Breaking All The Rules (Book 1 - Second Chances Series) (8 page)

Janette grimaced. “My favorite thing.”

“But there’s no reason to think the baby won’t go full term?” My statement was more of a question.

“No reason at all,” Terrance replied. “She just has to follow doctor’s orders.

We all stood around for another five minutes or so just looking at Janette breathe and listening to the monitor beep. A nurse came in, looked at the tape from the monitor and took Janette’s vitals including her blood pressure and heartbeat.

“Visiting hours end at eight.” She raised five fingers on one hand and three on the other as she exited the room.

I looked at Ethan and he laughed. “She probably missed her true calling. She should have been a kindergarten teacher.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle and so did Janette.

“Ethan Wright, don’t you make me laugh this baby out of my belly,” Janette said firmly. “Oh God, I think I need to pee.”

“I’ll help you,” I shoved my purse in Ethan’s hands. “You can hold that since you made her have to go.”

Terrance and I helped Janette down from the bed, unstrapped her monitor and I walked her into the ladies room. Upon her arrival there she realized she didn’t have to go after all, so we made the way back to the bed. The men stepped out of the room while I helped her back into bed.

“You and Ethan look friendly,” she said.

“That’s because we’re friends.” 

“He’s not looking at you like he’s thinking about friendship.” Janette wagged a finger. “Be careful with him or you’ll end up like me without the ring.”

“Stay in your lane, little sister.” I reconnected her monitor. Then before she could utter another warning I yelled toward the door. “Guys you can come in!”

After another five minutes of very few words, I finally asked the question that had been floating around in my mind since I’d entered the room. “The wedding? Will you still be having it?”

Terrance answered for Janette. “No reason we can’t still have it, but the running around…well let’s just say we’re glad you’re here, Nec –,” he raised his hand to cover a fake cough. “—Deniece.”

Terrance’s eyes met mine for a moment. For the first time in our adult lives, I couldn’t get a read on him. Every time we were in the same room I felt his presence pressing me for something, but I had no idea what it was. It was an energy that I couldn’t put my finger on, but for the most part it felt negative or at least that was how I was channeling it.

Ethan cleared his throat. “I’m double parked. I’m going to go move the truck before it gets towed.” He handed me my bag. “I can wait for you out there.”

I stopped him with a hand on his arm. I didn’t want to be alone with the two of them. Janette I didn’t mind. She was my sister. She’d always been my sister and as much as she sometimes worked my nerves, that was nothing new, but this feeling of uneasiness that I had around Terrance was and I wasn’t going to subject myself to it. “Janette is there anything we can do? It’s seven forty-five. They’ll ask us to leave soon.”

“Could you make sure there’s some Butter Pecan in the house from Dolans? I’ll be wanting some when I get home.”

I looked at Ethan and we both looked back to Janette and nodded. “Is that it, honey?”

Janette was thoughtful for a moment. “I think that’s it.”

I let go of her hand and gave her thigh a little squeeze. “Okay, then we’re going to go. I’ll be at the house when you get there.”

“Okay,” Janette said. “Thanks for coming Ethan.” She turned over to her side and closed her eyes.

“We’ll get that ice cream,” Ethan offered. Then he extended a hand. “Terrance.”

Terrance hesitated, but then swallowed and shook. I thought it odd for him to hesitate when they were in business together to the tune of nearly a million dollars, but some things never changed. Terrance had always been jealous of Ethan. At first it was because of the attention Mother Wright doted on the poor motherless child, then later for his stardom and now I suppose it was the money that came with the stardom.

We turned to walk out of the room and Janette said, “Wait. Before you leave, we should have prayer.”

Terrance cracked a tentative smile.

“Of course.” I reentered the room.

Ethan did not join me. He merely nodded and said, “I’ll meet you at the truck.”

***

Ethan and I stopped at Dolan’s Ice Cream shop and made it in right before the owner, Joe Dolan closed for the evening. Garrison was a quiet town and businesses didn’t stay open very late. Dolan’s turned the closed sign around at eight-thirty during the week giving folks who had after dinner cravings an opportunity to finish the dishes and still make it there in time.

We purchased a quart of Butter Pecan for Janette and our favorites for ourselves. We arrived at the house and sat in the truck for a few minutes. It was dark and looked lonely. It was funny, I lived alone, but there was something about being in Garrison right now that made me feel lonely in my aloneness, so I invited Ethan in.  “No point in us eating alone,” I said, offering an explanation for the invitation. “I can warm up our food and you can keep me company for a little while longer if like.”

“I can’t think of anything else I’d prefer to do.” Ethan turned off the ignition, came around the truck, opened the door for me and reached in for our bags.

We entered the dark house. I flooded the living room and dining room with light in an effort to not create atmosphere. Then I washed my hands and began to microwave our food. 

“You can turn on the television,” I yelled to him from the kitchen.

“Not much of a T.V person,” he responded. “I’ll wash up and set the table.” He did just that. When I crossed into the dining room from the kitchen I noticed the recessed lighting had been dimmed a bit and there was soft jazz music streaming from his cell phone. He took the plates from my hand and put them down on place mats that he’d positioned next to each other on the table.

“This is cozy,” I said, taking the chair he’d pulled out for me.

“I’m trying to recapture the atmosphere in Palermo’s.”

“Minus the autograph seekers,” I chuckled.

“I can sign something for you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I’ve known you too long to be an autograph hound.”

“You never know,” he said. “Maybe one day you’ll want my name on something.”

I laughed. “I am not going to ask you to explain that one.”

He laughed too. “I was envisioning a tattoo right there in the center of your chest.”

“I can guarantee you that you’ll never see your name in the center of my chest, Mr. Wright.” 

“Well, maybe I’ll just sign it on your heart.”

“Now you’re trying too hard,” I said, laughing.

Ethan chuckled. “I thought that was original.”

Our eyes caught for a long, intense moment. I fought the desire to look away, but in the end his resolve was stronger, because I dropped my eyes.

I reached for my glass and cleared my throat. “Why are you staring?”

Ethan reached for his glass and took a long sip before answering. “I can’t help myself. You’re beautiful.”

I know I turned fifty shades of blush. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear.”

He was quick with his response. “It’s easy to say.” Still, his soul searching eyes remained on me. 

I cleared my throat. “Our food is cooling again.”

“Then let’s eat.” Ethan picked up his fork, gave me a teasing smile and delved into his plate.

I was finally able to breathe.

We ate in silence for a few minutes. The music and Ethan’s occasional glances in my direction served to turn up the heat in the room a bit more than the hot peppers in my entrée.

I put my fork down. “I can’t eat another bite. It’s nearly nine.” I stood from the table. “I’m going to check on Janette.”

Ethan pushed back from the table as well, but his plate was empty. He’d inhaled his food whole.

I reached into my bag and pushed the numbers for Garrison General. I was surprised I still remembered it, but I guess it was permanently etched on my brain from all the calls I placed when my dad was sick.

After a few rings, I heard Terrance’s voice on the other end. I passed on greeting him. “How’s Janette?”

“She’s fine. Sleeping. She’s had a few more contractions, so they still have her under observation. I’m not sure she’ll be home tonight,” he said and paused. “I’m not sure I want her to be. It feels safer here.”

“Okay, let her know I’m thinking about her. Praying for her,” I replied.

“I will.”

“Call my cell if things change. I’m going to lock up after Ethan leaves and –”

He interrupted me before I could finish my sentence. “Ethan is still there?”

I turned my back to Ethan a bit and whispered. “That’s none of your business.”

“I’m concerned is all. I know my cousin can be an interesting kind of guy.”

“Well, I like interesting. It’s better than boring,” I snapped nastily.

“Are you implying that I’m boring because I didn’t want to move to New York?”

“I’m not implying –” I stopped myself. What was I doing? I didn’t argue with Terrance when we were dating. I certainly wasn’t going to argue with him now that we weren’t.  “Give Janette my love.” I pushed the end button and  twisted back around in my seat to face Ethan again.

“Janette’s fine, but I gather Terrance is not.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what’s going on with him.”

“He’s nervous about the marriage, feeling guilty about the pregnancy and you and also hating the fact that you’re with me. It’s enough to make a preacher’s boy reach for the bottle.”

I shook my head. “That’s ridiculous.”

“He’s eating his cake and wanting it too.”

“Men.”

“Can’t live with them. Can’t live with them.” Ethan winked.

I laughed at the play on words. “Just can’t live with them,” I said. “Do you want your ice cream?”

He stretched like a cat and rubbed his belly. “I’ve got some more room, but can we take it in the living room?”

“I’ll meet you there.”

The television was on when I entered the living room with our bowls of ice cream. “I thought I was going to have to watch the football game.” 

“I won’t bore you. My favorite crime drama is on BBC America.”

I sat down and folded my legs under my bottom. I could still do that thanks to yoga. “I can’t say I watch British television.”

“You’ll love this. It’s a psychological thriller. Cop show.”

Ethan sounded excited. I was not. “I scare easy.”

“I’ll protect you.” He flashed that million dollar smile that I’d seen on countless magazine covers, blogs and television clips. He was much more handsome in person. I’d never noticed. I guess Terrance was throwing shade.

“You won’t be here all night.”

“I can sleep right here on this sofa. I’m very disciplined. It’s yourself you’ll have to worry about.” He winked and shoved a large spoon of ice cream in his mouth. I pursed my lips. Ethan laughed. “I’m messing with you. It’s so much fun. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been with a grown woman that blushed so much.”

“Blush?” I avoided his eyes by digging around in my ice cream bowl. “I’m not blushing.”

“You’ve been blushing all day. It started in the tuxedo shop.” He put more ice cream in his mouth. “Don’t worry. It’s a good thing. A sign of innocence and that’s rare.”

“Are you sure it’s innocence and not naïvety?”

Ethan squinted. “You would never have survived in New York City for this long if you were naïve.”

“It’s possible to be savvy in business and not so smart in your personal life.”

“Are you questioning yourself, because of Terrance or does some other fool have you twisted?” he asked.

I sighed and put my bowl down. “I’m not questioning myself at all or at least I didn’t think I was.”

“Well, I know one thing you need to question and that’s making rules about who to date and who not to date, especially that age thing.”

I pulled back my neck and looked him up and down. “Would that be because that age thing pertains to you?”

“Nah,” he shook his head. “I’m not the least bit interested in you.”

He laughed out loud and I joined him. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be. Had I misread him?

“Seriously,” he continued. “You could miss out on a really nice guy by setting that kind of limitation and you could end up with a real jerk that’s just the right age for you.”

“Ethan…”

He raised a hand to shush me. “I said my piece.” He picked up the remote and unmuted the volume. “Let’s watch the Brits.”

I woke to the sound of my cell phone ringing, the smell of Ethan’s woodsy cologne and the feel of his hand on my knee. I careened my neck in the direction of the ring and in the sliver of moonlight saw the face of the clock. It was just after four a.m. I gasped. Ethan stirred, but didn’t wake. I tried to remember how I ended up on a couch in my father’s house with a twenty-nine year old, hot millionaire and then I remembered, Janette, the wedding…preterm labor, hence the four a.m. phone call. It had to be Terrance.