Page 38 of Safe With You

“Really?” But he wore an amused smile.

She grinned and said goodnight. They all echoed her as she walked away, her flashlight switching on to light the path. Ethan watched it weave through the darkness. When it disappeared and he caught the glow of light at the cottage, he knew she must be inside and turned back to the fire. Joel and Becca had been quiet, but now his sister stared at him.

“You’ve been really happy since Katie came back. Happier than I’ve seen you in…a long time.”

Ethan didn’t know how he should take his sister’s observation. “Of course I’m happy. It’s great to have her back. And I wasn’t unhappy.”

“No, but… it’s different now.” Her probing gaze continued to bore into him, and he got the uncomfortable feeling this conversation was about to dig a little too deep. “So, when are you going to tell her how you feel?”

Ethan blinked in surprise. “What?”

Joel pinned him with an all-too-knowing look. “You know we can read you like a book, right?”

Ethan shifted, his camp chair creaking as if to give away his discomfort. How had he become the center of his older siblings’ nosy speculations? “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Becca raised a brow at him, clearly not buying his attempt to brush them off. “You drop everything to go over to the cottage and spend time with her at every opportunity.”

Why was that such a big deal? Of course, he wanted to spend time with her. She’d just come back into his life. “Things needed to be done for her to live there comfortably. What was I supposed to do? I always drop everything to help when someone needs it.”

Obviously, his excuses weren’t getting him anywhere with his siblings because Becca forged right on. “Maybe, but there is the fact you’ve been in love with her since we were kids. We all know that.”

Ethan stared at the fire, refusing to meet her eye or Joel’s. He’d hoped no one realized just how deep his feelings ran and for how long. It was easier to pretend everything was normal when he was the only one he had to convince. The last thing he wanted on top of a complicated situation was for everyone to watch him to see how he would handle it.

He cleared his throat. There was only one way to handle it. “She’s my best friend. I can’t risk that friendship. And I’m not even saying that for myself but for her. She needs what we have here. Our family has been her sanctuary. She needs it just as much now as she always did. How could I jeopardize that?”

Becca seemed to think the solution was simple. “You could talk it out and still be friends if the feelings aren’t mutual.”

“It’s too risky. What if it makes her uncomfortable and she doesn’t feel like she can come to us for help or to hang out? I can’t take all of this away from her. It’s too important. More important than how I feel. Besides, you’re forgetting one very major detail. She already has a boyfriend.”

Joel shrugged. “Nothing’s settled until she’s wearing a wedding ring.”

But Ethan shook his head. He was not the kind of guy to swoop in and steal another man’s girl. No, if Katie was happy, he would be happy for her. He would cherish their friendship and leave it at that. He wouldn’t risk losing her again.

Ready for a change in topic, he looked straight at Becca. This was probably a bit underhanded, but she’d started the conversation. “How about we talk about you and Adam instead of me and Katie?”

She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh, please. Let’s not.”

“I’m sure he’s still interested.”

She forced out a short breath. “I can’t imagine why.”

The harshness in her voice took him by surprise. Any annoyance from their conversation faded, replaced by a genuine concern and curiosity. “Why wouldn’t he be?”

She met his gaze, hers shielded by a stone wall. “I’m hardly wife material for a pastor’s son.”

Oh. He winced, regret shooting through his chest. He should never have brought it up. It pained him to know that she saw herself as unworthy. He knew she’d felt guilty about her actions, but not still to this extent, and he tried to speak more gently. “Adam doesn’t care about your past. He just cares about you.”

“Ethan’s right,” Joel chimed in. “You made a mistake and learned from it. It doesn’t have to ruin your future.”

Becca rubbed her arms, not looking at either of them, but Ethan could have sworn he caught the glint of tears in her eyes. “Some mistakes have lingering consequences.”

Ethan exchanged a glance with Joel, who replied, “I won’t argue with that, but there’s a difference between consequences and self-imposed suffering.”

This time, Becca stubbornly refused to respond.

“Listen, I’m not saying you have to have anything to do with Adam. All I am saying is to make sure you don’t avoid a path God is trying to lead you down just because you believe you don’t deserve it. None of us deserve anything, but God blesses us anyway.” Joel held up his hands then, divorcing himself from the conversation. “And that’s all I’ll say regarding either of your two issues. Your decisions are your own.”

Ethan refrained from commenting any further, still watching Becca. Whether self-imposed or not, they faced complicated situations, and he didn’t see either of them taking steps to change that.

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