Stitches and Scars (36 page)

“Kate was just thanking me for having you all over. Now be a dear and go place this in the other room.” She handed the tray to Ethan and turned to her son. “We’re ready to eat, Trent. Go tell your father.”

Eager to eat, Trent hopped up from his seat and ran out of the room while the rest of the group followed Lori into the dining room. Vibrant colored plates and cups were set against a crisp white tablecloth, and the spread of food was amazing.

Surprisingly, even though Trent was the last one in the room, he was the first one to sit. “Let’s eat,” he said, and picked up his plate.

***

They spent most of the afternoon sitting around the table, sharing stories and laughing. Elle was making a good impression on both Henry and Lori, and it seemed her previous attraction for Henry wasn’t causing any problems. Trent did his fair share of bragging for her, telling them all of the new shoots she had planned and how successful her
Sports Illustrated
cover was.

Henry spent a lot of the time talking academics with Logan, and was genuinely interested in his field of study. Sophie, Lori, and Kate talked a little about photography, and Ethan jumped back and forth between all of their conversations, never once removing his hand from Kate’s.

The sun was starting to set by the time they all got up from the table. Ethan and Kate helped clear and carry all the dishes into the kitchen, where Trent, Elle, Logan, and Sophie continued their Uno game from earlier.

“Hey, Mom, are we having dessert?” Trent asked without looking up from his hand.

“Do I ever cook you a meal without one?” she asked.

“Score.” He nodded. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Placing his cards down, he stood up and reached for Elle with an outstretched hand. “Will you let us know when it’s ready? I want to show Elle the shop.”

“Shop?” Kate questioned.

“Trent likes to work on cars. He’s restoring a 69’ Camaro. I told my dad about it, and he insists I get all the details,” Elle said.

“I bet.” Kate laughed.

Trent cleared his throat loudly and wrapped his arm over her shoulder. “You kiddies have fun. I’m gonna go show my baby, my baby.” He walked past them and paused when he reached the door. “Oh and Ethan, when I come back in, I’m taking you on, bro.
Halo 3.
My room. Be ready.”

“Don’t worry, Trent. I’ll be ready.” Ethan smirked and Kate bit back a laugh.

As soon as Trent disappeared around the corner, both Logan and Sophie turned to their friends. “You’ll find out,” Kate answered before they could even ask.

“Why do I have a feeling that I won’t want to miss this moment?” Logan said with a grin.

The sly glint in Ethan’s eye said everything. “Because, Logan, you won’t.”

The next fifteen minutes were spent sitting in front of the TV waiting for Trent and Elle to be done while Henry and Lori got dessert ready. Kate was thankful for the TV as a distraction, but it hadn’t stopped Ethan from glancing at the clock every few minutes.

“What’s his deal?” Sophie whispered, leaning toward Kate.

“He’s waiting for Trent to
find
something.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Kate looked down at her hands and nervously twirled her ring in an attempt to delay her answer.

“What’s he finding?” she asked again.

“Umm,” she hesitated, looking up at her friend who had a new determined look on her face. “My underwear,” she finally whispered.

“Pardon me—your what?”

“Soph, don’t make me repeat it. I’m already having doubts as it is. I mean, we didn’t actually do anything, but Trent won’t know that. It’s just for payback.”

“I’m not following. Just explain it to me. What are you paying him back for?”

Taking one deep breath, Kate closed her eyes and started to talk. “Ethan is anxious for Trent to find my underwear that he left on top of his Xbox—which is where we made out earlier. Ethan is hoping that Trent will think we did more than just kiss, since he and Elle had sex on Ethan’s mother’s table. It’s just a little payback. Plus, they took our fruit thing. And let’s face it, that’s our thing.” Kate finished speaking and looked at her friend, hoping she wasn’t horrified.

Sophie’s jaw hung open as she stared. She stayed silent for a few moments, and then her shocked expression slowly melted away as a wide smile stretched across her face. “Katherine Elizabeth Thomas, I never knew you had it in you.” She laughed. “This is going to be fabulous. I can’t wait to see his face.”

At that moment, Trent strolled back into the room. “Come on, Ethan. Let’s go.” He paused. “That is, unless you’d rather wait until Kate’s not around to see you cry like a girl when I beat you.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I’ll be crying, but they’ll be tears of joy. You can bet on that.” Ethan stood from the couch and approached a confused-looking Trent.

“Whatever you say, bro. It’s your reputation.”

The four of them followed behind Trent and Ethan as they walked up the stairs to his room. As soon as they walked in, Ethan sat down on one of the leather chairs and positioned himself right in front of the TV.

“Do you want to start with
Halo 3
, or should we start with something a little easier for you? That way you can keep some of your dignity,” Trent taunted.

“We can play whatever you want. But I’ll have you know, I’ve been practicing. Kate thinks I’m really good.”

From across the room, Sophie’s laugh filled the air, and she sat down on the floor a few feet away, ready to watch.

Trent ignored her outburst and walked over to the entertainment center. Pulling out two controllers, he tossed them to Ethan. So far, he hadn’t even noticed the red lace panties that lay directly on top of the Xbox. But soon enough as he began to turn around, he froze.

“What the …?” he mumbled to himself as he picked them up with two fingers.

“Oh, sorry,” Ethan said loud and clear. “I must have left those here earlier.” He stood up, walked over to a bewildered Trent and took Kate’s underwear from him. “Here you go, honey. Sorry about that.” He tossed them to her with a wink.

With deliberately slow movements, Trent looked back and forth between Ethan and Kate, trying to catch on to what just happened. Then suddenly his eyes grew wide as it dawned on him. He looked at the Xbox, then at Kate, before finally settling on Ethan.

“Wait, are you telling me you … you …?” His mouth hung open at a loss for words. “Dude,” he finally said to Ethan, “you had her
box
on my Xbox!”

Ethan smirked at him and held up three fingers. “Three words, Trent: table, fruit, and payback.”

Chapter 26

Impressions

S
o, tell me again how the company started.” Kate sat back on her bed, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands, imagining that she could somehow force the information into her brain.

“Gunpowder. They were the largest suppliers of gunpowder during the mid-nineteenth century. After the war was over, they branched into dynamite and smokeless powder. They studied cellulose chemistry, you know, lacquers and other stuff.” Sophie waved her hand around. “The company kept its emphasis in material science, and pretty soon it was dominating the entire field. They discovered neoprene, synthetic rubber, polyester superpolymer, nylon … The list goes on and on. The Montgomery family itself stepped back from running the company after Ethan was born, but his father still keeps a place on the board of directors. Oliver and his wife, Sabrina, are highly involved in numerous charities and run the Kids First organization that helps to fund children’s hospitals nationwide.”

Kate kept her eyes closed and mumbled off the list again, committing it to memory before groaning in frustration. “Ugh, Sophie, I still can’t believe I didn’t know this. I mean, what, was I living in a hole?”

“Kate, honey,
I
didn’t even know this. And I know
everything
. The company name isn’t Montgomery Industries, so how were we supposed to know?” Her friend nodded, but stayed silent. “Also, they stay out of the spotlight. Sure they go to fund raisers and charity events, but they aren’t your typical high society family.”

“I guess that’s good, right? I mean, that they aren’t the typical high society snooty type?” she asked, searching for the positive amongst the negative.

“Of course it is.” Sophie sat down next to her on the bed and started playing with her hair. “But either way, they’ll be nice. They raised Ethan, one of the nicest, sweetest, most amazing guys.”

“I know, I know,” Kate said, still in a daze. “I still can’t believe Elle didn’t tell me, or Logan. Didn’t they know that I had no clue?”

“Logan said he thought you knew. So did Elle. They both figured it must have come up in your conversations. I mean, usually you talk about that type of stuff with the love of your life.”

“Sophie,” she sighed. “We did talk about it. He told me that his parents worked with an organization that helps fund children’s hospitals. He even told me they were big on charity events, and he once said something once about how his family started a company way back, but I never once thought it was to this capacity. So yes, he did tell me. He wasn’t trying to keep it from me.”

She knew the tone of her voice sounded like she was still having doubts, but she wasn’t—at least not anymore. At the time, however, she’d felt quite differently.

They were on their way home from Henry and Lori’s a week ago. Trent was driving, still giving both Ethan and Kate the silent treatment. Apparently, he was a little put off by Ethan’s choice of payback, even after being informed that nothing really happened on his Xbox.

Thankfully, Trent wasn’t one to stay angry, and soon everyone was laughing and poking fun as they shared stories of their past. Kate made sure to listen closely to every story that involved Ethan, adding more reasons to love him. It was about halfway through Elle’s story about a horse that Kate felt confused.

“Wait, a horse? You rode horses, Ethan?” she asked, turning toward him.

“Of course he rode horses. It was required of all ‘prestigious academy boys.’” Trent answered in a mocking tone, earning a scowl from Ethan.

“If I recall correctly, Trent, you enjoyed it just as much as I did. And yes, Kate,” he turned to face her, “I rode. But I haven’t since my last visit home.”

“Wait,” she paused. “You have a horse?” She almost laughed at the thought.

Ethan shrugged his shoulders casually. “Sure, we have a few.”

“Momma Sabrina loves horses,” Trent said with a snort. “You should see her at the Derby, she goes nuts.”

“The Derby?” Kate asked, not out of confusion but out of shock.

“The Kentucky Derby. In the past, we’ve had a few horses race.” He smiled.

Shaking her head, Kate imagined ladies in large hats, sipping mint juleps and speaking with a southern drawl. She tried to imagine Ethan there, but couldn’t picture it.

That moment was Kate’s first sign that there was an invisible billboard hanging above Ethan that flashed the words “loaded” in florescent lights. Other signs came as more stories were told. Like the time that Ethan ran away when he was six and the nanny couldn’t find him. Or the time that Elle snuck into Ethan’s mom’s closet and tried on all her clothes, ruining her three thousand dollar Versace gown, and blamed it all on Ethan.

“Squish was determined to fit into that thing.” Logan said though tears, referring to Elle by her childhood chubby nickname. “She didn’t even get it over her butt before the ripping started.”

“Logan McLean!” Elle snapped.

Trent placed a comforting hand on her thigh. “Hey, Logan,” he yelled over his shoulder. “I’ll have you know there isn’t a squishy part on my lady’s body.”

“Trent, that’s my baby sister.” His warning was said with a smile, but it was enough to end any further discussions that involved Elle.

Trent immediately changed the subject and started in on stories of vacations he’d taken with Ethan’s family. It was when they discussed one specific trip—in Europe—that Kate interrupted.

“What exactly do your parents
do
again?”

“I thought I told you. Mostly they own an organization that helps fund children’s hospitals.”

“And when you say mostly … that means what exactly?”

“Well, Dad still sits on the board at GS. He couldn’t quite step away completely. Had to keep his feet in the company somehow.”

“GS—as in Global Science? What does that have to do with your family?”

Everyone in the car burst out in laughter, except for Kate and Sophie who looked at Ethan in confusion.

“Kate,” Trent said, looking at her in the rearview mirror. “Ethan’s dad is
the
Oliver Montgomery whose great-grandfather owned Montgomery Industries, now known to the world as Global Science.”

“What?” she asked in shock. Her eyes flashed to Ethan and expected him to laugh it off or at least correct Trent. Instead he shrugged his shoulders.

“Yeah, it’s no big deal. I thought I told you about it.”

“Well, you didn’t.” She snapped, feeling slightly annoyed that all of a sudden her Ethan seemed like a mystery to her. Like there was an entire world, an entire side of him, that she knew nothing about. She knew that he came from a comfortable background, but this was more than that; this was luxurious. Keeping her mouth shut, she was lost in her thoughts for the entire drive home. It wasn’t until they were back at his home that they spoke about it.

“Kate, I’m sorry that I never told you, but I never thought it was a big deal.”

“How can your family owning one of the largest companies in the country not be a big deal?”

“For starters, we don’t own it any more,” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, taking a defensive stance.

“Well, excuse me for not knowing that.”

“I didn’t expect you to know it. I’m just stating a fact. Yes, my family
used
to own the company, but I still don’t see what the problem is.” His face softened, and she knew he didn’t want to fight.

“The problem is you belong to a world that I can’t even begin to understand. A world of nannies, trips to Europe, going to ‘The Derby’, and thousand dollar dresses.”

Ethan took a step forward and placed a finger over her lips to stop her rambling. “Where I
belong
is with you. Where and how I grew up has no bearing on who I am. You
know
who I am Kate.”

“But your parents, won’t they want you with someone who—”

“They’ll want me with someone,” he said cutting her off again, “who makes me happy. They want me with someone who is kind, and funny, and understanding, and smart, and sexy …” He trailed off. His comment got her to smile, something that he’d been trying to do for that last hour.

“Sexy?” Kate doubted. “Something tells me that sexy is not a trait your parents would scour the earth to find for their son.”

“Of course it is. They
do
love me.” He laughed, pulling her close to him.

Kate laughed with him, but it was half forced. The worry and fear she felt was still present.

“Look, they will love you just like I do.”

His comforting words had soothed her temporarily, but now, a week later, she was just as nervous and terrified as she had been then.

***

“Soph, what if they don’t like me? What if his
mom
doesn’t like me?” She resumed pacing her bedroom, like she’d been doing all morning, wearing a pattern in the carpet. “You know, it’s never a good thing if the mom doesn’t like you.”

“Stop worrying so much. They’re going to love you. You just wait and see,” she said confidently.

“I wish I could feel as sure as you seem. I’m just so nervous. These people could be my … I mean they could end up my … Well, we haven’t actually talked about it, but I know they might end up—”

“As your in-laws.” Sophie finished her sentence. Kate looked at her friend and nodded. Her heart raced at the very thought of the word. “Well, then,” Sophie continued, “let’s get you ready to meet your possible, potential future in-laws.”

“I still wish I could meet them for the first time in a different setting.”

Ethan tried to get his parents’ schedule free before the benefit so they could all get to know one another without all the hoopla. But between all the meetings they had, there simply wasn’t time. Instead, Kate was meeting them for the first time during the dinner amongst Pennsylvania’s elite.

With a deep exhale, Kate willed herself to relax and think positively. “I couldn’t do this without you. You know that, right?” she asked Sophie.

“Of course.” She nodded.

“And you do realize I need to go over all of the information again, right?”

She nodded again. “Of course.”

“Good,” she said in relief. “Start quizzing.”

Sophie grabbed her notepad of Montgomery facts, along with her giant toiletries bag, and led the way into the bathroom, shouting off random questions along the way.

***

One hour later, Kate stood in front of Elle’s full-length mirror, wearing a fitted strapless black dress that came right below her knees. Her hair had been blow-dried and curled, and her face looked flawless. Every detail was perfect, but it still wasn’t enough to calm her nerves. The fluttering butterflies she’d had earlier had turned into giant balls that were ricocheting inside her stomach, pounding harder with every minute that ticked by. Without even realizing it, Kate found herself talking quietly, practicing her greeting—just as Elle had done only a week before.

“Doesn’t look so stupid now that you’re in the same situation, huh?” Elle asked with a smirk, as she sat down on her bed and opened up the latest edition of
Vogue
.

Kate looked at her through the mirror’s reflection. “No, not nearly as stupid,” she agreed. “I wish I was as lucky as you. Henry and Lori are wonderful; they’re so laid back.”

“Ethan’s parents are just as great. And you have the added benefit of not lusting after his dad. Although I will tell you, Oliver is one attractive older man.” She smirked.

“Gee, great.” Kate deadpanned. “How was that, by the way? I mean, has Trent caught on to anything?” She spun around to face her.

“Oh, he knows. He says he’s used to it. It’s really not an issue. I mean, Henry is attractive but … he’s no Trent.” The smile on Elle’s face said it all. She was completely head over heels. Hot dad or not, she was in love with him. Her eyes were glazed over, and she was still for a moment before turning her attention back to her magazine.

With a deep breath, Kate smiled and went back to practicing her greetings again. After probably the eighth “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” there was a knock at the door.

“Have fun,” Elle said, looking up with a smile. “You look beautiful. Go knock ‘em dead.”

With a quick thanks, Kate left the room and walked as fast as her heeled feet would carry her. When she reached the door, she could hear Ethan talking from the other side. She pulled the door open and gasped when she saw him. He was standing with one hand tucked in his pocket, the other one holding his phone to his ear. His black tux fit him perfectly, accentuating the width of his shoulders and the V shaped angles of his torso. Even with his crisp appearance, he still had that slightly rugged look. She looked him up and down, taking her time to enjoy the view and didn’t hear a word he said. It wasn’t until she heard her name that she snapped out of it.

“Kate is looking forward to it also.” His smoky blue eyes locked with Kate’s and he smiled. “All right, Dad, I will. Okay. Yes, that’s fine. Okay, we’ll see you soon.”