“Think that was the first time I saw him cry,” Ethan adds.
“So, what was your last name before? Your bio dad’s?”
“Nah. My mom’s. Aunt Yesenia told her she’d have less trouble traveling and shit if we shared the same surname. I don’t know if that’s true,” he says, “but Mom let me decide if I wanted to take my stepdad’s name when they got married.”
“Pretty big decision for a seven-year-old to make,” I say with a slight tease in my voice.
He chuckles. “I loved him, though. He was a great man. You know, he secretly helped fund my piloting hours.”
“Okay, I have to hear the explanation for this,” I say. “Secretly fund? I would be bragging about this every chance I can get.”
His laughter is deeper this time. My pulse stumbles over itself. “We both knew my mom wouldn’t approve.”
“She didn’t want you to fly?”
“My dad, Tadeo, died during training.” Ethan’s silent for a moment. I’m not sure if I should say anything just yet when he continues. “He was flying a helicopter.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry.” My mind’s racing as I try to piece everything together. “So your mom found out? Or did you never get… your license?”
“I have my license. Completed my hours a few weeks before my twenty-first birthday. Mom doesn’t know about it, though,” he says, his voice low and gruff. “We planned to tell her after I was done with school, but then my stepdad was killed fighting a brushfire during one of our historically worst wildfire seasons. Mom was such a wreck, and I knew I couldn’t put her through that. Both of them. I can’t do that to Lara and Mom.”
“Oh God, Ethan,” I murmur, swallowing hard. Despite his protesting meows, I have my cat snuggled even tighter against my chest. “I really am sorry for everything you and your family have gone through. I’m here if you ever need someone to talk to. I know how bad wildfires can be.”
“Thanks, Bee, but I’m all right. It’s been almost ten years now. I’m in a better place now than I was then. Aaron can vouch for me.”
“You’ve known him for that long?”
“We’ve been friends since middle school,” he explains. “He’s a good guy. Right before our last year of college, he showed up at my apartment one weekend and told me we were going hiking.”
“Is this where you got your love of hiking from?”
“No. Aaronhatesthe outdoors,” Ethan chuckles. “It was a thing I did with my stepdad growing up. After he passed, Aaron has been hiking with me every weekend since.”
“He sounds like a good friend.”
“He’s a great guy,” he says. “Even though he caused me to get pulled over for additional screening so many times.”
“Wait… What?”
“I didn’t show you the candle?”
“What candle? You had a candle on you?”
“One of those citronella candles,” he says. “He thought I couldn’t bring mosquito repellent on a plane. He can be a little out there sometimes, but his heart’s in the right place. He’s the one who told me about the QA position at the company.”
“So that’s how you ended up working here?”
“Yeah,” he says. “I wanted something with decent pay and could help me pay off my student loans and a mortgage.”
I blink. “A mortgage? For a house?”
“Yes.”
My throat goes a little fuzzy. I don’t know why I’m surprised. Of course, he’s settling down. He talked about wanting security and stability. He’s thirty, surrounded by his loved ones, and adores his home state and everything it has to offer. Why wouldn’t he buy a house?
“Barbie?”
“Huh?”
