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Chapter Nineteen
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A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty
LauraThe main course turned out to be just as amazing as Laura thought it would be. She especially loved the rack of lamb and couldn't believe how tender the meat was. After they'd eaten, Daryl came out and cleared the dishes then went back inside to get dessert ready.“I'm stuffed,” Ethan said. “However, I'm going to eat dessert one way or the other. I can't resist his toffee pudding.”“I'm so full, too,” Laura said. “You're right, though. Dessert is going to happen one way or the other. I have an insatiable sweet tooth.”Ethan's eyes lit up, and he reached for his pocket.“Oh, I nearly forgot,” he said. “Your surprise.”She smiled. “You really didn't have to, Ethan.”“I know I didn't have to. I wanted to.” He slid the white envelope across the table.Laura opened it up and pulled out a blank piece of thick stationery. It was folded in half, and something was inside of it.“What is it?” she asked, carefully opening the stationery.Two plane tickets fell out onto the table. She didn'
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-One
LauraLaura and Ethan stepped off of the porch and into the house. She squeezed his hand as they made their way down the hall and into the large living room. When they'd first come in, she hadn't even noticed the little fireplace in the corner. Now, though, there was a warm fire burning inside, and its soft glow illuminated the entire room.“Was this on when we got here?” she asked.Ethan shook his head. “No, I told Craig to get that started after we'd sat out on the deck for dinner.”“Well, aren't you clever?” she said with a smile.Located directly in front of the fireplace was a sheep skin rug. They both kicked off their shoes and then walked over onto the rug. The warmth from the fire radiated outward against Laura's bare calves. It was so nice and cozy there, with her toes digging into the fur beneath her feet.She held both of Ethan's hands as they stood there for a moment, just enjoying the fire and each other's company.“Are you sure Craig is outside?” Laura said, glancing at
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Two
LauraLaura woke up to the morning sun shining in through the window of the cabin. She slowly opened her eyes and glanced around the room. It was the first time seeing it in the daylight. The fire had gone out, but it was still smoldering and putting out enough warmth to take the chill out of the air.Well, I'm awake and last night was most definitely not just a dream, she thought. That makes me happier than I've been in a long time.Ethan's arm was wrapped around her. She felt as he pulled her close him so that her back pressed against his chest. Then he kissed the top of her shoulder, sending a tingle through her.“You awake?” he whispered.Laura nodded. “Yeah, just woke up actually.”“What time is it?” he asked.“No clue,” she said. “I guess around eight.”“We should just lay here all day,” he said, chuckling.“God, I wish that I could.” Laura sighed and pressed her back against him, snuggling as close as possible. “I've got to get back to the kids, though. I told Elena that I woul
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Three
Ethan“Sir? Do you need anything?” Craig asked, walking into the space Ethan was currently using as an office.He'd rented out an office space in a building next door to his hotel, but it didn't feel like an office. It had a desk and chairs, but no people. It was just Craig and Ethan. He got more done here than in his hotel room, but not by much.Ethan missed the hum of his old office. He missed having coffee with people and not having to drive all over town to attend meetings. Plus, he missed his desk at home. He missed his nice pens and the way he had everything set up. He couldn't find anything in his current space.He couldn't wait for the R&D office to finally be set up. He was enjoying his trip to Colorado, especially the parts with Laura, but he missed his workspace. He wished there was a way he could have both, but for now, he was going to enjoy his time with Laura.“Can I ask your advice?” Ethan spun in his chair to face the other man. This chair turned more than his office c
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Four
LauraLaura looked down at the two faces of her younger siblings and felt her heart break. They were staring back up at her with tears streaming down their little cheeks. Their eyes were puffy from crying. Each of their sobs caused Laura's heart to break a little more.Dallas was sitting on the ground, with his arms wrapped around her left leg. He was squeezing her so tightly that she was pretty sure her foot would go numb soon. Ivy was doing the same thing but on the right. She couldn't move. It was like both of her feet had been cemented into the floor.“Guys, please,” Laura pleaded with them. “Just hear Ethan out. He's trying to give us a gift.”Laura and Ethan had gotten back to the house a few minutes before. The kids had been so excited to see them initially. They were prancing and dancing around the house with giant smiles on both of their faces. Things changed immediately, though, as soon as Ethan presented them with their surprise trip to the Caribbean.At first, the kids wer
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Five
LauraThe next morning, Laura and the kids were all gathered in the kitchen. They'd already eaten their breakfast and were dressed in their swimsuits. Laura had on her favorite two-piece suit, which she'd only ever worn one other time. It was white, with giant black strips going across it. The bottom part was like a little skirt, which fell just below her butt. Over that, she had on sweatpants, because it happened to be the middle of May and still pretty cold outside in the mornings. Colorado winters never ended when they were supposed to and this year was no exception. One day it was warm and sunny, then the next day there would be a blizzard.“Laura, is it going to be nice today?” Ivy asked. “It looks cold outside.”“Yeah, it will warm up soon,” she replied. “The sun will show up here any minute. At least that's what the weather says.”Sitting on the kitchen table nearby was Laura's giant gym bag that she'd had since high school. It was stuffed with everything she could think of tha
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Six
LauraEthan, Laura, Dallas, and Ivy and made their way down the sidewalk and toward the front gates of Water World. Laura remembered many happy summer days at this water park as a kid. It was a quite good backup plan to come here.As they walked, Laura realized that something didn't feel quite right. There wasn't the sound of any kids laughing or water splashing on the other side of the fence, where the park was. In fact, it was pretty much silent except for their own feet as they scuffed across the pavement.That was when she glanced back toward the parking lot. She saw Craig driving away in the SUV, cutting across the parking lines on his way to the exit. He was the only car in the lot, though. Not a single other one was parked.That's weird, she thought. This place is usually packed.She reached over and touched Ethan's arm to get his attention.“What is it?” he asked.“Look,” she said, nodding toward the empty parking lot. “We're the only ones here. I'm pretty sure it's closed.”E
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Seven
LauraEveryone was quiet for the ride back home from Water World. Laura and Ethan relaxed in the third-row seats, while Dallas and Ivy slept soundly in the middle row. Laura hadn't seen the kids this tired in years. A day of fun in the sun, going on rides and building sandcastles had taken it out of them. They weren't the only ones who were feeling it, though.Laura was beat. She could feel a sunburn on her nose and couldn't seem to stop yawning. She was just glad it wasn't her that was driving because she wasn't sure she was going to make it home awake. It was the good kind of tired, though. The kind of tired that meant you'd spent the day the right way and squeezed every drop of life out of it that you possibly could.“Pass the bucket...” Dallas mumbled in his sleep. “I need to make the castle bigger.”Ethan nudged Laura and pointed toward Dallas. They both listened in, watching as he stirred.“It's my turn to go on the water slide,” he whispered, then smiled right before falling ba
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A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Forty
Laura“Luckily it went the way it was supposed to,” Ethan told Laura.She was still having a hard time believing this was all happening. She looked over in time to see the EMTs wheel Craig off strapped to a gurney. He was still out cold as they took him away with a police escort.“What's going to happen to him?” Laura asked, following him with her eyes. She gripped Ethan's hand, drawing strength from him.“He's going somewhere they can help him,” Ethan answered, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Don't worry about him.”Laura nodded and looked away. She understood that Craig didn't mean to hurt her, but she wasn't ready to forgive him for tying her up and threatening her life just yet.The EMT checking Laura out cleared her throat. She smiled as the two of them looked over.“You look okay,” the EMT told Laura. “You're a little dehydrated, but your vitals are good, and you don't have any physical injuries.”“Can I take her home?” Ethan asked his hand on her shoulder.“If you want t
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Nine
EthanEight hours earlier…“Come alone, or I'll kill her.”The electronic voice clicked off, and the line went dead.A picture came through of Laura tied to a chair and address to meet.Ethan stared at the phone in his hand. He was shaking. He never shook like this during business meetings or even when climbing over hundred foot drops. But this had him shaking like a leaf in a tornado.Someone had Laura and was going to kill her.He swallowed hard. It had to be Janie. The car, the break-in... and now she had Laura.His knees buckled, and he sat down hard in his office chair. The chair swiveled, nearly dumping him over and he cursed. He hated this Colorado temporary office.“You need a plan,” Ethan whispered to himself. He closed his eyes and started visualizing. It was what he did when he faced a difficult vertical mountain climb. He would visualize each spot his hands needed to go to and just how to grip the rock. He would plan the entire ascent up the rock face and anticipate any hi
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Eight
LauraLaura dozed off. There was no way for her to keep time in the quiet of the empty warehouse. She watched as the sunlight shifted against the floor, but her eyes were still heavy from the drugs Craig had given her.When she woke, the sun was at a different angle and more yellow than gray. She was thirsty again, and now she had to pee as well. She wondered what had woken her up when she heard the metallic thud of the warehouse door.She prayed it wasn't Craig. She wasn't ready to pretend to be the compliant captive. She still hadn't found a way to get out of the ropes tying her to the chair. All she had to show for her struggles were bruises.She watched with baited breath as a man came through the door. She wasn't sure if she could handle another conversation with Craig. She pressed her ankles and wrists against the ropes that held her to the chair, but the didn't budge. It felt like all she was doing was bruising herself.The man stepped into the light and Laura gasped.It wasn't
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Seven
LauraLaura's head throbbed, and her mouth felt like she'd eaten fire. She shook her head, trying to clear out the ringing in her ears and figure out where she was. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gray light and for the world to stop spinning long enough to get a clear image.She was in some sort of empty warehouse. Pale gray light filtered in through windows on the second floor, but other than that she couldn't see much. Everything was dusty, so she assumed that where ever she was, it wasn't in active use.She tried to rub her eyes to get the grit out of them but found them tied behind her. She was on a hard metal chair, the kind used for church get-togethers and elementary school concerts. It was not a comfortable thing to be tied to.“Hello?” she called out. It hurt her voice to talk, but she had to find out if she was alone. Her voice didn't seem to travel far.She waited for a reply, but nothing came. She swallowed down her panic. She was alone and tied to a chair.
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Six
Laura“Bye, guys! Have fun! Love you!” Laura waved to the kids as the car pulled away. She could see Ivy and Dallas waving back, as well as Grandma and Grandpa. The two kids were off to spend the weekend with their grandparents. Laura had forgotten about it completely until Grandma had called and asked what time to pick them up.Laura had arranged for the weekend off of parent duty two weeks ago, back when she was still with him. She'd had this fantastic idea to steal him away for a sexy weekend adventure. Then they'd broken up.That was a week ago.She turned and went back into the empty house, and she immediately missed her siblings. She had no idea what in the world she was going to do by herself this weekend. If nothing else, the barn was going to get a good cleaning.She sighed and glanced over at her phone. He hadn't called her. The only message she'd gotten from him since she told him she wanted a break was two days old.I'm fine. Home in California safe. Don't worry about me.
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Five
LauraLaura walked into Sandy's and was glad to see the place was mostly empty. It wasn't quite lunchtime yet, so the usual crowds weren't there. She'd dropped the kids off for their last day at school and headed over to the one place she knew would have comfort food and a friend.“Hey you,” Elena greeted her from the bar as she walked up. Elena's smile faded as she looked at Laura. “What's the matter?”“I think I broke up with Ethan,” Laura told her. The words felt like daggers driving into her heart.“What?” Elena asked. She quickly walked around the bar and wrapped her friend up in a hug. “What happened?”“I freaked out because he was on an airplane,” Laura explained. “Like super freaked.”“Okay...” Elena let her go, motioning to two bar stools. Together they sat down to talk. “How did that lead to you two breaking up?”Laura shrugged. It sounded stupid now, but she still felt mad about the whole thing. “He's going to be traveling a lot,” she explained. “He has to go back and forth
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Four
EthanEthan let out a long slow breath as the car pulled out onto the highway. He was doing his best not to be angry, but it was hard. It was hard not to be frustrated when she messaged him so constantly. Laura was so amazing in every other way, but her fear of him flying was the one thing that he did not enjoy about her.He stared out the window, watching the mountains to the west rise and dip into the horizon. He knew that he would have texted her too if their positions had been reversed and he'd seen the news on the missing plane. It was just that there were so many messages. He had so many issues on his plate between the R&D department problems and now Janie stalking him and sending him death threats. Getting a million messages telling him to call her was not helpful.He pulled up his phone and checked the news. The other plane was a small personal aircraft, not nearly as nice as his was, but he could see how she would be worried. Luckily, the other plane had landed without injuri
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Three
LauraLaura closed her eyes and imagined herself at a mountain lake. There were horses, and the world smelled of pine and fresh rain. The lake sparkled in the sunlight and sunlight warmed her skin. It was peaceful and calm. Nothing could be wrong in this beautiful place.And then a plane crashed into the lake, and everything was ruined.Laura groaned and opened her eyes. Visualizing a calm space was not helping her anxiety. Ethan was getting on a plane again today, and all she could think about was his plane crashing and never seeing him again. It didn't matter that he'd survived the last flight just fine. It didn't matter than she knew it was irrational and stupid.She was still anxious and upset about it.She flopped onto the couch and checked her phone for the millionth time. No messages. The kids would be home soon, and she welcomed the distraction. The kitchen was scrubbed to shining, the bathrooms sparkled, and the laundry was folded and put away. She was running out of househol
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Two
EthanEthan walked onto the elevator to the parking garage in a daze. He couldn't remember the last meeting that had gone on that long. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep for a week. Unfortunately, he was going to get about five hours before he had to come back and go back to work.There were going to be more meetings tomorrow that were just as important as the ones today. The new R&D department was causing issues with investors, and he had to make sure everything worked out. It was stressful, but that was his job. He was good at this. He knew he would make it work, but it would mean a lot of hours in the office for the next few days.He was seriously just considering sleeping at his desk. He felt like he might actually get more rest. He sighed and stepped out of the elevator and into the parking garage. It would be good to go home. He could call Laura from the comfort of his car on the drive home. He was already looking forward to it.Ethan waved to Bruce in the security offic
