And to think that Ethan had dealt with that shit on his own for all this time only pissed Beau off more.
“What’s up, man?” Zane said, stepping directly in front of Beau, obstructing his view. Probably a good thing.
“Not much. Where’s V?” he asked, sipping his beer and doing his best to ignore the group in the front. Ethan was right, they were there to have a good time. It wouldn’t do anyone any good for Beau to get all bent out of shape because he wanted to do damage to Jimmy just because the man breathed.
“At Zoey’s,” Zane answered easily. “If I’m not careful, she’s gonna be asking for a baby of her own real soon.”
Beau laughed.
“I’m hoping she’ll hold off at least until we’re married,” Zane continued. “Speaking of married…” Zane glanced over at Ethan and then back to Beau.
That got Beau’s attention, and his gaze shot over to Ethan to see he was grinning from ear to ear.
“Congrats, man,” Zane said, clapping Beau on the back and then taking a step closer to Ethan. “You’re good for him,” Zane said to Ethan quietly, but loud enough that Beau could hear.
Beau wanted to laugh. That was the same thing Zane had said to him. But, nevertheless, it was true. Ethan was the best damn thing that had ever happened to Beau.
Before Beau could question Zane’s reference to marriage, the front door opened, and Beau looked over to see Sawyer strutting in, his cowboy hat low on his head.
Ok, now Beau was really liking the odds.
Oh, fuck.
That’s when Beau realized that Sawyer wasn’t the only one who had graced the small bar with his presence. As soon as Sawyer made his way inside, a long line of intimidating men followed not far behind: Greyson, Jared, Jaxson, Brendon, Braydon, CJ and last, but certainly not least, Curtis Walker.
As though the rest of the bar felt the earth shake the same way Beau did, everything went quiet. Including the conversation going on behind him between Travis and Gage.
“What’s going on?” he heard himself ask Ethan.
“Turns out you were right,” Ethan said calmly, the hint of a smile on his lips as he continued to stare back at Beau.
“Why’s that?”
“They’re just here to support me.”
Just like Beau had known they would be.
Curtis walked up and clapped Beau on the back as he moved around to his side. “Congratulations,” he offered with a crooked grin.
Before Beau could respond, Sawyer walked up and offered his hand. Transferring his beer to his other hand, Beau reached out and shook the proffered hand at the same time Sawyer said, “’Bout damn time.”
What the fuck was going on?
Ethan fought the urge to laugh when Beau’s eyes widened as he stared back at Sawyer.
So, for once, he’d managed to throw Beau for a loop. Looking back at the man he loved, he watched as his eyes widened to the size of saucers as the implications of what he’d actually done settled in.
“You told them?” Beau asked incredulously, his voice lowering to a whisper when Sawyer and Curtis stepped away.
Taking a sip of his beer, Ethan offered Beau a smile. “I did.”
Just last night, he thought to himself. While Beau had been at the gym, Ethan rounded up his brothers and asked them to meet him at their parents’ house. They did. And after fighting his nerves for almost an hour, Ethan had finally told them the reason he had called them all together.
Turns out, they all knew. Not that Ethan had expected any less, but they gave him a chance to tell them outright. Getting things out in the open had helped mend the relationships that he’d purposely avoided with them. And when the twins told him they wanted to celebrate, he hadn’t been able to refuse.
As the conversation around them resumed, his brothers and cousins coming up to congratulate them both, Ethan was doing his damnedest to take his own advice and ignore the men sitting at the front of the bar.
He hadn’t been all that thrilled with the idea of celebrating at Moonshiners when the twins had suggested it, for that reason alone. It wasn’t that he was hiding because, thanks to the long overdue conversation he’d had with his family during the week, Ethan had decided to stand up for what he believed in.
In truth, Beau – with a little push from Sawyer and Travis – had given him the courage, allowing him to make the decision to stand up for himself. And for Gavin.
Gavin’s memory had been buried beneath the hate and fear that Jimmy had instilled in Ethan’s heart, never receiving the proper attention it deserved. Not that Ethan had come to that realization easily. That little tidbit of information had been learned during his first counseling session earlier in the week.