“It’s my answer.”
This time, he accepted it.
Not gracefully.
Not happily.
But he accepted it.
He helped carry her second suitcase toward the door.
And that should have been the end of the confrontation.
Instead, a black rental SUV pulled into the driveway.
I knew exactly who it was.
Diane looked at me.
“You told him?”
“I told him where we were.”
“Ava.”
“He’s your son.”
“He’s about to become unbearable.”
The driver’s door opened.
Ethan practically jumped out.
He had obviously booked the first flight he could find.
“Mom!”
He hurried toward us.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“What happened?”
Then Ethan saw Malcolm standing behind us.
His expression hardened.
And he made exactly the mistake Diane had predicted.
“I knew this guy was trouble.”
Diane closed her eyes.
I whispered:
“Ethan…”
Too late.
“I told you this was dangerous,” he continued. “You barely knew him.”
