Reckless(61)

Ethan and I have kept everything under wraps around the kids since we thought Mila needed time to process the divorce. No need to push our relationship in her face or upset Allison while Ethan still has his finances all wrapped up in hers. Rocking that boat seems stupid, like kicking a hornet’s nest.

So when Ethan’s alarm goes off at three or four in the morning—yes, he gets up at an insane hour—I sneak back to my bedroom. It’s not a perfect situation, but at least I’m just trudging down the hall and not having to trek back to Austin.

I’ve been thinking long and hard about the concerns Logan brought up the other day. Their mom is returning. Mila’s starting school. I don’t have to be a genius to know they won’t need my help anymore. It’s not as if there are an abundance of well-paying jobs out here in the sticks, and I have a ton of bills. School loans for a degree I didn’t get. Bills from frivolous crap in college I couldn’t afford. Some insufferably bad decisions. Too many mistakes to list, really.

It’s easy to forget those mistakes when I’m at Ethan’s. Pretend I’ve got my shit together. Pretend I’m the upstanding adult my sister seems to think I am despite the facts.

Brady breaks into my pity party. “Watch out for my girl while I’m gone.”

“Of course. Good seeing you.”

“You too, squirt.” He leans down to give me a hug, making sure to mess up my hair when he lets go. I’ve always wanted a big brother, and when Brady married my sister, I definitely got one.

Especially when he nears the door and turns back at the last minute to say, “Tell Ethan I said hi,” in a saccharine-sweet, sing-songy voice.

Jerking her dad to a stop, Izzy tells me, “Have fun kissing!” And she smacks her lips together to make smooching sounds.

Brady, Kat, and I look at each other, frozen, and Izzy shrugs. “What? Mr. Ethan’s cute!”

I hold up my hand, and she runs over to high-five me. With a pained groan, Brady clutches his chest.

“That’s what you guys get for talking about this!” I quip with an evil laugh. “As you often like to remind me, kids have big ears.”

“She’s seven. She’s not supposed to think boys are cute yet.” Brady turns his daughter toward him and musters the biggest frown I’ve ever seen. “Child, I want to remind you that there is to be no kissing until you’re thirty. Maybe forty.”

“Awww, Dad!”

Izzy is just as boy-crazy as I was at that age. Lord help Kat and Brady.

I’m still snickering when my sister wiggles as much as her giant belly lets her and claps her hands. “I can’t wait anymore. Let’s talk about Ethan! I want all the details!”

“That’s my cue to leave,” Brady says, taking his daughter’s hand and heading out the door.

He can act disinterested, but I know for a fact Kat tells him everything. They’re the worst matchmakers I know.

I can’t feel embarrassed. Why bother? They’ve seen me at my lowest. Dating Ethan is awesome, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise.

I already told Kat about the night we spent in his truck and that there was plenty brewing between us, but I haven’t told her about the recent developments and the spider from hell that dropped down onto my unsuspecting naked ass.

So I fill her in on some of the juicy details. Nothing too graphic. Don’t want to upset her delicate sensibilities.

When I’m done, she smacks me in the shoulder. “How could you not call me immediately and give me the scoop?”

It crossed my mind, but I wasn’t ready to share it with anyone. “I guess I wanted to see how things went. If he really meant what he said about us being official.”

A teeny part of me was afraid he’d wake up the next day and regret it. Or that he’d want to backtrack. Reel things in before they got too serious.

Typical man reasons.

Not that he’s given me reasons to doubt him, but I worried the stress of his pending court date would affect how he’d view us. Like maybe he’d see me as another kind of pressure.

She nods knowingly and grabs my hand. “You’ve dated some huge jerks, but Ethan is the real deal. When he says something, he means it.” With a sniffle, she pulls me into a hug. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there that day.”

I laugh and hug her back. “That’s okay. I’m pretty sure I prefer Ethan saving me from that shower spider than you, no offense.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Oh. She means the first time I had a run-in with spiders.

Lamely, I pat her shoulder. “Wasn’t your fault you couldn’t be there.”

“I hate that I missed out so much when you were little. I never thought much about it until recently, but it had to suck to not have Mom and Dad around like I did. And then Abuelita died, and I know she meant the world to you.”

At the mention of my grandmother, I tear up and decide we cannot continue talking about this. There’s no need to make her feel worse when she was a kid herself at the time. “Don’t beat yourself up, hermana. You’re already my hero.” Truly, she’s everything I want to be when I grow up some day.

Wanting to change the subject, I blurt out something that’s been on my mind before we both need therapy for our childhood.

“Can we get back to Ethan?” I can’t believe I haven’t asked her this before. “What was he like with his wife? Did you know Allison?”