“I was here for the beginning ofOURstory, the middle of it, and the present. I got to meet Gene at our wedding,” she said, being honest. “And I knew then the way he looked at you.”
Ethan let her talk.
“When we married on the reservation, and this bear of a man lumbered up to us, I could tell that there was something there that I wasn’t privy to. A woman knows when her husband loves someone else, still, and I knew that you and Gene had a past. I just waited for you to tell me about it.”
Both men were aware.
Showing up at Ethan’s wedding had been the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. Only, he needed to see if they were really done.
And they had been.
“In that moment, Ethan moved on for survival, but I could tell that there were always those ties to Gene. For we all have that first love in our life. I had mine, and Ethan had his.”
Ethan hadn’t been honest then, because he couldn’t be. He kept so many secrets over their marriage, and raged at her when she’d done the same.
He’d made her work for it, and she’d still stayed and fought. That’s why he loved her. Gene may have created the man he was, but Elizabeth sustained it.
“We moved through our life, but there was always a hole in you. When Gene came back, I was grateful. There has never been jealousy in our relationship. When you love more than one person, you see that the more love you give, the more you get back. I was there for your journey apart,” she said.
Then, she focused on Gene.
“I was there at the beginning for you, too. Only, we were co-workers and friends. We worked together on a few cases, and I learned the kind of man you were. You, Gene Cantrell, are a good, kind man, and I’m grateful you and Ethan found yourselves again. I was there through the Preston years, and then the ones that followed,” she said, not mentioning the man’s name.
That wasn’t happening on their day.
Tommy was still a dirty word.
“I was there when Preston died, and when Ethan rushed to your side, I knew you’d be back. The man you’d given your heart to after Ethan was a placeholder until Fate could give you back to your love.”
Gene was so grateful that Elizabeth had been part of his life throughout it as a Fed, and a Hunter.
Another person stood.
“And we were there at the beginning, and we’d love to be there for this part too,” the voice said, and it caught Gene off guard.
It took him back.
When he turned, he saw a very familiar face.
Two of them.
“We’re Gene’s brothers. We were part of his world at the beginning, and we always knew he was different. When we would go off to football, and chase some cheerleaders, he would partake in the game, and then bail.”
Gene stood there.
It was clear this blindsided him.
He’d not seen his brothers since the days when he and Ethan had been a couple. He’d come out, and they’d turned their backs on him.
“We abandoned you when we met Ethan. You brought him home, claiming the real you, and we weren’t the kind of people we’re proud of. For that, we’re both sorry,” the one brother admitted.
Gene looked over at Ethan.
“How?”
Blackhawk glanced back at Elizabeth.
“She loves a wedding,” he said.
