Ethan (Alluring Indulgence #5)(96)
Author: Nicole Edwards

“True. And the two of you are that.”

“Are you saying I’m not fun?”

“Not at all. I’m saying you aren’t insane.”

“Well, there is that,” Beau agreed.

The waiter chose that moment to bring two more beers and a loaf of bread that went untouched between them. Beau grabbed the beer and pushed the empty away while Ethan did the same.

“Seriously though, y’all have been friends since what? The first grade?”

“Something like that,” Beau said. For as long as he could remember, he’d been friends with Ethan’s younger brother. Zane was like the brother he never had.

“I remember going to football games when Zane played.”

Beau fought the urge to frown. Thinking back on his football days was bittersweet. The friends, the fun, all of the laughs he shared with the guys in high school, those had been great times. But despite any attempt to ignore the bad times, Beau had a hard time separating his father and football. The two seemed to go hand in hand, and just like Beau’s ties were severed with football when he had injured his arm his senior year, so had any conceivable relationship he had with his father.

“You were in a car accident that year, right?” Ethan asked, clearly having an exceptional memory.

“Yeah,” he said, forcing a hint of a smile on his lips. “Bunch of us were out fucking off. Black ice caught us by surprise and the truck we were in flipped. My arm was crushed. That was the end of my football career.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Football?”

“No, high school,” Ethan barked with a laugh. “Of course football.”

“Not really, no.” That was only a partial lie. He missed the thrill he got when he went out on the field, the roar of the kids and their parents. There was no doubt Beau had thought he’d be off to the NFL eventually just like everyone else had, but that dream came to an abrupt halt because they were out being idiots after a freak ice storm.

“What about you? You play sports?”

“Nah. I was too involved in FFA to take on sports.”

“So, you wanted to be a farmer, huh?” Beau joked, spinning his beer bottle in his hands.

“Nope, just knew I had to do something to pass the time. I always wanted to go to work for my brothers.”

“You mean for yourself?”

“I guess I don’t see it that way, but, yeah. I wanted to work at Walker Demo. Fixing things has always been a hobby of mine.”

Beau nodded, understanding completely. He’d been the same way. When he wasn’t playing football, he spent time at his uncle’s shop, working on cars and some of the heavy equipment. Usually anything to keep him away from the cold chill of his parents’ house.

Their food was brought out just in time. Beau enjoyed the steady, easy conversation, but he also felt as though they were dancing around the subjects that were most important. Specifically, Beau had questions he wanted to ask because, until he knew the answers, he didn’t know how to map out what the future might hold.

Not that he should’ve been mapping out anything. He was supposed to be enjoying the moment, getting to know Ethan on a comfortable level. But for some reason, Beau wanted to know him on a deeper level. What made the man tick? What made him hide even when they both knew his parents and his brothers would be nothing but supportive of him?

The conversation continued over dinner, mostly Beau relaying incidents from high school, all usually involving Zane though the man never seemed to get caught. He was almost as bad as the twins when it came to practical jokes.

Once their empty plates were cleared away, the waiter brought two more beers, and Beau settled in. They had nowhere to be and no one to worry about, so it seemed that talking – outside of the bedroom – was the ideal way to spend the evening.

Even if Ethan wasn’t going to like the direction Beau was headed with the conversation.

“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked, tipping his beer bottle to his lips. “I see the wheels spinning. You’re going to ask me something, and I’m not gonna be happy about it am I?”

Beau smirked. “Probably not, no.”

“Get it out there,” Ethan said softly. “I know you have questions, I just can’t promise I can answer them. Not easily anyway.”

Did Beau really need the answers? Couldn’t he just be satisfied with moving forward in the direction they were going?

No, unfortunately, he couldn’t. Especially since the direction was going to be much like it had been if he didn’t dig deeper. And quite frankly, Beau wasn’t all that keen on the idea of spending the rest of his life hiding who he was from those he cared about. It was hard enough to watch Ethan do it.