Page 80 of Bottle Shock
Tawny, Ethan’s admin—and our cousin—looks up the second I walk in. Her mouth twitches.
“He’s here,” she calls out toward Ethan’s door before setting her focus back on me. “You’re in so much trouble.”
Something about her shit-eating smirk throws me. I’d assumed Ethan summoned me because he was being his usual anxious self, not because I’d actually done something wrong. Now I’m not so sure.
“What did I do?” I ask.
She leans forward, lowering her voice to a stage whisper. “You tell me.”
Well, that was cryptic. Then again, Tawny’s nothing if not a shit-stirrer.
I knock once and push in. Ethan’s behind the desk, sleeves rolled, sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed. Tawny follows me in and closes the door.
“What’s up?” I ask, taking a seat.
Ethan doesn’t drag it out. “Why did you add another dependent to your insurance?” His brow lifts. “Do you have another secret kid you forgot to mention?”
Jesus Christ. He acts like I showed up with Lily out of the blue. As soon as I found out she was mine, my first call was to my family—who immediately dropped everything and came to the hospital to meet her, to support me. It’s not like I walked through the door during family dinner with a baby no one had ever heard of.
I’d worried the insurance change might get noticed by Ethan, but I should’ve been more worried about Tawny. She’s basically our HR department since we’re not big enough to have a real one—and she doesn’t miss shit. In fact, sometimes I think she’s looking for it.
“What? No.” My laugh is quick and maybe a little defensive.
Ethan just stares. “Then what is it?” His voice is calm—the kind of calm that means he’s not moving on until I answer.
I exhale, dragging a hand over my jaw. I could lie, but coming up with something believable sounds a hell of a lot harder than just telling him the truth. I trust Ethan. It’s Tawny I’m worried about. She’s not malicious, but discretion isn’t exactly her strong suit.
Ethan, apparently reading my mind, lifts his chin toward her. “Give us some privacy.”
She scoffs. “You two are the worst. I can keep a secret, I promise.”
I love her, but no. She can’t.
Our silence must be answer enough because she groans, mutters something about always being left out of the juicy shit, and finally leaves, the door clicking shut behind her.
Once I’m sure she’s gone, I tell him the truth. “It’s Scottie.”
Ethan’s face twists. “Scottie? How does she— Wait. You can’t just make anyone a dependent. What did you do?”
I clear my throat, meeting his eyes so he knows I’m not joking. “I married her.”
He doesn’t react right away, just stares at me like I’ve grown two heads right in front of him.
“She needed coverage for a while,” I explain, “and the house thing is a little tricky. The sellers have their minds set on selling to a family, so we’re playing the part.”
Ethan rubs his jaw, still processing. “You and Scottie are married?” He blinks. “When? How? Does Elyse know?”
I give him a short explanation, leaving out the part where I’ve had feelings for Scottie for years—and that those feelings are starting to turn into something a lot more serious the more time I spend with her.
“And no, Elyse doesn’t know,” I add. “This is temporary. We’re not telling anyone, and I’d appreciate it if you kept it between us.”
Ethan lets out a slow breath, sitting back in his chair. “All right,” he says finally. “I’ll keep it quiet.”
Relief hits me fast—but it doesn’t last long.
“With one exception,” he adds.
My spine stiffens. “What exception?”
