Chapter Seventeen

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Chapter Seventeen (Lucas' POV)

"It's not gonna fit. It's too big!"

"Bullshit, I'll make it fit."

"Ethan, if you rip it, I'll never read to you again."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise, now stop pushing and just give it to me. I'll find a different place for it." I commanded, holding my hand out as I watched Ethan scowl at me, holding the Lord of the Flies book that we had finished about a week ago. It was time to rearrange the books and Ethan was trying to cram all his favorites into one shelf, but there was no way they'd all fit. There were too many.

He reluctantly handed me the book, ruffling his hair as he glared at the bookshelf like it was all the bookshelf's fault. I smirked, then took the book to a different bookcase just two feet away. I managed to wedge it in between Romeo and Juliet and Oliver!

"So," Ethan drawled, coming up behind me to nuzzle me gently, "I was thinking we could take a break right about now. I've been working all day and I could use a lot of Lucas right now." I tipped my head back to look up at him with a smile. He smiled back and kissed me on the lips.

It hadn't been long since Ethan moved in. About a week or so and he was still having difficulties adjusting, mostly to the outrageous work schedule Rick gave him. I know Rick was just trying to get him to work hard enough to make money and move out, but at the same time, I knew he didn't totally hate Ethan. I saw the occasional smiles between them that meant they were pretty mutual together.

"I could use some Ethan exposure too." I replied, my lips brushing Ethan's. He smiled and kissed me again, this time slowly turning me around so he could hold me against his chest, his lips crushing against mine.

I still felt that little shiver of uneasiness and insecurity, but it wasn't as bad as before. I knew for a fact that Ethan wouldn't push me away or hurt me. I trusted him.

"What're you smiling about?" Ethan asked me as he kissed my nose, raising an eyebrow at me. I felt my cheeks grow warm as I tried to stop smiling, but for once, I really couldn't stop smiling. I didn't say anything and just leaned up and kissed him again. Ethan still looked curious, but didn't ask me about it.

"Are you guys done up there? My parents are gonna be here soon!" Danny called from downstairs. I blinked and frowned at the door. Not that I wasn't excited to see Vic and Ace again, but everyone in this house had really bad timing. It was like they were watching us and making sure to interrupt every intimate moment.

"We'll finish after." Ethan promised, ruffling my hair. I sighed and just nodded, turning back to him to scan him over quickly. According to Rick, and I quote him specifically:

"Make sure your football player doesn't look like a football player, all right? I already let the slob into my house. I don't want him giving my uncle and his husband a heart attack when they find out I let a pig into the house."

Ethan looked presentable enough. He looked far better than he did earlier. He'd come home from work covered in grease and grime, as well as an ugly looking bruise on his jaw from a client that decided Ethan had magically smudged his Porsche. I wish he didn't have to put up with people like that, but he took it gracefully.

Now he'd probably give that rich jerk a run for his money.

Ethan had showered and was now dressed in a button up black shirt, with the top buttons undone because he whined and complained how it was strangling him. It matched the pair of black jeans perfectly. This was actually the first time I'd ever seen him dress up nice...

Well, then again, he looked nice every day.

"Let's go before your uncle has a cow. Last thing I need is Rick spewing mammals to keep me away from you." Ethan drawled, pushing me gently in the back to shoo me to the door. I rolled my eyes, but we stopped when Rick was coming down the hallway, tugging on his leather jacket over his silk shirt. He glanced Ethan up and down and shrugged.

"You look human." He answered nonchalantly.

"You still look like Satan." Ethan responded. Rick snorted.

"Good. I'll scare my mother-in-law's husband." He replied, looking cheerful at the thought of Cherri's husband freaking out at the sight of him. Cherri was the mother of Danny and Devin. She and Ace, once upon a time, had been married, but apparently they divorced and...

Well, you know the story.

"If you're going to make him cry, let me at least get the camera first." Devin said, coming up behind Rick with a wicked grin. Apparently, no one liked Mr. Lurez. I almost felt sorry for him- if I knew him, of course.

"They're here! For the love of God, everyone get downstairs!" Danny barked.

"This is my house." Rick grunted, but didn't complain anymore when Devin elbowed him in the ribs, gesturing for everyone to head downstairs. By the time we were down there, Vic and Ace were already walking in, getting showered in attention by my parents and Oliver's.

Speaking of Oliver...

I wandered away from the uncomfortable reunion to look for Oliver. Part of me knew I was going to regret finding him, but like a good teenager, I ignored my common sense and went ahead to the kitchen.

"Nick, don't you dare... I'm serious about this stop! Ow! That hurts! Gentle my ass. You're pushing it in!"

It was probably a bad idea to walk in on whatever was happening in our kitchen.

Our kitchen.

Kitchen.

Where we eat.

I scowled and walked into the kitchen, but pulled up short to see Nick poking at Oliver's finger. A very friendly looking butcher knife was in Oliver's other hand. Oliver glanced up and saw my face, his cheeks burning red.

"It's not how it sounded. I got a splinter from my dad's stupid cutting board." He snorted. I rolled my eyes, but said nothing before pointing down the hallway to the foyer. Oliver sighed.

"I know. I'll be there in a minute. Just let me get this- Ow!" He cut off with a sharp yelp.

"Got it." Nick declared pleasantly, dropping the splinter in the sink before clearing his throat awkwardly as Oliver glared daggers at him, sucking on his finger while clenching his fist on the knife.

"Five second headstart. Take it or leave it." Oliver threatened. Nick held up his hands in defense, then pretended to innocently look over and notice me for the first time.

"Lucas! Buddy, hey, let's go see your family and leave Oliver to PMS on his own."

"Three seconds." Oliver warned.

"Now." Nick said quickly, rushing over and gesturing for me to go in front of him. He still seemed uneasy about touching me, and to be honest, I was still a little nervous about this whole trusting people thing, but Ethan had told something that comforted me...

"Let yourself trust people, Lucas. Seriously. And if they hurt you, just let me know and I'll be all over them like Rick was on me. In fact, I'd probably even scare your uncle with how badly I'd beat them."

Of course, I knew Nick would never hurt me.

We drifted into the hallway just as Cherri was coming in through the doorway, throwing her arms around Danny and Devin, hugging them tightly before she moved onto Rick and Blake. I was rather surprised to see Rick go stiff when Cherri hugged him, pecking him on the cheek and adjusted his leather jacket.

"You get more and more handsome every time I see you, Rick!" Cherri grinned. Rick gave her one of his crooked grins.

"Uh, thanks."

"Oh, don't thank me, Ricky! What about you, Blake? How have you been, honey?" Cherri hugged Blake tightly, who hugged her back as if she were his mother and not his boyfriend's. It was interestined to see how different Blake and Rick reacted. You wouldn't even know they were related if they weren't so similiar in appearance.

Following right behind Cherri was her husband, Rhys Lurez. He was a European man that Cherri had met during one of her college classes. He was tall and muscular with a strong nose and clean cut black hair with dark, pine green eyes. He was wearing a casual button up plaid shirt with blue jeans, but he seemed so out of place. Uneasy, but forcing a smile as he watched Cherri get friendly with everyone, including me.

"There's my grandson," Cherri cheered with a grin, approaching me, but being cautious as I'm sure she missed the update, "How're you, Lucas? Your arm?"

"I'm fine, my arm's still kind of sore, but I don't need the sling anymore." I answered. She looked surprised at my answer, then smiled warmly, reaching out and hugging me. I let her, holding my breath for a second before I relaxed at the feeling of her small arms around me, her head resting on mine before she kissed my forehead.

"That's good. I'm glad you're doing better, sweetheart. You sure had everyone worried there! You and Oliver, I heard he got in a car accident too. Your parents must be just awful." She sighed dramatically.

"Hey, shut up, ma!" Danny protested.

"If I recall, we ended up in the hospital quite a few times too." Devin answered dryly. Cherri just grinned and ruffled their hair, making them groan as she snuggled on them.

"Your grandma is really, really friendly." Ethan told me after everyone had moved to the living room and we were alone in the foyer. I nodded slowly.

"Yea. She's been like that since I've known her." I replied. Ethan sighed wistfully, drumming his fingers on the banister of the staircase. We watched everyone mingling in the living room; Oliver and Nick finally having joined in the conversations.

"Don't you wanna go talk to your family?" Ethan asked, looking uncomfortable. I glanced up at him, then took his hand in mine.

"You're part of our family too. You can't get away that easily." I replied. Ethan stared at me for a long while, then smiled and peeked around the corner for a split second before he wrapped his arms around me, lifting me up off the floor to kiss me. I was caught off guard for a second before I melted in his arms.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back.

I can't believe I'd grown this used to all of this. Not just talking and letting people touch me, but Ethan sneak attacking me with hugs and kisses. I had never felt so lavished with this kind of attention before. It was mindboggling.

And it was making my body achy. I really wanted to show Ethan how much I loved him. I wanted to let him go further every time we actually got some alone time in my room with the door shut, but before we could even get our clothes off, someone had to come and ruin it.

I seriously had to check if there were cameras in my room. I wouldn't doubt it.

"I love you, Lucas." Ethan breathed against my lips, staring up into my eyes as he still held me. I would think he'd get tired of carrying me all the time, but he seemed just fine with it. He always liked to pull me into his lap or into his arms so he could lift me up.

"I love you too, Ethan." I answered quietly against his lips. Even from this angle, I could feel Ethan's body jump to attention at what I said. He settled me back on the floor, but I didn't let go of him as I pulled him down for another kiss.

"Lucas," Ethan groaned, keeping his voice low, parting our lips, "If you keep doing that, your parents and your uncle are going to castrate me because I'm about to take you up to your room and just-"

"Just what?" A voice asked.

"Son of a bitch." Ethan squeaked, making me step away from him and peek around to see Ace leaning against the wall, watching Ethan with a quirked brow and a frown to go with. Ethan stood there, staring at him like he had no idea what to do.

I could see why he'd be intimidated. Ace was huge. Bigger than Rick, taller, and even at his age, Ace could easily out bench any NFL football player.

"Just... Read." Ethan answered dumbly.

"Read," Ace echoed sternly, "Right. Why don't you two come into the living room with everyone else?"

"I, uhm... I'll just hang out here," Ethan said, looking uneasy, "Go ahead, Lucas." I frowned.

"Come with me." I stated, taking his hand. Ace looked at me curiously and Ethan just gaped at me like I had slapped Ace across the face. I led Ethan into the living room, taking a spot next to Blake, who was also sitting by Danny. Blake gave me a curious stare after we sat down and I used my eyes to let him know that Ace had caught Ethan and I having a moment. Blake sighed, glancing at Danny, who groaned.

"Dad, quit it. Ethan's a great kid." Danny complained. Ace held up his hands in defense.

"Never said he wasn't. I'm just doing my job." He answered, then plopped on the sofa by Vic, who grabbed his beer, handing it to Ace. Everyone chuckled and went back to conversing. There were at least three different conversations going on and I switched every so often. I mostly did listening, but I liked catching people off guard with my comments. Cherri would grin at me every time I did like I was the most amusing thing in the world.

Unfortunately, Ethan just sat there in silence, avoiding most of the conversations. Every so often, he'd squeeze my hand and I'd squeeze back.

I was curious. Why was he hiding? No one hated him, not even Rick. Sure, they swapped banter, but it was harmless. I knew when Rick really hated someone, and he would never let someone he hated into the house, especially to live and work at his shop.

So, as everyone departed for the kitchen to get ready for the dinner, I held Ethan back.

"What?" Ethan asked, looking at me suspiciously. I frowned.

"You look uncomfortable."

"Eh... Dunno."

"Ethan."

"Look," Ethan sighed, averting his eyes to look through the dining room to the kitchen where people were setting up tables, "I'm not used to all of this, that's all. I've never celebrated Thanksgiving or any of those other holidays." I blinked.

"You didn't tell me that."

"Cuz I feel stupid."

"You're not stupid."

"Lucas, I can't read above a fourth grade reading level."

"That doesn't make you stupid."

"Says you."

"Says me, unless my opinion doesn't matter." I said with a shrug, letting go of Ethan's hand and watching his expression twist up in apology.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. I just really feel weird with all this and I don't like talking about it."

"I won't bite you for it."

"That's not why."

"Then why? You can trust me." I replied. Ethan stared into the dining room a while longer, then looked out the window. We stood there for a while and I reached out, taking his hand again, only this time, I wrapped my arms around his arm, pulling myself against him. I closed my eyes as he eventually put his arms around me, tugging me against his chest.

I could hear his heart pounding like crazy. He really was nervous, I realized, feeling guilty as I squeezed my eyes shut, tightening my grip on him. I felt his fists clench against my back.

"Can we sit down and talk?" He asked after a while, his voice quiet. I nodded and pulled him to the sofa. He flopped down and pulled me down into his lap, holding me against his chest with his legs spread out on either side of me.

We were still quiet and I could hear everyone chattering loudly from the kitchen. Danny said something and Devin retorted, making everyone laugh before there was a clatter and Ace was chiding Devin like there was no tomorrow.

"I like your family." Ethan said at last. I tilted my head to look up at him.

"I'm glad." I replied. Ethan smiled, kissing my forehead before he rested his head on the sofa, not looking at me again. I could still hear his heart thudding in his chest, his breathing slow and thoughtful. His arms were around me loosely as if all his strength was being concentrated on thinking.

Maybe I shouldn't have pushed him. He looked depressed.

"I'm sorry." I murmured. I wasn't going to say I didn't mean to be nosy or anything, because I did and I'd be lying. If there was one thing I wasn't, it was a liar.

"No," Ethan answered calmly, "I trust you. I'll tell you. Just give me a minute."

"You don't have to..."

"I want to."

"You didn't before."

"Now I do, so be quiet and let me think." Ethan snorted. I rolled my eyes, but didn't say anything as I leaned against his chest, closing my eyes to listen to him breath, lacing my hands together with his. It didn't take much longer before Ethan started talking.

"Rick probably didn't tell you. He was waiting for me to say something. He's the only one who, well, sorta kinda knows about everything at my house. My dad sorta threw the biggest hissy fit I'd ever seen him have when I told him I was moving out. After all, his diary was leaving him."

"His diary?"

"My dad liked to get drunk when he was feeling depressed, and believe me, he did this a lot. He'd go ballistic on me. He used to cry a lot when I was little and tell me he wished I wasn't born and that he hadn't met my mother. The biggest mistakes of his life, he called us. I knew why he hated my mom- Uh, his wife. She was annoying and selfish. She loved attention. I didn't get why he hated me, though. I mean, I didn't ask him for anything. I didn't get into trouble- when I was little anyway. He only ignored me. If I caught him crying, he'd hit me and make me go to my room."

"They would always leave me alone at home without telling me, so sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night and nobody would be home. This went on from the time I was five to the time I moved out. I hated it when they did that because I used to have nightmares when I was little- They left the television on and I ended up watching all sorts of fucked up movies."

"I used to call our neighbors, but they started to complain to my parents and they learned to lock the doors and put the phones up higher. So I was on my own more than half the time. The other half the time, I ended up being my dad's diary. He'd grab me out of my room just to sit me down and talk to me because his wife wouldn't listen to him. It was so stupid. I kept telling myself they'd break up sooner or later, but apparently he thinks he can't live without her, or me. Which is why when I left, he was trying to force me to stay and Rick had to help me."

I just sat there and listened, feeling my gut clenched as Ethan went on, pausing every so often to make sure no one was listening from the dining room- which I doubt they were, but he was being cautious.

I could see why.

Ethan was prideful. He was strong and arrogant half the time. So, it was no surprise that he would hold all of this in. He even kept it away from Nick, the only best friend he could ever count on.

He told me how much he loved Nick's family and when he met them, he did whatever he could to be with them. He had come to know Nick's father as his own and when Nick's father died, he was struck hard by the loss almost as much as Nick was.

I cringed when he got up to the part where Rick had rescued him, going into detail about the way his dad threw him around the house to stop him. Why were people so selfish?

I had finally rolled around so I was lying on top of Ethan, my arms around him as he paused for breath, his hand resting over my back. I closed my eyes, resting my head on his chest.

"You don't have to go on if you don't want to." I said quietly.

"No," Ethan murmured, "This isn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"Yea?"

"Yea. Because after all that shit, I won't be alone

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