Bringing Back Hallie

Bringing Back Hallie: Chapter Fifteen

Ethan lets out a huge sigh of relief next to me, and I can't help but make this weird one-second squeal thing because they've said yes. Sure I knew neither of my parents would have the heart to kick our summer house guest, I sometimes believe they like him better than me, but there was that little inkling that they would. And that little thought scared the shit out of me.  

"Thank you sir," Ethan says happily and somewhat shocked, and I know in that second that he really was freaked that he'd have to leave. And then the thought hits me; where would Ethan go if he didn't live in the house with us? The only thing about his home life is that he's from city on the border between Louisiana and Mississippi. I don't know if he still lives there, or if he moved here to Nashville to start his music career. Does he have an apartment near here?  

But if he did...why would he be so freaked out about having to leave? 

Suddenly feeling a bit bad because I know absolutely nothing about Ethan's life, I have to try a bit harder to match Ethan's enthusiasm when I say, "Thanks dad." 

"I haven't even gotten to the rules yet," he points out, his blue eyes lingering just a second on where Ethan and I's hands are meshed together. I feel a bit self-conscious for a second and go to break the contact, but before I can my dad's eyes have moved back to us. He says, "No major PDA, alright? I can barely handle the hand-holding." 

I suppress a grin when I feel Ethan's finger squeeze my own. 

He continues, "The doors to the bedrooms will always be left wide open...no cracks. Absolutely no sleepovers. And...wait...I think that's it." He then looks over to my mom who's been nodding in agreement to all of my dad's rules. "You got anything else?" 

"Nope honey, I think you covered anything." 

Looking back at us an almost uncharacteristic serious expression, my dad asks, "That understood, you two?" 

"Yes sir," Ethan says wholeheartedly at the same time I say, "Yep." 

"Great," my dad says with a false enthusiasm, slapping one of his large hands onto the couch arm to help him get up. Once he's to his feet and towering over everyone else's seated figure, he says, "I'm going to go...do...something, away from here at least." 

And with that he leaves the room, leaving Ethan and I with my oddly smiling mother and Darla, who's finally moved her attention away from teasing me and back to reading her book. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and then turn to face Ethan, who looks like he's conquered the world with the smile that's on his face. He looks down at me and whispers, "I can stay." 

"I told you," I tease, reaching out and pushing his shoulder. "You had nothing to worry about." 

XXXXXXX 

"Ethan, what the hell? You said we were getting ice cream...not going to Wal-Mart!" The minute that he turns into the parking lot on the left side of the road, the one for Wal-Mart, instead of the one on the right which is for the local ice-cream shop, I really start to wonder what's going on in that head of his. Not once did he mention coming to this place; he just said ice-cream.  

He puts the car into park as he pulls into a parking space quite close to the doors, and then looks over at me with a smile that tells me he's definitely up to something. "What?!" I demand loudly, wanting to know exactly what he's trying to pull. He can't just say that he needs deodorant or dental floss or something? Why does he have to make this big secret about coming here? 

He asks me like he already knows the answer, "Do you trust me?" 

"Not right now," I answer teasingly, crossing my arms over my chest in a huff. Why can't he just tell me what he's doing here? I don't have a problem with it, I kind of want to hit up the candy aisle for our movie night tonight, but he's making it out to be like there's this big to-do here. I don't get it.