ETHAN
Em’s folkstook a real shine to Annie. Ethan appreciated how they slotted her into the family fun easily, even if it did end with her hair caked in sauce and she reeked of a picnic sandwich.
He backed out of the drive and turned left onto the street in front of Em’s family home.
“Annie fits right in with your lot,” he said. “Your family is—”
“Different? Odd? Not entirely a full box of crackers?” Emmaline seemed like she could keep going. “My mom is…my mom.”
Ethan slid his gaze from the road to her. “I was going to say how kind it was of them to take Annie tonight and add her to the mix. They’re nice folks.”
Em scrunched her nose, and she shifted so the yellow skirt hitched up a tad, revealing her thigh. His body took notice, even as his mind reckoned it shouldn’t. “Nice is not a word I would use,” she said. “Though they have their good points.”
“They’re great with the kids.” This, he said with a load of certainty.
“I’m glad to be back where I can see them a lot. Don’t get me wrong. I just…I just struggle to fit.”
“I reckon under all of the nonsense…well…I think they’re keen on you,” he assured. They were parents and there was a heap to be proud of with their daughter.
“I doubt it.” She stared out at the traffic, her profile mirrored back in the window.
“You don’t believe me?” he asked.
“I believe you are trying to be extra nice to me because our daughters are currently bathing in Miracle Whip.” She paused. “That is a sentence I never thought I’d say.”
Also not something he’d thought he’d find in his life, either.
“I reckon your family was stoked to have you move back.” He kind of switched the convo when he should’ve just asked her, already.
She continued staring at the cars waiting alongside them at the traffic light. “They are. They were. Mom and Dad didn’t like that I moved away. They had six kids and I’m the only one who moved away. I guess I’m the problem.”
“You wanted to do something different.” Nothing wrong with that.
“I thought I did. I didn’t know what I wanted.” She lifted a shoulder and shifted in the seat so her skirt hiked up a smidge more.
His cheeks got a bit toasty. He cleared his throat.
“It takes a brave person to try something new. Something as big as moving to a new state. New city.”
“New country?” she asked, sliding her gaze to him.
“New country,” he agreed.
He had her number on that subject change she was working on. Turning the conversation to him.
“Is your family nice, too?” she not-so-subtly asked.
Exactly like that.
“My family is my family. They also didn’t love that I moved away. Loved it even less when I didn’t hurry home with Annie.” He couldn’t—or wouldn’t—do that for heaps of reasons.
“Did you consider that? Because Australia is a helluva long way away. Way further than Los Angeles.”
He nodded, chest tight even after some time away from making the decision. “After talking to some pros who understand kids a lot more than me, I decided that in a world where everything’s gone topsy-turvy for her, any stability I can give her is worth it. In this case, gallivanting around the globe seemed like it might push her ability to cope with life’s curveballs a little too far. She has rellies in the States—uncles, aunties, and grandparents—from her mum’s side. They all enjoy seeing her. She likes to see them. We’re close enough they can drop by regularly without being at our front door every other night.” The last he whispered, as though the words were secret and not something he shared with anyone else. Because he didn’t.
There was more to him not nickin’ off to Australia, too. Annie was the priority, no doubt, but the Nosh Network was here in the States. His future was here with Annie, and he still hoped it’d also be on Nosh again.
Fiddling with the bottom of her skirt, Em couldn’t quite look at him. “I guess this is the part where we break up.”
