Chance to Bloom Read online

  He hadn’t realized over the past few weeks just how close he’d started to feel toward Ethan, but… it was sort of undeniable at this point.

  His emotions hadn’t stopped there, though. That closeness had sparked something inside Jack that he’d never felt before. Something hot and needy and possessive. Something he hadn’t even realized he’d been missing.

  He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

  But was it right to have kissed Ethan like that?

  It had certainly felt right. It had felt amazing, actually. Perfect. But was it right?

  Had Ethan really wanted it to happen that way? Jack had been so caught up in the moment with the surge of emotions—first from finally knowing that he and Ethan were, in fact, in a good place, and then from the adrenaline high he’d felt when he’d finally come out, finally said aloud the words he’d been holding inside for… forever. He hadn’t intended to steamroll Ethan, but intentions didn’t matter that much, did they? What mattered was what Ethan thought and felt, and Jack was on pins and needles waiting to find out.

  He’d fooled himself into thinking he could come down to the office and get some work done while he oh-so-casually waited for Ethan to come in, but now that he was actually here? With Ethan’s little Post-it notes and handwriting and initials all over the place?

  Yeah, probably not the best idea if Jack had been looking to distract himself.

  Now he was just watching and waiting, hoping that he hadn’t misread the situation too badly the day before.

  Jack took a deep breath and counted to three. Then five. Then ten.

  Yeah, that wasn’t working.

  But he was going to have to find some way to stay calm, to not let his emotions take over like they had yesterday. To do his best to think and observe before he opened his mouth.

  As soon as Jack heard the jingle of the bell above the front door, everything he’d been telling himself for the past hour flew out the window. No matter how many deep breaths he’d taken, how many times he’d resolved to just go with the flow and keep things simple, or how many scenarios he’d tried to prepare for, once he’d craned his neck around to see Ethan walk in, he couldn’t remember any of it.

  Could barely remember his name. Could barely remember to breathe.

  But at the first little wave and hint of a smile from Ethan, none of that stuff mattered. Ethan was happy—or at least pretending to be happy—so Jack could finally relax a little.

  It was going to be okay. They were going to have a good day.

  Hopefully.

  Maybe.

  “Good morning,” Ethan said, his cheeks flushing pink at the first hint of eye contact once he was finally—finally—in the office with Jack. “I didn’t think you’d be down here this early or I would’ve brought coffee and bagels.”

  “No worries. Maybe we can go over there a little later. Did you, um, sleep well?”

  The pink color in Ethan’s cheeks flared and spread across his whole face as he quickly turned away and busied himself with something in the file cabinet. The sight immediately had Jack’s mind wandering, trying to picture Ethan in bed. Was Ethan thinking along the same lines? Was that what was making him blush? Was that a good sign?

  Jesus. Why was Jack so nervous?

  “Pretty well, thanks,” Ethan said, a faint smile playing across his lips as his eyes darted in Jack’s direction for a moment before going back to the file cabinet. “And you?”

  “Um, not really. Sort of. Well… no, actually.”

  Ethan turned to face Jack, cocking his head to the side as he waited for Jack to continue. Okay, so maybe the think-before-speaking thing wasn’t working out so well.

  Surprise, surprise.

  Whatever, though. Jack wasn’t used to mincing words, and he wasn’t going to start now. He’d just have to do his best to say exactly what he meant and hope that it was sensitive enough that Ethan would still want to talk to him when it was over.

  “Okay, look.” Jack paused for a moment when Ethan raised his eyebrows, wondering if his tone had maybe been too harsh. Too late now, though. He’d already taken the plunge. All that was left was to keep going. “There’s something I need to get off my chest. I’m, uh… not the best with stuff like this. With emotions.”

  Jack stopped again when Ethan smiled, wondering what to make of it. At least it wasn’t a frown. Or, God forbid, tears.

  “I’m listening,” Ethan said, still grinning. “Go on.”

  “Right. So, in the Marines, if there’s a problem, you just sort of put it out there and deal with it—you know, just sort of get over it as quickly as possible, for unit cohesion and all that. And I feel like this is something that could potentially affect our unit cohesion here at the shop, and I know this is nothing like the Marines, but I’d like to think we could have those same sorts of open, honest conversations. Do you follow?”

  Jack had suspected that he’d started to ramble a little, and that suspicion was confirmed when the smile vanished from Ethan’s face and his brows furrowed, a tiny crease appearing in the middle of his forehead.

  Shit.

  “Are you saying there’s a problem?” Ethan’s voice was quiet and uncertain, and he was looking more and more apprehensive with each second that passed. “A problem with… me?”

  “No, not at all. Not like that, I mean. It’s a problem with me, maybe?” Jack shook his head. What in the hell was he even saying? “Or maybe it’s not a problem at all.”

  “Okay,” Ethan nibbled at his lip. “I guess I don’t follow, then.”

  Jack couldn’t blame him. He wasn’t even sure if he knew what he was talking about at that point. But there wasn’t any yelling yet, and neither one of them was crying, so… maybe that was still a good sign? One thing was for certain, though. He was in a hole, and he needed to stop digging.

  “Let me just be blunt,” Jack said, falling back on the only thing he really knew how to do. He’d failed at being subtle, and he’d failed at prepping Ethan—and himself—for possible bad news. Blunt was really all he had left. “Did you like that kiss yesterday?”

  Ethan blinked and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again without saying anything. He looked away, then immediately back, catching Jack’s gaze again. His face was quickly flushing red, but he finally nodded, and when he spoke, there was none of the uncertainty from earlier. “I did. I’m not gonna lie, I liked it a lot. But if you think that’s a problem, Jack, I—”

  “No,” Jack swallowed hard to keep from breaking into a wide smile. “No, that’s not the problem. There’s no problem. That’s just… great. Really great.”

  “O-kay…” Ethan turned to the door. “I’m glad we got that out of the way. But if there’s nothing else…” he paused and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “I think I’m gonna run next door and grab a couple of coffees?”

  “No, wait,” Jack stood up, as if he was going to follow Ethan out the door, then stopped himself. “Please. There, um, is something else.”

  “Oh? What’s up?”

  Jack’s heart was pounding so loudly that he was certain Ethan would be able to hear it, or that it might just burst out of his chest. It was too late to back out now, though.

  “I thought that maybe it would be nice if we, um,” Jack shoved a hand back through his hair and let out a long, slow breath. “If maybe we did that again sometime? I mean… not just the kiss. Although I’d like to do that again, too. But maybe I could take you out?”

  “Out?” Ethan turned to face him, his hand falling away from the doorknob. “Like, out, out? Outside of work?”

  “Out. Like… on a date. Just the two of us. And yes, anywhere but here.”

  “A date?” Ethan repeated the words as a smile spread across his lips. “Me and you?”

  “I’d like to. I mean, if you want—”

  “Yes.”

  “You know, if you need time to think about it, or—yes?” Jack was smiling, too, but he needed to be sure, to be absolutely certain th
at they were on the same page. “That was a yes?”

  Ethan nodded. “That’s a yes. I’d love to go out with you sometime, Jack. Sometime soon, preferably.”

  Jack felt something warm blossom inside him as his heart did a slow roll in his chest. He let Ethan’s words wash over him for a moment, savoring them as he repeated them to himself.

  Yes. That’s a yes.

  I’d love to go out with you.

  Sometime soon.

  “Great. Okay. So that’s a date, then.” Jack sat down, then stood up again, feeling too full of energy to stay in the small, cramped office. “So… coffee? Maybe I’ll go with you? You know, in case you need help carrying… stuff.”

  Ethan laughed. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

  He reached past Ethan to hold the door open, feeling a little frisson of excitement as their bodies brushed against each other, reminding him of the day before. Of the touch. The kiss.

  And when Ethan glanced up at him, looking like he might be remembering all those things, too?

  It gave Jack hope that—despite their differences—there might be more yeses in their future, too.

  Chapter 15

  Ethan

  Ethan would normally describe himself as a patient man. Laid-back. Mostly willing to go with the flow. But the three days that had passed between the time Jack had asked him out on Tuesday and their actual date on Friday had felt like an eternity.

  Never before in his life could he remember a time that he’d looked at the clock—and calendar, and phone, and clock again—more than he had in the past seventy-two hours.

  It had been torture. But what had been even worse?

  Knowing that he’d had to try and remain mostly—well, somewhat, at least—professional while they were both at work. Knowing he couldn’t shove the papers off the desk and use it as a place to make out. Knowing he had to be content with the stolen looks and lingering touches, at least for a while.

  But it had been a while—a long, long while—and now it was Friday.

  At Frankie’s insistence, he’d left work a couple of hours early to start getting ready. And thank God for Frankie. He’d seemed almost as excited for the date as Ethan had been, and if he hadn’t come in to cover the last part of Ethan’s shift?

  Yeah, there was no way Ethan would’ve been ready in time.

  And even after mixing and matching outfits at least a dozen times, adding product to his hair and immediately washing it out another three times, then finally agonizing over which cologne to wear, Ethan still wasn’t completely happy with the end result.

  He cast another furtive look at the clock. Was there time to change clothes again?

  Nope.

  Jack—with his military-precise timing—would be there to pick him up in five minutes.

  Okay, so… whatever. There wasn’t time to change, and even if there had been, Ethan had pretty much exhausted every option his closet contained. How he was dressed right at that moment was just going to have to be… good enough.

  Besides, it wasn’t like Jack hadn’t seen him looking rough at seven-thirty in the morning.

  Ethan grinned. What was he even so nervous about? Jack had seen him looking worse, and still—defying all reason and all the odds—had asked Ethan out on a date anyway.

  That thought helped to soothe Ethan’s nerves a little. Maybe he would be able to calm down and actually enjoy the evening. He didn’t doubt that he’d have an amazing time with Jack, as long as Ethan remembered to stay out of his own head.

  Just have fun. Go with the flow.

  The loud knock on the front door echoed through the empty house and made Ethan jump, a surprised squeak escaping his throat as he frantically dashed around to grab his keys and wallet and…

  Oh, God, what was he forgetting?

  Right. The door.

  Suddenly, the pep-talk he’d given himself just moments ago was completely forgotten as a new wave of nerves washed over him.

  “One second,” Ethan called down the hallway, not wanting to keep Jack waiting but still needing one last look in the mirror. “I’ll be right there.”

  Ethan poked his head back into the bathroom and looked into the mirror.

  Yep. Still the same reflection it had been five minutes ago.

  Okay. Breathe. You’ve got this.

  Ethan nodded to himself in the mirror, letting the affirmation take hold. It was going to be a fun night. He wasn’t going to be a nervous wreck the whole time.

  Not the most thorough round of affirmations, but they were going to have to work. Ethan didn’t want to spend the night talking to himself in the mirror while the real-life man of his dreams was waiting at the door.

  At least his mom was working late, or she would have no doubt already answered the door, eager to play twenty questions with Jack about their date.

  Thank God for small favors.

  And with that thought, he hurried down the hallway to the front door, taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the butterflies that were rampaging through his stomach.

  Ethan opened the door, his face immediately breaking into a smile when he saw Jack standing there, hands behind his back and looking sexier than Ethan had ever seen him, in a starched button-down shirt and slacks that clung to his muscled legs better than any pair of jeans could.

  “Hi,” Ethan said, feeling his cheeks flush hot at the sight of Jack smiling back at him. “You’re really here.”

  Jack cocked his head to the side, his smile widening, and Ethan winced as he realized the inane words that had tumbled out of his mouth.

  Way to go, Captain Obvious. Maybe for your next trick, you can tell Jack how the sky is blue and the grass is green.

  “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” Jack said, his sparkling eyes and big grin looking like he really meant it. “I got these for you.”

  Jack pulled his hands from behind his back and Ethan sucked in a sharp breath as the most beautiful bouquet of pink orchids he’d ever seen came into view.

  “I, um, wasn’t sure if you’d have a vase, so I ordered one that I hope kind of matches the flowers? I mean, it’s sort of more purple-ish, maybe, but—”

  “No, it’s beautiful. They’re all… beautiful,” Ethan interrupted, eyes wide as Jack handed over the flowers in the delicate but surprisingly heavy vase. It wasn’t one of the kitschy little Valentine’s Day–themed vases they had sitting around everywhere at the shop. It was clear Jack had put a lot of thought into the whole thing.

  In fact, even the orchids were different from the select few they had in stock at the shop. Ethan had never even seen orchids so bright and perfect before.

  “So you like them?” Jack asked, his eyebrows arching as he looked hopeful and uncertain, all at the same time.

  “I love them. Thank you so much. I do have a vase, but not one as pretty as this one. It’s perfect, Jack. Where did you even find orchids like this?”

  Jack’s grin returned in full force, and Ethan’s own cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so much, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to stand there, basking in the glow of Jack’s gaze, for as long as possible.

  “When you agreed to go out with me the other day, I put in a rush order for the flowers and the vase.” Jack gave a self-conscious shrug, but Ethan could tell from his expression that he was pretty happy with how the surprise had turned out. “I told the guy at the warehouse to keep it a secret, but I thought for sure you’d find out before now.”

  “I had no idea,” Ethan said, shaking his head. “You did a great job with these. I’m seriously speechless. They’re so pretty and it was just so… thoughtful. Seriously, Jack, thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome,” Jack said, breaking eye contact with Ethan for the first time as he looked Ethan up and down. “And can I just say that you look… amazing.”

  Ethan laughed and quickly looked down at the flower arrangement in his hands. His cheeks were on fire and no doubt blazing red, but when he looked back up, Jack was still staring, s
till taking in the sight of Ethan standing there as if Ethan had been made of candy.

  That look—that heat—in Jack’s eyes made Ethan want to put the beautiful flowers aside and jump into Jack’s arms. Ethan had been on a few first dates, but he’d never been looked at like that, like he was the only thing Jack could see.

  It was intoxicating and wonderful, and made Ethan wonder why he’d been so nervous about what he was going to wear. When Jack looked at him, Ethan felt like Jack really did see the whole picture—not just an outfit and painstakingly coiffed hair.

  “Thank you,” Ethan said, finally realizing that he was still standing there silently, his gaze alternating between the orchids and Jack’s ruggedly handsome face. “And, um… you look really good, too. Like… really good.”

  Ethan nibbled his lip but couldn’t help smiling again as Jack’s cheeks turned a deliciously dusky shade of pink. It was apparent that Ethan wasn’t the only one who was unused to being on the receiving end of a compliment like that.

  “It’s been a while since dressing up didn’t involve a uniform,” Jack shrugged, and Ethan had to blink hard to dislodge the image of Jack in his dress blues—a mental image he would definitely be returning to at some point for… inspiration. “But I’m glad the look—and the flowers—turned out okay.”

  “This whole night has been perfect so far,” Ethan said, meaning it. “Better than I could’ve imagined. And I’ve been, um, imagining it sort of a lot.”

  “Well, I’ll take that as a good omen,” Jack said, beaming. “The night is just beginning, so that’s gotta be a good sign, right?”

  Ethan nodded, the last hint of nerves finally subsiding as Jack stood there smiling at him. “I think it’s a really good sign.”

  Ethan watched as Jack looked around the candle-lit restaurant, waiting for what he hoped would be a positive reaction. With the extent of his helpful input being “I like all kinds of food,” and “anything sounds good, honestly,” Jack had left the decision of where to go on their date completely up to Ethan.

  And even though Ethan was definitely a fan of the restaurant—it was Italian, after all… what was not to love?—he truly had no idea what Jack’s taste in food might be, aside from the usual coffee and bagels they got from Magic Beans.