Page 117 of Ethan

Daniel met me at the hospital. After waiting for over an hour, they let us into the back of the emergency room to see Lucas. He was shocked to see us, then shed a wash of tears, swearing that this time, he was going to stay off drugs. Even if he didn't, we'd be keeping an eye out for him.

I held tightly to Daniel's hand.

He'd embraced every aspect of my life.

My joys and passions—good and bad.

My moods. My crazy friends and family. All of me in my entirety.

The light and dark.

I loved him … my forever guy.

Chapter Twenty | Daniel

The bulk of what Ethan was moving in was clothes and baking equipment. I'd been tasked with the job of finding space in the kitchen cupboards for everything of his. The next couple of hours ended up being a purge as I discarded cooking equipment of mine I hadn't used in years.

Ethan had left his furniture in his apartment. His cousin was moving in and subletting from him. The fact Ethan kept his apartment initially made me uneasy. It seemed like an insurance policy in case our relationship didn't work out. Ethan assured me his cousin had been looking to move out of her parent's house for months and hadn't been able to find a suitable apartment.

There was nothing more to it than that.

The hug and kiss he'd laid on me mid-move had confirmed his devotion.

He loved me.

I sat at my kitchen table when my phone dinged. It was Frank, my friend from the office.

Frank: How's the move coming along?

Me: He has a lot of clothes.

Frank: You've mentioned his colourful shirts.

Me: He has a ton of them. He looks so cute in them, though.

Frank: Worth giving up half your closet.

Me: Absolutely.

Frank: He really didn't bring any furniture.

Me: I've been in the kitchen the whole time, but I don't think so.

Frank: You're still worried about that.

Me: No, it's fine. I wouldn't have room for his furniture anyway. I'm on kitchen duty. There are things I have no idea what they are. He's going to be baking up a storm in here.

Frank: Sounds like a dream. I'll leave you to it.

Me: Thanks. We'll have you over soon so you can meet him.

Frank: Looking forward to it.

I felt like I could pick up my relationship with Frank and his wife again. I had a partner now. No more feeling like a third wheel. It would be nice to entertain after years of being alone.

Ethan swept into the kitchen. "I have a surprise for you in the bedroom."

"Mm." I rose from my seat. "I love bedroom surprises."

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