Stitches and Scars (30 page)

“I’m not company. I’m her … friend,” he said, swallowing back the word.

“It doesn’t matter what you are. I’m still not letting you in. And what are you doing here anyway? Isn’t it kind of late to be stopping by?”

“I think I should be asking you the same question.” Scott gave him a condescending smile.

“I’m here because Kate asked me to be.
She
wants me here with her.”

“Look.” He held his arms out. “I heard some stuff happened a few blocks away from the restaurant where we were tonight, and I just wanted to make sure she’s okay.”

“She is now. Good thing
I
was there.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

At that moment all the anger and frustration Ethan felt for Scott bubbled to the surface. “It means that you left her alone. You walked away from her.”

Inside the townhouse, Kate woke to the sound of arguing. It only took a second for her to recognize Scott’s voice. She quickly grabbed her shirt and was buttoning it as she walked to the door. Just as she was about to walk out, she heard Scott shout. Her whole body tensed and she froze behind the door, listening.

“She walked away from me!” Scott yelled, his face contorted in anger. “And besides she’s a big girl; she can—”

“I’m not just talking about tonight,” Ethan said, cutting him off. “You walked away from her six months ago. You left her broken and now you think you can just waltz back into her life and say you want her again? I’m sorry, but it’s not going to happen. This time, she has me, and I
will
fight for her.”

“Yeah, well, if memory serves me right you left her too, earlier today in fact. So, shut the hell up. You think you’re better than me?”

For the second time that night, Ethan clenched his fist tight and pulled back. He didn’t hesitate as he let go and decked Scott in the face. “Don’t you
ever
compare yourself to me, especially when it comes to Kate,” he seethed. Scott clenched his fists ready to strike back but Ethan continued talking. “You had your chance and you blew it. It’s my turn now. I am in this for the long haul, and believe me, I’m not going to let you stand in my way. She is
everything
to me. I love her.”

On the other side of the door, Kate gasped. She stood in shocked silence, trying to process what she’d just heard. Perhaps her shock should have rendered her immobile, but it didn’t. She found herself grabbing hold of the handle and pulling the door open. Still dazed, she walked out into the hallway and stood at Ethan’s side, not taking her eyes off of him.

As soon as he noticed her beside him, he looked down at her. Her eyes were wide with shock and her mouth hung open slightly.

“What did you just say?” she whispered.

“I said I love you.”

She smiled as the realization of his words registered in her mind. “I love you too,” she said simply, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that it was true.

Scott tensed as he heard her words and ran his hands over his face. The girl he loved stood silent while staring into the eyes of another. As he shifted his feet, Kate finally noticed Scott.

“Hi,” Kate said, biting her lip nervously.

“Hey.”

An awkward silence hung in the air as all three of them waited for one of the others to speak.

“Could you give us a second?” Kate finally asked. Ethan immediately looked at Scott with hard eyes but nodded.

Once alone, Scott looked down at Kate with a half smile. “I take it this means you guys are back together?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

There was no hiding the happiness from her face as she smiled. “I guess so, yeah.”

“And there’s no way you’ll think about giving me another shot?”

“Scott.”

“I mean, come on, Katie. You honestly love this guy? You hardly know him. You’ve been together, what, like a month?” He shook his head. “You’re just confused.”

“No, I’m not,” she snapped. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I do love him. I want to be with him, and I’m not confused.” He harrumphed and it only angered her further. “You know, I can’t even believe I doubted myself for one second. I don’t love you anymore, Scott—plain and simple. And I’m not—”

“But I love you. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“Are you kidding me right now?” She pushed the palms of her hands into her eyes. “You
know
me, Scott. You know that it means something to me. My friends are everything to me—a fact of which you are completely aware and have used against me on more than one occasion.”

His arms crossed in front of himself. “What are you talking about?”

“What about dinner tonight?” she asked.

“What about it?”

“I told you I needed space, but you wanted me to go. So, what did you do? You told me that Brian would be there and that
he
wanted to see me. You know I can’t say no to him, but you did it anyway because
you
wanted me there.”

“I only did that because I love you, and I was hoping that maybe things could be like they used to be.”

The pain and honesty in his eyes was clear, and the one spot in her heart that would always care for him ached. “I don’t want to fight with you, Scott. I’m done.” She dropped her head. “I will always care about you, and you will always have a place in my heart. Maybe some day, years from now, we’ll be able to be friends again, but not now.” She lifted her eyes and looked into the face of her oldest friend, a face that she knew so well. The face she’d once loved.

With tears in his eyes, he took a step closer. “I’ll always love you, Katie,” he whispered as he brushed his hand against her face.

“I know.”

Before she could take a breath, he had turned away and was out of sight. Kate stood for a moment and waited for the signs of heartache to come, but it didn’t. For the first time in forever, she was able to say goodbye to Scott and know that it was the right thing. Her heart, which had been missing pieces for so long, felt whole and fixed. With a calming sigh, Kate walked back into the living room, but didn’t see the one person she wanted anywhere.

“Ethan?” She called out to him as she walked down the hallway.

“I’m in here. Hope you don’t mind. I wanted to give you guys some privacy, and I could hear everything you were saying when I was in the living room.”

She walked into her bedroom and saw him standing by the large window. The curtains were pulled back and the light from the moon was pouring in, casting a silver glow over everything. She couldn’t see his face very clearly, but the light outlined his figure. His hair was messier than normal and his scrubs were wrinkled. At that moment, she realized that today had been just as hard on him as it had been on her.

“Sorry you had to hear all that,” she said softly.

“Don’t apologize.” He walked toward her with open arms and she rushed to him, burying her face in his chest. She could feel the love he felt for her radiating off of him like heat, enveloping her and pulling her close to him. It was so easy to feel, and she wondered then how she’d ever doubted it.

Leaning back, he gazed down at her and traced his fingers over her face. The way he looked at her, studying her like she was the most precious thing he’d ever seen, took her breath away.

“Beautiful,” he whispered. Lowering his head, he brushed his lips back and forth gently against hers before pressing them softly to her. Their mouths moved in perfect rhythm, recognizing each other’s motions as if they’d always been one. Pulling back, Kate kissed his chin, his jaw, his cheekbone, feeling the rough stubble against her lips. His hands moved to the front of her shirt and began unbuttoning it for the second time tonight, but then froze. “Are you okay with this?” he whispered in her ear, sending a chill down her spine.

He looked down at her and Kate could see love and concern in his eyes. After everything that happened today, she could have said no, but she didn’t. All she wanted was to feel his love for her. To feel safe in his arms and to show him how much she loved him.

“I’m more than okay.” She looked up into his blue eyes and felt her heart fill with happiness.

Silently nodding, he ran his hands over her bare shoulders as he slid the shirt down her arms. His eyes grazed over her, drinking her in, before he slowly leaned down and kissed the soft skin of her neck. Sliding his tongue and lips along the line of her collarbone, he traced an invisible path to the curve of her shoulder.

Kate’s head fell to the side and she closed her eyes, enjoying the touch of his lips on her skin. Everywhere he kissed left a trail of warmth. Little sparks of electricity pricked up her arms and worked their way through her entire body, setting fires along her skin. She could hear herself panting loudly but couldn’t control it, and didn’t want to. When his name passed from her lips, he lifted his eyes to hers. Even in the darkened room, she could see the depth of color and the way they changed from blue to gray as he looked at her.

Running her fingers up the base of his neck, she fingered the soft hair at his nape before pulling him down and covering his mouth with hers again. Once she was certain he wasn’t going anywhere, she dropped her hands from his hair and slid them between their bodies until she found the hem at the bottom of his shirt. She gave him one last peck and pulled away, only to lift his shirt over his head and feel the bare skin of his chest under her hands. He was perfect. The lines of his wide shoulders, neck, torso, all of him…

Skin pressed against skin as they embraced and stepped backwards toward her bed, their lips never separating. He laid her down gently and held himself above her, looking deep into her eyes. In that one simple look, Kate felt safe. She felt at home and it was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. She wanted all of him—his mind, his heart, his soul, and his body. His soft yet desperate touches told her he felt the same way.

His hand brushed over her face, tucking her hair behind her ear as he peered down at her. Placing her hand over his, Kate held it to her cheek before turning to kiss his palm. Their fingers intertwined and slowly began a descent down her body, working the last few articles of clothing away.

Their touches were both gentle and desperate as they made love, each showing the other how they felt in a way words couldn’t describe. Every touch of his fingers, every kiss of his lips was memorized and stored away in Kate’s heart. And later, when they lay wrapped up in each other, the darkness of the room their only blanket, Ethan knew that he was with the person he’d spend forever with.

“I love you, Ethan,” she said, as if reading his thoughts.

He tilted his head down and kissed her forehead. “I love you too.”

Glancing up under dark lashes, Kate’s brown eyes met his blue, and she knew then and there that she was looking into the face of her future.

Chapter 22

Clean

T
he sound of rain hitting against the glass window brought Ethan out of his deep sleep. He opened his eyes slowly and looked around. It only took a moment for his mind to register where he was and only a second longer for him to realize why he felt so happy, so complete. He looked down in his arms and saw Kate. She was fast asleep, a peaceful look on her face. He took in every feature as if he was seeing her for the first time. Every curve, every angle, every detail imprinted itself into his mind. He had no doubts that waking up with her next to his side was something he wanted every morning. Seeing her face and feeling her touch would be the perfect way to start his day.

Kate shifted and buried her head further into the pillow and Ethan could hear her faint mumbles. He smiled and wondered if she was dreaming of him. Heaven knows he dreamed about her every chance he got. Since the first time he’d met her, she’d been starring in them. Every morning he woke up with the picture of her in his mind, her smile captured like a photo for him to remember throughout the day. And now she was actually there in his arms. For the first time in his life, he didn’t need a dream. He was living one.

Closing his eyes, he let himself enjoy the feeling of elation that filled his chest. He drifted back to sleep listening to the sound of Kate’s deep breaths, keeping time with the pouring rain. Sometime later, he woke to the touch of Kate’s lips against his.

“Wake up, sleepy head,” she whispered against his mouth between kisses.

“Hmm,” he moaned with eyes closed. “I could get used to this.”

“Good. Because last night was the best night’s sleep I think I’ve ever had. I’m pretty sure sleeping alone from now on will
not
be an option for me.” Ethan finally opened his eyes and looked down at her. She was propped up on her elbows, her chestnut hair falling over her bare shoulders and sticking out in random pieces. Her face was crinkled with sleep and she had never looked so beautiful.

“Sounds good to me.” He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist, rolling them onto his back.

Kate smirked down at him. “Yes, I could definitely get used to this.”

“Oh, so that’s all you want me here for? You just want someone to keep you warm and help ‘scratch an itch’ whenever it’s needed?”

She eyed him playfully. “I’ll admit. The warmth of your body is nice. But I don’t need you here to ‘scratch my itch,’ Ethan. I’ve been just fine for the past six months.”

“Oh, really?” he laughed.

She tried to hide her smile, but it was impossible. “Yes, really. Apparently you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

“Well, believe me, I’m more than excited to learn all the little ins and outs of Katherine Thomas.” He placed his hand under her chin and made her look at him.

“Really?” Her playful smile faded, and she almost looked insecure.

“Yes, really.” He reassured her. “I want to know everything.”

“Everything?” She raised her eyebrows in question.

“Yes.”

“I don’t know. There’s a lot you don’t know …” She trailed off, using her playful voice again.

It only left Ethan wanting more. If there was one thing in the world he wanted more of, it was Kate. “In that case, please enlighten me.”

“Okay. So …” Her nose scrunched up, and she pressed her lips together in concentration. It was a look that always made Ethan smile. It was like he could see the wheels spinning in her head as she worked things out.

“I don’t squeeze the toothpaste from the bottom of the tube; I do it from the middle.” Her eyes met his in complete seriousness. “And,” she continued, “I have to have the toilet paper hanging the right way. It has to roll from the top, not the bottom. I like fruit candy and chocolate, but not together. They have to be eaten separately; none of those chocolate covered fruit gummy things.” Her face scrunched a bit, but he held back his laugh and continued listening. “I despise mint flavored toothpaste, which pretty much leaves me with very few options in the cinnamon category. But strangely when it comes to candy, I only like mint and not cinnamon.”

She continued to prattle with random facts that he was sure she felt were nothing but ridiculous habits and preferences. Ethan, on the other hand, listened intently, soaking in every last detail and routine she recited. She paused after a moment and looked at him.

“What?” she asked.

He shook his head in disbelief. “Amazing. You’re simply amazing.”

“Yeah,” she said with a sarcastic laugh. “I’ve been known to mystify and surprise.” She dropped her eyes down and focused on the trim of the sheet, twirling it between her fingers nervously.

“It’s true, you know. You do amaze me. And you did leave a few things out. Like the fact that you have such a giving heart you can’t help but draw people near you. Your smile brightens a room as soon as you enter it. You’re the best friend anyone could ask for. You fidget when you’re nervous about something or when you’re concentrating. You’re smart, funny, caring, understanding, thoughtful, beautiful, and sexy as hell. The fact that you have all of these adorable habits only makes me love you more.”

There was a moment of silence as they both looked at each other. It was a wonderful feeling, knowing that they both felt the same way.

“As much as I’d love to lay in bed all day with you, we should probably get up.” Kate sat up. “I think I’m going to hop in the shower.” As disappointed as Ethan was, he understood. But before he had a chance to tell her he agreed, she spoke up again. “Care to join me?”

“Join you?” he swallowed, processing the words

The look on his face was all Kate needed. “I’ll take that as a yes. Why don’t I go get started and you can join me whenever you’re ready.” She smiled down at him and gathered the sheet up around her chest, making sure to keep herself covered. Very carefully, she kicked one of her legs around and climbed off of Ethan. He watched her as she made her way over to her bathroom, never taking his eyes off of her swaying frame. She paused as soon as she reached the door and looked back at him over her shoulder.

“Don’t keep me waiting too long. I don’t want to run out of hot water.” She dropped the sheet and let it fall to the ground, sweeping over her silky smooth skin as it pooled around her ankles. Giving him one last sexy smirk, she disappeared behind the door.

Ethan lay on the bed, frozen, staring at the spot where she had just been. His breathing was heavy and he had to remind himself to calm down. Closing his eyes, he dropped his head back onto the pillow and heard the water turn on. He listened for a few seconds and heard the shower curtain sliding along the rod, signaling she’d stepped in. Without a second thought, he leaped out of the bed and ran towards the bathroom. Pausing in the doorway, he peered inside the room and could faintly see her silhouette through the light shower curtain. The curve of her hip and way her back arched was beautiful. When the room began to fill with steam, he stepped inside the bathroom and shut the door behind him with a click.

Thirty minutes later, they lay in bed, legs tangled together and their skin still damp from the shower. It wasn’t until Kate’s stomach growled with hunger that either of them stirred.

“Hungry?” Ethan asked, lifting his head.

“How’d you guess? I didn’t really eat much yesterday. It was a crazy, stressful, amazing day.”

He laughed. “That’s quite a mix of adjectives.”

“Well, it was quite a day. I’m just glad it ended with you.”

He placed his hand on her cheek and looked into her eyes smiling. “I’m planning on ending every day and starting every day with you.” He kissed her and felt her smile against his lips. “Let’s go get you some breakfast. I can’t have you passing out on me from lack of nutrition. Plus, I need you to have plenty of energy.”

She smirked. “Yeah, I bet you do.”

“I can’t help it if I can’t get enough of you.” He shrugged.

“I know exactly what you mean.” She nodded with a smile. “Come on. I’ll make you breakfast.” She hopped out of bed, walked over to her dresser and started pulling on a pair of little shorts and a tank top.

Ethan begrudgingly followed suit, grabbing his scrub bottoms from the floor and pulling them up around his waist. He hadn’t noticed Kate had stopped getting dressed and was watching him. “I knew there was a reason I loved you being a doctor,” she purred. Confused, Ethan turned and saw her devouring his body with her eyes.

“Kate,” he warned. “If you want me to
let
you go eat, you’re going to have to stop looking at me like that.” She tore her eyes away from his body and felt embarrassed. He chuckled. “I love that you get flustered even after everything that we’ve done.”

“I can’t help it,” she mumbled, dropping her eyes.

Taking a step forward, Ethan grabbed her hand in his. “Come on, beautiful. Teach me how to make those famous pancakes I’ve heard so much about.”

***

Six pancakes and an hour later, they sat on the couch in Kate’s living room, watching
The Price is Right
.

“Come on! You honestly think a bottle of Centrum is $1.99? What year is this? 1970?” she yelled.

Ethan’s eyes hadn’t left Kate since the show started. He’d never seen her get so worked up over something and found her reactions more entertaining than the show itself. Not to mention, she was better than all of contestants who had played so far.

“I knew it. She should have switched the Centrum with the Metamucil.” Huffing, she sat back, annoyed. He could barely contain his laughter. “What?” she asked, turning to look at him.

“I never knew you were such an expert on geriatric products,” he laughed.

“Hey! I spent every Saturday morning watching this show with my dad, followed by the amazing Bob Ross and his happy little trees.”

She joined his laughter and when her giggles died down, she rested her head on his lap. They spent the rest of the show in that position, with Ethan running his fingers through her hair, both of them relaxed and happy. The show was just coming to an end when there was a knock at the door. By the confused look on Kate’s face, it was clear she wasn’t expecting any visitors. With furrowed brows, she climbed off the couch and walked to the door with Ethan on her heels. She opened the door to reveal a nervous-looking Trent.

“Trent? What are you doing here?” Ethan asked, stepping around Kate.

“I’m here to beg you to come home because I miss you too much.” He rolled his eyes. “What do you think I’m doing here? I’m here to see Elle.”

“Really?” Kate poked her head out from behind Ethan, but stayed close, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her body against his.

Trent looked from Ethan to Kate and back again, studying his friend’s expression, when suddenly a huge grin spread across his face. He’d known Ethan long enough to know his just-got-laid look.

“Someone had a great night,” Trent said, raising his eyebrows up and down.

Ethan didn’t have to look at Kate to know that she was probably embarrassed beyond belief. “Trent,” he warned, just as Kate placed her hand on Ethan’s chest and looked at Trent with a smirk.

“If you must know, we did have a great night. In fact, it was the best night
and
morning that I’ve ever had.” She was met with two sets of wide eyes but continued talking. “And Elle isn’t here. She stayed over at Sophie and Logan’s last night. But I’ll let her know you came by, and I’m sure she’ll call you.”

Trent shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “See that’s the thing. I’m not sure if she will. I mean, we talked before and I … I think that I …” He let out a huff of air and looked at Ethan. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Kate gave Ethan’s arm a squeeze. “I’ll just go in the other room.”

“All right,” Ethan said, crossing his arms. “Hit me. What’s going on?”

“See, that’s the problem. I have no clue. For the first time in my life, I’m clueless.” Trent was met with doubtful eyes. “All right, let me rephrase that. For the first time in my life, I’m clueless when it comes to a
girl
. I mean, I know chicks—it’s my thing; it’s what I do.”

Ethan nodded. If there was one thing Trent was good at, it was girls. He knew them almost better than football.

“But for some reason, I keep getting these mixed signals from her,” he continued. “One minute I think she’s interested, and the next …” His voice trailed off as he rubbed his hands over his face in frustration.

Never in his life had Ethan seen his friend so confused over a girl, and he had to admit, it was fun to watch. “Have you told her you like her?” he asked.

“You know that I—”

“Look,” Ethan cut him off. “I know it’s not a typical ‘Trent move’ to admit that you actually like a girl but … wait, you do really like her, right?”

“Like her? Man, I’ve had more visits from Rosy Palm and her five friends in the past two days than I’ve had in a month.” He laughed. “But it’s not just that. She gets under my skin, and not in the normal, annoying chick way.”