Almost Perfect (Fool's Gold #2)(92)

“Hi, everyone,” a familiar voice said.

Liz blinked. That sounded like Ethan.

“I’d like to have your attention for a minute.”

Denise put a hand to her chest. “Is that Ethan?”

“I think so.”

“What is he doing?”

“I have no idea.”

“This won’t take long,” Ethan continued. “If you could move closer to the stage. I need to make an announcement.”

Liz and Denise got out of line and walked toward the stage.

“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Ethan Hendrix.”

“We know who you are,” a man in the crowd yelled.

Ethan chuckled nervously, shifting from foot to foot. “Good. I need your help with something, and you’re going to have to keep it a secret.”

Several people laughed.

“You really think that’s going to happen?” a woman asked.

“I hope so. Here’s the thing. Someone really important to me is moving back to Fool’s Gold. Her name is Liz Sutton. A few of you know her.”

“She’s that writer.”

“That’s her,” Ethan confirmed.

Liz glanced at Denise who looked confused.

“Don’t ask me,” the other woman said. “I have no idea what he’s up to.”

Ethan was going to talk about her to the whole town? Why? What on earth was he going to say?

She walked a little faster toward the stage.

“Liz grew up here, like me. Unlike most of us, she didn’t have an easy time of it. Her mother was indifferent at best and abusive at worst. Some of you might remember her. She had a reputation for being a drunk and…” He hesitated.

The crowd went quiet.

“In high school, Liz was smart and beautiful and sweet. But almost no one bothered to notice. Instead the other kids said terrible things about her. Things that weren’t true.”

Liz didn’t know if she should walk faster or disappear into the crowd. Humiliation burned her cheeks.

“It was all a lie,” Ethan continued. “I know, because I was her first boyfriend. Her first kiss. Her first.”

“We know about the kid, Ethan,” someone called.

“Right. But what you don’t know is that I made a promise to Liz back then. I told her that I loved her. I said we’d go off to college together. And then when my friend asked me if I was dating Liz, I lied and said she wasn’t anyone I would spend time with. I denied I even knew her and I did it in front of all my friends and in front of Liz.”

There was an audible gasp.

Liz wove through the ever-growing crowd. She could see the stage more clearly now, could see Ethan. He stood alone, facing the town.

“I betrayed her and broke her heart,” he said quietly. “I denied her and I denied myself. Because I did love her. But I was young and stupid and more worried about what my friends thought than her. I didn’t deserve her.”

“You can say that again,” someone urged.

Liz reached the side of the stage, where the steps were. But now that she was there, she didn’t know what she was supposed to do. Stop him? Listen? This was the most surreal moment of her life.

“Liz took off. Who can blame her? About three weeks later, she found out she was pregnant. She came back to tell me and I was, ah, otherwise occupied.”

“What does that mean?” someone asked.

“He was in bed with someone else,” a guy in the back hollered.

Several people laughed. A few groaned.

“Not smart,” a woman said.

“Tell me about it,” Ethan agreed. “Flash forward six years. Liz came back again to tell me about my son. This time, she was determined I would know. But someone got in the way and kept the information from me.”

He drew in a breath. “The reason I’m telling you all this is that Liz is staying in town. She’s moving here so I can be with my son and her nieces can live in a familiar place. She’s a helluva woman.”

“Hey. We’ve got kids here.”

“Oh, sorry.” Ethan looked chagrined. “She’s amazing. So for those of you who want to say something bad about her, you’re going to answer to me. No more stopping her on the street or in a store and saying she was wrong to keep Tyler from me. No more making her feel bad. Liz deserves better and we’re all going to give it to her. Understand?”

There were several murmurs of agreement.

Liz felt as if she were taking part in a play. Or watching a movie. This couldn’t be happening.

“If she’s all that and you’re obviously in love with her, why aren’t you marrying her?”

The question came from down in front. Liz stiffened, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

Ethan sighed. “Hi, Mom.”

The crowd laughed.

“Answer the question,” Denise insisted.

Liz held her breath.

“I want to. Liz is my world. But I’ve been an idiot one too many times. I asked her to marry me because it was the right thing to do.”

“You really are stupid,” a woman commented.

Everyone laughed.

“Did you tell her that you’re sorry?” a boy offered.

Liz turned toward the speaker and saw Tyler standing next to Denise. Abby and Melissa were nearby, all looking at Ethan, all hopeful.