Fixing Love

14

Ethan

I could not sit still. I listened for the sound of a car driving up the driveway. My mother was watching me with amusement. My father was staring out the window. I told them about my date with Carter. They wanted to be here to talk to him. I knew it wasn't going to be bad, but it still made me nerves.

"Sweet heart sit down, you're making me tired just watching you." I sat down, and she took my hand. "Ethan listen to me. We aren't here to push him away from you. Your father and I can clearly see how much Carter means to you. We should have talked to him more when the incident happened, not acted as rude as we did." I was glad to hear them say that. They were really mad when Carter said he changed his name, his father is still mad. They all felt like he wanted to turn his back on all of us.

The sound of a car stopping on the driveway caught our attention. I saw my father get up and walk towards the front doors. He gave me a small smile, telling me he wont scare him out. "My goodness boy! Do you ever stop growing?!" We heard my father shout, followed by the voice that still manages to send warmth all through me.

"Hello to you too Alastor." I looked up, just as my father walked back into the room, followed by carter. I have to agree with my father, he does seem bigger again. Not like a muscled body builder, but he was certainly not a weak looking man.

"Ethan." Oh that smile. To anyone else, Carter would appear intimidating and serious. But that smile somehow manages to transform that godly face of his, into an adorable dimpled one.

"Carter." I stood up, and walked up to him. I remember thinking we were the same height at one point, now he towers over me at six feet seven inches. "I missed you." I thank every god in existence for not making me cry at this moment.

He pulls me into a bone crushing hug. If I never worked out, he might have actually broken something. But at that moment I didn't care. I hugged him back with just as much force. Sniffling from behind me made us pull apart. We looked, and saw my mother wiping under her eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the moment. I'm just happy that Ethan is smiling again." She stood up, and walked towards Carter. I took a step to the side, and allowed her to be face to face with him. "Carter, please except our apologies? Me and Alastor had no business getting mad at you. But you must understand, that's our son. When he hurts, we hurt."

"But that is still no excuse for our behavior." My father was now at her side, with a hand on her shoulder. "Carter you are a fine, hard-working young man. I am deeply sorry for my attitude towards you. It was unacceptable." I smiled at my parents. This is why I am thankful to have them so close to my me.

"You have no reason to apologies, you were in the right. I am the one who acted rashly, and made stupid decisions that affect all of us. If anyone should be asking for forgiveness, it is me."
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After almost thirty minutes of them going back and forth, I finally put a stop to it. They all agreed they were in the wrong, and left it at that. So now here we are, in Carter's car.

"Sorry about that." He kept his eyes on the road, but I saw the smile on his face.

"Don't worry. I'm just happy that you and my parents are okay again." We drove for about ten minutes, before I started growing nerves. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Well, I would say it's a secret. But I remember that you aren't a big fan. You say you are, but they you bite your lip until you finally know." I can't believe he remembers. "So we are going to a very special place."

"Where to?"

"Just up this hill." He parked the car at the side of a hill. The entrance was covered by trees, and the area looked secluded. Normally I would be thinking 'murder movie scene', but I trust Carter with my life. He takes my hand, and leads me up the trail, until I can see the edge of the hill up ahead. "This is it."

"Oh, my." I can't even finish. The hill is overlooking the city in the distance, but it is far away so that we can see all the stars up in the sky. There was a blanket, a basket, and a fake candle all set up. He led me to the blanket, and sat down next to me. "How did you find this place?"

"It's mine. When I was little, my mother bought the area here, and gave it to me. We used to come here when I wanted to get away. It's a place only me and her knew about. And now, so do you." I felt my heart swell. He was sharing a very special place with me. I know anything having to do with his mother is extremely private and special, so I feel honored that he is allowing me here.

"It's beautiful." We sat down, and he started pulling dishes out of the basket. He pulled out garlic bread, pasta tortellini, mashed potatoes and gravy, and steamed vegetables. I took a bite, and it was incredible! "This is delicious, who made this?" I couldn't help but take another big bite.

"I'm glad you like it." I saw his cheeks take that rare tint of pink. "The truth is, I made it."

"You cooked this?" I looked down at all the food. It was restaurant quality for sure. "I didn't know you could cook." What else don't I know?

"When I moved out I had to learn. The first few attempts put me in the hospital. I gave myself food poisoning more than once. Finally Freddy talked me into getting classes, and I guess my cooking got better." I ignored that little pinch in my chest. I simply smiled at my amazing husband. If I still have the honor of calling him that.

"I wanna know more. I feel like there is still so much about one another that we don't know. So tell me more about yourself." He smiled, and I felt my cheeks turn pink.

"Okay, but you have to tell me things about you too."

"Deal." And that's how we spent the night. Reconnecting, and learning more about one another. Under the glow of the moon, stars, and little fake candle. All in all, it was a perfect night.