Chapter Eighteen #2
Ethan chuckled, and the rumbly vibration under his cheek made any lingering worries he might’ve had dissipate.
“Definitely not. But it’s interesting just the same.”
“What did you tell Chloé yesterday? Fate… She’s a tricky little thing.”
Ethan nodded and hugged him in closer. “That she is. I love you.”
Zayne looked up and reached for his face. “I love you too.”
Their lips met in a kiss meant to comfort, and when Ethan’s tongue dipped inside his mouth Zayne closed his eyes and thanked fate, God, or whoever was responsible for Ethan, and the woman who knew them well enough to make that moment happen.
* * *
“HOW ABOUT THIS spot?”
Chloé frowned, looked up at the midday sun shining down on Zayne, and shook her head. “Do you see my pale skin and red hair? I can’t sit there.”
She turned his way, and Ethan held up his hands. “Don’t look at me—you told him to pick a spot. He tans naked.”
Chloé sighed. “Well, as much I’d like to be able to join him, even in a hat, I fry like an egg after five minutes in the sun. Sorry, I can’t do it.”
Ethan looked around the park they’d headed down to for their pique-nique , as Chloé called it, and spotted a partially shaded area under several trees. “How about over there?”
Chloé lifted the brim of her hat up and nodded. “That’ll work. What do you think?” She looked at Zayne.
“It’s perfect—a little sun for me and a whole lotta shade for you.” He hooked a playful arm around her neck and snuck under her hat to press a smacking kiss to her neck. Chloé squealed with delight.
Ethan grinned at the pair as they made their way over to the spot and placed the picnic basket down. Then he pulled out the blanket Gilles had packed and spread it on the ground.
Ethan leaned back against the trunk of the tree, and Chloé began to unpack the food she’d prepared back home while Zayne stretched out along the far side of the blanket where the sun was shining.
In loafers, shorts, and a linen shirt left halfway open, Zayne was the very image of relaxation. He had a pair of sunglasses on and his hands stacked behind his head, and if he had anything other than enjoying himself on his mind, no one would know.
Chloé had changed into a yellow, eye-catching sundress that had an off-the-shoulder neckline and puffy, short sleeves, and the flowy skirt with a slit up the side gave it a romantic feel whenever it swished around her legs.
The floppy straw hat with the wide bow she’d added to the outfit was a nice touch—very French indeed—and as Ethan took in the picture they made, a deep feeling of contentment filled him.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” Chloé asked as she arranged several of the plastic platters she’d brought with her, then reached into the wicker basket to pull out three matching glasses.
“I’d love one. But why don’t you let me take care of that?” Ethan sat forward and plucked the glasses and bottle of rosé out of her hands. “You’re always serving us.”
“Whatever pleases you, sir.”
Ethan chuckled and uncorked the bottle. Then he went about pouring each of them a glass and handing them out. Once everyone had something to sip on, Chloé began to plate the food, and the spread she’d brought for them had his stomach rumbling.
There were cheeses and fruits, little quiches, and a freshly baked baguette roll she’d made this morning. There was also something called carottes rapées , which were shredded carrots in a vinaigrette—or so he’d been told.
Basically, she was spoiling them for anything other than extraordinary.
“I hope you’re hungry,” she said as she handed them each a plate with an assortment, and Zayne sat up so he could dig in.
Chloé was about to move away from the basket and into a more comfortable spot, but, not wanting her too far away, Ethan patted the blanket by him. She smiled and crawled over to the empty space, and Ethan raised his glass.
When the others did the same, he looked between the two of them and said, “To making memories that last forever and a love that will never end. I couldn’t think of another place I’d rather be in or a person I’d rather be with than the two of you right here and now.”
He turned to Chloé. “We love you, petite fille .”
“We have for a little while now,” Zayne added. Then he got up and moved over to sit by her outstretched legs. Chloé’s breath caught, and she turned in his direction.
“We know this is a lot.” Zayne reached for her hand. “But we figured you might be okay with that, since we’re a lot.”
A soft laugh escaped her, and she brought a hand up to cover her mouth.
“You love me?” She lowered her hands and looked between him and Ethan. “Both of you?”
Ethan nodded and took her other hand. “Both of us.”
“I… I don’t know what to say.”
Zayne chuckled and stroked the flowy material covering her thighs. “That might be a first, right?”
A brilliant smile hit her mouth, and she nodded. “ Oui , it just might be. Moi aussi je vous aime. I love you too. Both of you.”
“Thank God for that, because we kind of come as a pair.”
“In all the ways.” Ethan winked at them.
Chloé really laughed then—a bright, cheerful sound that made everything inside Ethan warm.
“I’m so happy. I’d wished for this… Hoped…” She leaned back against the tree and put her head on Ethan’s shoulder, and Zayne stretched out and put his in her lap. “I feel like my heart might fly out of my chest.”
They sat there for several minutes like that, a beautiful kind of silence enveloping them, before finally Chloé said, “Can I ask you both something?”
“Of course,” Ethan said.
Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink as she bit down on her lip. “I just… What does all this mean? What happens next? What does a relationship like ours look like when…when we fall in love?”
Ethan knew exactly what she meant—the contracts. When they first entered this relationship, it had been vital to establish their roles up front. It always was in a dom/sub relationship. But when love became involved, it was time for the relationship to e volve.
“It would look very similar to what we already share. However, we’d want you in our bed every night and every morning. So that would mean—”
“Moving in with you?” Her eyes widened, and Ethan nodded. “Um...”
Zayne chuckled. “Are you worried because you don’t want to? Or because your fathers will most definitely try to kill us when we ask them?”
“The latter. Definitely the latter.” Her eyes got a little misty then, but she did her best to blink it away.
“Good, because we want you to be ours in all the ways.” Ethan brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back. “There’d also be no contracts. No condoms. We would tear them up, throw them out, and everything going forward would be based on love, trust, and communication.”
Chloé’s chest rose and fell with every other word he said, and Ethan wasn’t sure if she was scared or excited—but if he had to guess, it was a little bit of both.
“So, what do you say, Red? Want to shack up with us?”