A Picture's Worth Ch. 22
Keywords: 22, Ch., A, Worth, Picture's,
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Chapter Twenty-Two: For Bea
The airport was crowded and noisy. Ethan couldn't help a creeping sense of déjà vu as he stepped through the doors with Bailey and Chase at either side of him. True to their promise, his brother and sister had spent nearly every waking—and non-working—moment with him. He'd forgotten how much fun it could be to spend time with Chase, and how great Bailey's sense of humor was. Ethan had always been responsible for his siblings, but since their mother and father had died, he'd been more of a parent than a brother.
"Dude, you look like a deer in headlights," Chase laughed. "Calm down, would ya?"
"Easy for you to say," Ethan retorted. "It isn't your girlfriend who's been away for a month!"
"I would only be so lucky," Chase muttered, rolling his eyes.
It had been a long month, over all. Aside from working and spending time with Bailey and Chase, Ethan had done very little. Even Halloween had been a little dull, even though Chase had dressed up as a hooker. At least Bea will appreciate that picture, he thought, grinning. Personally I think Chase makes one hell of an ugly woman. He'd always found his brother's freedom refreshing, thought. Ethan himself would never be caught dead dressing up as a woman, even as a Halloween prank.
They stopped inside to check the flight schedule; Bea's plane was on time. With every step Ethan's nervousness grew. What if something had happened while she was away and she suddenly found him to be too boring? Agh, this is stupid, he thought, giving himself a mental shake. Bea isn't that type…I know she isn't. The thing was, it wasn't really about being a 'type' of anything. Sometimes people just grew apart, as Ethan knew all too well. And really, how could he blame Bea if she found someone more interesting and exciting than him? It wasn't that hard to do.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself, he scolded himself, as he positioned himself between Chase and Bailey to wait. It killed him, not being able to go down to the gate. Watching people flooding through the metal detectors, blocking him from getting a really good view of who was coming out next, was something akin to torture. When he finally spotted her, his heart stuttered in his chest.
He supposed she didn't really look different than she had when she'd left, but all the same, Ethan thought she was even more beautiful than before. She looked like she'd just come off the runway herself; every strand of red hair was perfectly in place and her fingernails had been done, painted a pale, neutral color. The clothing she wore gave her a sophisticated look: a sexy, charcoal gray pantsuit, the type meant to emphasize just how feminine she was. The coat was open, revealing a silk blouse of a soft cream color. Ethan was aware of the fact that he was staring, but he didn't really care. All that mattered was the way her jade green eyes lit up when she saw him.
"Ethan!"
Both Bailey and Chase backpedaled quickly as Bea came barreling towards him. So much for sophistication, Ethan thought, grinning and opening his arms. He caught her as she reached him and lifted her up. The first thing she did was kiss him, and it felt so good that he shivered and tightened his grip on her. He set her down, still kissing her, ignoring the whispers and looks from the people around them. Finally, slightly breathless, Ethan pulled back and stared down at her.
"God, it's good to see you," Bea murmured, hugging him tightly. Her eyes flickered to Bailey and Chase, and she made a high-pitched squeal of delight. "And you! Ooo, you came to pick me up too!"
"Guess getting out of bed does have its benefits," Chase joked, as he was caught up in a double hug with Bea and Bailey.
"So, how was the trip?" Bailey asked, when they had untangled and were walking side by side towards the baggage claim.
"Wonderful!" Bea replied, bouncing slightly against Ethan's side. With her arm hooked around him, she leaned towards Bailey. "They had the most awesome lingerie shops! Wait until you see some of what I brought back!"
"Hey!" Ethan said indignantly. "Me first!"
Bea's laughter was sweet, just like he remembered it. She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, and her smile was wicked and teasing. As much as he was grateful for his brother and sister, in that moment Ethan kind of wished they weren't there. He wasn't going to really get a lot of time alone with Bea tonight, what with what he had planned. He'd been working on it most of the month, with the aid of Bailey and Sydney, who had been the one to give him the idea in the first place. Eventually most of the rest of the Wolfe family had joined in the preparations.
Chase ended up retrieving a cart for her luggage, which had more than doubled. The stipend She had paid her was very generous and, well, she had been through some of the biggest cities in fashion in the world. It was a little odd to Ethan, how he didn't find her love of clothes to be shallow. Andrea had loved jewelry and he'd found that shallow. But maybe it was because Andrea only loved jewelry when she was getting it from other people, whereas Bea took pride in her ability to pay for herself.
"Hope you're not feeling too jet lagged," Ethan said, as he and Chase loaded Bea's luggage into the back of his car. "I've got a surprise for you."
"I slept most of the flight," Bea admitted, smiling sheepishly. "Even if I am jet lagged, I couldn't possibly sleep any more for awhile."
"Well, isn't that lucky for you, Ethan?" Chase put in cheerfully.
Ethan sighed. "Why can't you find a woman who'll set you straight?"
"I don't need to do that," Chase told him, still cheerful. "That's what Bailey is for!"
Ethan rolled his eyes, but Bea just laughed. She seemed really happy to be back, even though she was quiet during the ride home. They dropped Chase and Bailey off at Bailey's place—they needed to get ready, although Bea didn't know that—then continued on to their own apartment. It had been far too quiet since she'd been gone. Ethan had spent much of his time at Bailey's or Chase's, and at work, to avoid being alone there. Now her presence seemed to brighten it up.
They worked together to bring her things up. Ethan offered to do it himself, but she was, of course, insistent on helping. When they were finished they dropped down together on the couch.
"Ugh…" Bea groaned, putting her arms around him and pressing her head against his shoulder. "I lied. I feel like I got run over by something."
Ethan chuckled. "Why don't you take a shower?" he suggested. "And I'll make you something to eat, since I imagine you wouldn't eat on the plane."
"You know me too well," Bea said, her lips curving in a teasing grin.
He could have sat there and kissed her for hours. Instead he kissed her once, a gentle, lingering kiss, then helped her up off the couch. While she was in the shower, Ethan cooked, and took some time to think. His mind was full of things he wanted to ask her about the trip, but they were not things she'd liked to be asked, he knew. Bea had slid back into her life here as easily as if she'd never left. He could hear her voice, muffled by the water, as she sung in the shower. It doesn't feel like anything has changed, Ethan thought, glancing back over his shoulder.
It was still early enough for breakfast foods, so when Bea came out of the bathroom, he was just setting down a plate of bacon and eggs. Wearing his robe—which was much too large on her—she sat down at the table. Ethan sat next to her and picked pieces of bacon off her plate, since she never at them all.
"So, are you going to tell me what this surprise is?" Bea asked.
"It won't be a surprise if I do that," Ethan teased. He reached over impulsively and brushed a strand of damp hair away from her face. "Besides, I'd much rather keep you on tenterhooks all day long."
Bea pouted. "You can't even give me a little hint?"
Ethan paused a moment, as though thinking it over. He rose from the table and headed into the bedroom, leaving her to wonder. Marco Henderson, as it turned out, was a very nice man—not to mention very gay. Marco's outgoing attitude had made him nervous, at first, but since he was always answering Bea's phone for her, Ethan had gotten used to it. With Marco's help, he'd been able to put the finishing touches on his surprise.
The dress was one Bea had, apparently, seen on the runway and fallen in love with. Rather than the green he was used to her liking, it was an icy white, the hem of the skirt embroidered in silvery vines. Made almost entirely of silk chiffon, it was light and airy, with very little back aside from crossing laces, spaghetti straps, and a cowl style neckline. It had been a struggle, between himself and Marco, to get her measurements, since the dress didn't come ready-to-wear, but they'd managed it. Watching her eyes widened, Ethan thought all of the hassle might well have been worth it.
"What is this for?" Bea asked, jumping up from her chair. The rest of her eggs were forgotten.
"It's still a surprise," Ethan told her, grinning.
She wiped her hands clean on his robe—much to his consternation—but still seemed afraid to touch the dress, just in case she hadn't managed to get all the bacon grease off her fingers. Bea looked up at him, her soft, jade green eyes filled with warmth. It was that look she gave him whenever he'd shown her that he'd been paying very good attention to what she was saying. Ethan set the dress aside very carefully, then reached for her. He pulled the robe open and pushed it back off her shoulders.
"I just showered," Bea murmured, as he lowered his mouth to hers. "I'm going to get all sweaty again."
Ethan chuckled. "Yes," he agreed, right before his mouth touched hers, "you are."
*****
The dress had been stunning enough. Bea had seen it in France, during a Vera Wang segment, and she'd really loved it. She'd had no idea that Marco had gone behind her back and become Ethan's secret accomplice, although it did explain why he'd insisted on getting her that custom made pantsuit: her measurements.
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Keywords: 22, Ch., A, Worth, Picture's,