“Thank you Ms. Ella,” Dallas replied politely. He smiled up at Jace. “And thank you, Mr. Jace.”
Laura squeezed his hand. “Goodbye everyone. Thank you for all your help today.” She gave a nod to Mia and Emma, ignoring Ethan as best she could, and hurried out into the snow.
The two of them walked quickly, hand in hand, to the old garage to pick up Ivy. The snow came down in wet, heavy flakes that stuck in clumps to their eyelashes. Dallas held onto her hand, not letting go for anything. She was grateful, because she didn't want to let go either. She couldn't wait to get home and cuddle with her siblings in front of a movie.
She pulled open the door to the garage and Kenna ran to greet them.
“You found them! They're okay?” Kenna asked. “Security gave me a radio, but I was still worried. Where's Elliot?”
“He's still at the house with the others. I just came to get Ivy so we can go home,” Laura explained, shutting the door behind her to keep the snow out. “Thank you for watching her.”
“She was a perfect angel,” Kenna assured her. She let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Dallas. “Thank you so much for finding them.”
“It was Jace and Ella that found them,” Laura replied. “I just wandered around being panicked.”
Kenna chuckled. “That's basically what I did here, too.” She hugged Laura. “Thank you.”
Laura nodded. She didn't hold any hard feelings against Kenna for losing track of Dallas. Laura knew first hand how easily the kid slipped away. He was right at the age where he could be trusted most of the time, but would forget he should ask permission before he left to do things. He was definitely going to be grounded for the next ten years.
“Okay, Dallas and Ivy,” Laura said as Ivy put on her coat and gathered her things. The girl walked over and hugged her brother. Laura was glad she didn't know just how lost he had been. “Let's go home.”
With one more round of goodbyes and thank yous to Kenna, they headed back out into the snow. Laura walked silently, hand in hand with her siblings. She was thinking of everything that happened today, but the kiss kept floating into her mind. That kiss. Of all the things for her to focus on, it was a kiss that shouldn't have happened. She shook her head. She needed to forget about Ethan White.
Except, as they came to her old beaten up pickup truck, Ethan was standing in the snow waiting for them.
Chapter 11
Ethan
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. Forget I just did that.”
Ethan heard the words, but they didn't register as she pulled away and took off running. He stood in the middle of the shed, blinking for a good thirty seconds trying to figure out what had just happened.
His body knew exactly what had happened. The most beautiful woman he'd ever met had just kissed him. Her body had molded to his and his internal temperature was going through the roof with desire. Yes, his body knew what had just happened, but his brain sure didn't.
She didn't like him.
She shook his head, trying to figure out what in the hell she had meant with that kiss. It wasn't just a simple “yay!” kiss. There was way too much heat and desire packed into it for just a celebratory thing.
No, this was more than that, but she'd said to forget it. As if he could. He sighed and stepped out into the snow. He had a feeling he would never figure this out.
He walked slowly back to the main house. The snow was coming down hard, and now that he knew there weren't two missing kids stuck out in it, he was enjoying it's beauty. He didn't get to see snow often in California, so this was a treat.
He followed Laura's footprints through the snow up to the house. He could already hear the people inside and it made him smile. He opened the door to see both kids, and the dog, safe and sound. Laura had her arms wrapped around her brother. He could feel the relief coming off her in waves.
He smiled because she was happy, but he made sure to stay away from her. He didn't want to intrude on this moment, so he worked his way to the back of the kitchen where Emma and Mia were sitting. He leaned against the wall and looked over to see the other little boy, the one who had ruined Pluto for him, sitting happily in Ella's lap. Ella had her arms wrapped around him like she was never going to let him go, and given the way Jace was hovering around the two of them, neither was he.
“They look happy,” Emma murmured. She was watching Ella and Jace as well. “I have a feeling that little boy isn't going to be in foster care for much longer.”
Ethan turned to look at Emma holding her sleeping child. “Jace and Ella? You think they're going to adopt the kid?”
Emma chuckled. “I doubt they let him out of their sight for the next year after this,” she replied with a smile. “I don't think adopting kids out to billionaires was exactly what Mia was going for by opening this place up, but it's still pretty awesome.”
“I just wanted to help the kids have something for the future,” Mia said, joining in the conversation at hearing her name. “Getting Elliot a forever family definitely counts toward that goal. It wasn't exactly the plan, but I like it.”
They all watched as Elliot tugged on Jace's hand to pull him closer. Jace leaned over so Elliot could whisper in his ear. They couldn't hear what he said, but Jace laughed. Elliot whispered in Ella's ear and she joined in. They looked like a real family from where Ethan sat.
“We should get you and your sister home before the snow gets too bad,” Laura announced, standing up. She said her goodbyes to everyone but him. He knew better than to take it personally as she hurried out the door.