Page 7 of Falling for Ezra Thomas
Beck eyes me and raises an eyebrow. He’s right about one thing. He might be engaged to her, but she’s still my best friend. She and I have been through as much together as Beck and I have, and she’s always had my back just the same. We’re two peas in a pod, always together, and she…oh no. I make eye contact with my twin again and his eyes widen further.
“Oh, man. I’m dead.”
Beck pulls on his coat and grabs his keys. “Rafe, Silas! We’ll be back!”
Our brothers cautiously emerge from the kitchen, Rafe still holding the game controller. “You’re not going to kill him and drop him in a ditch somewhere, are you?”
“Nah, leaving that for Vivien. We’re heading over to their place.” Beck’s side eye tells me two things. One, I’m not getting out of it this time and two, he’s still got my back even if hehasentertained the thought of dropping me in a ditch.
“You know you still gotta tell everyone else. Preferably before the party,” Silas adds.
“He’s not gonna be here for the party,” Beck whispers and pulls on his ball cap.
Guilt washes over me, reminding me that this change isn’t just impacting my life. My whole family, all eleven of them and counting, will suffer the impact of this decision. I’ve been selfish, however well-intentioned I’d meant to be.
“I’m sorry.” I heave a sigh and take the keys when he offers them to me.
Beck opens the front door. “It is what it is. We’ll figure it out. We better go before the girls get ready for bed.”
Chapter Five
Lorelai
“I can’t just packup and go away for a weekend, Viv. It sounds amazing, but it’s not in the cards for me. I need to find another job, and fast.” My sister is crazy if she thinks I can relax this trouble away in a couple of days. It’s more than work that has me twisted up, but she knows that. If anyone knows, it’s Vivien, but she can’t force Ezra to do what he doesn’t want to do. And he’s made it pretty clear he doesn’t want to talk to me, which brings our whole friendship into question.
“You can. I’ll look for jobs while you’re relaxing. It’s three days, Lore. You can take three days to heal and recharge while I compile a neat and orderly list of possible jobs for you.” She brushes her dark hair over her shoulder and heads to my closet. She’s going to make me. We’ve reached the point of no return—packing.
“I don’t know where I’d even go.”
Vivien glances over her shoulder. “Youknowthe Thomases will let you use the cabin for the weekend. I’ll message Beck andconfirm. Now, go choose what cozy clothes you want to pack and I’ll get your—”
The doorbell rings, interrupting her.
“I’ll get that. You pack.” She’s put her foot down but I can’t think of a single reason to argue with her. She’s made a good point. Maybe a little time electronics free, locked in a cozy cabin with nothing but a pile of books is what I need to reset. Besides, I can’t do much with a shredded shoulder. It needs a few days to heal before I even consider jumping back into the antics that are veterinary medicine.
While Vivien answers the door, I choose comfortable sweats, a few sweaters, and my favorite pajamas. I spy the stack of books I’ve been meaning to read under piles of medical journals. Swatting the journals to the side, I stack the novels on the bed in order of which I want to read first.
“Uh, Lore? Can you come out here please?” Vivien calls from the living room. Her tone is hesitant, a little off, so I pull my bedroom door open and hurry down the hall. Once in the living room, my gaze immediately lands on the twins. Specifically, on Ezra. His eyes connect with mine and everyone freezes. A surge of emotions rock my entire body until it finally settles on anxiety. My fingers tremble, my chest squeezes, my stomach rumbles, and my whole body breaks into a sweat.
Ezra fidgets with the brim of his hat for a moment before squeezing it in his hands and exhaling. “I um, I have some news and it’s a pretty big deal. Can…can we talk? All of us?”
I finally blink, breaking our staring contest. “I’m packing for a trip and it’s been a long day,” I say. Why? I have no idea. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for since the kiss, and now that it’s right in front of me, I try to push it off.
“You’re going to want to hear this,” Beck says, his voice soft and supportive. Beck has been as angry with Ezra as I have been.For him to encourage this confrontation means something, so I cross my arms and nod toward the sofa.
Vivien and Beck take the two-seater sofa, leaving Ezra and me to dance around one another in the middle of the living room until I groan and flop onto the end of the three-seater. He takes the seat beside me rather than moving to the opposite end, but Ihighlydoubt it’s because he wants to be near me. No, it’s merely closer toallof us, and easier to talk in a more intimate space.
That’s what I tell myself, but the way his gaze hits me again brings a heat to my cheeks. His eyes soften and the corners of his lips raise ever so slightly, almost as if seeing me makes him happy. It used to back when we were friends who hadn’t done something stupid and kissed. A lot.
Silence falls over us for a few breaths before Vivien gets impatient and waves her hand, encouraging Ezra to speak. “What is this about?”
Beck slides his hand under hers and squeezes her fingers. Whatever it is, he’s bracing her for impact. Anxiety settles deeper in my chest and robs my breath. My gaze inadvertently connects with Ezra’s again. He’s already looking at me as if I’m the only one in the room, the one he’s most worried to spill the beans to.
He licks his lips. “I’ve been trying to figure out what to say to you, but nothing I practice comes out right.” Heistalking to me, but Vivien is on the edge of her seat. “I joined the Army, and I leave for basic training in five days. I was—”
“Youwhat?”Vivien asks, lurching to her feet. Beck still has ahold of her hand which is probably a good thing. My stare momentarily drifts from their clasped hands to my sister’s eyes. She’s not angry. She’s…relieved? Her entire face softens and her shoulders relax.
“I, um, I joined the Army. I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you. Any of you, but I didn’t know how to explain it,” Ezra admits as he looks up at my sister.
