Chapter 28
Ethan was leaning against the front gate when I returned to the Magnolia. I clamped down on my disappointment. So much for seeing the new digs. I didn’t fully mind, though. Ethan was on my list. Plus, the man was easy on the eyes.
He wore a wrinkled concert t-shirt over jeans that hugged his hips just right. Worn sneakers covered feet crossed at the ankles. And a grin I could only describe as sheepish covered his face.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the pack leader of Louisiana justice.” I pushed his shoulder playfully. “You could have told me you were a wolf shifter when we first talked, you know.”
“I couldn’t be sure you would accept it.” He looped his arm in mine and followed me around back. “We never talked about magic back in high school.”
“That’s true. Seems like we all had secrets.” I gestured for him to come upstairs. The scent of fresh muffins wafted toward us when the door opened. “Looks like House knew you were coming.”
“Best house ever.” He patted the wall like it was an obedient puppy. “House is looking better. Fresh coat of paint. New windowpanes. Pretty sign.”
House preened in its own way, adding a sparkle to the chrome fixtures in the breakfast area as Ethan sat.
“House feels better about itself. Did you see the new garden boxes in the backyard? I hope I’m not expected to tend to them. My thumb could not be more brown.”
Ethan strolled to look out the window while I piled two muffins on plates and poured coffee.
“Those are lovely.” Ethan nodded his thanks and took the seat across from me. “I could get used to this.”
“Just like old times.” I took a huge bite and laughed to myself. “Well, not exactly.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. About my supernatural side.” He picked at a crumb. “I wanted to, especially in high school. Always pissed me off that you ran faster when I’m a wolf and you’re a human.”
“Except I wasn’t, was I? And I always told you I was faster. So it happened.” I pointed at my chest. “Word witch, dude. What I say happens.”
“Huh.” Ethan stared into his coffee. “Well, that makes me even madder.”
We finished the muffins over lighthearted banter, enjoying the small bit of peace between us.
This was the version of Ethan I remembered, the one I could joke with and be myself around.
I’d forgotten him, too, when I’d cursed myself.
The memory of our times working out together being little more than a distant memory.
“Want more coffee?” I stood to refill my cup, steeling myself for the hard questions I wanted to ask while I had him.
“Another cup and I’ll be awake all night.” Ethan bumped my shoulder on his way to the sink.
When we were back at the table, Ethan sat back and steepled his fingers, lifting one eyebrow.
“I take it Lauren updated you?”
His rich complexion seemed to deepen. I was going to have to be careful what I said to Lauren. I knew they were close, but it seemed like they shared things with one another freely.
“I got all my memories back yesterday.” I had to admit, I enjoyed the pure shock that crossed over his face. Take that, Lauren. “After I left her and Ray at the Square, I crossed South Bridge. I figured out why I lost them in the first place.”
I filled him in on my trip to the bench and how I discovered I’d warded myself away.
“I remember everything about my last day in Treater’s Way now.” A fresh tremor shook my lip. “Even if I don’t want to.”
Ethan’s eyes dropped to his lap.
“I always hated the way we said goodbye, Simone.”
“Except we didn’t say goodbye, did we?” I tapped on the table to get his attention. “You were fighting with Ray when I fled. What’s the piece of the story that I’m missing, Ethan?”
He fiddled with the hem of his shirt. Bless him, I wanted to iron it.
“Well, I guess it’s okay to tell you. Now that you know more about our …” His voice trailed, and he turned his hand in a fill-in-the-blanks gesture.
“Heritage?” I supplied.
“Sure, let’s call it that.” He said with a chuckle. “Ray’s family and my family are from rival wolf packs. Both moved here to escape the pack mentality. Wolf life can be volatile, and neither of our family’s wanted any part of that.”
“Were they friends?”
“No. They weren’t mortal enemies, but there was enough tension to keep them from getting along.
Ray and I developed a friendship despite that.
Our families tolerated each other because he and I were close.
I’ve never had a friend that tight.” For a moment, his voice cracked, and I felt his sadness as if it were my own. “Well, except Lauren.”
“But it’s different with a witch, right?” He drew in his eyebrows at my query. “I mean, isn’t there a wolf bond or something that creates a connection?”
“With a romantic mate, yes. Once a wolf meets their fated mate, there’s nothing like it.” Ethan’s eyes lifted to the ceiling, then he shook his head to clear whatever thought invaded that he didn’t want to share. “So I’m told.”
For whatever reason, he’d made himself nervous. I gestured for him to continue without probing, even though my curiosity was begging me to ask more questions.
“Ray and I were close because we both understood what it meant. To be a shifter. To escape from family responsibility.” He swallowed his own pain down to continue. Poor Ethan, he really had lost a good friend.
“When Ray turned seventeen, he started to change. He’d always been fierce and intense, but there was a new edge to him. It was … gosh, what’s the word?”
“He was feral,” I said. I remembered feral Ray. That hint of wild just at the edges of his emotions. Always on the border between losing control and reigning himself in. It was terrifying and intoxicating.
Ethan read it on my face and offered a nod of solidarity.
“He was. When his grandfather came to visit over Thanksgiving, he explained that Ray was the new alpha. The old one had been killed in some stupid battle. Ray was expected to take over immediately, control his feral side, and become a proper pack leader. Ray could see his future in the NFL disappearing. He begged to at least finish high school. His family backed his decision.”
“But his grandfather didn’t?”
“His grandfather didn’t have a choice. Ray was the alpha.
Just learning he was meant to take over gave him a strength no one could match.
” Ethan gazed out the window, getting lost a moment before continuing.
“Some of this story is his to tell. He was angry after that. All the time. Too strong and too out of control.”
Ethan rose and paced the small space, just as he’d done at one of our first meetings.
“Ray was fighting every instinct he had. It kept him on edge. Affected every relationship he’d developed. Once we found out the battle that made him alpha had been with my family’s pack, we weren’t the same. I swear, he took the piss out of me for any small perceived infraction.
“Then one bad game, we miscommunicated a play. I veered left while he went right.” Ethan dropped into his chair. “You know the rest.”
“An injury that ended his career before it began. He lost his scholarship. The future he’d planned for and dreamt about.” I didn’t need Ethan to tell me that part. His loss and my loss were what bound us. “He blamed you.”
I’d spent every waking moment with Ray after the injury, keeping my friendship with Ethan quiet only for the sake of his anger as he railed against the best friend who had betrayed him. I didn’t have the details. Until now.
“To this day, he insists I did it on purpose.” He dug his fingers into his hair. “But I didn’t. I swear it, Simone.”
Ray had never told me that he was a wolf. As close as I thought we’d been, the truth was we’d kept a lot from each other. The same held for Ethan. We’d kept our discussions about fitness and college. All the while, he harbored this pain.
I pulled my chair closer and put an arm over his hunched shoulders.
The man sitting next to me was very different from the one I’d known back then. It only made sense. We all had thirty years to mature and make grown-up mistakes.
Had Ray matured as well? I believed so. I thought back to the many times I’d caught Ray in his wolf form, watching me from afar, sorrow in his eyes. The way he’d protected me when Jeff appeared. He’d shown a restraint I’d never seen from him when we dated.
“I believe you, Ethan. And one day, he will too.”
My throat was crystal clear. I knew it was true. If we were all back here in our tiny hamlet of a town, we’d have to find ways to get along. I’d bump into Ray again. Surely Ethan and Ray’s paths crossed.
He angled his face closer to mine. Red rimmed his eyes. They drifted to my lips.
The air between us sizzled with an electricity that cut to my core. Desire yawned and stretched like a cat inside me, awake after a long hibernation. It looked at the hotness that was Ethan and nodded. Yes, please.
Whoa.
I shot to my feet. It was my turn to pace.
Nine days. It had only been nine days since I found out about the Magnolia. Add a week to that since I walked in on my husband mid-coitus. Then Ray resurfaced, along with all my memories.
Oh yeah, and I was a witch who was using her powers without knowing it.
It was a lot.
Ethan was rubbing the back of his neck like it burned. He couldn’t stop fidgeting in his seat. He was embarrassed and adorable and nervous and hot as hell.
But the last thing I needed was a romantic entanglement. And no matter how much the thought of, ahem, physical relief appealed to me, the truth was I didn’t want any romance in my life. Maybe Lauren had it right. Being alone sounded really nice right now.
I had too much to figure out. I wanted to repair my relationship with my son. I was about to take over a major business. I had a list, dammit, and boning wasn’t on it.
I wanted to stand on my own two feet. To make decisions based on me, the Magnolia, and no one else.
Hot, sweaty sex was going to have to wait. How to let him down gently?
“I’m going to need a divorce lawyer, Ethan. A fierce one.” It was an awkward way to express it, but it worked. Ethan put on his game face.
“Go on.”
“Jeff will claim I hexed him. I don’t know if a court would believe him or not. I don’t want to run the risk of him making a play for the Magnolia.”
“Most divorces don’t wind up in court, Simone.” Ethan twisted his lips into a smirk. “Did you? Hex your ex?”
“Um, yeah.” I pulled my chair back to the table and sat opposite him. The space helped steady my pulse. “It was kind of an accident, and I think I fixed it already.” I sighed. “I should probably go back to New Orleans and check.”
“Will he fight a divorce?” Ethan asked.
I took a moment to mull it over, listening to what my instincts said on the matter.
“Maybe a week ago. But now?” I shook my head. “I’m pretty sure he’s as done with me as I am with him.”
“Let me know when you plan to return, and I will draw up the papers and have them served before you get there.” He pulled out his phone and made a note before returning it to his pocket. “As far as the Magnolia, you’re covered. I’m a damn good attorney.”
At his sly smile, desire perked up again. Down, girl.
“Thanks, Ethan. You’re a good friend.”
“I’m glad I could help.” He rose, pulling me into an embrace that was, somewhat disappointedly, friendly. “And I’m glad you’re home.”
“Me, too.” I walked him to the door. “See you soon?”
“I’ll have my office call you.” With a kiss on my cheek that lingered slightly longer than a peck, he stepped out. “In three weeks, everything will be settled, Simone. You’ll see.”
Three weeks. It felt like an eternity.