“I’m the what?”
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I forge on, ignoring the frown on his face. “I’m scared that I’m going to wake up at any second and find out this is a dream.”
“Bee, I’m here,” he says. “I’m really here. I’m in your room, with your cat that I had to bribe to like me, and theinsaneamount of shoes in your closet. If you still have any doubts, come feel up my arms.”
Shock scorches my cheeks. “What were you doing in my closet?”
“Your cat was screaming bloody murder in there,” he replies, scratching Pie under his chin. “Right during my scrum call with Joe.”
“And now you two are besties?”
“Oh, yeah.” His dimples come out in full force as he lazily grins. “Fed him so many chicken treats, he will go into battle for me. Perhaps he’ll use one of the millions of free pens at your desk to defend my honor.”
I huff out a snort and blurt, “I missed you.”
“Then what are you doing, standing over there?” He tips his head. “This bed is big enough for two people.”
“I don’t know, Ethan.” My lips curve. “The floor does seem like prime real estate.”
“Aw, Barbie, you shouldn’t be sleeping on the floor in your own bedroom.” He scoots over on my mattress, lifting Pie off of him and placing the tabby onto a fuzzy throw pillow. “Now, come here ’cause I miss you, too. So much that I drove nearly a thousand miles to see you.”
I don’t even hesitate. Scrambling toward my bed, a peal of laughter erupts from my chest when he catches me and sweeps me into his arms.
“Why are you here?” I whisper, closing my eyes, allowing myself the opportunity to draw comfort in the steady beat of his heart.
“’Cause I miss you.”
“Really,Ethan.”
“’Cause Ireallymiss you, Barbie.” He holds me flush to his chest. “I would have left earlier to see you if there weren’t a couple of release demos and a report-out I had to do first.”
I breathe in his scent, the familiar notes of citrus and musk going straight to my heart. “What about your mom and her hips?”
“My sister can keep an eye on her,” he responds. “I, uh, need to come to terms with the fact they don’t need me around, playing man of the house.”
I glance into his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“It’s… You know how my stepdad died almost a decade ago?” His throat bobs as he swallows. “My mom was a wreck after he died. My sister was only ten and couldn’t comprehend—His death was hard on them both.”
“And you,” I say softly.
He exhales roughly, his eyelids shuttering. “And me.” There’s a slow and steady rise and fall to his chest. “Someone had to step up and keep my family from falling apart. It wasn’t like I was some kid. I was twenty-one.”
Sorrow grips my heart. “Oh, Ethan.”
“Guess I kinda got used to always having to step up for them. Now I gotta come to terms with Mom selling the house and moving to Texas next year to be closer to family. Lara’s going to Japan after she graduates to teach ESL, which she kept from me ’cause she was afraid I’d try to dissuade her from going.”
“Would you have?”
“No. I’d support whatever she wanted to do. I always have. I didn’t even realize she’s working on getting her TESOL with her degree until she told me about it on Sunday.” A crease forms between his brows. “She thought I’d tell her to go for a more practical degree like I did.”
“What is your degree?”
“Economics.”
I gape at him. “You didn’t want to do something like aerospace?”
“I want to fly helicopters, not build ’em.” He pauses. “I did start off as an aerospace engineering major when I went to college.”
