Chapter One

Author’s Note: Ethan and Laura first meet in “A Hopeful Kind of Love,” also available on Goodnovel. You do not need to have read that story to enjoy this one though.

Laura

His hand went to the back of her neck again, pulling her into him. She gasped as his hand tangled in her hair and he tugged gently as he kissed her. She felt the pull from her scalp to between her thighs, and she whimpered.

“That's a dangerous sound,” he whispered, his voice dark and full of desire. He turned her to him, so her back pressed up against the glass of the Rocks, Gems, and Minerals display. She thought it had gold or something inside of it, but she really wasn't paying attention to the science exhibit once his hips pressed against her. She could feel his desire press up against her, and she moaned again.

Sweet, hot, and her tongue tangled with his as he kissed her again, stealing her moans. He gripped her hair harder, wanting still more and she arched her hips into his. All she had on under the dress was a very tiny thong. It wouldn't be hard to slip it to the side. If he undid his fly, he'd slide right in. The idea made her shiver with desire.

“Are you thinking what I'm thinking?” she whispered, pushing her hips against his. The way his pupils dilated nearly did her in.

He nodded, reaching for the hem of her skirt. His hand was hot against her thigh as he felt her skin. He took his time, tracing his palm along the hem of her dress. The waiting made her want it all the more. Slowly, so slowly it made her writhe, he slid his hand up her skirt. She held her breath as she waited for him to reach the top of her thigh.

She shifted her weight to give him better access, but he wasn't touching her anymore. She opened her eyes to find him glaring at her. He took a step back and grimaced.

“What's wrong?” she asked, confused. The heat inside her was quickly dissipating. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. This wasn't how it happened.

“I don't want this,” he said, shaking his head. He took another step back, fading into the darkness. She couldn't see him anymore.

“Ethan?” she called out. Suddenly, a woman appeared. She had never seen this woman before, but she knew that it was Ethan’s secretary.

“He said he doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want you. He does this to all the girls. You’re not special.”

She didn’t believe a word of it, but every time she tried to get around the secretary, she blocked Laura’s way.

The secretary kept talking. “Just forget about him.”

Ethan was about to step through a door. “Ethan!” She reached out to him, but he was already gone, and she was alone in the dark of her bedroom.

* * *

“Laura? Are you awake?” a small voice asked, hand on her shoulder.

The dream vanished, leaving her dizzy and confused. She turned to see two green eyes inches from her own, and she yelped.

The small owner of the eyes screamed which was followed by a third smaller scream. Laura's heart pounded in her chest like an over-sized drum as she sat up and turned on the light on her nightstand. Her brain struggled to make sense of what was going on as she woke from her dream.

“Ivy, you scared the crap out of me,” Laura gasped as soon as the light was on and she could see who was standing in front of her.

“I'm sorry, Laura,” Ivy whispered, her lower lip trembling. Laura's younger sister clutched her small security blanket to her chest a little tighter. Behind Ivy, their little brother Dallas sniffled and looked just as miserable.

Guilt hit Laura square in the chest. Ivy was only seven years old and Dallas only five. She remembered crawling into her parents' bed with nightmares when she was that age too. She didn't want them to think she was angry with them.

“It's okay. You just startled me,” Laura said, doing her best to smile at her siblings. “Did you guys have another nightmare?”

Ivy and Dallas both nodded, their eyes still full of fear. “Yeah,” whispered Ivy.

“Mom and Dad again?” Laura asked, already knowing the answer.

“The usual one,” Ivy replied, looking at the floor like having nightmares about their dead parents was something she should be ashamed of. They both looked so small and vulnerable in the yellow lamplight that Laura's heart squeezed in her chest, and she wished for the millionth time that she had a better way to take away the pain.

“You too, Dallas?” Laura asked her brother.

The little boy held his chin up. “I wasn't scared, but Finn was.” He held up his stuffed dog for Laura to see how scared it was.

“You guys want to come sleep with me until morning?” Laura asked, patting the bed beside her. Both kids grinned and jumped into the queen-sized bed, snuggling up on either side of their older sister. One sibling under each arm, they both sighed with contentment as Laura turned off the light. The nightmares never followed them into Laura's bed, and if they did, Laura was there to keep them safe. That was Laura's job.

Laura had no doubt that they had nightmares. She had them almost every night herself. If she had someone bigger and stronger to snuggle up with after waking up, she would have gone running just like they did. To be honest, she rather liked having them with her. They kept her safe from the nightmares.

Dallas was back asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow and the light was off. He had his butt pressed into Laura's hip and his arms wrapped around Finn, the stuffed dog. Ivy usually took a little bit longer to go back to sleep.

Laura shook her head as she found a comfortable position. They should just start all going to bed with her in the first place. They kids ended up here every night anyway. It would probably give them all better sleep that way.

“Laura, were you dreaming?” Ivy whispered in the dark.

“Yeah, I was,” Laura answered. “Why?”

“You were mumbling and smiling. Were you dreaming of Ethan from Mia's fundraiser last month?” Ivy asked. “You said his name. What were you dreaming about?”

Laura felt her cheeks heat and was glad it was too dark for her sister to see. There was no way she was going to tell her innocent little sister that she had been dreaming about the one-night-stand she'd had with the guy a year and a half ago. Nope.

“I don't really remember the dream,” Laura lied, shifting her weight slightly. She remembered the dream vividly. She remembered him from that night perfectly. She also remembered how he had his secretary tell her he never wanted to see her again. “And I wasn't dreaming about Ethan. You probably heard wrong.”

“If you say so,” Ivy said with a shrug. She yawned. “I liked Ethan. He was nice.”

Laura nearly sat up. “When did you meet Ethan?”

“At Mia's fundraiser,” Ivy replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He helped you look for Dallas when he got lost. Remember?”

Laura needed more sleep. “You're right. I forgot that you met him during that.”

Laura relaxed. Ivy didn't know Ethan from her one-night-stand. She knew him because her little brother Dallas got lost with another little boy at a fundraiser for the ranch Laura worked at a little over a month ago. The two boys had followed a dog out into a snowstorm. The entire ranch shut down to find him.

Ethan had helped her look for her brother. She was surprised he'd done it, given that he supposedly hated her. He was with her when they got the news the boys had been found, safe and sound.

She purposefully pushed the rest of the memory away. Especially the part where she'd kissed him at hearing the news. It was a stupid thing to do. She still couldn't believe she'd done it. She told herself it was all just the emotion of the moment. Hopefully, he did too.

Ivy sat straight up, bumping Laura's shoulder in the process and keeping them both from sleep. Ivy looked around, panic filling her small frame.

“Where is it?” she whispered, pulling at the sheets. Her breath came in tiny gasps.

“Where is what, Ivy?” Laura asked, sitting up. “Don't wake up Dallas.”

“Dad's shirt!” Ivy wailed, pulling at the comforter. “I can't find it!”

“You had it two seconds ago,” Laura replied. She felt around on the bed and quickly discovered the t-shirt Ivy now used as a security blanket. “You were laying on it.”

“Oh.” Ivy scooped it from Laura's hands and held it up to her face, breathing in the scent of it. It was just an old t-shirt their dad used to wear. There was nothing special about it, other than the fact that it had belonged to him. Ivy had found it in the laundry after he died and started using it as a security blanket. She couldn't sleep without it now.

“Does it still smell like him?” Laura asked. Her throat tightened with the question. It had only been about ten months since the plane accident that killed their parents. Just thinking about them still hurt. She wondered if it would ever stop hurting.

“A little,” Ivy replied. “It's starting to go away, though.”

Laura's heart broke a little. She sounded so sad and resigned. A seven-year-old shouldn't have to know this kind of pain, Laura thought. To be honest, a twenty-five-year-old shouldn't have to know this sort of pain.

“I know where his cologne is,” Laura said after a moment. “We can spray some on it tomorrow. That way it will still smell like him.”

“I'd like that,” Ivy murmured, sleep finally pulling at her. “I don't want to forget them.”

“We won't ever forget them,” Laura promised, smoothing the girl's hair as Ivy snuggled closer into her. “Never ever.”

“Good,” Ivy whispered, her voice trailing off as she found sleep again.

But now, Laura was awake. She couldn't help but think of her parents. As soon as she closed her eyes, she saw the pictures of the wreckage from her parents' flight. It was just a small private plane, but the crash had killed the two of them and the pilot instantly in the mountains.

Laura took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. She didn't want to hear the drone of an airplane engine in her dreams. She didn't want to remember having to tell Ivy and Dallas that she was going to have to take care of them now. That it was just the three of them.

It sucked, and she hated it.

Dallas mumbled and reached for her in his sleep. He rolled over, his hand finding her stomach. As soon as he found her, he quieted and went back to peaceful dreams.

She hoped she was enough for them. That was she was doing was enough. It didn't feel that way. She wasn't ready to be a parent, but here she was anyway.

Her phone vibrated on the nightstand. Rather than being annoyed at the message at such a late hour, she was grateful for the distraction. Being careful of her sleeping siblings, she reached for it and read the text.

Going to the hospital! It's time!

-Mia

Laura smiled. Mia was not only Laura's good friend, but she was also the wife of Laura's boss. The two of them were so excited for this baby that it was all they had talked about for the past few months. She couldn't be happier for them as she sent a text back.

Good luck. May 15th is a great birthday!

Laura smiled as she turned off her phone and put it back on her nightstand. A new life in the world was always something to be glad of. She closed her eyes and tried to find sleep, this time thinking of how cute the baby was going to be and whether it would look more like Mia or more like Carter.

She wrapped her arms around both her siblings, pulling them to her as they used her shoulders for pillows. With them both safe in her arms, sleep came quickly.