Stitches and Scars (42 page)

“That’s it!” Sophie gaped. “I
knew
that color would be perfect. I’m not sure about the length yet, and I think I want a different waistline, but I am
certain
about the color. And it will look flawless against your skin too, Elle,” she commented while running her hands up and down the length of the dress. “Maybe I should go longer, or shorter. What about tea length?”

Both Elle and Kate looked at each other and smiled. Sophie was always the optimist. “Soph, whatever you choose will be perfect. Either way, I’m buying this dress.”

“Oh, planning something special for Bones?” Elle teased, using Ethan’s childhood nickname.

“Maybe.” Kate smirked. “He called just a minute ago, and I told him what I was wearing. Apparently he wants to see me in it.”

“Well, he’s going to flip. It really is a beautiful dress. And the color is just … it’s perfect.” Sophie sighed.

“It is, babe, it’s perfect.” Kate patted her shoulder. “Hey, when do you think we’ll be done here? I need to be home by six o’clock.” She turned around and walked back into the changing room and slipped out of the dress.

“Making plans on my day of wedding shopping? How dare you.” The future bride laughed, her voice echoing off the mirrors. “Of course we’ll be done by six. In fact, I think we’re done here. Why don’t we go grab some lunch, and we can discuss whether to do a peep toe, sling back, or stiletto.”

Elle applied her lipstick in the mirror and watched as Kate walked out of the room behind her with the dress slung over her arm. “All right girls.” She smiled. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

***

“Bake at four hundred degrees for thirty minutes until hot and bubbly.” Ethan stood hunched over the counter, reading out of the new cookbook he’d purchased earlier that day. Originally, he planned on giving it to Kate as a gift and taking her out to dinner, but the more he thought about it, the more certain he was that he wanted to cook for her.

There was no comparison between the two when it came to cooking, but Ethan wasn’t that bad. He’d only cooked a few things for her since they’d moved in together, and that consisted of boxed macaroni and cheese and pre-made pizza. Of course, Kate was always more than grateful for his efforts and ate with the enthusiasm of a starving child. Although he’d wanted to cook a more lavish meal for her, he’d never had the chance. Ever since she’d moved in, she’d become a cooking maniac. She said it was something to do with his stove. Whether or not it was all an excuse to cook for him, he’d never know. After all, he wasn’t going to complain.

But tonight was different. Tonight Ethan wanted to pamper her, to show her just how much he appreciated her and how important she was to him. He had the entire weekend planned out and his only hope was that it would end the way he planned. He smiled to himself and covered the dish with foil before sliding it into the oven and setting the timer. Walking into the dining room, he checked the table and made sure everything was in place before heading into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

Twenty minutes later he heard the front door open and knew that Kate was home. He finished tossing the salad and added the last few cucumber slices before going to greet her at the door.

“Hi.” She smiled as soon as she saw him. Ethan walked toward her, taking the bag out of her hands and wrapping his arms around her.

“Hello, beautiful. Did you have fun?” He looked at the bag he held. “I see you purchased the dress.”

“Umm hmm.” She nuzzled into his chest. “You smell nice.”

“It’s just the food you smell. I decided to try my hand at cooking.”

“You cooked?” she asked in disbelief.

“I can cook. I just never have the chance. Plus, it would never be as good as what you make, so why even try?”

She looked up at him and grinned. “You’re just trying to butter me up.”

“So, maybe I am. It is working?” He flashed a smile.

“Most definitely.” She reached up on her toes and he leaned down, meeting her halfway. Her soft smooth lips brushed against his, and Ethan knew that if he didn’t stop, dinner would
not
be happening. There were a few things that made him lose touch with reality and kissing Kate was one of them. Regretfully pulling away, he gave her one last kiss before stepping back. “If we’re going to eat this meal warm, then I have to stop. Because seeing you—and kissing you and tasting you—gives me
more
than enough reasons to forget about dinner,” he admitted. “Why don’t you go get changed into that dress and meet me back here?”

“Sounds good, as long as you promise we’ll pick this up later.”

“Believe me, it will be picked up later. I have plans for you.” He looked her up and down slowly.

“Plans?”

“Yes, plans. Plans that might not work out, if you don’t go slip into the dress.”

“Okay, okay, I’m going.” She giggled. “But it’s only because I’m curious, and of course, because I can’t wait to see your face when you see me in
this
.” She grabbed the bag from him and shook it in the air.

She left the room and when she returned she looked just as phenomenal as Ethan thought she would. The form fitted dress was almost enough to make him forget about dinner—almost. He did, after all, have plans.

They took their time eating and talking. Some would think that after their time together they would know almost everything there was to know about each other, but there was always something. Something about Kate’s day or week that she’d forgotten to tell him or a small childhood memory that hadn’t yet been shared. Those were some of the things Ethan loved hearing about the most, especially if they involved her parents.

He’d met Annie and Doug over the Fourth of July weekend, and they were just as he’d imagined they would be. They were fun, down to earth, supportive and completely loving and accepting of their daughter. They balanced each other perfectly, and Ethan could easily see how Kate fit into their lives.

“You should have seen my dad’s face. I thought he’d blow a gasket. He’d warned me not to go up there, but honestly, it didn’t feel dangerous.” She shrugged. “That was until it came to climbing down. That’s a whole other story.”

“If I’d known you liked climbing so much, I’d have taken you. I think some of my old gear is at my parents’ house.”

“You have rock climbing gear?”

“Yep, somewhere I do.”

“Why am I not surprised? I should know by now that there is nothing you can’t do. Like cook a delicious meal.” She waved her hand over the table in front of them. “It really was amazing. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked it. And you know you’re wrong. There are a lot of things I don’t know how to do.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Like what exactly?”

“Photography. I’ll never be as good as you. Of course, if you
teach
me …”

“Uh-uh, I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “I get to have one thing.”

“Fine.” He laughed. “So, are you ready for dessert?”

“I get dessert?” she asked.

“You do.” He nodded. “But it’s not here. We have to take a ride.”

“All right.” She smiled.

“Go grab your shoes, and I’ll meet you at the door.”

He stood at the door waiting for her, and a few minutes later, she came around the corner smiling and ready to go.

***

“You’re still not going to tell me where we’re going, are you?” she asked for the fifth time.

“Nope,” Ethan responded just as he had the five previous times.

Kate sat back with a sigh and enjoyed the warm air as it circled around her, leaving behind the smells of summer. Through the light from the dash, Ethan could see her lazy smile and watched her hair dance around her face and cling to her neck. He continued to steal glances at her as they neared their destination. Once there, he asked her to close her eyes. He knew she’d figure it all out once inside, but until that point, he wanted it to be a surprise.

As he pulled into a back alley, he slowly drove forward until he found the door. Slipping the car into park, he killed the engine and walked around to her side.

“Can I open my eyes yet?” she asked, her face all scrunched up like it was a required expression while closing her eyes.

With a quick look around, he realized she wouldn’t be able to tell where they were and agreed.

“Ethan, where are we?” she asked.

“You’ll see. Come on.” Grabbing her hand, he led them to the door and dug in his pocket for the keys.

Kate’s face was full of questions, but she remained quiet as he unlocked the door. The room they entered was dark. Ethan guided them expertly past the stacks of boxes and tables. After making their way down a long hallway, they came to a stop in front of double swinging doors.

“Ready for your surprise?” he asked.

“Mmm hmm.” She nodded.

Ethan grinned at her in excitement and pushed the door open. As soon as they entered, he heard her gasp followed by a laugh.

“How in the heck did you arrange all this?”

“I’m a doctor and good at saving lives,” he said casually, shrugging his shoulders.

“How does your being a doctor have anything to do with this?”

“It’s kind of a long story, so I’ll give you the abridged version. A month ago, I had a patient come to the ER in cardiac arrest. I saved his life, found out he owns this store, and I called in a favor.”

“I’d say. Isn’t this grocery store normally open twenty-four hours?”

“Like I said, I called in a favor.” The look on Kate’s face was priceless and Ethan couldn’t help but laugh. “Come on, let’s go to our spot.” By the glow of the emergency lights, they made their way down the aisles, and when they came within view of the produce section, Kate burst into laughter.

“I can’t believe you did this.”

“Believe it, because I did.” He led them further and paused when his set up came into view.

On the floor lay thick blankets and soft fluffy pillows. Off to one side, there was a large tray that was piled high with fresh fruit. Without saying a word, Ethan slipped off his shoes, walked over to the blanket and sat down. He kept his eyes on Kate and waited for her to follow.

She stayed rooted in place, twisting the hem of her shirt nervously. “Are you sure about this? I mean, there aren’t security cameras or anything?”

“Nope, no security cameras. We’re completely alone. And if I wasn’t sure about it, I wouldn’t have done all of this.” He motioned to the spread in front of him.

Swallowing thickly, she hesitated but only for a moment and ignored the butterflies. All she had to do was look at Ethan and she forgot everything else. She was always lost in him. “You thought of everything, didn’t you?” She lowered herself to the floor pulling her feet up beneath her. “Well,” she reached forward grabbing a deep red strawberry from the tray, “let’s have some dessert.”

***

Kate woke the next morning to sunlight pouring in through the windows. Without opening her eyes, she searched the sheets blindly for Ethan but felt nothing. It wasn’t normal for her to wake up not wrapped in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open, and she sat up looking around the room.

Where is he?
she thought, straining her ears in an attempt to hear if he was in the shower or kitchen. Not hearing a thing, she gave up with a huff and fell back into bed. As she lay there, she allowed her mind to wander back on the events of last night.

Ethan cooking dinner for her was a surprise, but the grocery store was beyond what she imagined. She laughed quietly to herself. Never in a million years did she think he’d actually arrange something like that. In the very store where they’d bumped in to each other all those months ago. Closing her eyes, she relived the moments from last night and drifted back to sleep thinking of strawberry juice on red stained lips.

“Kate, wake up, love.” Ethan’s voice woke her from her sleep, and she immediately smiled.

Turning her head toward the wonderful sound, she pried her lids back. Ethan’s steel blue eyes looked back at her, and his perfect lips were stretched in a smile. “Hi,” she said, her voice still raspy from sleeping too long. “Where were you earlier? I hate waking up without you.”

“I had some errands to run. Then I stopped by the store to pick up some things for lunch.”

“Lunch?” She pushed up on her elbows and looked at the clock on the nightstand. Sure enough, it was already noon. “I missed breakfast.” She flopped back down on her stomach. “I wanted to make you pancakes as a thank you for last night.”

“Actually, I’d love some pancakes. I got up late and only had a cup of coffee, so I’m starving.” He ran his hands over his chiseled jaw, still scruffy from not shaving.

“Really?” she asked into the pillow, her voice sounding muffled.

“Yep.”

“What about the stuff you bought for lunch?”

“We’ll have it later,” he assured her.

Lifting her head, she peered at him through her messy hair. “Okay, let me go get the pancakes started then.” She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and hurried out of bed.