“And at that point, she drags us back inside by our ears,” Sean finished.
“Sam should be making his appearance soon,” Garrett said. “He got snagged on his way out. We all left Ethan on his own fielding questions. Poor bastard.”
“Oh,” Rachel said. “Maybe I should go back in. I didn’t intend for him to get stuck answering questions about me all night.”
Garrett shook his head. “Not to worry. He deserves it for the time he sicced Aunt Edna on me at Thanksgiving. The woman talked my ear off for damn near an hour while Ethan made his escape. The rest of the bastards stood outside the window and laughed their asses off at me.”
Laughter bubbled up and spilled from her lips. She could so picture it in her mind, and the more she imagined it, the harder she laughed.
“So this is where you ass**les are,” Sam growled as he shut the patio door behind him. “Although I don’t think we’re far enough away from the house to do us much good. Mom will only let it go for as long as she’s preoccupied. The minute she notices we’re gone, we’re toast.”
Rachel edged a little closer to Sean and then realized what she’d done. Why the hell did Sam still intimidate her? By all rights Garrett should scare the life out of her. Sam wasn’t near as big or as scary-looking as Garrett, but something akin to panic gripped her every time Sam got close. Maybe it was because he’d been the first one into her hut that night, and she’d been so convinced he was there to kill her.
No matter how stupid that seemed now, she couldn’t rid herself of the memory of him standing over her, big and menacing, holding a gun.
To his credit, Sam seemed very aware of her fear, and he always made a point of being cautious around her. Even now, his eyes softened and he didn’t seem hurt by her overt unease.
As if realizing her sudden stiffness, Sean casually rested his hand on her knee. He gave it a gentle squeeze and never looked away from Garrett and Sam.
“It’s hard to run away from Ma in her own house,” Garrett said in resignation. “She’ll just hunt us down and give us the look.”
Sam chuckled. “Damn shame when grown men are reduced to a bunch of pussies by their mother.”
The patio door jerked open and Ethan stuck his head out, his expression grim.
“Hey have you guys seen Rachel?”
“I’m looking at her,” Sam said.
Ethan stepped out, and relief settled over his face. He stopped beside Garrett and glanced between Rachel and Sean and then at the others.
“You okay?” he asked.
She smiled, not wanting him to worry. “I’m fine. I stepped out for some fresh air not realizing this was a time-honored tradition of escaping Marlene’s get-togethers.”
Ethan relaxed and stuck his thumbs in his belt loops. “Yeah, it’s become something that rivals war games. He who survives the longest without being hauled back in by Mom wins.”
As he stared at her, she knew he was thinking of their earlier conversation, of when they kissed and what she’d asked him to do. His gaze settled over her skin, warm and electrifying.
She shivered, and she wasn’t the least bit cold. The late summer air was humid and warm to the point of discomfort, but all she could feel was the heat of his stare, and the promise in his eyes.
“Do you think your mom would mind if we left?”
Her voice sounded husky, and she swallowed the butterflies that danced in her stomach and surged upward as if chasing an escape route.
“If you leave now, she won’t know until it’s too late,” Garrett smirked.
“Good point,” Sean said.
Ethan shook his head and reached for Rachel’s hand. “They’re right. We can sneak around front, and if no one’s blocked us in, we can be gone before anyone sounds the alarm. And they will. Sound the alarm that is. I’m sure Garrett hasn’t forgotten the Aunt Edna incident.”
“If it weren’t for the fact that Rachel wants to go, I’d have already blown the whistle on your ass,” Garrett said in disgust.
Ethan pulled her up to stand beside him and chucked her chin. “I suggest we go now before he changes his mind.”
She turned and leaned down to kiss Sean on the cheek. “It was very nice re-meeting you. Thank you for keeping me company.”
He seemed surprised and then pleased by the gesture. Then she turned to Garrett and gave him a quick hug. Determined to not act like a ninny, she awkwardly moved toward Sam.
“Good night, Sam,” she said almost formally.
He opened his arms and simply waited. Taking a quick breath, she went forward and hugged him. He let her do most of the touching and only loosely returned her hug. She stepped away and gave him a genuine smile.
Anyone who was this solicitous of her feelings was certainly not the bad guy.
He returned her smile and briefly touched her cheek. “See you later, Rachel.”
With a small wave, she followed Ethan from the garden and to the path that led up to the front yard. As they walked toward Ethan’s truck, he slipped an arm around her and pulled her close to his side.
Her pulse could chop a cinder block. She was looking forward to making love with Ethan. She was as nervous as hell, maybe more nervous than she’d ever been about being with him, but she wasn’t about to let that hold her back.
It was high time to reclaim her marriage and her husband.
CHAPTER 24
ETHAN gripped the steering wheel as he pulled to a stop outside the house. For a long moment, he stared straight ahead, and then he realized he was holding his breath like a teenager on his first date. In some ways it was. His first date. With his wife. God. He still couldn’t get over the idea that he had Rachel back. That he’d been granted a second chance.