Page 32 of Season of Mercy
“Or a big one. The main thing, it worked. Now, don’t mess it up.” The older man pinned him with a stare. “You love her, don’t you?”
Ethan knew the response in his heart. “I do. But I don’t know whether she’ll ever love me back.”
“Maybe she does already. If not, be patient. And invite me and your mother tomorrow for dinner.”
Ethan quirked an eyebrow. “Doesn’t Mom make your favorite fajitas for dinner tomorrow?”
His father sighed. “It’s my favorite, all right. But your mother never learned to cook them well, and I don’t have the heart to tell her. My stomach, however, can’t take it anymore.”
Something changed inside Ethan. He saw things more clearly now. “You don’t want to hurt her feelings. You really do love her.”
“Very much so. And she loves me. That,mi hijo, is happiness.” The older man hesitated. “Listen, what did you tell me about hiring a personal chef? To free your mother from cooking, of course.”
Ethan chuckled. “Of course. I can find you a great chef who specializes in Tex-Mex.”
A feeling of longing made Ethan pause. As much as he loved his dad’s company, he looked forward to going home.
A stab of worry inside him told Ethan his father’s comment about the rumors of Ethan and Leah getting back together bothered him. He hoped Mercy didn’t hear the rumors, but the chances of that in a tiny town were small to none.
***
AFTER LUNCH WITH HISparents, Ethan drove downtown for a quick stop at his office. While he didn’t work on the weekends since marrying Mercy, he needed to pick up a gift for her. He’d mailed it to his work mailing address so the gift would remain a surprise. And then, sure enough, he’d forgotten to bring it home.
Home.
Ethan smiled as he made a turn.
The wordhomehad a totally different meaning than before. He’d used to come to the mansion to sleep, change, shower, watch a football game on Sunday. Now spending time with Mercy and Stevie was something he looked forward to every day. Ethan parked in an empty parking lot, fished his cell phone out of his jeans pocket, and called Mercy.
“Dad was happy to get your enchiladas,” he said when Mercy picked up. “And Dad sort of invited himself and Mom for dinner at our house tomorrow. Is that okay?”
“I’d love to have them.” Mercy laughed.
Her laughter was music to his ears. “How is Stevie?” Ethan climbed out of his car and clicked on the key fob to lock it.
“Still at the playdate with his friend at the neighbors’.” She paused. “I know you’ve only been gone for several hours, but... I miss you.”
His heart swelled as he strode to the building. “I miss both of you. I’ll be home soon. I just need to pick up something from the office.” A warm wave of anticipation covered him, of giving her the gift, of telling her how much he loved her.
“Ethan... I was thinking...” Mercy sounded hesitant. “Maybe we should consider living together. Especially if we could share something smaller and less intimidating than the mansion. I like Spanish Colonial style.”
“Me, too. I don’t know why I bought the mansion. I guess I was trying to show off, to live according to my social status when I should’ve lived according to my heart.” Joy filled Ethan as he opened his office. “I can’t wait to go house hunting with you.”
“See you soon.” Her voice had softened.
“See you soon.” He picked up the small box as if in a mental fog, the wonderful news affecting him.
Mercy wouldn’t have suggested moving in together if she didn’t realize she had strong feelings for himandshe could trust him, would she? Her little jealousy streak before had grated on his nerves sometimes. But he had to admit his history with women and her history with Cole had given her reasons to be weary.
The sound of the door opening behind Ethan made him whirl around. Nobody was supposed to be here on the weekend!
Ethan’s jaw dropped. Thankfully, the box didn’t. “Leah! What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to you. Everybody knows you work even on your days off.” Leah sauntered toward him.
Ethan frowned as he placed the small box on the table. “Not since I got married. Leah, we’re over. We have nothing to talk about.”
“We were good together. How could you forget about it so easily?” Leah stepped closer.
