Banking On Love by Anna James

Author:Anna James [James, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance novel
Publisher: Markum Cove Publishing
Published: 2016-11-12T22:00:00+00:00

Rachel jerked up into a sitting position, and the empty container of ice cream fell to the floor. Her eyes flicked to the TV. The movie she’d been watching earlier had ended, and the local news streamed across the screen. Darkness enveloped the house, and rain pounded down on the roof. She must have fallen asleep.

A banging sound made her flinch, and she realized someone was knocking on the door. It must have been what woke her in the first place. She hurried to open it. Ethan stood on her front porch, his clothes and hair plastered against his body. Her heart fluttered. He came back. She rubbed her hands over her sleep-filled face. “You’re drenched. How long have you been standing out there?”

He wiped his feet on the door mat. “About twenty minutes. Can I come in—please?”

She opened the door wide and stepped aside. A cool breeze blew in making her shiver. “Why were you standing outside in the rain?”

“I’ve been trying to figure out what to say to you.”

Rachel noticed a puddle forming around his feet. “Let me get you something to dry off with.” When she returned, Ethan had shed his jacket. She handed him an over-sized bath towel.

He rubbed it over his face and head.

A tense silence filled the air. Rachel turned away and walked into the living room. “Take off your shoes before you come in.” Instead of sitting on the sofa, she opted for one of the arm chairs.

Ethan strode toward her and grabbed her hands, pulling her to her feet. “I’m sorry for the way I acted earlier. I don’t want us to fight.” He caressed her cheek.

“I don’t want to fight either.”

He shook his head. “I’ve been driving around for hours trying to figure out what I said to make you upset. I just want to help you. I want us to live together. You, me and Emma. And I don’t understand why you’d accept help from Connie and Frank but not from me.”

He hadn’t been taunting her earlier. “I didn’t want to accept their offer.”

“Why?”

“It’s important for me to be able to take care of Emma and myself without relying on anyone else.”

“I don’t understand. Everyone needs a little help now and then.”

Rachel dragged in a deep breath. She’d never admitted this to anyone else. “Maybe, if I’d been stronger thirteen years ago, things would have been different.”

Ethan’s eyes glittered. “You blame yourself.”

She shook her head.

He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “Yes, you do. I can see it in your eyes.”

“I—”

He eased back. Cupping her face in his hands, he gazed into her eyes. “You are not to blame for the past. You need to believe that.”

“Ethan—”

He touched a finger to her lips to stop her protest. “Move in with me, Rach. I—”

She pulled out of his arms. “I can’t, Ethan. Not now. It’s not that I don’t want to. If you’d give me a little more time.”

He lifted her chin and waited until her gaze met his.

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