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"Puppy dogs." That made me think of the vet’s office and what I was missing by not going to work every day. "I’m still thinking maybe I should go back to work or try to get a hold of my dad. I haven't heard anything from him."
"Well, we don't know a whole lot about your life, Ethan." Joey took a big drink of his water and then looked back at me. "I'm just making some assumptions, but it sounds like you didn't really have it so easy growing up."
I scoffed at that simple summary of my childhood. "No, I didn’t. My father was a gambler. Obviously, we didn't have a whole lot of money, and anything we did have didn't last long. When his luck was up and he was winning, we would stay at luxury hotels and have room service, but then the next day, he'd lose it all and we’d be back out on the streets. It was a constant roller coaster."
"My home life wasn't the greatest, either. My brothers were very cruel." Joey was rarely sad, but his demeanor definitely dropped several notches. "And when I met Andro, I thought that would be my life forever. It took me a while to let myself relax and enjoy what I had with him. This new life and new family isn't going to go away. It's not gonna slip through your fingers, Ethan. Let yourself enjoy your time with Orsino, okay?"
I smiled and felt quite a bit lighter. "Thanks, Joey. I appreciate that."
Chapter 12
Orsino
“Why exactly do I have an email thanking the Ferrini family for our generous donation to a dog shelter I’ve never heard about?”
I didn’t bother looking up from the ledgers I was reviewing at my desk. Andro may be the boss of the family, but he didn’t need to barge into my office without knocking, especially since I wasn’t expecting him—I was expecting my Ethan.
“Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t a large sum of money by our standards.”
“It was large enough.” Andro gave me that annoying look like I would just cave and give him all the answers. And damn it, I kinda did. When it came to spending family money, we did need to keep each other informed.
“It’s the shelter Ethan works at. I made a donation in the family’s name. I’m simply paying them as an apology for me kidnapping him for the past month.”
Andro raised a brow. “Is he returning to work? With the amount you gave them, we pretty much own the place.”
“We’ll see.” I stood and buttoned up my jacket. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m expecting Ethan to show up any minute.”
Andro chuckled and shook his head. “You’ve got it bad.”
I wasn’t gonna even try to deny it. I wasn’t dumb enough to lie to my brother. But still, in the back of my mind, I worried. Maybe it was unnecessary, but I worried nonetheless. I had bought Ethan when he was in a jam, and I still knew little about him outside of our arrangement. Was he really there of his own free will or simply to save his father? Would I ever know for sure?
It started out as a simple arrangement, but for me, it had morphed into so much more. What was it to him?
I exited my office with Andro tailing behind me just as Ethan turned the corner. His eyes lit up when he saw me.
He bounced as he walked like an excited puppy. “Are we ready to go?”
“We are.” I held out an arm, and he looped his arm through mine.
“Do I get to find out where we’re going yet?”
“It’s still a surprise.” I squeezed his hand.
Andro chuckled and kept walking. “I’m going to collect my winnings from Louie.”
I rolled my eyes. Assholes.
“What did he win?” Ethan was so sweet and innocent.
“Nothing.” I didn’t know the specifics of whatever bet they had, but I knew it pertained to me and Ethan. When it was Louie and I betting on Andro and Joey, Andro didn’t like it. Now I knew how he felt.
Soon, we were in my car, and I was driving. Our bodyguards were following in a separate car, but it was nice to be alone with Ethan sometimes. The only other time we got to truly be alone was in our bedroom, and I was always too distracted by him to have an actual conversation.
At least here, I had to focus on something other than his delicious body. “How was your day with the other omegas?”
“Really great.” Ethan shifted toward me in his seat. “We had a lot of fun. I can’t remember a time when I laughed that much.”
“I’m happy to hear that. You’ll have to make that a regular thing, for sure.”
