Rachel was seated in the nursery, watching over Ava after she put her to bed. The little girl fell asleep instantly and even though she was safe and sound Rachel couldn't leave her side. Not when she knew that this might as well be the last time they had a peaceful moment together. Ethan was a man of action, no doubt everything was going to change the minute he barged through that door. She pulled her feet under her and got comfortable in the soft one-seat by the window. The house was unnaturally quiet. It was like everyone was taking this moment to charge up, preparing themselves for what was about to happen.
She grabbed her phone, staring at the text she received from Ethan almost two hours ago. He'd be here soon, any minute now he'd burst through that door and change their future. It had been months since she heard about Ethan moving on with that woman who apparently was also on Gabriel and Valerie's blacklist, Lucille. Curiosity was getting the better of her now. She went through Ethan's Social Media, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. What she saw made her lose all hope. Lucille was gorgeous, the kind of gorgeous you figured only exists through photoshop. The pictures of them together looked off though. Like a couple posing for the camera because they had to. It wasn't the kind of pictures Gabriel and Valerie had. There was no warmth to it.
She put her phone away not wanting to drive herself insane by wondering. She got to her feet and moved to Ava's crib, smiling down at the peaceful looking girl. She had no idea her little cat cry made her daddy jump on the first plane to see her. She brushed fingers over Ava's chubby cheek, the softness of her skin a surreal feeling. Ava looked like any other chubby baby, light brown hair and the darkest blue eyes Rachel had ever seen. She knew her appearance was going to change a lot, it was the same for her and Valerie. Their hair color changed as well as their eye color. Despite knowing that Ava's appearance wasn't set in stone Rachel could still see that she was indeed Ethan's baby. She couldn't describe it, it was just a feeling.
"Rachel."
Her heart accelerated hearing that voice. It had been a while since she heard it yet it felt like it was yesterday. Memories of their unofficial break-up coming to mind. She didn't dare to turn around, afraid of what she would see.
"Ethan."
She heard him moving behind her, a door closing and then footsteps slowly approaching her. She swallowed, pressing her lips together as she waited for him to reach her. She inhaled deeply when she felt him behind her, a shaky breath leaving her lips when he pressed up behind her. He hovered over her, the scent of his cologne lingering around her. The scent bringing back all sorts of memories which made her weak to the knees. She gripped the crib for support, not wanting to cave in.
"The cat looks happy to me." She forced herself not to smile, remembering the conversation Ethan had with Gabriel, "I'm going to pick her up."
"Ava's sleeping."
When he stepped beside her and reached for Ava, she swallowed her words. There was no stopping him, he was meeting Ava for the first time and when she looked at his face she could tell he instantly fell in love with her. Carefully Ethan lifted Ava up and held her close, cradling her in his arms. Ava stirred in his arms, making whining sounds before she settled again. Tired, because she had been playing all day.
"How could you do this to me, Rachel?" Ethan whispered to her.
He sounded calm, nothing could be read from his face but she could feel the anger radiating from him. He was staying quiet because of Ava. Ethan was staring at the little girl in his arms, but she knew she had his attention.
"I tried to contact you so many times, but you kept ignoring me." She quietly told him, hoping he wouldn't start freaking out because that would upset Ava and a tired Ava wasn't easy to deal with, "Then I went to the office hoping you'd meet me, but you just wouldn't bother."
"So you ran?" He asked her.
"Ethan, I tried. You just wouldn't listen."
He nodded, the way he clenched his jaw told her it wasn't going well for her. He was trying to keep his anger in check. She just didn't know if he was that furious with her or with their situation. She shouldn't have run away from it all, but he shouldn't have treated her the way he did either. They were both at fault. She wasn't sure if he'd see it that way though.
"I know." He met her gaze for the first time, heat building up in her stomach when those intense eyes fixated on her, "There were a lot of things going on at the time if you had stayed and waited for me I would have explained it to you."
"You hurt my feelings." She breathed.
A soft chuckle left his lips, "And you acted on a whim, I can now understand why." He said as he glanced down at the little girl in his arms, "Shall we call it you acting out because of the hormones?"
She folded her arms across her chest, "At the time I figured I was doing the right thing." She inhaled deeply and told him the truth, "Now I feel like it was a mistake."
Ethan brushed his lips against the little girl's forehead, making Rachel laugh when Ava frowned like a little prune and moved again. Her hands rubbing over her face.
"You two are coming back home with me."
She stared at him in disbelief, "Excuse me?"
He looked up, the look in his eyes telling her he was deadly serious about it, "You two are coming back home with me." He repeated.
There it was the life-changing decision Ethan made for her, she prepared for it while he was heading their way but now that he stated his decision out loud it still caught her by surprise anyway. He wanted them to come live with him while he was engaged to another woman? That was not going to happen. She wasn't going to follow him even though she was happy with him being there and holding Ava like she was the most precious thing ever.
"That's not going to happen." She told him, "In case you forgot about it, you're getting married. Ava and I are doing fine here with mom and dad. You can always come visit us." She told him, "Us moving back to the city with you, that is just not going to happen."
He raised an eyebrow at her, looking at her like she spoke a different language. It was obvious to her though, him getting married to a girl like Lucille meant that she and Ava couldn't be a constant presence in his life. No doubt Lucille was like a second Tiffany, apparently his type.
"Me getting married isn't changing anything."
"It changes everything." She told him, "How do you think this is going to work out? You put us in some apartment close to yours and visit us whenever you feel like while you start your new life with your wife? Do you think it would be fair to Ava or to me? Not to mention that your wife probably won't like it? Us staying here is the best solution. You know you're always welcome here, that has never changed."
He held her gaze for a while, she could tell he was already coming up with another solution since he didn't like hers.
"You two stay here for a while." He told her, "I'll take care of things back home."
She didn't like where he was going with this, "What do you mean?"
He didn't elaborate on that one, "Don't worry about that, you and Ava are coming back to live with me. There is no scenario where I only come pay her a visit whenever I get the time. She's my girl and she should be staying with me. With us."
"Ethan."
He gently placed Ava back in her crib, shushing her when she stirred. Once she settled in he turned around to face her. She didn't expect him to close in on her, but he stepped to her and pulled her close. It was odd how it felt like they never parted. He was familiar and he wasn't screaming at her. It was like they both grew up.
"When I get back here things will be sorted out between her and me."
The confidence in his voice confused her. She knew she should be happy that he was putting Ava before everything, but she doubted it was a good thing that he could end an engagement like that. It didn't feel right to her.
"Ethan, it doesn't feel right to me."
She gasped when he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her close to him and shut her up by kissing her. She had expected Ethan to lose it, throw a fit and throw accusations at her. She never expected him to be gentle and then end up kissing her. He might have made up his mind about his dear Lucille, it was a fact that right now he was still engaged to that woman. So they couldn't be doing this. She placed her hands against his chest, trying to ignore how firm and wonderful it felt underneath her touch.
She pushed against him, a whine leaving her lips when he tightened his hold on her to keep her in place. The kiss was great, it wasn't like she wasn't enjoying it but it was getting too intense way too fast and right in front of Ava who had no idea, but it just wasn't right. She tried again, this time putting all her strength behind that one push.
"We can't." She whispered to him, out of breath, "Ava is right here." She then realized that wasn't supposed to be the first thing she told him to make herself clear, "And you're engaged."
"You want it too."
"Of course I do." She looked away from him, embarrassed about admitting that so straightforwardly, "But that's not the issue right now." She muttered on, "That has never been an issue between us."
"It's been months, Rache."
Months since they last had sex, that was correct yet he made it sound like he was starving for it.
She chuckled, "I doubt you were saving it for the wedding night."
Her amusement faded when she noticed how serious he was.
"I never planned on touching her." He told her and closed the distance between them again, "I don't even like her." He ran his fingers through her hair, his lips brushing against her cheek, "It was always you, Rache, always."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving into what he was offering. He claimed her lips, kissing her with everything he had. She felt desired and loved. It had been months for her too. He ran his hands over her thighs and then lifted her up. She wrapped herself around him, holding on with everything she had. Her eyes landed on the crib, seeing Ava peacefully sleeping was like having a cold shower. Her hold on him loosened.
"Not here." She breathed in his ear.
He understood what she was trying to say and moved them, not letting go of her while he made his way to her room. A lot of touching and laughing was involved as he moved them to her room. He kicked the door closed behind him and without a second to waste dropped her on her bed and crawled on top of her. They ripped their clothes off each other, it really had been ages. The impatience of being together again caused both of them to be rough with their touches. Their clothes were scattered across the room, tossed away without a care in the world. The moment he slid inside of her it was like time froze, he cupped her face and locked eyes with her. It was too much, too intimate. Not being able to handle it Rachel looked away. Afterward, they laid down beside each other, staring at the ceiling. Rachel tried to catch her breath while she listened to Ethan and his plans.
"I'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon, fix things back home and then come back to get you both."
"Yeah, that's the plan but what does it even mean?" She asked him, still not understanding what the hell Ethan was going to do.
He hovered over her, staring at her face for what felt like an entirety before he spoke up, "Obviously I'm breaking off my engagement. Move Lucille out of my apartment and get it prepped for you and Ava. When things are settled I'll come and get you both."
"Just like that?" She asked, shaking her head in disbelief.
He didn't look happy about her sarcasm, it showed in the way he spoke to her, "Yes, just like that." He repeated firmly, "I don't want to argue with you all night, Rache. I'm not letting Ava grow up without me, so your only option is to follow me."
She still wasn't convinced, it felt like they were going to create another Tiffany. Ethan decided after one meeting that his engagement with that woman was ending and he was moving her and Ava back to his apartment just like that.
"We were never like that," Ethan told her, it was as if he read her mind.
"Then what were you like?" She asked.
"It doesn't matter." Ethan rolled away from her, grabbing his phone, "The point is that Lucille won't be a problem. I'm going to arrange my flight back." He got out of bed, put on his underwear and pants and left the room to make his call.
It was the middle of the night, but apparently, Ethan could do whatever he wanted. No doubt it was his assistant who he was bothering to arrange things for him. She had other things to worry about. It was just like she figured it would go, they were going to follow Ethan's plan because there really wasn't another option. At least not an option they could both agree on, so Ethan's option was the best one to go along with. Ethan didn't want to fight her and she didn't want to fight him either. To give it one more try was something she had to do. Ava deserved that much. If Ethan promised her that Lucille wouldn't be a problem then she'd believe him.
***
Rachel watched as Ethan was saying goodbye to his daughter, cradling her and whispering things to her which made their baby girl make sounds back to him. It was cute, but the sight didn't make her smile. She was clutching her cup of tea, not daring to meet anyone's eyes because everyone in the room knew what happened last night. It was embarrassing and she was ashamed of herself. If only she could sink through the floor right now.
Sighing she lowered her gaze to her cup, taking in the light colored tea which subtly smelled like strawberry and mint. She nearly spilled the liquid when she felt a hot touch on her hip. Trailing her eyes up she met Ethan's determined gaze.
"I'll be back soon, you should start packing."
"Yeah."
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips, not even bothering to be subtle about the things that transpired between them. He pulled away from her and walked to the door, Gabriel meeting her gaze before he followed after his friend. Gabriel was dropping Ethan off at the airport, taking her dad's car. Once the guys were out of sight she met Valerie's gaze. Valerie carefully handed Ava to their mother.
"We need to talk." Her sister told her, grabbing her hand and dragging her along to Valerie's room.
Once inside Valerie closed the door behind her. Rachel took a seat on her sister's bed and sipped her tea.
"What happened?" Valerie demanded to know.
"Ethan wants Ava and me to move back to the city."
"To live with him?" Valerie clarified.
Rachel could only nod. That was the plan, that was Ethan's plan.
"What about Lucille?"
Rachel got comfortable on her sister's bed and placed her half-empty cup down on the bedside table. It hit her then just how much the room smelled like Gabriel, his cologne lingering. It wasn't just Valerie's room anymore. As she glanced around she noticed the little things of Gabriel which were lying around. Since the couple visited the family house often they left their essentials at the house. Things were once again changing. She knew once Ethan came back for her the couple would also stop dropping by that often to pay their parents a visit.
"Ethan says he's ending things with her." She frowned as she remembered the way Ethan talked about his fiancée or soon to be ex-fiancée. He didn't care about her and she didn't know if she believed him, but they weren't even intimate which was odd for a man who loved to be physical, "He mentioned that it's not what I think it is."
"Their engagement?"
Rachel shrugged, "I don't know if it's true or not, but I have to believe him. Otherwise, I'll be questioning his every move and I can't be like that. It's the way Ethan was before things went bad between us. I hated it and I know he'll feel the same way."
Valerie sat beside her, looking as confused as she was feeling last night. The crazy thing was that Rachel felt quite relaxed that morning. Like she had practiced yoga all morning and reached a moment of clarity. The way her sister was feeling right now was a different story.
"So Ethan is going back to end things with Lucille and kick her out. Then he comes back to get you and Ava and move you into his apartment. Just like that?"
"Just like that," Rachel confirmed.
Valerie grabbed her hand, "What about last night, the hell Rachel?"
Rachel took her hand back and buried her face in her hands, embarrassment washing over her again. Her zen moment gone because of the reminder of her passionate night with an engaged man.
"Don't remind me." She muttered.
"You slept with him?!"
"It just happened." Rachel pulled her hands away and let herself fall back, her eyes fixated on the ceiling, "It always has been like that between us, Valerie. You know that." She gestured with her hands the baby making process which caused her sister to laugh and give her a slap on the shoulder, "Hence baby Ava."
"He's engaged," Valerie whispered.
"I know!" Rachel closed her eyes covering them with her hand, "It's not like I'm proud of it."
Valerie sighed, "I hope Gabriel is giving him hell right now."
Rachel sat up, meeting her sister's gaze, "I doubt that."
Valerie's look told her she felt the same way. Those two no matter how bad things got between them, they always had each other's back. Rachel knew that Gabriel would support Ethan's decision. Hell, she was convinced Gabriel would kick Lucille out himself. She was too afraid to think of the consequences of their actions so she shut off her brain entirely. While Ethan took care of his business back at the city she focused on Ava. He'd come back soon and move them into his apartment so she wanted to enjoy every second she had left at her family home.