“I guess that was your ex?”  Ethan stroked his thumb along the back of my hand.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

We walked through the front doors of Ethan’s apartment building and headed for the elevator.  I was exhausted from the evening’s encounter, and Ethan had been unusually quiet on the way back to his place.

Inside the apartment, Ethan wordlessly led me to the pink bean bag chair, sat me down, got me a drink of water, and began to massage my feet.  My body relaxed immediately, but my mind was still focused on the image of Cole’s angry face.

“He gave you that scar on your lip, didn’t he?”

I blinked several times while I stared at Ethan.  He didn’t look up.  He just kept rubbing my feet.  Lying about how I got the scar had become second nature, and the desire to deny it had anything to do with Cole was strong, but I wanted to be honest with Ethan.

“How did you know that?” I asked.

“You’ve been rubbing it ever since we left Marco’s.”

“Oh.”  I clasped my hands in my lap.

“I wish you had told me about that,” Ethan said.  He finally glanced up at me, his eyes dark.  “Then again, if you had, I would have ended up punching him.  I’m sure an assault charge wouldn’t impress your dad.”

“Probably not.”  I gave him a tight-lipped smile.

“How many times?” Ethan asked.

“How many times what?”

“How many times did he hit you?”

“Just once.  I left him not long after that.”

“Not long?”

“I caught him with another woman about a week later.”

“And you left because of that?”  Ethan’s voice rose in pitch, and he furrowed his brow.  “Not because he hit you?”

“It’s complicated.”  I started to reach for the scar again but stopped myself.  “Our fathers are friends.  His family is an important client.  I couldn’t just make accusations like that.”

Ethan stared at me for a full minute before he scowled and went back to soothing my toes.

“That’s fucked up, Ashlyn.”

*****

The grand house that had been my home as a child looked strangely ominous despite the festive decorations lining the driveway.  I drove past the valet area and parked in my usual spot in front of the garage door.

“Are you ready for this?”  Ethan reached over the center console of my Saab and placed his hand on my thigh.

“Not at all,” I said, “but I guess sitting in the car all afternoon isn’t much of an option.”

“I don’t have to be here,” he said.  “I can just head back to my apartment and wait for you.  I can always meet your family another time.”

“No.”  I shook my head quickly.  “It’s my graduation party, and I want you here.  Besides, waiting just prolongs the inevitable, and you got all dressed up.”

“I look pretty awesome, don’t I?”  Ethan flashed me his brilliant smile.

He did look awesome.  My jaw had just about hit the ground when he came out of his apartment entrance wearing an Armani suit, complete with vest and fancy brown shoes.  They were off-brand, which wouldn’t go unnoticed, but they looked nice, and he said they were comfortable.

“You do clean up well,” I said with a laugh.  I leaned over to kiss his cheek, and we both stepped out of the car.

Instead of arriving early and going through the house, I purposely showed up just a few minutes late and walked around the house and through the balloon tunnel to my graduation luncheon.  Vanessa had gone all out for my party, even by her standards.  Aside from the balloons, there was a string quartet playing on a raised platform, two full bars on either side of the yard, and a buffet-style feast that probably could have fed an army.

The entire back yard was already full of people, and all of the lavish decorations were in my school’s colors, right down to the vests worn by the quartet musicians.

Despite the suit, Ethan was getting a lot of looks from the guests as we walked in together.  He might have been dressed well, but the rings in his lip and forehead were the focus of everyone’s attention.  I noticed one woman actually poke the person beside her and point toward us as she shook her head.

Ethan smiled at everyone and didn’t seem to notice the blatant stares.  I took a deep breath, tried to ignore my pounding heart, and smiled right along with him.

I glanced around, trying to figure out where Vanessa was.  I preferred to run into her before my father.  Vanessa was always the queen of manners, and I knew she wouldn’t do or say anything to upset me with so many people around.  I spotted her by a long table full of appetizers, speaking with someone in a chef’s coat.  Ethan looked around the yard, taking it all in until I grabbed ahold of his hand and headed toward my stepmother.

Vanessa’s eyes widened slightly as she looked up and saw me with Ethan.  Her smile appeared a second later, and she walked up to us with open arms.

“Ashlyn, my darling!”  She grasped my shoulders and quickly leaned in to kiss my cheek.  “So glad you’ve arrived!  Congratulations on your graduation!”

“Thank you!” I said.  “The yard looks wonderful!  I love what you did with the school’s colors.”

“And this must be Ethan,” Vanessa said with another smile.  She looked him over, glanced at his shoes with a slightly raised brow, and then took his hand.  “I’m so glad you could make it on Ashlyn’s special day.”

“Thank you,” Ethan said politely.  “I’m glad I could be here.”

“I had the cake done by the chef girl you went to school with,” Vanessa said.  “Jessica, I believe?  She does such a nice job.  She filled the inside of the cake with fruit, and the samples were just divine!”

“I can’t wait to taste it,” I said.  I reached out and grasped Vanessa’s hand.  “Thank you so much for doing all this for me.  I’m so grateful.”

“It was my pleasure, darling.”  Vanessa gripped my fingers for a moment.  “Oh, look!  Some of your friends have arrived!  I do appreciate that Presley’s taste in designers.”

Vanessa glanced at Ethan’s shoes once more.  I caught myself right before I rolled my eyes and then glanced over at the yard entrance to see Zoey, Presley, and Isaac heading toward us.

“I’d better go check on the other guests!”  Vanessa said as she twirled off.  “Do enjoy yourselves!”

“She’s nice,” Ethan said with a quick smile.

“She wouldn’t dare be any other way.”  I chuckled.

“Hey, girl!”  Zoey walked up with Presley right behind her.  They both wore conservative, designer sundresses and had obviously coordinated with each other.

“Good to see you here, bruiser.”  Isaac lightly punched Ethan’s bicep, and Ethan blushed.  “Who wants something from the bar?”

“Champagne all around!” Presley said.

“You want one?” Isaac asked Ethan quietly.  “I don’t think anyone is going to notice.”

“Nah, I’m okay,” Ethan said.  “Thanks for asking though.”

“How about a soda?”

“Yeah, that would be great.”  Ethan smiled.  “Let me help you carry them.”

They headed toward the bar, and I was glad to see Ethan and Isaac had bonded over their run-in with Cole.

We found a table near the buffet and sat down while the guys stood in line for the drinks.  Presley took note of everyone’s attire and critiqued when she found it necessary.

I watched the back door, waiting for my father to appear.

“Ah, shit!”  Isaac stumbled over the leg of the table, spilling one of the drinks.

“Careful!”  Zoey snickered.  “You know how Vanessa feels about cursing!  She’ll throw you right out of here.”

“Sorry.”  Isaac glanced around quickly, but Vanessa wasn’t in earshot.  “I’ll go grab another drink.”

Isaac headed back to the bar, which now had quite a line, and Ethan handed me a glass of champagne.

“Congratulations,” he said quietly as he kissed my cheek.  “It’s so cool that you got a master’s degree.  Do you think you’ll ever want to go further?”

“I don’t think so,” I said.  “Not any time soon, certainly.  You know how I feel about taking tests, and—”

“What is he doing here?”

I jumped at the sound of my father’s voice behind me.  Turning quickly, I squared my shoulders and sat up a little straighter.  Dad wouldn’t cause a scene—not with all these people around.

“He’s my boyfriend, Dad.”  I spoke softly but with resolve.  “You are going to have to accept that.”

“I most certainly do not,” he replied.  “I thought I had already made that clear.  He is not welcome here!”

“It’s okay, Ashlyn,” Ethan said quietly as he stood up from his seat.  “I don’t want to be a problem. I’ll go.”

“You aren’t going anywhere.”  I stood up as well, reached over, and grabbed Ethan’s hand before turning back to my father.  “You are going to have to get used to the idea sooner or later, Dad.  I know you don’t like it, but Ethan’s not leaving.”

A few people at nearby tables had stopped their conversation to listen to ours.  Dad didn’t seem to notice.

“This is not a debate,” he said as he pointed a finger at me.

“No,” I responded quickly, “it’s not.”

Dad inhaled loudly, clenched his teeth, and glanced around.  He finally noticed that people were staring and lowered his voice.

“I thought Cole was going to talk some sense into you.” Dad proceeded to mumble a few more words under his breath that I didn’t catch.

“What?”  I gasped.  “What did you say?”

“Cole was supposed to find you and get you to see some reason.  Obviously he didn’t.”

Ethan tightened his fingers around mine.

“You…you told Cole to find me?”

“You know he’s a better match for you, Ash.”  Dad shook his head slowly.

“Are you serious?”  Presley nearly dropped her glass as she pushed away from the table and stepped up close to my father.  “You sent than lunatic to find Ashlyn?  Do you know what he did?”

“If anyone here is a lunatic, it’s this guy,” Dad said as he pointed right at Ethan’s face.  “Cole comes from a good family.  He has ambition.  This guy is going nowhere fast, and I’m not going to put up with him being here!”

“Miles!  Lower your voice!”  Vanessa marched up with eyes blazing.  She grabbed my father by the arm and pulled him to her side.  “People will hear you!”

“She’s doing this on purpose,” Dad said.  “I told her not to bring him, and she thinks just because there are people around, I won’t say anything, but she’s wrong!  I’d rather embarrass her a bit now than have her constantly embarrassed by this nutcase!”

“Cole hit her!” Presley suddenly yelled.  “Ethan’s young and a little weird.  He’s got metal all over his face and tattoos, but I know he’s never going to do that shit to her!”

Chills raced from my toes, up my torso, and down my arms.  Dad’s mouth dropped open, and Vanessa gasped.

“Sorry about the language, Vanessa,” Presley said with an apologetic shrug.

Vanessa’s wide eyes flashed from me to Ethan and then from my father to Presley.

“Fuck the language.”  Vanessa turned to me and grabbed my face with both hands.  “Cole hit you?  He hit you?”

“Only once,” I replied quietly, trying not to meet her eyes.

“Only once!” Vanessa practically roared.  She turned her terrifying gaze to Dad.  “Call that district attorney friend of yours.  I want charges pressed.”

“No, Vanessa.”  I reached up and pulled her hands from my face.  I felt tears welling up in my eyes.  “It was a long time ago.”

“He couldn’t lay a hand on her last night because Ethan stopped him.”  Isaac rejoined the group.  He grinned and held up a fist to bump against Ethan’s.

“Ashlyn?”  Dad took a step toward me and reached for my hand.  “Is all this true?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Ashlyn, baby, I had no idea.  Why didn’t you ever tell me about Cole?”

“I don’t know,” I said with a sniff.  “I was embarrassed about the whole thing.  You liked him so much, and I didn’t want to jeopardize your business dealings with his family.”

“I don’t give a shit about my business dealings with his family!”  Dad’s outburst shocked me.  Apparently, swearing was now tolerated at Vanessa’s parties.  “You are my daughter—my only child—and you will always be more important to me than any client.”

A second later, Dad wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me against his chest.  I couldn’t stop the sobs as I held onto him, and he kept saying everything would be all right.

“I’m so sorry,” Dad said.  “I never would have contacted him if I had known.  I’m so, so sorry, Ash.”

“I know, Dad.  I should have told you before.  I should have told everyone.”

“Yes, you should have.”  Vanessa joined our embrace for a moment, then held me at arm’s length and brushed the tears from my face.  “We are going to talk about all of this at another time, but we have caused enough of a spectacle for one day.  Do you need to wash your face, my darling?”

“I’m all right,” I told her.  I looked over my shoulder at Ethan.  “Can he stay now?”

“Of course.”  Vanessa reached over and touched his arm gently.  “It sounds like we owe him our thanks.  Besides, it’s time to serve lunch, and we can hardly throw him out on an empty stomach!”

And with that, my socialite stepmother resumed her perfect posture, smiled at the onlookers, and shooed them all toward the buffet table like nothing had happened.

“Mr. Dragonov?”  Ethan took a deep breath as he addressed my father.  “I know I was in a bad place that day I was in your office after my parents died.  I’m sorry I acted the way I did, and I hope you understand I’m much better now.  I’m far from perfect, but I’ve learned a lot since then.  One thing is for certain—I would never, ever lay a hand on Ashlyn.”

Dad just stared at him.

“She is very special to me, sir,” Ethan said.  “I know what you think of me, but you’ve only seen part of me.  I’d like a chance to show you who I really am.”

My father stood perfectly still for a long moment.  His moustache twitched as he looked from me to Ethan.  He inhaled deeply before letting the air out in a long, audible huff.

“Come into my office tomorrow,” Dad said, staring directly at Ethan.

“Your office?”

“If you are going to date my daughter, we’re going to have a little man-to-man talk.”

“Okay.”  Ethan nodded.  “I mean…yes, sir!”

“Looks like Vanessa’s got the food out already,” Dad said, pointing toward the buffet table.  “Better not keep her waiting.”

“Thank you, Dad.”  I reached up and hugged him.

“Don’t thank me just yet,” he said.  “I’m going to have to have a long talk with that boy.”

We ate lunch and devoured the delicious cake.  Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the guests continued to stare at Ethan and whisper.  Apparently, just enough had been overheard for people to determine that he had saved me from some ruffian, and now they all appeared to be in awe of him.  Ethan smiled at everyone all the way to the end.

“That actually went pretty well,” Ethan said as we climbed back into my car.  “I mean, it was a little sketchy there for a minute, but I think the outcome was a good one.”

“Are you going to go see my father tomorrow?”

“Yes.  I know he’s worried about what I’m doing with my parents’ money, but I’m going to give him my plan for the area where my friends live.”

“You have a plan?”

“Yes, I do.”  Ethan smiled.  “Josh and I have been working on it.  He’s taking night classes in civil engineering.  Buying that apartment building was just the first step.  I want to buy all the buildings in that area—everything from that apartment all the way to Gibbs Park.  We want to rebuild that neighborhood as a whole planned community, complete with affordable housing and shopping—clean it up, and make it a place where people want to come and live—create some job opportunities where people can make enough to actually feed themselves and maybe even save a little money for the future.”

“That’s a great idea, Ethan!”  I reached over and took his hand.  “And real estate is never a bad investment.  My father certainly understands that.”

“I hope so.”  Ethan sighed.  “If he sees what I’m doing and that I do have some ambitions, maybe he’ll decide I’m okay for you after all.”

“He will now,” I said brightly.  “Now he knows you’re my hero.”