He Took Her To The Lake We Promised To See Together Chapter 08

He Took Her To The Lake We Promised To See Together Chapter 08

The next afternoon, I had just finished shooting inside one of the historic sites when I saw Ethan at

the entrance to the field base.

He stood beside an SUV, travel-worn and tense, with a suitcase at his feet.

Sophie and Mason weren’t with him.

The moment he saw me, the crease between his brows finally eased.

“Pack your things. You’re coming back to Boston with me.”

I pulled off my work gloves.

“I’m not going back.”

His face darkened.

“It’s been a week. Aren’t you done with this yet?”

“The studio’s biggest client put the project on hold, and the apartment is sitting empty. You ran off to New Mexico without saying a word. You left everyone else to clean up the mess. What exactly are you trying to prove?”

I looked at him calmly.

“I handed over all the studio files and transferred access to every account.”

“As for the apartment, you can have whoever you want move in.”

His eyes locked on mine.

“What about me?”

“You’ve already got someone else, don’t you?”

His expression stiffened for a second.

“What does that mean?”

I didn’t answer. I turned toward the field base.

He caught up quickly and grabbed my wrist.

“Emma Parker, say what you mean.’

“Did you go to Moonsea Lake that night?”

So he’d finally figured it out.

I stopped.

“I did.”

His grip tightened instantly.

“What did you see?”

“You kissing Sophie. Mason taking pictures. And I heard you’d already been together for six

months.”

Wind swept in from across the high desert.

The color slowly drained from Ethan’s face.

He opened his mouth, but it was a long moment before he managed to speak.

“It’s not what you think.”

I couldn’t help laughing.

“I saw you kissing her. What exactly was I supposed to think?”

“Sophie was in a bad place then. After her mother died, she leaned on me a lot.”

“So you dated her for six months?”

“I wasn’t going to hide it from you forever,” Ethan said quickly.

“I just couldn’t find the right time to tell you.”

“I was going to sort things out with her after we got back from Boston.”

I looked at him and suddenly felt as if I were staring at a stranger.

“Sort it out how?”

“Keep her waiting, or keep me waiting?”

He had no answer.

After a few seconds, he said in a low voice, “I admit I was wrong.”

“You can’t throw away four years over one mistake.”

“One mistake?”

I looked straight at him.

“When my stomach was killing me, you took her to the Christmas fair.”

“You promised we’d hang our matching ornaments together, then left me standing there while you hung hers.”

“You promised we’d take the cruise together, then left me alone at the pier to go with her.”

“Even Moonsea Lake-the place I’d waited four years to experience with you-you had already

been there with her.”

Ethan went still.

“How do you know about March?”

“The hotel gave me the pictures you left behind.”

I asked each word slowly.

“Ethan Cole, during the week of my senior thesis presentation, didn’t you tell me your father was in the hospital?”

He looked away.

That answer was enough.

“It was Sophie’s birthday,” he said.

“She wanted to come to Boston, so I stayed with her for a few days. That’s all.”

“So you lied to me about your father being in the hospital, took the money I sent you, and used it to celebrate Sophie’s birthday at Moonsea Lake?”

Ethan frowned.

“I can pay the money back.”

“This was never about the money.”

He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice had finally softened.

“Emma, come back with me.”

“When we get home, I’ll end things with Sophie.”

“I’ll make your position at the studio official, and I’ll redo the apartment however you want.”

He sounded sincere, as though those offers should have been enough to make everything right.

But he still didn’t understand.

I hadn’t walked away to force him to leave Sophie, or to bargain for a title at the studio.

“Ethan, we’re over.”

“I didn’t agree to that.”

“I wasn’t asking for your permission.”

His expression turned stormy.

“You’re too emotional right now. I’m not going to argue with you.”

“How long does this project last? I’ll stay here until you’ve calmed down.”

“Then keep waiting.”

I pulled my wrist free and walked back toward the field base.

Rachel was waiting by the entrance.

She glanced at Ethan and lowered her voice.

“Do you need help?”

“No.”

I straightened my project ID badge.

“Just someone from my past.”

The gate closed slowly behind me.

Ethan stood alone in the windblown dust, and for the first time, he didn’t follow.

He probably still believed I was just angry.If he waited a few days, I’d soften like I always had over

e past four years.

He still didn’t understand.

I’d spent four years waiting for him.

Now, there was nothing left for him to wait for.