about big dudes showing up hunting for it.” When Sam didn’t laugh at his poor attempt for humor, he looked a bit defeated. “I had this money coming to me already. It just wasn’t going to come through in time to pay Julian. But it’s here in time for me to pay you.”
A wave of relief crashed over her. Now she wouldn’t have to worry about how to pay her balance off. She didn’t need to stay up at night fretting over how many books to sell, or whether she’d need to remortgage the shop. She felt…free.
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t just come to give you the money.”
“No?”
He cleared the distance and put a hand on her waist. The movement sent heat ricocheting through her whole body, and she leaned into him subconsciously until their chests touched and the warmth of him chased away the chill in her limbs.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say more in those texts, Sam, I am.” He rested his cheek against hers so he was speaking directly into her ear. “The man I was when you left wasn’t someone you wanted to talk to though. I needed to make things right by you. I had to deserve you.”
Ethan tilted his head back, and his gaze locked with hers. He’d gone a little hazy, but Sam blinked back tears until he was clear again.
“You’re an idiot,” she said.
Ethan’s brows went up, but instead of explaining herself, she kissed him. Sam held him by the belt loops, pulling him against her so she could feel the rise and fall of his chest with each breath. She had no intenti
on of letting him get away again.
“You stupid, silly man,” she added, when they came up for breath. “The money isn’t what matters. I took out the money because of you. You’re what mattered.”
