Run to You (23 page)

“Oh my God, someone help!”

Ethan sprinted across the field and dove into the water.

E
than surfaced with the disoriented swimmer in his arms. The man thrashed about like a feral animal, almost taking Ethan back under with him.

“Relax, man. I've got you. Just go limp and let me pull you to shore.”

Thankfully, the man did as he said and went still, allowing Ethan to tow him to shore. A crowd had gathered, buzzing with concern. He helped the man onto the grass, where he sat gasping, but thankfully Ethan didn't hear any water rattling in his lungs.

“Thank you,” the man said when he'd caught his breath.

“You okay? Did you swallow much water?”

The other man shook his head. “Think I just panicked when I hit the water. I'm not a very strong swimmer. Never figured I'd fall in.”

His teammates surrounded him, patting his back and checking him over. Ethan stood and ran a hand through his hair, swiping excess water from it. The back-to-back crises left him jittery and unsettled.

“Yo, what the hell's going on?” Ryan pushed his way through the crowd, his brows knitted. “I just saw Gabby sitting in the back of an ambulance, and then I heard there was a near drowning here at the pond.”

“It's okay. Everything's under control.” Ethan looked back at the man he'd fished out of the pond. He was on his feet now, assuring the crowd of onlookers he was okay. “Gabby fell off the climbing wall and hurt her ankle, and this guy got disoriented in the water when he fell from the hand trolley. I pulled him out. He's fine.”

Ryan leveled him with a hard look. “You need me to cover for you while Gabby goes to the hospital?”

He shook his head. “Gram's with her.”

Ryan nodded. “All right then. I'm going back to the finish line to congratulate the teams and hand out medals as they finish.”

Ethan watched as the man he'd pulled out of the pond walked off with his teammates. He saw the ladies from the Town Council watching, murmuring among themselves. Dammit to hell. And dammit, he did want to check on Gabby.

Soon. But racers were crossing the pond and heading to the finish line fast and furious now. He resumed his guard by the pond.

Gabby grimaced as she looked down at her ankle. The ER doctor had poked and prodded, then she'd been taken for X-rays, and now she sat waiting while her ankle throbbed, dulled only by the tremendous sting in her pride.

She'd been so intent on doing things her way, by herself, that she'd forgotten the whole point of the Adrenaline Rush, which was to work together as a team. And because she'd been such an idiot, she'd let her team down, and now they wouldn't get an official team placement in the race.

As if she'd read her mind, Dixie said, “Hurts not to finish, I know.”

Gabby nodded. “I let my team down.”

“Well, you did nothing of the sort. Anyone could have gotten hurt. It's the way these things go.”

“Actually, this was pretty much my fault. I was trying to get over the wall by myself, to prove something to myself, and I didn't let them help me.”

“Ah.” Understanding shone in Dixie's blue eyes. “Well, just because that wall made of wood held you back doesn't mean you can't still scale the ones in your mind.”

“I guess not.” Gabby stared at her hands. “But it sure feels like it.”

“We all have walls to climb, Gabby. You'll get over them when you're ready, just like Ethan's finally doing by opening himself up to you.”

Tears stung Gabby's eyes. “He's not, not really.” It just slipped out, as if she'd finally filled to bursting with guilt over the way they'd deceived Dixie. Or maybe the pain pills they'd given her had affected her tongue.

“Oh, I think he is.” Dixie leaned forward and took her hand. “But my Ethan has a few walls of his own to get over. Has he told you about his parents? About how his mother died?”

Gabby nodded.

“He's a lot like Dawn, my daughter. They both would get these ridiculous notions in their head and never could let go of them, no matter how the situation changed. See, my husband and I had forbidden Dawn from dating Steve, Ethan's father. We saw what she was too young and naive to see: The guy was bad news.” Dixie's eyes flashed with anger.

Gabby sat transfixed at this unexpected peek into Ethan's history.

“When Dawn got pregnant, she was afraid to tell us, afraid we'd disapprove, so she ran away with Steve. He was a terrible man, and he isolated her from us. We never heard from her again, never even knew we had a grandson.”

“I can't imagine,” Gabby whispered. The Hunters had endured so much pain, all of them.

“And when she finally found the courage to leave her husband, she clung to some silly, outdated fear of our disapproval, and instead of coming home to me in Wilmington, she ran here to the mountains and tried to make it on her own. If she'd only come back to me, she might still be alive.” Dixie wiped a tear from her cheek.

Gabby pressed a hand to her chest. “Dixie, I don't know what to say.”

“Secrets and lies can destroy a family.” Dixie met her gaze, her eyes bright with anguish. “And Ethan is doing the same thing Dawn did, clinging to outdated beliefs. He's afraid he might turn out like his father if he ever settled down with a woman.”

“No,” Gabby whispered as tears flooded her eyes. “Oh, no.”

“Nothing I can say or do will change his mind. That's up to you now.” Dixie was looking at her like she held the keys to the universe.

Secrets and lies can destroy a family
.

Gabby felt the air sucked from her lungs. Guilt rose up inside her until it threatened to swallow her whole. “You don't understand. Our relationship wasn't real. Ethan wanted you to be able to die happy thinking that we were together.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back. She'd wanted to clear her conscience, but instead of feeling relief, her stomach churned with nausea as she waited for Dixie's response.

Oh, Ethan. I'm so sorry…

She heard a rustle in the doorway and looked up and into Ethan's shocked—furious—eyes. She saw everything in that instant: hurt, betrayal, disappointment, and she knew she'd just made a horrible mistake. Her head swam with painkillers and heartbreak.

Before he could speak, before his grandmother even knew he'd overheard, a doctor stopped him in the hall, shook his hand, and walked off with him, talking a mile a minute.

Dixie had turned her head toward the window, her eyes misty. “Oh, honey, I'm no fool. I knew what Ethan did, and I knew why he did it.”

“Wh—what?” Gabby sat forward, clutching her knees.

Dixie laughed softly. “When I told him I could die happy knowing he'd found you, I didn't expect him to start parading you around town as his new love. I know him better than that.”

Gabby's heart took a nose dive. Dixie hadn't thought she and Ethan were meant for each other after all?

Dixie squeezed her hand. “Ethan is a stubborn, foolish man when it comes to his heart. When I said what I did, I only meant to give us both peace, because I knew what I knew, and I knew you guys would figure it out in due time.”

“So you do think…” Gabby drew a shaky breath, still clutching Dixie's hand.

“Oh yes, I knew you two were meant for each other the first time I saw you together, and I have a spotless track record with these things. I didn't buy for a minute that Ethan had decided to get serious with you that quickly, but since he was putting on such a good show, I went along with it. I figured if you pretended long enough, eventually you'd figure out you weren't pretending at all. Am I right?”

Fresh tears leaked from Gabby's eyes. “I don't know.”

Dixie dabbed at the corners of her eyes and smiled. “Don't try to fool me, my dear. Not this time.”

Gabby's heart thumped painfully. No, she wasn't pretending. Not since their trip to the beach, maybe even before that. “I think…I think I'm falling in love with him.”

“I know you are. It's written all over your face whenever you're around him.”

She covered her face with her hands. “But I don't think it's the same for Ethan. He's pulling back.” And he'd never forgive her for what he'd just overheard. She'd finally acknowledged her feelings for him out loud and simultaneously ruined everything.

“Oh, honey. If only you'd known him longer, you'd see how different your relationship with him is than with any other woman before you. He may think he's still pretending, too, but it's more real than anything he's ever done.” Tears streamed down Dixie's cheeks. “I may not be here to see him figure it out, but please don't give up on him, because he needs you, Gabby, now more than ever.”

Ethan stood outside the door of Gabby's exam room, his hands shaking with barely restrained fury. It had taken forever to disentangle himself from Dr. Nelson. The doctor had once patched Ethan up after he'd busted his collarbone falling out of a tree. Today he had talked Ethan's ear off about his son who would be a freshman at Pearcy County High in the fall and was interested in joining the swim team.

In the meantime, who knew what hell had broken loose in that exam room now that Gabby had spilled the beans about their fake relationship to Gram.

How could she?
They'd had a deal. And…and he'd thought she really cared. For him and for Gram. Now he felt like he had ten years ago after he'd fallen out of that tree—like he could barely breathe past the painful crushing sensation in his chest.

He pushed the door open, not sure what to expect. How would Gram have reacted to the news? She might put on a brave front, but she had to be devastated. Inside the room, the two women were laughing. Both had slightly red-rimmed eyes, but if he hadn't overheard Gabby's earlier confession, he'd never have suspected a thing by looking at the two of them now.

Gram turned toward him with a wide smile. “Great news!”

Great news? This was great fucking news?
He just stared. Gabby twisted her hands into the bedsheet beneath her, having the good grace to look ashamed.

“Her ankle is only sprained,” Gram said.

“I just have to wear this boot for a little while.” Gabby gestured to the orthopedic boot encasing her left ankle.

“That is good news.” His voice sounded strange even to his own ears. After what Gabby had just done, neither of them had anything to say about it?
What the fuck?

Gabby stared at him in awkward silence while Gram chattered on about the race that morning. Before he could decide what to do, the door opened behind him and Marlene walked in.

“My ride's here,” Gram announced, popping out of her seat. “Marlene and I are going to get something to eat, then she's taking me home. You take care of that ankle, Gabby. I'll check in with you tomorrow.”

“Thanks so much for staying with me this afternoon.” Gabby offered her a weak smile.

Gram gathered her purse while Marlene fussed over Gabby, and then they were gone. Gabby looked at him, her eyes shining with tears.

“What the fuck?” His voice shook.

“I'm so sorry,” she whispered.

“How could you? Why?” He flung his hands in the air. He'd expected the rage, but not this feeling in the pit of his stomach like he'd just taken a hard punch. Whatever they were or weren't, he and Gabby had spent a hell of a lot of time together this summer and shared some crazy intense shit together. And whether he liked it or not, she meant a hell of a lot to him.

So this—this was betrayal. And it hurt like a son of a bitch.

“She was telling me about your mom. And she said secrets and lies can ruin a family. And”—she paused, and her bottom lip shook—“pain pills…I don't know. I'm so sorry.”

“I had this one chance to fulfill her dying wish. One fucking chance.” His voice rose, and he didn't care. “How could you do this to her?”
Or to me?

Gabby looked down at her hands. “If I could take it back, I would. But—”

“I trusted you.” His fists clenched, and his chest heaved. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to catch his breath.

“Ethan—” She looked as destroyed as he felt.

“I just…I can't right now.” He was already walking toward the door.

“No! Please. Let me explain—”

“Don't. I'll call Mark to give you a ride home.”

“Ethan, wait!”

But he was already gone.

G
abby woke to a throbbing ankle and a sore heart. The cold fury in Ethan's eyes last night had cut right through her. And she deserved every bit of his anger. Sure, it had turned out okay because Dixie was a lot smarter than either of them had realized, but she had been totally wrong to confess.

She blamed it on the painkillers and an excess of adrenaline and emotion already pumping through her system. But if Dixie hadn't already known? If Gabby had crushed her dying wish just to ease her own conscience? Yeah, Ethan deserved to be pissed.

He hadn't called, hadn't spoken to her since he'd stormed out of her hospital room. She would give him today to cool off, but if he hadn't gotten in touch by tomorrow, she'd go to him to explain and grovel for his forgiveness.

Because what she'd told Dixie was true—she was falling for him. No, the truth was, she'd already fallen. Despite her best effort not to, she'd nosedived straight into love. She was standing on her own two feet all right, but with Ethan by her side, the path was a hell of a lot more fun than walking alone.

She wiped away tears as she dragged herself out of bed. Lance looked at her left foot as if it had morphed into a monster that might eat him, then he leaped off the bed. She hobbled to the door to let him out, then changed into a tank top and loose skirt to accommodate the boot. She'd taken it off briefly last night to shower off all the race dirt and sweat, and her ankle was a swollen, discolored mess.

But it wasn't broken. It would heal, just like her heart. She'd never seen Ethan as angry as he'd been yesterday. Oh, sure, he'd yelled. But it was his eyes that had really gotten her. They'd been dark with fury, but also hurt. He felt betrayed. By her.

And that was just the worst.

With a sigh, she hobbled into the kitchen and punched the button on her Keurig, then let Lance back inside.

A knock at the door sent her heart careening into her throat.
Ethan.
She rushed to answer it as quickly as she could manage in the stupid boot, her stomach flopping between excitement and dread because he was probably still furious.

Emma stood on the other side, holding up a bag from the bakery.

Gabby's whole body sagged in disappointment. She pasted on a smile as she opened the door. “Hi.”

Emma handed her the bag and a cup of coffee with a laugh. “I don't think I've ever seen anyone look so disappointed to see me.”

Gabby grimaced as she invited her in. “Sorry. I was hoping you were Ethan.”

“Am I interrupting?” Emma paused in the doorway.

She shook her head. “No. I was hoping he'd come by, but we don't have plans.” She led the way to the couch in the living room so she could put her foot back up. “Thanks so much for bringing coffee and whatever's in the bag.”

“Cinnamon buns from Carly. We wanted to see how you were doing this morning.”

“Oh, yum.” Gabby opened the bag and breathed in the delicious scents of cinnamon and honey glaze.

“I'll go grab us some plates and napkins.” Emma headed toward the kitchen with Lance at her heels.

“Thanks,” Gabby called after her.

“So is it broken?” Emma asked after she'd taken a seat across from Gabby and they'd each helped themselves to a cinnamon bun.

She shook her head. “Just sprained. I rolled it when I landed. I'm so sorry I let you guys down yesterday.”

“Oh please. Don't even worry about it.” Emma bit into her cinnamon bun and moaned.

“I was so busy trying to prove something to myself I forgot to be a team player.” Gabby bit into her own cinnamon bun and felt all her worries melt away, for a moment at least. “Man, these are good.”

“It's no big deal, seriously. We wouldn't have gotten to race at all if you hadn't come out with us. As it was, we placed unofficially in twelfth place, according to Ryan. Although officially we didn't finish since the whole team didn't complete the course, but unofficial is good enough for me.”

“That's great,” Gabby said. “I'm so glad you kept going.”

“It was awesome. That zip-line over the pond? So cool.” Emma paused, and her eyes widened. “A man ahead of us almost drowned. Ethan had to rescue him.”

Gabby gasped. “Really?”

Emma nodded. “I missed it, but I heard he was quite the hero.”

Of course he was.

Emma's eyes narrowed. “You look all angsty. Did you guys have a fight?”

She put her cinnamon bun back on the plate, her appetite gone. “Worse. I told his grandmother something I shouldn't have, and he's super pissed at me about it. I'm not sure if we're still together, or…or what.” She buried her face in her hands.

“Oh, my God. What did you tell Dixie?”

Gabby looked up at her friend. What difference did it make now? “That our relationship was pretend, for her sake. So that she could think Ethan had settled down before she dies.”

“Holy crap! Really?”

She nodded miserably. “It was so stupid. I never should have agreed to it, but I did, and then things
did
turn real, for me at least. I felt so guilty about lying to Dixie…but it turns out she knew the whole time and was just playing along hoping we'd fall for each other while we were pretending, and oh my God, what a mess.”

Emma laughed softly. “Take a breath. So Dixie already knew?”

Gabby inhaled shakily. “Yeah. She knew better than to think he'd fall for me so quickly.”

Emma's lips quirked. “Well, she has a point. Ethan's got a reputation for a reason. He never gets serious, not even close. Nothing like what he has with you.”

“But that was fake.” Tears welled in Gabby's eyes. “He was just putting on a show for his grandmother's sake.”

“Are you
sure
? Because you look pretty genuinely heartbroken right now.”

“Because I was stupid and let it get real. But I don't think Ethan made the same mistake.” She stared at the half-eaten cinnamon bun on her plate. It blurred as tears swam in her eyes.

“Oh, I don't know. You might be surprised. You've got to talk to him.”

Ethan sat across from Gram at the Sunny Side Up Café. She'd insisted they go out to breakfast (right after she dragged him to church with her) to celebrate yesterday's Adrenaline Rush. In fact, she'd invited Ryan and Mark, too. He'd even had to fake a call to Gabby. Thankfully Emma's car was in her driveway as they drove past, giving her a legitimate reason not to join them.

“We had a few rough moments, but I'd call it a success overall,” Ryan said.

“A total success.” Gram raised her glass in his direction. “And boys, get that zip-line ready, because I'm going to ride it tomorrow morning.”

“I thought you were waiting until we got our zoning?” Ethan said.

“Oh, I think I might be,” she said with a wink.

“What do you know that we don't?” Ryan asked.

“Nothing for sure, but Marlene said you guys might be getting good news tomorrow.”

“Excellent,” Mark said.

“Yeah.” Ethan felt the knot in his chest loosen. Last night, everything had been falling apart. Gabby had betrayed him, the Adrenaline Rush had been marred by safety mishaps, and then Gram had gone to bed early with a headache.

He'd barely slept, listening through the paper thin wall for the sound of her snoring. If she'd passed away last night, after the day they'd had…he wasn't sure he could have lived with that. But today was a new day, and whatever the reason, Gram seemed as happy and carefree as ever. It didn't lessen what Gabby had done, but it did make it a hell of a lot easier to breathe.

“It's the last thing on my bucket list,” Gram said. “Riding that zip-line. One of you will be there to catch me on the other end, right?”

“Of course,” Mark said with a warm smile.

“Well then, sign me up, boys. I can't wait.” Dixie finished off her eggs Benedict and toasted them with what remained of her mimosa. “I'm so proud of you all, I just can't stand it.”

“We couldn't have done it without you, Gram,” Ryan said earnestly.

She turned to Ethan, her blue eyes warm and vibrant. “You've been quiet this morning, honey. I do wish Gabby could have joined us.”

“Yeah.”

Ryan's eyebrows went up. “Where is she?”

“She's with Emma,” he said.

“We should have insisted they both come along,” Dixie said, a hint of rebuke in her voice. “Poor Gabby, falling like that yesterday.”

“I'll check on her later,” he said. He should have gone last night, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave Gram. He was still too angry with Gabby to even form words. What was left for them to say?

Ryan was looking at him with a funny expression on his face. Ethan buried himself in the remainder of his omelet, trying his damndest to put Gabby out of his mind.

Instead, he spent the rest of the day with Gram. They hung out at her house, reminiscing over old photo albums. This was what was important right now: time with Gram. No matter that she hadn't mentioned it, she knew his relationship with Gabby was fake, so there was no need to rush over to her house to make amends for Gram's sake.

And the fact that nothing had felt right since he'd walked out on her yesterday made no difference. They'd had an agreement. She'd broken it. And he had no idea what to do now.

He made excuses for Gabby that afternoon after he'd put his phone on silent to avoid her calls. He and Gram watched some cheesy chick flick she'd been wanting to see, and she called it an early night.

He tossed and turned—again—his thoughts and dreams tangled up in Gabby, her scent, the feel of her in his arms, the stricken look on her face when she'd looked up and seen him in the doorway after she'd confessed all to Gram.

And dammit, despite the knife in his chest, he'd still woken hard and aching for her touch.

He rose with the sun and snuck out of the house without waking Gram. He drove to Off-the-Grid and let himself into the pool out back. He swam laps until all the kinks in his muscles were gone and his brain felt calm and focused.

Inside the house, he showered and changed, then sat and looked over some paperwork, enjoying the peace and quiet for once. He wound up on Off-the-Grid's Facebook page, reading comments that had been posted since the Adrenaline Rush. People were excited, asking when they'd be open for business and sharing photos from the event. He fist-pumped the air. Fuck yeah.

Somehow it had gotten to be nine o'clock, and he needed to get back home to pick up Gram for her morning zip-line ride. His phone rang with an unknown number, and dread twisted in his gut.
Gram…

“Ethan Hunter?” an unfamiliar female voice said.

“This is Ethan.” He could barely breathe.

“This is Lorraine Hanaford with the Haven Town Council.”

“Ms. Hanaford,” he exhaled slowly, relief tingling in his veins. “How are you?”

“I'm doing well, thank you. I figured you'd want to know right away that we've just met, and the board has voted to allow commercial zoning for Off-the-Grid Adventures.”

He popped out of his chair. “No sh—really? That's great.”

She chuckled. “Thought you might think so. Well, the vote was not unanimous, just so you know. Please do be extra cautious about safety and keep the town's image in mind with your future events and marketing efforts.”

“Yes, ma'am. I promise, you will not regret this.”

“See that we don't.”

He hung up with promises to do the town proud, then dialed Ryan and Mark with the news. His finger was on Gabby's number before he stopped himself. Later today. He'd go to her. It was past time for them to talk.

Meanwhile, he dashed out to the Jeep and drove home. Gram was going to get her final wish. She'd be their first official customer when she rode the zip-line this morning. So fucking perfect. He burst in the front door. “Gram!”

He'd expected to find her at the kitchen table, sipping tea while she checked the news on her iPhone, but the kitchen was empty.

“Gram?” he called again.

Her tea kettle wasn't on the stove, no cup in the sink. His chest turned to lead.
Gram.
Oh, no. Please, no. He walked toward the closed door to her bedroom, but he couldn't feel his fingers when he gripped the knob, couldn't hear anything but his pulse whooshing in his ears.

He lifted his fist and knocked. “Gram?”

Silence. The whole house seemed to have been sucked into a vacuum.

He knocked again, the sound echoing over the floorboards, rattling in his head.

Gram…

He pulled open the door as blackness tinged the edges of his vision. She lay in bed, on her side, eyes closed and peaceful, but he knew she wasn't asleep.
Oh, Gram. No.

He forced his feet to walk, to cross the room. And he took her hand in his. It was cold. So cold. The world fell out from beneath him.

Gram was gone.