Page 135 of Third and Ten

I step out of my new office and into the hallway to greet the students as they shuffle along to their homeroom classes. I notice Ethan glaring at me from across the way, and I flash him a cheesy grin as I think about the plans Tenley and I have been discussing over the past couple of days—the ones about getting married before we’re awarded custody of Ethan and moving into my place together as a family.

There are also the plans we made for our wedding night, which have already become a permanent fixture in the back of my mind.

I spend the first half of my day monitoring the kids during transition and completing an endless stack of paperwork for the baseball team’s eligibility with the state athletics association, then I take a break to scarf down some lunch.

I text Tenley to check in, and I’m relieved when she replies that she still wants to marry me, though she admits she hasn’t spoken to her family about it yet. Then I glance around my office, which still looks pretty sparse. I should start unpacking my things since I’ve gotten the majority of my work done for the day, but I bite the inside of my cheek as I debate my next move, my leg bouncing up and down restlessly.

“Aw, hell,” I mumble to myself, already picking up my desk phone. I ask the secretary to make a quick announcement, and her voice resonates over the intercom a few seconds later.

“Ethan Robin, please report to Coach JD’s office.”

She repeats it three times, making me smile.

Ethan knocks shortly before he walks in, and his expression says he isn’t thrilled about the intercom summons. “Did you really have to get Ms. Sam to do an all-call to the whole school for me?” he asks angrily.

I snicker. “No, but it’s more fun that way, right?” He rolls his eyes as he drops his backpack and sits in the chair across from my desk. “How’s your first day back?”

He slouches and lifts his feet as if he’s planning to prop them on the edge of my desk. That is, until he catches my expression. He clears his throat and straightens his posture instead.

“It’s been okay. I’m pretty sure there are a few people still trying to figure out where I’ve been, but it’s not so bad.”

“Have you talked to Caidence?”

A smile creeps across his face. “We were actually sitting together at lunch when you called me out.”

“My bad, man.” I laugh through the apology.

“So, can I go back?” He hitches his thumb over his shoulder.

“Hold on.” I suddenly feel embarrassed, though talking to Ethan hasn’t bothered me this much before. “I’m sure you heard that Tenley and I made up.”

He shrugs. “She told me.”

“Right.”

Then he clears his throat. “Look, I know I texted you before, but while I’m here, I want to apologize in person for everything. I acted like a jerk, and I’m sorry for being so selfish and disrespectful.”

I give him a half-smile. “Thanks. And I’m sorry about the way I handled things. I never meant for you to get stuck in the middle or for my relationship with Tenley to make you feel bad.”

“I know, and I won’t interfere with you guys again,” he adds. “So, are we cool?”

“Yeah, man. We’re cool.”

“Good. Is that all?”

“Not exactly. I need to talk to you about something else…important.” I pause, still worried about his reaction. Maybe I should let Tenley be the first to deliver the news, but I feel like Ethan should hear it from me. “Your Pop and I, well, we kind of already discussed this, but I thought it was only right that I defer to you now.”

He blinks and swallows hard. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” I lean forward with my elbows on my desk so I can get a little closer to him. “We’re thinking about getting married very soon, and I want to make sure you’re cool with that.”

This time he takes a deep breath and blows it out before he speaks. “So, you like, really made up?”

I chuckle. “I guess we did.”

“I don’t know, man. This seems pretty crazy.” He shakes his head. “The other day you were upset because Aunt Ten was moving too slow, and now you’re getting married? I mean, she did warn me that you were going public now, but what the heck happened while I was gone?”

“We had a serious discussion about our future, and once we were completely honest about our feelings, we realized we both want the same things. We also couldn’t come up with any reasons for waiting to get married, and Tenley assured me she’s ready to make that commitment,” I explain carefully.

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