Page 172 of Return To You

The table is already set for four, and I recognize Ethan’s touch in the small tealight candles at each end.

“No Colton?” I ask as we take our seats.

“He had a date,” Dad supplies. “Came to grab some suit or something this morning.”

“His suit?” Something’s off. “Why would he go on a date in a suit?” Come to think about it, I saw him on the schedule with Cheyenne, to get his nails scrubbed free of grease.

“Did he tell you anything?” I ask Ethan.

Ethan shrugs. “Uh… he might have mentioned some girl he met online. Not sure.”

“Online?” Mom exclaims. “Why on earth would he do that?”

“It’s hard to meet people these days,” I suggest, not really sure myself why Colton would need to look online for dates.

“That’s ridiculous,” Mom responds. “All he needs to do is start repairing his cars bare chested, and you’ll see all these cute tourists line up to get their…” She interrupts herself, blushing slightly. “Sorry. That was out of line. Also, it’s winter,” she adds with a giggle.

Dad chuckles, and Ethan makes a funny face. “Sounds like something my mom would say.”

“I’m with you, Mom,” I chime in. “I don’t know what’s up with him. Seriously. Nothing wrong with the women around here. Autumn is single. And Willow. And Sophie. And-and-and…”

“Kiara,” Dad says. “She makes good cakes.”

“Kiara’s not interested,” I interrupt him before he gets ahead of himself. “Oh god, we gotta stop.”

“Stop what?” Ethan asks.

“This gossiping! It’s not right.” I take a mouthful of lasagna, so I keep quiet for a beat.

“It’s not gossiping if it’s not on Echoes,” Mom interjects.

“Or said out loud at Lazy’s,” Dad adds.

Seeing their point, I add, “Or at Easy Monday. That counts as gossiping too.”

“For sure,” Mom adds. “By that token, what’s said at Game Nights is gossiping too.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh totally. That’s like, gossip central. More so than Echoes. No traceability,” I add, having picked up a concept or two from Ethan’s work (the little he shares with me) over the past few months.

Ethan moves his fork in a circle. “So… what’s this?”

“It’s caring!” Mom and I exclaim together.

“Lotsa caring going around in this household,” Dad chuckles. “Get used to it, son,” he adds naturally.

Ethan does a double take on Dad, his forehead coloring a little, his eyes warming up. It’s the first time Dad calls him son, and the way it came out makes me all kinds of mushy. But Dad doesn’t show any particular emotion, and even Mom doesn’t seem to notice, as if it’s a given. Ethan promptly focuses back on his lasagna.

“Haley found her dress too,” Mom says to Ethan, then turns to me. “And they had the cutest flower girl dresses, right? Skye is going to be over-the-moon happy.”

I give Ethan’s hand a quick squeeze. Our wedding is bringing so much happiness to so many people, we’ve decided to have it at the church, with the reception being on The Green, so that literally everyone in Emerald Creek will feel comfortable attending. Lazy’s and Clover’s Nook (Chloe’s new restaurant) will be catering, but I’ve made Justin and Chloe promise that they would hire extras from out of town so that they and their staff could have fun as well.

I pull out my phone and show Ethan the pictures of Haley’s and Skye’s dresses.

He takes the phone in his hands and zooms on the selection of dresses for Skye. “She’s gonna love the one with the butterflies,” he says, a smile curving his lips up. “Oh wait… does this one have little Ivy leaves?”

I giggle at my future husband’s interest in flower girl dresses.

“When are you giving me grandbabies?” Dad asks gruffly.

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