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Ethan reaches for his phone, looking at the text message that has come through, a simple smile crosses his face. I feel his body relax, and I love that he has Brandon here during all of this. It’s someone who reminds him of home, of comfort and of feeling like he has family.
“Brandon wants me to go with him to check out suits for the wedding,” he tells me, and it feels like the most normal thing that has happened to us in a while.
“You should go,” I practically insist. “You are the best man.”
I want us both to get back to our regular lives and stop letting this control what we do. I’m sure he’s going to tell me he doesn’t want to leave me, but that’s unrealistic. There will come a time when we can’t be together. Just because we work together and live together, doesn’t mean that we will spend no time apart.
“What about you?” he instantly responds.
“What about me?”
Ethan smirks, catching the hint of sarcasm in my voice. He knows that before all this happened, I was fiercely independent and I’m trying my best to regain that.
“Listen, you little minx,” Ethan quips, a smile on his face as he takes my hand between his fingers. “There is so much about you. Would you like me to list everything?”
“You know what I mean and no, I don’t want you to list everything,” I tease back as Ethan leans down and kisses me.
“I do know what you mean. Do you know what I mean?” he asks, almost like he’s pushing me to admit to him that I’m still not fully comfortable being alone. This is true. I’m not fully keen on being alone or at least out in public alone. Being here in our house feels safe, especially with the extra security and the cameras. But I don’t want to tell Ethan any of this. He’s already over the top with his protectiveness.
“I do, and I want you to go with Brandon.” I rest my head against his chest again, taking in his smell and the comfort of the closeness of his body.
“Do you have a plan for tomorrow? It’s Saturday, and I know you’re not working.”
I laugh a little, loving that he knows exactly what my schedule is. I never thought I would want something like this, someone wanting to know where I am at all times, but with Ethan, it feels natural.
“I don’t have a plan. I was thinking I could sleep in, maybe have a quickie with you before you head off to shop for suits with Brandon. Maybe I’ll work out and go for a swim,” I say, listing things off randomly. I planned to spend the day with Ethan tomorrow, but I don’t want to tell him that. I want him to go with Brandon and forget that this shit is happening.
Not that it will happen, but still.
“How about this,” Ethan starts, his hand lacing with mine, he brings it to his lips, kissing each one of my knuckles before he presses a kiss to the inside of my wrist. “How about I make appointments at the spa for you and Delaney? Get massages, facials, whatever.”
“I don’t even know if Delaney is off work,” I tell him, and he lets out a chuckle.
“She is now,” he replies, picking up his phone, he shoots off a text to who I assume is Delaney. Like she’s going to argue about getting the day off to go to the spa.
“Is this so you can keep tabs on me?” I narrow my eyes at him, but it only makes him laugh harder.
“Am I that transparent?”
“You are, but that’s okay. I think it’s kinda cute,” I admit, stepping away from him. “I’m going to take a Xanax and then I’m going to go in the hot tub. You want to join me? No reason to make dinner now. I’m really not all that hungry.” I say, changing the subject because there’s no arguing with Ethan when he has his mind made up. He wants me to spend the day with Delaney at the Badger Creek spa, and who would refuse that.
“Will you be wearing anything?”
I give him a sly smile, slinking off to our bedroom, I call out, “I guess you’ll have to join me to find out.”
Ten minutes later, we’re in the hot tub, my back resting against Ethan’s chest, a calm washing over us that has nothing to do with the warm water. It feels good to relax, to be together and hope that this calm continues.
“You want to meet Brandon, Tracy and me for dinner after your day with Delaney?” Ethan asks me, kissing my neck.
“Of course. I love spending time with Brandon and Tracy,” I reply, and Ethan’s arms tighten around my waist and as they do, I recognize his change. He wants to ask me something, something that he worries I will say no to.
“Will you take security with you when you go to the spa and if you and Delaney go anywhere else?” he says, coming right out with it.
It takes me a second to respond, stopping myself from blurting out my initial response of no. It’s what I would have said in the past, thinking it would have been ridiculous to live my life that way, but after what’s happened, it’s not a terrible plan.
With my abductor still out there, sending threatening notes and managing to evade the police, I am still scared. I don’t want to be worried that every person I encounter could be someone out to hurt me. But I’ve also never been the type to rely on anyone else. It’s hard to make that change, hard to allow my life to be controlled by someone else.
In this case, it’s Ethan trying to protect me and that feels different. I don’t want him worrying about me, his mind wandering while he’s supposed to be helping Brandon.
