I realized in that moment that Ethan and I were still holding hands, because it clamped down on mine for a split second before relaxing.
“I have nothing to say to her,” Ethan grit out.
Wait, what? The mother that he nearly died trying to protect? They didn’t talk?
Scotty’s face fell. “Come on, man. Don’t make her pay for her mistakes twice.”
Ethan dropped my hand then and crossed his arms. “If she wants to stay with him, then she can, but I’ll have no part in it.”
Oh shit. It dawned on me then. I had completely assumed after Ethan beat the shit out of his dad that she left him.
As if reading my mind, Ethan looked over at me with stormy eyes. “Not everyone is strong enough to walk away.”
Holy shit.This was huge. I no longer felt like the totally fucked-up dark and twisty one. Ethan had his own shit to deal with.
Scotty sighed. “Alright, well, when I get out, we’re all going to have a party, okay? Mom, Dad, and you better be there.”
Ethan just nodded curtly.
“Oh, when are you getting out?” I asked.
Scotty looked at me with a mischievous grin. “Six years, if I can stop kicking people’s asses in here.”
“And selling drugs,” Ethan added.
Then they both laughed.
Alright, so the man knew his flaws and was willing to be accountable to them. I could respect that. He had some loose morals and he was hot as fuck. Not as hot as Ethan, who had purity to him that Silver Fox didn’t, but … I wasn’t minding the view.
Hailey 2.0 checked guys out.
The next hour passed quickly. The talk turned light and we all shared funny stories. Scotty asked more about my schooling and told me he used to work at Mickey’s too, as a bouncer. He was easy to talk to and generally pleasant, which was weird considering I’d expected a cold-blooded killer with an attitude or something. By the time the guards were asking us to leave, I realized that I had genuinely enjoyed my first prison visit experience.
“How often do you visit him?” I asked as we walked hand in hand out to his bike.
He shrugged. “Try to once a month. Sometimes it’s once every few months when the shop gets busy.”
I nodded.
He handed me my helmet. “Wanna grab lunch in town? I know a great place.”
I shoved the helmet lightly into his chest. “If you promise to start wearing a helmet of your own.”
His lips twitched. “Really? You’re gonna starve me until I submit to your will?” There was a sexy look in his eyes and I was liking it.
I nodded, crossing my arms. “Swear to start wearing a helmet and I’ll go to lunch with you.”
He licked his lips to wet them and looked me up and down. “Hailey Willows, the girl who got Ethan King to start wearing a helmet.”
Laughter pealed out of me. “You must really want lunch.”
His stormy blue gaze sharpened. “Something like that.”
The air charged with particles or something, because the tension was so thick I could feel it as a tangible thing.
Shoving the helmet onto my head, I mumbled something about being hungry.
With a nod, we set off for our day in Sedona.
