“Ivy’s chef skills don’t go past grilled cheese,” a deep voice calls from the kitchen.Ethan steps into the doorway, sleeves rolled up, smile easy.“So I thought I’d surprise you both.”
Ivy squeals.“Ethan made spaghetti!”
He winks at her, then at me.“I hope that’s okay.”
It’s more than okay.It’s thoughtful.Kind.Steady.Ethan always shows up with little things like that—fixing the leaky faucet, picking up groceries when my week gets too busy, remembering Ivy’s favorite juice boxes.He is the kind of man every woman says she wants.
So why does it feel like something is missing every time I look at him?
Dinner is easy, filled with Ivy’s chatter.Ethan listens, laughing at her wild stories about art class and playground drama, the kind of laughter that’s warm but not consuming.He’s good with her, gentle in a way that makes me ache with guilt.
After Ivy leaves us alone to play with her dolls, Ethan reaches across the table, his hand covering mine.His thumb brushes against my skin, deliberate and steady.
“Zora,” he says softly.“You know I care about you.About both of you.”
I swallow hard.“I know.”
“You’ve built something amazing here,” he continues.“And I want to be part of it.Really part of it.We’ve been dating for almost two years, and I think it’s time for us to take the next step.”
The words hang heavy between us.He isn’t talking about spaghetti dinners anymore.He’s talking about permanence.About stepping into the role of family.
Panic claws up my throat.
“Ethan...”I pull my hand back, staring at the plate in front of me.“You’re wonderful.You are.But I’m not ready for that.”
His jaw tightens, but his voice stays calm.“Because of him?”
The question slices through me and I look up sharply.“What?”
“Do you think I don’t notice the way you flinch when his name comes up?Or how distracted you’ve been since he came back to town?”
My pulse roars in my ears.“This has nothing to do with Maverick.”
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.
Ethan studies me for a long moment, then leans back in his chair, sighing.“I’m not trying to push you, Zora.But I need to know if I’m wasting my time here.If your heart’s somewhere else.”
I open my mouth, but no words come.Because the truth is tangled up in everything I’d buried for years.The truth is gray eyes I can’t forget and a secret I’d sworn to protect.
Ivy’s laughter drifts down the hall, saving me from answering.Ethan smiles faintly, like he doesn’t want to fight in front of her.
“Think about it,” he says quietly.
****
He leaves a littlewhile later and the house feels too quiet.Ivy is asleep, her little body curled in her blanket, one arm thrown over her stuffed rabbit.I stand in her doorway for a long time, watching her chest rise and fall, my heart splitting with equal parts love and fear.
She is everything.My reason.My anchor.The one good thing I’ve done.
And if Maverick finds out about her ...I close her door softly, then crawl into my own bed, staring at the ceiling as the shadows stretch long.My phone buzzes on the nightstand.
Ethan:I mean it, Zora.I want this.Us.A family.
My finger hovers over the screen, but I can’t bring myself to reply.Not tonight.Because no matter how safe Ethan is, no matter how much sense he makes on paper, my heart is tangled in shadows I can’t shake.
And those shadows have a name.
Maverick Hall.
