the city. What did she want?
"Michaela, say something," Ethan ordered.
"I don't know what to say."
"Are you in love with the bartender?" His voice grew angry.
"What?" she stammered, not really sure of the truth in her coming answer. "No." She finally looked up at him and that was her mistake. She’d always been unable to resist those eyes. They were an emerald green and beautiful, but that wasn't what got her. Ethan's eyes were his only feature that ever softened his hard resolve. When she looked into them, she believed he actually did care, at least a little bit.
"Good," he said. "Then will you give me, give us, another chance?"
"I don't know," she said again.
"What don't you know?" He threw up his arms.
"The past few months, I’ve been living my life in a constant state of missing you, Ethan. And I'm not so sure you've done the same."
"Dammit! I already told you I missed you!"
"Don't yell at me. I was just telling you how I felt."
"Michaela." Ethan got control of himself, putting his hands on her shoulders. She didn't push him away as he looked straight into her eyes. "Do you still love me?"
Ethan's question was met by an awkward silence. He took his hands from her and stepped back, stunned. Michaela stared at him for another long moment and then realized the answer was simple. She’d loved Ethan for seven years. That doesn't disappear in a few short months. Of course she loved him. Was it enough? That she didn't know. But, she figured she owed it to both of them to find out.
Slowly, Michaela nodded her head and Ethan grinned. He took her face in his hands and kissed her roughly. She didn't melt into him like she had with Jason. The difference was that Michaela knew exactly who Ethan was. Could she say the same about Jason?
"Go shower," Ethan said when he broke the kiss. "I don't like it when you're sweaty. Then we'll go to lunch."
###
"Sis, I need to talk to you." Chris stepped into Michaela's room and shut the door behind him.
"Can we do this later?" she asked. "I'm going to lunch with Ethan."
"That's why he's here?"
"We're getting back together." She leaned closer to the mirror to finish her makeup.
"Seriously? After everything, you're just going to forgive him?"
"Chris, you have no room to talk about 'things people have done'. This is the first time I've seen you sober outside of work for weeks. Don't pretend you're here for me." She gave him a look she was hoping would make him leave, but he stood his ground.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Jason said some things to me last night that really made me think."
"I don't want to hear what Jason has to say. Ethan is waiting."
"Fine, if you won't listen to me, at least let me ask you this. Are you going to tell Jason about Ethan?"
"Of course," she answered him. "It's not like he'll care."
"Michaela, I'm worried about you. I think Ethan's dangerous."
"If you're implying that he'd hurt me, Chris, you're wrong. I know Ethan has a temper, but I also know he loves me. He'd never lay a hand on me."
When he couldn't think of a response to that, Michaela pushed by him and he followed her out the door.
"Chris," Ethan said. "Good to see you."
"I'm off to Jason's," Chris said, barely glancing Ethan's way. "To watch the game." Oh crap, in all of the shock of Ethan being there, Michaela had completely forgotten there was a game that afternoon. The Rangers were in Columbus. and last week she’d promised to watch it with Jason and Chris. That wasn't going to happen.
"Can we go somewhere that's playing the game?" she asked as they walked down the street.
"What game?"
"The hockey game."
"No. I don't see why you're so obsessed with the sport."
"The Rangers are playing Josh today."
"And?" he asked.
"Don't you want to watch him play?"
"I've seen him play plenty of hockey. Why do I need to watch more?"
Seeing that he was immovable, Michaela shut up. Without realizing it, she’d sunk right back in to the dynamics of their
"Michaela, say something," Ethan ordered.
"I don't know what to say."
"Are you in love with the bartender?" His voice grew angry.
"What?" she stammered, not really sure of the truth in her coming answer. "No." She finally looked up at him and that was her mistake. She’d always been unable to resist those eyes. They were an emerald green and beautiful, but that wasn't what got her. Ethan's eyes were his only feature that ever softened his hard resolve. When she looked into them, she believed he actually did care, at least a little bit.
"Good," he said. "Then will you give me, give us, another chance?"
"I don't know," she said again.
"What don't you know?" He threw up his arms.
"The past few months, I’ve been living my life in a constant state of missing you, Ethan. And I'm not so sure you've done the same."
"Dammit! I already told you I missed you!"
"Don't yell at me. I was just telling you how I felt."
"Michaela." Ethan got control of himself, putting his hands on her shoulders. She didn't push him away as he looked straight into her eyes. "Do you still love me?"
Ethan's question was met by an awkward silence. He took his hands from her and stepped back, stunned. Michaela stared at him for another long moment and then realized the answer was simple. She’d loved Ethan for seven years. That doesn't disappear in a few short months. Of course she loved him. Was it enough? That she didn't know. But, she figured she owed it to both of them to find out.
Slowly, Michaela nodded her head and Ethan grinned. He took her face in his hands and kissed her roughly. She didn't melt into him like she had with Jason. The difference was that Michaela knew exactly who Ethan was. Could she say the same about Jason?
"Go shower," Ethan said when he broke the kiss. "I don't like it when you're sweaty. Then we'll go to lunch."
###
"Sis, I need to talk to you." Chris stepped into Michaela's room and shut the door behind him.
"Can we do this later?" she asked. "I'm going to lunch with Ethan."
"That's why he's here?"
"We're getting back together." She leaned closer to the mirror to finish her makeup.
"Seriously? After everything, you're just going to forgive him?"
"Chris, you have no room to talk about 'things people have done'. This is the first time I've seen you sober outside of work for weeks. Don't pretend you're here for me." She gave him a look she was hoping would make him leave, but he stood his ground.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Jason said some things to me last night that really made me think."
"I don't want to hear what Jason has to say. Ethan is waiting."
"Fine, if you won't listen to me, at least let me ask you this. Are you going to tell Jason about Ethan?"
"Of course," she answered him. "It's not like he'll care."
"Michaela, I'm worried about you. I think Ethan's dangerous."
"If you're implying that he'd hurt me, Chris, you're wrong. I know Ethan has a temper, but I also know he loves me. He'd never lay a hand on me."
When he couldn't think of a response to that, Michaela pushed by him and he followed her out the door.
"Chris," Ethan said. "Good to see you."
"I'm off to Jason's," Chris said, barely glancing Ethan's way. "To watch the game." Oh crap, in all of the shock of Ethan being there, Michaela had completely forgotten there was a game that afternoon. The Rangers were in Columbus. and last week she’d promised to watch it with Jason and Chris. That wasn't going to happen.
"Can we go somewhere that's playing the game?" she asked as they walked down the street.
"What game?"
"The hockey game."
"No. I don't see why you're so obsessed with the sport."
"The Rangers are playing Josh today."
"And?" he asked.
"Don't you want to watch him play?"
"I've seen him play plenty of hockey. Why do I need to watch more?"
Seeing that he was immovable, Michaela shut up. Without realizing it, she’d sunk right back in to the dynamics of their
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