It Started with a Snap by Piper James

Chapter Thirty

Ethan

“Congrats, man.”

We’d finished eating and were enjoying our coffee when Chase finished telling us about his proposal to Sage. I couldn’t stop smiling this morning, and I tried to play it off like it was his good news that had made me so happy. That was definitely part of it. I was happy for him, but my good mood had more to do with the blonde that left my bed this morning than his newly-engaged status.

I looked up to see Noah staring at me strangely. I shot him a questioning look, and he tilted his head to study me as his fingers stroked his chin.

“What’s up with you?” he asked finally.

“What do you mean?” I shot back, hiding my smile behind my coffee mug.

“You’re different,” he said. “You’re smiling more. And you’re…I don’t know…relaxed.”

“Oh shit,” Ryder cut in, his voice entirely too loud for a public diner. “He got laid!”

“Want to say that louder? I don’t think the people across the street heard you,” I deadpanned, but I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

“Who’s the lucky lady?” Chase asked. “Anyone we know?”

“Fuck,” Noah cut in before I could answer. “It’s Ember.”

“What?” Ryder asked, looking from him to me and back again.

“Dakota called Ember while we were in Florida to check on her and Kane. I was on the phone with Ethan at the time,” he said nodding in my direction, “and he had to go because someone was at the door. Dakota practically squealed with delight. She was acting all proud of herself, but refused to tell me what it was about. Said it wasn’t her place to share the details, but that she’d helped Ember with a decision she’d been struggling with.”

“Remind me to thank Dakota,” I mumbled, and the table erupted, all three of them shouting questions in my direction.

I held up my hands, and when they fell silent, I told them about the friendship I’d formed with her, which ultimately resulted with the visit Noah had mentioned. They were all staring at me with disbelief, remembering how Ember had seemed to despise me any time we all got together.

“So, I guess she forgave you for calling her slutty?” Chase asked.

“What?” Ryder barked. “When was this?”

I let Chase tell the story, then added, “I told her the truth. I’d seen her kiss another man, and it drove me insane with jealousy. When I got drunk with Chase that night, it all poured out of me in the worst possible way. At the worst possible time.”

“What did she say?” Noah asked.

“She laughed,” I said, my lips curving up into a smile. “The bartender she kissed is just a friend…and one hundred percent gay.”

“Oh, shit,” Chase said, then laughed. “I’m glad you guys got that all cleared up. It was getting damn uncomfortable, feeling the tension between you every time we were all in the same room.”

“Well, she’s my girlfriend now, so…”

“What?” Noah barked.

“Does she know this?” Ryder asked. “Because Ember’s not the commitment type.”

“Yes, she knows,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m not delusional, making up stuff in my head that isn’t really there. I told her last night how I felt, and she agreed. We’re exclusive.”

“You like her,” Noah said.

“I like-like her,” I responded, earning a strange look from Ryder, who used to say that was how Noah felt about Dakota before they admitted they loved each other.

“Wow,” Chase said, catching my meaning.

I might not have been officially “in love,” but I was quickly headed in that direction.

“She’s so different from you,” Noah said.

“Not as different as you might think,” I shot back, draining the last of my coffee. “Besides, our differences are a good thing. She challenges me. She pulls me out of my comfort zone, and I think I’m a better man for it. We complement each other.”

“You really are all in, aren’t you?” Ryder asked, one corner of his mouth tugging upward.

“A hundred and ten percent,” I said, nodding. “I feel like I’m on the world’s greatest adventure, and I can’t wait to see where she’ll lead me next.”