Page 5 of Season of Mercy
The ruined proposal weighed heavily on his mind. Maybe he should’ve invited her to some expensive restaurant, given her a ring with a huge diamond.
Ethan frowned as he made a turn onto the familiar street. No, that wouldn’t have worked, either. He’d known Mercy since they’d been teens. An open approach was the best one with her. And huge diamonds never impressed her, anyway.
Well, she was right. He could find a different candidate without much effort. But when he thought about meeting his bride at the altar, Mercy’s lovely image appeared in front of his eyes, her long blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, her blue eyes sparkling...
Ethan slowed down over the speed bump.
He’d done a good job hiding his feelings for her for years. How come he’d only realized he’d been falling for her when she’d confessed she’d been in love with Cole?
Another speed bump jerked him out of his memories. This wasn’t a neighborhood he desired for Mercy and her child. She’d had to sell the house to pay off debts Cole had left. Still, she’d refused Ethan’s help. He’d kept his distance the last years out of respect to her marriage then widowhood, or he’d have tried to help earlier. He hated the permanent imprint of despair Cole had left in Mercy’s eyes.
Ethan gritted his teeth. He could do nothing about that now.
But if she married him, he could provide for her and her little boy. The thought gave him a warm feeling.
His hands-free phone announced that Leah was calling. He grimaced and ignored it. He’d broken up with Leah the day before yesterday, but the woman obviously didn’t want to take no for an answer.
Ethan made another turn, feeling a small sting of guilt at leaving Leah. But he’d made it clear to her from the get-go that he hadn’t been looking for a relationship.
Maybe it was because his mother had left him when he’d been five years old, taking Ethan’s younger brother with her and leaving Ethan with his father. She’d come back half a year later, but Ethan had never forgotten the pain of being lonely and unwanted, the crushing fear that his mother would never return.
His heart squeezed in his chest. These days, Ethan preferred to leave women before they had a chance to leave him.
The phone stopped ringing.
He’d encountered many beautiful women over the years, some of them more wonderful than others. But every time he met with one of them, he found himself missing Mercy, her kind smile, her easy laughter, the tiny dots in her blue eyes, the funny way she crinkled her nose when she was deep in thought. He missed the way his heart tumbled and the world seemed to stop when she’d hugged him when they’d been in high school and she hadn’t met Cole yet. Or when she’d fleetingly touched his hand when he’d walked her home from school.
Ethan entered the gate of the apartment complex. He could easily imagine Mercy by his side every day. There was an aura of compassion and optimism about her, despite all the bad things that had happened to her. He didn’t want to be married for just a year. No, not at all. But his dad had given him that option, and he’d passed it on to Mercy to make it easier for her.
Ethan parked near her apartment. Mercy’s car was parked nearby, so she must be home.
He didn’t come to reinstate his offer, unless he had a good opportunity to do so. He’d come to hopefully take Mercy and Stevie to a water park. Granted, they’d have to drive several hours to get there, but he could just see the wide grin on Stevie’s face. Ethan would insist on paying for the tickets, whether Mercy wanted him to or not.
Ethan locked his car and headed toward her apartment. Scratched walls, fast-food wrappers discarded on the sidewalk, and the pungent smell of stale food didn’t sit well with him. Mercy and Stevie deserved a better life than this.
The loud screeching announced the opening of a door that was in dire need of oiling. The sound of hurried steps made him look in that direction.
Mercy carried Stevie, his body still, his face pale.
Chills ran down Ethan’s spine as he rushed to her. “What happened?”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I need to get him to the hospital.” Mercy’s eyes were frantic.
