“I’ve spent three years thinking my whole job was keeping Maggie’s life steady.”
Claire nodded.
“Work. School. Home. Repeat.”
“I understand.”
“I didn’t leave room for anything else.”
Claire nearly laughed.
“That sounds familiar.”
“I know.”
He looked directly at her.
“And somewhere between pancakes and paper crowns and you telling me my spaghetti has too many green things…”
“It did.”
“…I started looking forward to seeing you even when Maggie wasn’t in the room.”
Claire stopped breathing normally.
Ethan’s voice trembled.
“I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Claire stared at him.
He immediately added, “You do not have to say anything.”
“Ethan.”
“I’m serious. I’m not asking you to make a decision tonight.”
“Ethan.”
“I don’t want Maggie caught in the middle of something confusing, and I don’t want you thinking your relationship with her depends on—”
“Ethan.”
He stopped.
Claire stepped closer.
“I’m falling in love with you too.”
His mouth opened.
Claire laughed through sudden tears.
“You had a longer speech.”
“I rehearsed mine in the shower.”
“I can tell.”
“That bad?”
“Very thorough.”
He smiled.
Claire looked toward Maggie.
Then back at him.
“This scares me.”
“Me too.”
“I’m good with business risk.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Personal risk is different.”
“I know.”
“What if this goes badly?”
“Then we behave like adults.”
“That is a terrifying amount of responsibility.”
He laughed.
Claire reached for his hand.
“I don’t want Maggie to lose me if you and I discover we’re terrible at this.”
“She won’t.”
Claire searched his face.
“You can promise that?”
“I can promise that I won’t use her relationship with you as leverage in ours.”
The directness steadied her.
Claire squeezed his hand.
“Then we go slowly.”
“Very slowly.”
“How slowly?”
Ethan smiled.
“Coffee.”
“We already drink coffee.”
“A coffee that Maggie isn’t attending.”
