Chapter 22
Honey
“I feel like you’re being secretive because we’re about to commit a felony,” Honey said, clutching her purse tighter in her lap as Ethan’s truck rumbled to life beneath her.
Ethan shot her a sideways glance, the corner of his mouth twitching. “It’s not a felony.”
“That’s not overwhelmingly reassuring,” she muttered.
It was Honey’s first time in Ethan’s truck, and honestly, it fit her image of him much more than the sports car he’d driven her in the other day.
It was old but sturdy, and full of life.
A smiley face sticker was affixed to the dashboard.
A stack of mail and school papers sat in the booster seat strapped in the back seat, next to a tiny plastic unicorn figurine she guessed belonged to Melly.
The seatbelt cut across her chest uncomfortably, which was maybe a sign she shouldn’t have worn a dress.
But then, he had dressed up. Sort of.
Ethan was in a button-down shirt. It was worn and soft-looking, with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, showing off forearms that had no business looking that good. His jeans were old but clean, which Honey had discovered was no easy feat when you lived with three children on a farm.
So she’d changed too. Now she sat in a pale blue wrap dress and a cardigan, feeling simultaneously overdressed and underprepared. The cardigan had slipped off one shoulder, and she didn’t know if fixing it would make her seem self-conscious or more relaxed.
She crossed her ankles.
Uncrossed them.
Then turned to face him again.
“We’re not doing something illegal, right?” she asked, pulling the hem of the dress down slightly. “Because as a representative of the bureau, I should remind you that I have a legal obligation to report—”
“It’s not strictly illegal,” Ethan said, eyes still on the road.
“That sounds like intentionally slippery language.”
He huffed a laugh. “You’ll see.”
The truck bounced a little as they turned off the gravel road and onto the dark stretch of road connecting the orchard to the town. Moonlight streamed in across Ethan’s face, making Honey acutely aware of how attractive he was.
She tried to settle the butterflies in her stomach. They weren’t fear exactly. More like a heady mix of curiosity, nerves, and the undeniable awareness that she was alone in a truck with Ethan Hale. After dark, in a dress, and on a mystery outing that might involve breaking at least one minor law.
When you spend your life knowing and enforcing the rules with spreadsheets and precision, you get used to feeling in control. That had been Honey’s entire identity until she stepped onto the Hale family farm and control went out the window.
She was just working up the nerve to ask again when Ethan’s phone rang through the truck’s speakers. The screen read Auntie Nova.
“Shit,” Ethan muttered under his breath and jabbed the steering wheel button.
It was just past nine which, though Ethan plays pretty loose with most things, Honey knew was past the girls’ bedtime.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Ethan. Sorry to bother you on a Friday. I know you’re probably busy with the—”
“What is it? Are the girls alright?” His one hand clenched the steering wheel.
“The girls need you. Could you come by when you—”
“I’ll be right there.” Ethan disconnected the call. He jerked the wheel into a wide U-turn that sent the truck bouncing off the gravel shoulder before straightening out again. “I can drop you back off at the house.”
Honey rested a hand on his arm. “We’re already headed toward the inn. It’ll be faster if we just keep going. I can always wait in the car.”
“Okay,” Ethan said. He turned back around, and Honey watched the speedometer creep above the forty and, despite the thirty-five speed limit, said nothing.
They rode the rest of the way in silence, headlights cutting long beams across the pavement.
The closer they got, the faster Honey’s heart pounded.
It wasn’t worry over the girls so much as it was Ethan.
The way his voice had changed the moment he heard Nova speak.
The way he gripped the wheel despite knowing the girls were with responsible adults he knew and trusted.
She’d seen that look before. A man on the edge of panic but trying to hold it in.
They pulled up in front of the Inn Between, and Honey instinctively reached for the handle. The inn looked different at night. Lit softly from within, it cast a warm glow onto the porch and flowerbeds. The wooden sign above the door swayed gently.
“I’ll come in with you,” Honey announced, unbuckling her seat belt.
He didn’t argue. He just nodded once, then pushed open his door.
They crossed the porch steps in silence, but before they could knock, the front door creaked open. A man with dark, mussed hair and a worn hoodie stepped into the light, pausing as his gaze landed on Honey. He blinked, did a quick double-take, then looked back at Ethan.
“They’re in the Mallard Room,” the man said. “Sorry to interrupt your date.”
“Don’t worry about it, Mav,” Ethan said tightly.
The man stepped aside. “They went to bed fine. No complaints, no fighting. Then Emma woke up crying but wouldn’t let us call you. Brooke got upset, too, and things spiraled a bit. Melly’s asleep upstairs. I’ve got her in my room just to keep her out of it.”
“Thanks, man.”
Ethan was already moving, long strides eating up the distance across the lobby. Honey trailed behind him, past floral wallpaper, low lighting, and a grandfather clock that ticked the wrong time.
She didn’t ask if it was okay to come. She just followed, because she needed to see them.
Ethan took the stairs two at a time. She followed more slowly, trying not to get in the way.
Warm light spilled into the hallway from a door left cracked open.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Ethan said softly as he stepped inside.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” came Emma’s choked reply.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Ethan said gently, crouching so he was level with her. “Tell me what’s going on, kid.”
Honey hung back, unsure if she should be hearing this, but the door was open and the voices carried. She couldn’t walk away.
“I can’t stop thinking about those guys from yesterday. I know Honey told me not to worry about it, but I looked outside and they look just like the guys that took Mom and I’m scared that they’re gonna take me too.”
Ethan didn’t hesitate. “Hey, hey, no.” His voice was soft but steady as he wrapped his arms around her. “You didn’t do anything wrong. No one is taking you anywhere, okay? You’re safe.”
He pulled her closer into his chest, like she was still his little girl who fit in the crook of his arm.
“You’re just a kid, Em. This isn’t something you should be carrying. You should be worrying about science projects and soccer practice and sneaking extra dessert. Not this grown-up stuff.”
His voice cracked on the last part, and he held her tighter, whispering so low Honey barely caught it. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.”
Honey’s heart ached. Emma’s shoulders shook as she cried harder, and Ethan just held her, murmuring something she couldn’t make out, steady and soothing, over and over. The room had quieted except for the soft sounds of grief and love trying to hold it all together.
She leaned forward a little more and spotted Brooke sitting on the bed with her knees pulled to her chest, staring blankly out the window.
Emma sniffed, wiped the tears from her eyes, and sat back slightly to look at her dad. “You look nice.”
Brooke whipped her head around. “Were you on a date?” she asked suddenly, her voice tight with guilt. “Did we ruin it?” She buried her head in her hands. “Is Honey gone? She didn’t say goodbye. Did she go away forever like Mom?”
Oh, god.
Ethan looked like he’d been punched in the chest. His face twisted with helplessness, torn between two daughters.
Honey didn’t give herself time to overthink it. She stepped forward. “Hey,” she said gently, pushing the door open the rest of the way. “Would it be alright if I came in?”
She crossed the room slowly, crouching beside Brooke’s bed like she might startle her if she moved too fast.
“I’m not staying forever,” Honey said honestly. “I have a job and a home back in the city. But I would never go without saying goodbye.”
Brooke looked at her skeptically, arms still wrapped tightly around her knees.
“You can visit me,” Honey added. “If you want.”
She sniffed. “Why would you want a bunch of stupid kids visiting you?”
“Despite your many animal-related assaults on my person,” Honey said with a small smile—and that earned the faintest smirk from Brooke. “I happen to like you guys.”
Her lip trembled. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
That seemed to settle something in the room. They were quiet for a bit. Brooke let her knees down from her chest and crawled to the pillow and laid down.
Emma climbed into bed beside her sister.
“I think we’ll be fine, Dad,” she murmured, pulling the blanket up over both of them. “You two can go…wherever you were going.”
Ethan kissed them each on the head—Brooke first, then Emma. Then he stood, giving Honey a small nod before leading her quietly back out.
“Goodnight, girls,” she said.
Downstairs, they found Maverick and Nova still in the lobby. Nova looked half-asleep, curled into one corner of the couch, while Maverick sat beside her with his arm draped casually behind her shoulders.
“I think they’ll be fine for the night,” Ethan said. “Thanks again. I can pick them up around eight if that’s okay.”
“Make it ten,” Maverick replied, already stretching. “I promised Melly pancakes. And if I’m right, all three of them are sleeping in.”
Nova opened her mouth to say something, but Maverick reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together without even looking at her. Whatever it was, she let it go. “Have a nice night,” she said instead.
Outside, the air was cooler than it had been an hour ago, and Honey pulled her cardigan tighter around her.
The front door had barely closed behind them when she blurted, “I’m sorry if I overstepped.”
“You were fine.”
They got back in the truck in silence. She settled into her seat and almost told him it was okay if he just wanted to go home. That they didn’t have to keep talking. That she understood.
But before she could speak, he cleared his throat.
“It surprised me,” he began, before pausing, “how nice it was to have backup. So…thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure,” she said softly.
Her fingers trembled just slightly as she reached out and touched the back of his hand resting on the gearshift. He tensed.
But then, he flipped his hand over and laced their fingers together.
And even though she knew she shouldn’t, knew she’d drawn lines for a reason, Honey let herself stay like that.
It was a dangerous kind of feeling. The kind that made her forget about boundaries. The kind that made her wish she didn’t have to remember them in the morning.