The ache of that threatened to rip him apart if he didn’t cling to these memories, so he’d hold the fuck on to them, and hold tight until he could see her again.
* * *
ETHAN
Eighteen months ago…
Vallerian Royal Palace, Royal Wing
Family Dining Room
Ethan had avoided seeing his family since he’d arrived back at the palace, but family dinner could not be missed, lest he incur his mother’s wrath.
He had a very strong dislike for family dinners. He liked his family (most of the time), he liked dinners (nearly any dinner not on a ship was delicious, in his opinion), but the combination of both rarely boded good things.
Marcello entered and Ethan’s gut twisted. He hadn’t seen his brother in months, had never confronted him about the fact he’d sent Anda to spy on him months ago. He’d wanted to wait for the right time but now, seeing him just a few feet away whispering to his brother Alex, Ethan knew he wouldn’t, at least not on this visit. He wouldn’t confront Marcello, wouldn’t ask him about becoming an agent, wouldn’t ask him about Anda, wouldn’t let him in at all.
Marcello was his brother. He’d die for him. He’d lie for him. Now, he’d lietohim, to protect the fact he was in love and to protect Anda.
Wait…
Love?
Shit.
Fuck.
Shit!
Holy fucking hell, he was in love!
He lifted his cloth napkin to his lips to cover his gasp, hoping no one noticed his shaking hand.
Anda.My Anda. He’d called her that in bed, hadn’t he?
She was his. She was it. ‘The one’. He glanced at Alex and his fiancée, Rebecca, then at Marcello whispering into his girlfriend Grace’s ear.
Ethan also had that, had someone he loved.
Yet no one knew.
Maybe not even Anda.
He broke out of his reverie, his hand lowering when his sisters let out a collective groan. What were they talking about? Oh, that bullshit thing they did with Christmas gifts every year.
“It started out a lovely tradition,” his sister Carolina said. “We all open one present each on Christmas together, and the rest are tucked away in our rooms to open later. It was the boys who ruined it.” The brothers started to protest.
His sister Sarah pushed her golden hair over her shoulder. “They’re terrible. The boys always find a way to torture or scare us with their gifts.”
Nate, another brother, shook his head and draped his arm casually across the back of his girlfriend, Charlotte or Charlie’s, chair. “Don’t place all the blame on us. You girls did your fair share of tormenting.”
“Nathaniel does have a point. However,” his mother said as she gestured to Rebecca, Grace, and Charlie, “since our family has grown so much over the last few months, I think we should avoid those types of gifts this year.”
Marcello agreed. “I second that. I don’t think we should set out to embarrass anyone this year.” He gave a few of his brothers pointed looks.
Alex shook his head. “Of course we shouldn’t embarrass anyone.”
“Is this really the best idea?” Lorenzo, another brother, asked as the dinner plates were whisked away and plates of tiramisu were brought out. “If they’re really part of the family, they should take part in all of the festivities.”
