“Uh huh?” I mumble over chewing.
“Can the bagel wait?” He picks up his head, taking the bagel from my hands and placing it on the table next to the bed.
“But I’m hungry.” I pout.
“Don’t worry, this won’t take that long.”
I frown. “That is not what a girl likes to hear. If you think just because we’re girlfriend and boyfriend now you can lack effort in that department, you have another think coming.”
He shuts me up with a kiss and his body weight lands on top of me. I wrap my arms around him ready to get lost in Ethanland again. Just as we’re getting comfortable, he pops his head back up.
“What?” I inhale a deep breath.
“One more thing. Can we stop by my family first and then go to yours today instead of splitting up?”
His request takes me by surprise and my lack of response reveals that.
“I just don’t want to separate from you. That’s if you’re cool with me meeting your parents?”
It takes me a moment to process, but I nod. “Yeah. I’m good, but Ethan, are you sure you want me to…”
“Positive.” He brushes my hair off my forehead. “I want my dad to meet the woman I love.”
I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Love?”
He kisses me briefly. “I love you, Blanca, and I don’t care who knows it.”
“Boy, where is that man who doesn’t date his co-workers?”
He laughs. “You killed him.”
“Nah.” I shake my head. “I just loved him.”
Epilogue
Blanca
Two months later…
“Use some muscle,” Rian directs Seth as he tries to get my suitcase of books out of the apartment.
“This really sucks, Blanca. You just moved in.” Rian frowns.
“She’s two doors down.” Ethan raises his hands for the millionth time today, annoyed by all the I miss yous and the delay in getting us into our new apartment.
He and the guys already did his whole apartment this morning.
“Shouldn’t it be a plus to have three strong brothers? Where are they?” Seth asks.
“Right here.” Dom walks in with Carm and Enzo behind him. “Who’s the moron?”
“That would be Seth.” I grin and give each of my brothers a hug. I’m not naive enough to think they’re only here to help me move a few things. They didn’t even help Ethan this morning move all the big furniture.
“Where are the girls?” I ask.
“They stopped at some bakery place.”
“And Val?” I eye my oldest brother because Val is in her last month of pregnancy.
“I tell you this, if she goes into labor while I’m in butt fuck nowhere, I’m going to lose my shit. I mean, is there even modern medicine out here?”
Seth laughs and slaps him on the back. “I like this one.”
“Again, who is this?” Dom thumbs in his direction.
“Let’s go, Seth,” Ethan says, but Enzo helps him with the other side of my bookcase instead.
“Do you need help?” Carm asks Seth. “Looks like you’re struggling there.”
Seth mocks offense even though he was just complaining. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“Suit yourself.” Carm falls onto the couch and presses power on the television. Football blares in my ear seconds later.
“Carm, this isn’t social time. I’m moving.”
“And Mama said you better not be pregnant.” He points to me but waits until I actually confirm I’m not.
“You guys all live in sin,” I say.
“We’re guys. It’s different.” I pick up a magazine and throw it at him. It opens in his lap to the spot Sierra has re-read a million times. “The Prince. I’m so sick of hearing about the Prince.” He rolls his eyes.
“He’s in town. Sierra won a dinner with him.” I’m just as excited as my friend.
Carm apparently is not. “Don’t tell Bella. I mean, look at me. Why am I competing with this guy.” He flips over the magazine and points to the Prince.
“He’s heir to an entire country,” Rian chimes in, sitting down in the chair.
I guess this is break time.
“Who are you?” Carm asks.
“Rian.” She holds out her hand.
He leans forward, shakes it. “I’m Carmelo Mancini, multi-million dollar realtor. I don’t have to compete for my girlfriend’s attention.”
Rian looks him up and down and shrugs.
“What was that?” Carm asks, forehead creased.
“What?” she asks.
“You shrugged.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You did.”
I allow them to argue and walk Dom down the hall to my new apartment. We have an alley view, but we’re closer to the stairs leading to the rooftop which sold it for us. That and being close to our friends.
Dylan is setting up the television when we walk in, the same football game Carm is watching blares from mine. Ethan’s living room has just shifted from his apartment to ours, but we’ll need to purchase a bigger kitchen table.
“Ethan.” Dom holds out his hand.
“Hey Dom.” They shake and then Ethan opens up our fridge where all the beer he bought yesterday is and starts passing them around.
“Oh no.” I walk around taking them out of their hands.
“Who invited buzzkill?” Dylan asks and then winks at me.
“We have a few more boxes and then it’s beer and game time.”
Just as we step into the hallway, the three women in my brothers’ lives are getting off the elevator.
“I love this town. Let’s move,” Annie says to Enzo, her small box from Scrumptuals open in her hands. “They have the cutest little gazebo here.”
Enzo stares at me like he’s blaming me for her falling in love with Cliffton Heights.
“It’d be a great place to raise the baby. I mean, Ryder barely learned how to ride a bike without getting hit by a taxi. Maybe we need to move,” Val says.
Dom puts his arm around his wife’s shoulder and looks into her box from the bakery. “What did you get?”
“He’s like a pro at changing the topic,” Seth remarks. “I think I want to be your brother when I grow up. So intimidating and he makes his presence known.” He puffs out his chest and walks with his arms out from his sides.
Ethan laughs, his hand falling down and squeezing my ass.
“We’ll be right there. I have to show Blanca something.” Ethan shuts our door and locks it.
“Hey. My brothers like you, but that can change.”
His hand molds to my hip and he presses his body to mine. “I just want you to know, today is the happiest day of my life so far and I’m so excited to see your bedhead, smell your stinky morning breath, and feel you drool on my chest.”
I hit him in the stomach. “Hey!”
“Believe it or not, it’s a good thing. Because I also can’t wait for morning showers together, breakfast in bed, and making love until dawn.”