Page 72 of Eternal Hoptimist

She pointed to each of us. “Nate, Olivia, Parker. Our dream has finally come true.” She steepled her fingers and pressed them under her chin. With none of us saying anything, she pointed to Ethan.

“Nate, Olivia, Parker,Ethan.”

Olivia huffed. “Seriously?” She said our names again and emphasized the first letter.

Nate’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh.Oh!It’s finally happened.” He gave Olivia a high five.

Ethan smiled as he shrugged. Then I caught on. When we were kids, we thought it would be the funniest thing if we had a fourth sibling whose name started with E so the Dunn kids could spell NOPE. The NOPE kids. A silly idea that we thought was the funniest thing in the world.

As I explained it to Ethan, he laughed. “That’s so fucking adorable.”

Nate and Olivia hooked arms and skipped in a circle, chanting, “NOPE kids. The mighty, mighty NOPE kids.”

People began to stare and laugh. I waited for Ethan to roll his eyes or something, but his smile was enormous as he hooked his arm in mine and joined in the chant.

I want this to be real. It’s time to stop stalling and tell him how I feel.

CHAPTER 27

ETHAN

I leaned back against Parker’s chest and sighed as he gently washed my hair. I didn’t expect the McMinnville hotel room he’d booked to have a whirlpool tub, but I wasn’t about to complain. Even if it was practically next to the bed and too close to the carpet for comfort.

“You’ve got magic fingers.” I melted against him and tucked my hands under his thighs.

Parker put in the effort to make it a nice evening since we were in the same town. We’d managed to see each other a couple of times each week, which was more than I’d expected. I suspected the fancy tub part was a Valentine’s Day splurge. Sweet of him. Though, itdidfeel weird to go to a hotel after spending the evening with his family. Going from intimate boyfriend-y type vibes to an illicit meetup. But still…whirlpool tub.

The jets massaged parts of me that ached from trying not to slip into the tub while slowly fucking Parker over the edge of it. Rubbing my hand up and down his back, peppering his spine with kisses, as I’d pumped slow and sure. It might’ve been dangerously skirting the edge of making love.Making intenselike.

Parker kissed my temple and wrapped one arm across my chest as I sank deeper into him, sated to my bones.Our sex always had a sweetness to it, even when we yanked each other’s clothes off and I teased him until his eyes rolled back in his head. I craved connecting after sex as much as the sex itself.We weren’t an official couple, so I hadn’t expected anything specific for Valentine’s Day. Though, more and more, it seemed like we were skirting the edges of coupledom.

“Great hotel choice. This is much better than attempting quiet sex in my room at Dom’s place.”

“The gag is fun, but I didn’t want to be quiet.”

I grinned. He hadn’t been quiet at all.

I teased my fingers along his inner thigh. I was wiped from a long day. Going to work early to try and get all the prep done to make it easier on the guys, delivering the keg, trying to be the perfect date for the party, and doing everything I could to show Parker how much I appreciated him once we got to the hotel.

I loved being in his arms. It was getting harder and harder to imagine him not being a part of my life in the same way after his gala in a couple of weeks. What I had with Parker, fake or not, was what I’d been searching for. Despite still struggling to trust my judgment, I couldn’t deny that everything felt different with Parker. More natural. The validation my best friends gave me last weekend helped me get over myself.

“Is it okay that we didn’t do anything kinky?” Parker’s tone was hesitant.

I didn’t want to leave his embrace, but I needed him to see my face when I spoke. I shifted in the tub, trying not to splash the damn carpet, and kneeled between his legs. “I know we’ve focused on your kink exploration, but that doesn’t mean we have to do it every time. There’s nothing wrong with vanilla sex, especially when it’s as fucking amazing as it is with us.” I kissed him fiercely.

When I pulled back, Parker wiped away the water dripping down my forehead as he searched my face. I didn’t know what he was looking for, but I hoped he found it.

“It is amazing. It’s never been like this with anyone before.”

Parker had set the GPS to the Feelings Station. We idled there, both trying to decide whether we were getting out to visit the station or continuing to drive.

Maybe it was the hope in his eyes or the rawness around my heart after an incredible evening with a family I would love to be a part of beyond the purveyor of their favorite beer. They embraced me as one of their own, like Ty’s family. I wanted what was going on with Parker to be real with everything I had. I wanted to be brave enough to grab it with both hands. What if we failed or I messed up? But at that moment, I worried most about hurting him. I’d never been in the position to hurt someone else.

“It’s never been like this for me either.”

Parker opened and closed his mouth several times. There was a determined glint in his eye. “Do you mean that?” he asked softly.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and settled on his lap, and he gripped my hips. “I do. Everything with you has been amazing. The sex and the kink, sure, but so much more. You’re important to me.”

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