LOGINAnna POV "How much longer?" I sigh into the phone. Eth chuckles on the other end, and I grin at the sound of his laugh."Like a week or so. I guess we discovered a different building," he informs me."Wait, what? What happened to the one that you guys found earlier?" I look over and find Megan reclining on the couch, fixated on her phone screen. We have been like this for hours while Phoebe is at her friend's place. But I don't mind the stillness. Eth is on speaker, and Megan giggles now and again at the chat that she hears. "Well, we aren't sure if that's the one that we want to go with now. I only think that maybe this new building will be a better place. Yeah, the traffic is a little bit worse merely because it is dabbed amid downtown, but I think it could perform a lot better than previously. It would be easy to persuade people to work in this workplace, and everyone will see it. It is a tremendously tall skyscraper, and it's magnificent," he says, excited over his new perspecti
Anna POV Anyways, you know how people say that the first time you meet the love of your life, you just...know? Like, you feel something inside of you, and it's like everything just makes sense? " she asks."Yeah, I do," I say, automatically thinking about Eth. Everything does just make sense with him."I never felt that with Eth. But thesecond that I saw KKyler, just...everything made sense. I don't even know how to explain it. It was like the world stopped momentarily, and all I could see was him. We were so different. He was wearing fucking khakis and his fraternity shirt. His hat was backwards,, and he looked like a total tool. But...he was perfect to me. Complete opposites, but damn, I swear it was love at first sight." She says, smiling widely at the memories of Kyler."So, when did Eth find out?" I asked, wid-eyedd at the story she is telling me. The fact that she was dating Eth and then left him for Kyler is crazy to me. There must have been some tension. "Well, Eth told me t
Anna POV "You guys could always get a three-bedroom house. Then, you could have room for when you two decide to have kids," I told her. "Oh, please tell Kyler that. I have been begging him about having kids for years now." She huffs."He doesn't want kids?""Absolutely not. He says that kids will only hold us back. But he isn't the one who has to stay home alone while the other is out of town for almost a month." She says, shaking her head."Maybe you should just talk to him. I'm sure he will change his mind. " I told her. Kyler seems like he would be easily persuaded."You know, I think I will. I'll mention it on FaceTime tonight. Anyways, I want to know more about you and Eth. I haven't seen him this head over heels over someone since...actually,I don't think I ever have." She laughs."What do you want to know?" "How did you two meet?" She asks me.Shit. What the fuck do I say to her? Oh, I just met him on a paid dating website via an ad that his dad had posted! Hell no."I have
Ethan POV "You didn't have to do that. You coming home safe will be the only gift that I need," I told him."Yeah, I know. But I still wanted to get this for you. I really think you're going to love it. I hear my phone go off, indicating a text message. "Is that Megan?!" Kyler asks loud enough for me to hear him."How did you even hear that? Am I a speaker?" I laugh."Yes, you are. I'm sorry. I'm trying to finish these emails and kind of need both hands to type." "If that's Megan, will you please tell her to call me? Or to...FaceTime me or something? Oh, and tell her that I love her and that I'm sorry!" Kyler rambles.I look at the message, and sure enough, it is Megan."Yeah, it's her. She said, "Hey, it's Megan. Sorry our boyfriends are assholes for leaving us here to fend for ourselves. Want to come over and hang out? 'What should I say back?" I ask."Go over to the house! I don't want her to be alone and mad at me." "I can't. I have Phoebe with me.""Okay, so take her over the
Ethan POV "I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?" Eth asks me."Hmm...is it really bad news?" I ask him, staring up at my ceiling.It has been two days since Eth left. He comes home tomorrow night, and I am literally counting down the hours. This is hard. I haven't ever had him leave town while we were together. If he did leave, he took me with him. It was always for a vacation. Now, it's for work, and it's weird not having him here. I fucking hate it."It's not like...terrible. But I'm not happy with it, and I am sure you won't be either," he explains."Tell me the good news first." "Okay, well, we were able to find a really nice building right by the city. It's perfect. It's really close to all of these vegan restaurants, and I honestly love it. It's great." He tells me. "Do you only like it because it's by a bunch of vegan restaurants?" I tease."Well, no. But it definitely helps," he laughs. "So, here's the bad news...""Lay it on me." Honestly, hi
Anna POV "I know you love him, Anna. You have already become such a big part of our family. Lizzie is crazy about you. I don't know what it is, but you and your sister have Ethan wrapped around your fingers. You guys are his entire world. I would like to think that what we have done isn't bad at all. I'd like to think that we helped him more than he could even imagine. I don't know where he would be without you two. I just...he can't know, Anna. It would break his heart. He is finally talking to me again. He is finally willing to build a relationship with me again, and I have you to thank for that. He would have never agreed to come on the Arizona trip if it weren't for you. You have changed him. I can't let him find out. He would be crushed," he tells me.Dane is right. If Eth knew what we did, he would never forgive his father. Hell, he probably would never forgive me, either. I can't risk losing him. I just can't. I can't lose the only person I have ever truly loved. I just can't.
Ethan POV"Okay, but I'm just as guilty as she is! I'm the one who had a girlfriend! I'm the one who cheated! She doesn't have any obligation like that. She is single." I add."Yeah, and now you are too. Look, cut Haley off because she is nothing but trouble. She fucked you over. Do I have to remin
Anna POVAs I began to wipe down the tables, I thought about what Pam said and how she might have a point. Ethan might have just had a moment of weakness. He was just too deep in his own emotions to think about what he was doing. I mean...he stopped her, didn't he? He stopped her because of me. He
Ethan POV I mumbled, not wanting everyone in the hall to listen to what I was saying. "I guess I'll just start with this. I love you. You were a better father to me than my own had ever been. You...you turned me into the man I am today. You taught her how to drive a stick shift. You taught me how
Ethan POV"You don't have to be. He's in a better place. I promise." "Eth?" "Hmm?""I'm sorry for everything. I mean it this time. I'm so sorry." She cried. "It's okay, Hal," I assured her. I think I've said this fifty million times to her. But this time, I mean it. "Do you think if you hadn't







