Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
I snort-laugh and shake my head. “You’re so bad.”
But he’s really not. I love that Ethan is gaining every ounce of pleasure from fatherhood. He told me about Sylvie’s hug after he told her he loved her. Just as he’s proudly told me every other milestone in their relationship from this past week. Since our first kiss five days ago, we’ve seen each other every day. I’ve been to his house for dinner twice, once with his entire family and once with just Sylvie, after which we played board games until it was way past Sylvie’s bedtime on a school night. But we were having so much fun, I could tell Ethan didn’t want to stop.
I came out to the farm one day for lunch and we had a quick sandwich and chips as he drove me around the vast acreage for the grand tour. My favorite was visiting the yearlings who are like big puppies all vying for attention and scratches.
Last night, he took me out for a very nice dinner at the same steakhouse where we ate at the bar. Except this time, we sat at a romantic table with candlelight and talked for over two hours as we stretched the meal.
And every night has ended with kisses that turn increasingly fiery and needful, but always end when Ethan breaks the kiss. It’s both frustrating and exhilarating as we both know it’s only a matter of time before we take things all the way.
Tonight might even be that night.
The best part of this week though, is despite us parting ways at the end of each evening, Ethan always calls me before he drifts off to sleep. We spend five to ten minutes, both of us lying in our beds, talking about what’s ahead for the next day. Every night, I go to sleep with a smile on my face.
I think cooking dinner together in his home might actually be the perfect date. Intimate, quiet, casual. Just the two of us… alone. The first time since we’ve started seeing each other that Sylvie isn’t here.
Very alone.
“… PTA meeting Monday?”
I jolt, realizing that Ethan’s talking and I have no idea what he’s just said. “Um, sorry, what?”
He leans over, kisses the top of my head. A sweet, affectionate move that shouldn’t make my blood race the way it does. “I said, you have that PTA meeting on Monday. Are you worried about it?”
“Not really. I mean… my hands are tied by the superintendent, but I expect it’s going to be a free-for-all. There are a lot of divided feelings.”
He’s talking about a meeting called by the Parent Teacher Association to discuss a list of books that some of the parents want to ban. There will be members from the county board of education in attendance and I expect it will get heated. Yours truly will moderate and it’s going to suck because I cannot take a position, even though I’m firmly against book banning.
“I got your back,” he says, and that means more to me than it should. Ethan shouldn’t have to take my side, but rather do what he believes in for Sylvie’s sake. We’ve talked at length about it and he’s against the ban too, and in fact, he went and bought every book on the list for his daughter.
But it’s what makes walking the ethical edge of this knife we’re on a little precarious. There’s no direct conflict with me dating a parent. I checked. But Ethan and I decided it’s best that we don’t flaunt the relationship in any way.
“Speaking of having your back, I assume Abby and Kellen are still arriving tomorrow?”
Ethan chuckles. “Yeah, they’ll be in by dinnertime.”
Abby is Ethan’s younger sister and Kat’s identical twin. She’s a small animal veterinarian in Pittsburgh and her husband, Kellen, is a private security expert and former U.S. Marine. While much of it is water under the bridge, Ethan and Kellen had quite the rocky start when he first started dating Abby. I was thoroughly entertained by the dramatic story of how Abby tried to take down a crooked puppy mill owner by stealing dogs, getting shot at and ultimately almost killed in a barn fire set by the man. Kellen was there to protect her through it all but Ethan has a bit of a grudge against him for letting his sister get involved in the first place. Apparently, Kellen didn’t like Ethan’s judgment and overbearing protectiveness. I’m prepared, based on what Ethan’s told me, for the two men to snipe at each other—although probably in more of a teasing way—and hence why I have his back.
But truly, Abby is here to meet Sylvie and I expect it’s going to be an all-around fun time. I was thrilled that it wasn’t just Ethan who invited me to the family dinner tomorrow but Sylvie, who was most adamant she wanted me present. I think because I was the little girl’s first trusted confidante and the one who placed myself solidly in her corner at the start. Our bond was instantly formed and solidified by the relationship I’ve developed with her father, who she also now sees as a trustworthy advocate.