She nods, and her eyes glass over. “I understand.”
“I don’t,” I cut in. “I don’t know what happened, but you haven’t even heard her out.”
“I don’t need to,” Ethan says, his voice devoid of all emotion. “My dad busted his ass so she could have everything she wanted. He bought her this expensive house, made sure she was driving in the best vehicle money could buy, and stocked her closet full of designer clothes. She didn’t work a single day she was with him. And when shit got tough, she walked out the door without once looking back or giving a damn that she was leaving her husband or son.”
“You know that’s not true!” Raquel cries, tears streaming down her face. “It killed me to leave, but I didn’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice,” Ethan booms.
Andrew pushes past Ethan to comfort his… wife—I have no idea if they’re married or not—and Ethan growls. “This is completely fucked.” He grabs the back of the empty chair and flings it across the patio like it weighs nothing.
“Enough!” His dad shouts. “E-nough!”
He stalks over to Ethan and gets in his face. “You don’t have to agree with me taking her back, but you will respect my choice, and you will respect your mom.”
“She’s not my fucking mom. She’s nobody.”
Raquel chokes out a sob, and I stand to comfort her, but when I do, my head goes fuzzy and I sway slightly. I trip over the leg of the chair and almost fall. But Ethan must’ve seen me, because he’s over to me, his hands gripping my waist, before I hit the ground.
“You okay?” he asks, his tone full of concern.
“Yeah,” I say, closing my eyes in an attempt to stop the world around me from spinning. The dizziness dissipates, but in its place comes a pounding migraine. “I must’ve been in the sun too long.”
Opening my eyes, I meet Ethan’s worried face. “I’m going to go lie down for a little while.”
He assesses my features for several seconds before he nods. “I’ll be up to check on you in a little bit.”
I want to ask why now. He hasn’t checked on me all week. But I don’t want to add to the tension in the air, so instead I nod.
“It was really nice to meet you,” I say to Ethan’s mom, who smiles a watery smile.
I glance over at his dad, praying my migraine doesn’t worsen before I can make it up to my room. “I’m sorry Ethan didn’t tell you we would be here. As soon as he tells me if it’s okay—”
“Nonsense,” Andrew says, cutting me off. “My son explained what’s going on and you’re more than welcome to stay here as long as you need. I never liked that piece of shit Logan.”
My brain feels as though it’s being banged with a two by four, and I worry I’m going to pass out, so I quickly thank him and then make my exit, leaving Ethan and his parents to talk.
I barely make it up the stairs and into my room before my body gives out and I fall into my bed. I’m going to need to ask Ethan to get my migraine medication is the last thing I think before my eyes close and I fall into a fitful sleep.
I open my eyes and glance around, unsure how long I’ve been asleep. I lie still for a few seconds, waiting for the pounding to return, and sigh in relief when it doesn’t.
“Your head better?” a voice asks, causing me to jump. I glance over and see Ethan sitting in the reading chair with his laptop balancing on his leg.
“Yeah,” I say, sitting up against the headboard. “What are you doing in here?”
“I was concerned.”
I roll my eyes. “You’ve been avoiding me all week.”
He clears his throat. “Okay, fine. I’m hiding out from my parents.” He lifts a single shoulder, and I crack up laughing. The idea of big bad Ethan Romero hiding from his parents is comical. “I knew they wouldn’t come in here and risk interrupting your nap.”
Figuring I should take advantage of having him momentarily cornered, I ask, “Care to explain why you’ve been avoiding me all week?”
He rubs his hand over his scruffy face, reminding me what it felt like when his face was rubbing all over my breasts. What I wouldn’t give to have his face rubbing on other parts of my body…
“I’ve been busy.” He closes his laptop and stands. “Speaking of which, I need to head to the hotel.”
“Hotel?” I ask, curious. I know he owns The Warehouse, but I didn’t know he owns a hotel as well. Or maybe he’s going to meet someone. A fiery sense of jealousy zaps through me even though I have no right to be. Ethan is nothing to me. He’s just a man who saved me from a horrible man who killed my brother and was trying to sell me to make money off me.