I Do

“Really? You want to lie to me too? It is not enough that you have deceived yourself about your feelings this far?” Noah asked and Ethan sighed loudly. “Take every step as it comes, Ethan. Everything will figure itself out.”

Ethan turned his attention to the kids and nodded.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“She is coming to the annual party, right?” Noah asked and Ethan nodded.

“I don’t see any reason why she shouldn’t. Besides, she is excited to meet Angie Harmon.”

“She was another Rizzoli and Isles fan, huh?” Noah asked and Ethan shrugged.

“Don’t blame her. That was a great show.”

“You have to say that. Angie is your friend,” Noah said, grinning. “So, is she coming as one of your invited guests or is she coming as part of the Habitat For Humanity entourage?”

Ethan shrugged.

“Well, I called to invite her and she told me that she was already coming. You know, with the charity?”

Noah nodded.

“I need to get these guys home,” he said and Ethan shook his head.

“And interrupt the archery? Are you purposefully looking for a reason for your sons to put you in a facility as soon as you forget to strap your seat belt on?” Ethan asked and Noah smiled.

“Well, daddy’s tired. So…”

“So, stay here,” Ethan said cutting him short. “I thought that was the plan all along.”

“Actually, the boys were at a sleepover last night and a play date today. They have not been home in a long time,” Noah said.

“Well, they are at home here. Just go and unwind… I’ll put them to bed when they are done with their game,” Ethan said and Noah smiled.

“You are going to make a great dad someday,” he said as he stood up. “Now, stop overthinking everything with Josie. Everything will work itself out.”

Ethan smiled as he watched his brother walk towards his sons to give them a goodnight kiss and for a moment, he pictured himself on the very same spot but instead of Nate and Zach on the floor playing video games, he and Josie were sitting there lovingly playing with their own child…

                                                            *****

The rock song ‘lifestyles of the rich and the famous’ was the only way Josie could describe Ethan Beckett’s lifestyle. The last few weeks she had spent with Ethan had been nothing short of magical. The private jets, the top-shelf bottles of wine, the fresh seafood, concierge jewelry, and design service… It was an entirely new ball game and she was quite shell shocked. She could not really quite understand why someone who was so used to that lifestyle would be so interested in little old her.

Josie was still a little exhausted when she walked into the office building on Monday morning. She was not really expected to be at the office but she had a few things to do and she was still trying to understand the form of jet lag she was suffering from. If everything worked out well, she would be back home and in bed in under two hours hopefully in a pharmaceutically induced sleep.

“Going really casual today, huh?” the security guard said as Josie rummaged through her bag for her ID card.

“You could say that,” Josie said, forcing a smile. “But I am just here to make sure a certain document gets to the copy room. After that, I go back home.” She pulled out her ID card. “With any luck, I will be out of here before your first break.”

The security guard smiled at her.

“If you say so.”

She frowned at him.

“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“Well, you have been burning the midnight oil ever since you started working here a few months ago. So, I am just saying…” the guard shrugged.

Josie shook her head and scanned her card before she walked to the elevator. Once the elevator doors closed, she caught a glimpse of her reflection and sighed. The people at work were so used to her Meghan Markle look and she just knew that her black jeans, t-shirt, and baseball cap were definitely going to draw some attention.

“In and out. In and out,” she thought as she rode to her floor.

When she got off at her floor, she noticed the way people looked at her as she walked by and something inside her made her think that the looks were more than just the curiosity of her wardrobe. She hastened her steps but stopped when she got to Ethan’s office.

“Hey there,” she said, making him look up.

“Hey yourself.”

She walked in and smiled when she saw that she was not the only one dressed down. Ethan was in a black T-shirt, blue jeans and white Air Jordan trainers.

“Why are you here?” he asked. “You must be exhausted.”

“I came to make sure the press release you drafted got to the public relations office.”

Ethan picked up a folder from the desk and smiled.

“Don’t worry. I already handled it.”

“Then my work here is done,” she said as he turned off his iPad and began walking towards her.

“I thought that you would have been deep in sleep by now,” he said and she shrugged.

“I don’t know how you do it… I am so exhausted but for some reason, I cannot seem to fall asleep for more than ten minutes at a time.”

“Understandable. We have been in three different time zones over the last few days. I get that the body can be a little confused.”

Josie shook her head.

“So, how do you usually deal with it?” she asked.

“Well, one mistake people make is trying to force the body to adapt to the home environment. So, you get people dozing off in front of the TV or something.”

Josie nodded.

“That is exactly what I have been doing,” she said and he shook his head.

“You need to treat your bedroom like a sensory deprivation chamber. Draw the curtains, get some music playing over headphones preferably. Get an eye mask if you have and just let your body naturally get to a restful state,” he said as they walked together through the bullpen. “Is it just me or is the workforce staring at us?” he asked

“You see it too, right?” Josie asked.

“Well, this is the last time I come to the office dressed casually,” he said as they approached the public relations office. Ethan handed the folder to an assistant and mumbled something to her before he began leading Josie to the elevators. Josie wanted to tell him that the not too subtle stares had nothing to do with the fact that they were dressed down. It was that they had dressed down together. She also had an inclination that pictures of them traveling together had somehow found their way to one or two tabloids. It was the only logical explanation for the looks and giggles but Josie knew that Ethan did not indulge in gossip even when he was the subject of said gossip.