Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ethan stayed pressed against Carter’s side until his breathing evened out. His eyes still burned, but the panic had loosened its grip. When Carter pulled back just enough to look at him, Ethan felt a little embarrassed—like he’d fallen apart too fast, too hard.
Carter didn’t treat him like he had.
“Let’s eat,” Carter said. “Then we’ll get ready for the surprise I planned for today.”
Ethan blinked. “You still want to go?”
“Yeah,” Carter said, brushing a thumb across Ethan’s cheek. “We’re not letting her ruin our day.”
Something warm flickered in Ethan’s chest at that—small, but real.
They went back to the kitchen. The omelet had gone cold, so Carter reheated it in the pan while Ethan poured fresh coffee. His hands still shook a little, but Carter didn’t comment. He just stayed close, steady, like he was making sure Ethan didn’t drift too far into his own head.
They sat at the table, plates between them, morning light slipping through the blinds. Ethan pushed his eggs around with his fork before speaking.
“She always does this,” he said. “Shows up. Pushes. Makes everything about what she wants. And I—I always feel like I’m ten years old again.”
Carter looked at him, not judging, just listening. “She’s got a firm grip on you. Has for a long time.”
Ethan nodded. “I hate how fast I fall apart around her. I hate that she still scares me.”
“She scares you because she never let you grow up,” Carter said. “She kept you small so she could control you.”
Ethan swallowed hard. Hearing it out loud hurt, but it also felt… true.
“She thinks she owns me,” Ethan said. “Like I’m not allowed to make choices unless she approves.”
Carter leaned forward across the table. “You made a choice today. You told her no. That matters.”
Ethan rubbed his palms on his jeans, staring at the table. “My dad… he lets me screw up. Like when I blew all that tuition money from my last semester? He didn’t stop me. He just said, ‘You’re paying it all back,’ and I’m dealing with that mistake now.”
He swallowed hard. “But my mom… she never lets anything even get that far. She shuts me down before I can breathe. If I even looked like I was about to make a choice she didn’t approve of, she’d step in and take over.
Like I wasn’t capable of thinking for myself.
” His voice cracked a little. “With her, I never got to live. Not even a little.”
“My parents gave me choices. It was their way or the highway. I knew when it was time to leave.”
“You’re more together than I am. I can’t support myself.”
“Not yet you can’t. But it took me longer to figure it all out. I finished college and joined the Marines. So, you won’t have to join the military to be independent. You’ll finish school and then you call the shots.”
“Never joining the military. I can’t follow orders.”
“I noticed.”
“Did you see how she looked at me like I was… wrong? Like being here with you is wrong.”
Carter’s jaw tightened. “You’re not wrong. And nothing about this is wrong.”
Ethan’s eyes lifted, searching his face. “You really think that?”
“I know it,” Carter said. “And I’m telling you right now—nothing is going to separate us. Not your mother. Not her opinions. Not her showing up here with a Bible and a bad attitude.”
A small, startled laugh escaped Ethan. “She came in swinging.”
“Yeah,” Carter said, smirking. “But she’s not taking you anywhere.”
Ethan felt something loosen inside him—something he’d been holding tight for years. He reached across the table, fingers brushing Carter’s hand. Carter turned his palm up and laced their fingers together without hesitation.
“You’re safe here,” Carter said. “With me. And we’re going to have a good day. I promise.”
Ethan nodded, a real smile tugging at his mouth this time. “Okay.” And for the first time since the pounding on the door, he believed it.
Ethan tossed a change of clothes into his backpack—jeans, a clean shirt, the cologne Carter liked on him even though he pretended not to notice—and hurried out to the truck. His chest still felt tight from earlier, but Carter’s steady presence had already smoothed out most of the panic.
Carter started the engine; the familiar rumble settled Ethan’s nerves even more. The man drove like he did everything else—calm, controlled, sure of himself. Ethan buckled in and glanced over, unable to stop staring.
Carter’s hat sat low over his brow, shadowing those sharp eyes. His jaw was rough with stubble, his shoulders broad under that worn denim shirt. Ethan didn’t know how someone could look so effortlessly strong and still make him feel safe at the same time.
Carter caught him staring. “What?”
“Nothing,” Ethan said, cheeks warming. “Just… you look good today.”
Carter laughed. “I look the same as every day.”
“Yeah,” Ethan said. “That’s kinda the point.”
Carter didn’t answer, but the corner of his mouth twitched as if he were fighting a smile.
They rolled down the long ranch road, gravel popping under the tires. When they reached the main road, Carter turned right, heading toward town. Ethan relaxed back into the seat, watching the world blur by—fields, fences, the familiar stretch of sky. Then the church came into view.
Ethan stiffened. “That’s it,” he said. “That’s the crazy church they forced me to go to.”
Carter slowed just a little, eyes flicking toward the building. “Yeah? Looks like every other church around here.”
“It’s not,” Ethan muttered. “They’re… intense. Controlling. Judgmental. I hated it.”
Carter nodded once. “My parents made me go too. Every Sunday. Every holiday. Every time the doors were opened. I hated every minute.”
Ethan looked over at him, surprised. “You did?”
“Hell yeah,” Carter said. “Didn’t matter what I felt or believed. They wanted obedience. That’s all church ever was to them.”
Ethan swallowed, his throat tight. “I saw my mom’s car,” he said. “She’s probably inside.”
Carter’s jaw flexed. “Ignore it. She doesn’t get a say in your life anymore.”
Ethan nodded, but his stomach still twisted. He turned his gaze out the window again, watching the church shrink behind them.
After a minute, he said, “If it weren’t for Sarah, I don’t think I would’ve made it with them. She’s the best sister. She used to visit me at Chico all the time. She’s going to Paris this week. I’m gonna miss her.”
Carter’s voice softened. “She sounds like a good one.”
“She is,” Ethan said. “She’s the only one who ever treated me like I wasn’t broken.”
Carter was quiet for a moment, then he said, “I get that.”
Ethan looked over. “You do?”
Carter kept his eyes on the road, but something in his expression shifted—like he was letting Ethan see a part of him he usually kept locked away.
“I grew up in Berclair, Texas,” Carter said. “Higgins Riverbend Ranch. Youngest of three boys. Mason and Harley… they made damn sure I never forgot it.”
Ethan leaned in, listening.
“They pushed me. Mocked me. Tested me. Everything was about proving you were a man. Hunting, fishing, drinking, chasing girls. And if you didn’t fit that mold…” Carter shook his head. “They turned mean.”
Ethan’s insides tightened, refusing to settle. “Carter…”
“They hated I wouldn’t date girls,” Carter said. “Hated that I didn’t enjoy killing animals for fun. Thought I was soft. Weak. After college. Even after I joined the Marines. Nothing was ever enough.”
Ethan stared at him, filling him with awe. Carter wasn’t just strong—he’d survived things Ethan couldn’t even imagine. And he’d done it alone.
“You’re nothing like them,” Ethan said. “You’re… better.”
Carter didn’t look at him, but his grip on the wheel eased. “Didn’t feel that way growing up.”
“Well,” Ethan said, voice soft but certain, “I think you turned out pretty damn amazing.”
Carter’s ears went a little pink under the brim of his hat.
They drove in a comfortable silence for a while, the landscape shifting from farmland to open stretches of road lined with tall grass. The air carried a subtle, clean, and sharp scent of salt, hinting at the sea.
Ethan leaned his head against the window, watching the sky widen as they approached the coast.
With Carter beside him, the world didn’t feel so heavy anymore.
The coast opened up in front of them like a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. The sky stretched wide, pale blue fading into soft gray near the horizon. Waves rolled in slow and steady, brushing the sand with a sound that felt like calm itself.
Carter parked the truck near a quiet stretch of beach. “C’mon,” he said, tipping his hat back just enough to look at Ethan. “Let’s walk.”
Ethan followed him down the sandy path, the breeze cool against his face. Carter walked a little ahead at first, hands in his pockets, shoulders relaxed in a way Ethan didn’t see often. The wind tugged at his shirt and ruffled his hair under the brim of his hat.
Ethan watched him for a long moment, the wind tugging at Carter’s shirt, the brim of his hat casting a soft shadow over his eyes. Something in Ethan’s chest shifted—quiet, sudden, undeniable.
He was falling for him. Hard.
The realization didn’t come with words. It came with the way his breath caught, the way the world felt steadier when Carter was near, the way warmth settled low and certain beneath his ribs. Like something inside him had clicked into place.
Carter glanced back. “You okay?”
Ethan nodded, catching up. “Yeah. Just… thinking.”
“Dangerous,” Carter teased lightly.
Ethan bumped his shoulder against Carter’s. “You’re one to talk.”
They walked along the shoreline, their footsteps sinking into the wet sand. The waves came close enough to brush their shoes, but neither of them cared.
After a minute, Ethan said, “I liked hearing about your family. Not because it was good—because you trusted me with it.”
Carter looked down at him, eyes softer than the ocean behind them. “You’re easy to talk to, Ethan.”
“That’s not true,” Ethan said with a small laugh. “I’m a mess half the time.”
“Yeah,” Carter said, “but you’re honest. And you listen. And you don’t judge me for the things I’m not proud of.”
Ethan’s heart squeezed. “I could never judge you.”
Carter stopped walking. Ethan did too.
The breeze lifted Carter’s hat just enough that Ethan could see his eyes clearly—warm, steady, focused entirely on him.
Carter said, “You make me feel… seen. Like I’m not the screw-up my family decided I was.”
Ethan swallowed hard. “You’re not a screw-up. You’re… you’re one of the best people I’ve ever known.”
Carter’s jaw tightened, as if the words hit deeper than he expected. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Ethan said, voice barely above a whisper. “You’re strong, and kind, and you care even when you pretend you don’t. And you make me feel safe. No one’s ever done that for me.”
Carter looked away for a second, as if he needed to steady himself. Then he said, “You make me want to be better.”
Ethan’s breath caught.
They started walking again, slower this time, closer. Their arms brushed now and then, and each time it sent a warm ripple through Ethan’s chest.
After a while, Ethan said, “I like your hat.”
Carter snorted. “My hat?”
“Yeah,” Ethan said, smiling. “And your whole… cowboy thing. The rough look. The boots. The way you walk like you’re ready to fix a fence or fight a bear.”
Carter laughed, shaking his head. “You’re ridiculous.”
“But you like it,” Ethan said.
Carter didn’t deny it. Instead, he reached over and took Ethan’s hand—just slipped his fingers through Ethan’s as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Ethan’s heart gave a little leap, a surprise in his chest.
Carter squeezed gently. “I like a lot of things about you, too.”
“Like what?” Ethan asked, voice soft.
Carter looked at him, really looked. “Your smile. The way you get excited about small things. The way you try so damn hard even when you’re scared. And the way you look at me like I’m worth something.”
Ethan felt warmth spread through him, deep and certain. “You are worth something. You’re worth… a lot.”
Carter didn’t say anything for a moment. He just held Ethan’s hand as they walked along the water, the sky stretching wide above them; the waves rolling in steadily.
Then Carter said, “It’s time for us to drive to the surprise.”