Chapter 9: Chapter 9

SHAY

^MONDAY, JULY 4^

Shay had been seeing Ethan for the past month and a half. They spent most of their free time together, and she enjoyed her time with him.

She appreciated the fact that he was patient with her, that he respected her boundaries and never forced her to go beyond what she was comfortable with.

They’d never defined their relationship, so she wasn’t even sure if they were exclusively seeing each other, but today was the Fourth of July and he’d suggested that they visit his family.

He wanted to introduce her to his parents and have a quiet day instead of partying with the rest of the city.

Shay had been hesitant at first—she usually spent the day with her family, having a barbecue and just talking until the sun came up. But, deciding to open herself up to new experiences, she had agreed.

“Are you nervous?” he asked as he parked the car.

Looking out the window, she spotted his house. The houses along this street all looked similar to one another, but she knew they’d arrived by reading the name on the mailbox. ~Ramsay~.

“A little,” she confessed as she opened the door. Going to his parents’ place seemed surreal.

“Don’t worry. They don’t bite.”

Chuckling, she stepped out of the car and smoothed her white sundress. She’d never technically met the family of someone she was seeing, and she didn’t want to dress inappropriately.

“But I do,” he whispered in her ear.

Feeling a blush rise, Shay playfully smacked him on the arm he offered before taking it. As he led her up the driveway, she started to feel a little queasy. She was nervous.

She watched—almost in slow motion—as his fingers curled around the doorknob. But when the door opened, she was hit with the wonderful smell of food cooking and lots of noise. She could hear the TV in one of the rooms.

“Mom! Dad!” Ethan called out as he hung his coat on a rack by the door, then taking and hanging hers as well.

“Ethan!”

A woman who looked like Ethan, and was almost as tall, appeared in the hallway, her smile wide. She instantly wrapped her arms around her son, excited to see him home.

Shay smiled, waiting for their exchange to end before introducing herself. But when the woman’s eyes landed on her, she eyed Shay suspiciously.

“Mom, this is Shay Haze,” Ethan said.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ramsay,” Shay said quickly, holding out her hand.

Mrs. Ramsay nodded and looked her up and down. “I’m Constance,” she replied, finally taking Shay’s hand. “Are you a friend or a girlfriend?”

“Uh…” Shay hesitated, unsure how to answer.

Noticing her discomfort, Ethan placed a soothing hand on her back before saying to his mother, “She’s my girlfriend.”

Shay looked up at him, surprised by his admission, then broke into a huge smile.

“Oh! My son has never brought a girl here. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Shay,” his mother replied, then turned to her son and said, “Dinner is ready. Go call your dad and brother,” before leaving them by the door.

Relaxing her shoulders a little, Shay let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

“You okay, baby?” Ethan asked, stepping to her front and stroking her cheek gently.

“So I’m your girlfriend?” she asked jokingly.

Chuckling, he nodded his head.

“I don’t remember you asking me to be,” she commented, biting her lower lip playfully.

“~Ahem.~” He cleared his throat as he tried to put on a serious expression. “Shay Haze,” he said in the most formal voice he could muster, “would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?”

Giggling like a schoolgirl, she nodded her head excitedly before kissing his cheek.

“Come on, let me introduce you to my father and Arthur.”

Ethan led her to the living room, where his father and his older brother were watching TV, and introduced her to them just as he said.

She noticed their similarities to Ethan right away as she talked with them. She was excited to get to know his family, especially after being introduced as his girlfriend.

“Dinner is ready,” Constance called from the kitchen as they started to make their way to the dining room.

Shay couldn’t stop herself from grinning. She was just happy, and seeing that she’d had no expectations for the day, it was a pleasant surprise. She certainly never thought she’d be introduced as Ethan’s girlfriend.

Ethan’s father and mother sat at the head and the foot of the table, and Ethan’s brother sat opposite him. Shay took the seat that was beside Ethan and next to his mother.

Food covered the table—it was a full spread—and it all looked delicious. Shay realized she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a home-cooked meal.

“Let’s pray,” Constance announced, and everyone went to take each other’s hands. Following their actions, Shay held Constance’s hand with one of her own and Ethan’s with her other.

“Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the food that’s been prepared for us today,” Constance began. “Bless this food and let it nourish our bodies. Thank you that Ethan’s girlfriend, Shay, is able to be here today.

“Bless our fellowship tonight. In your name we pray, amen.” When Constance ended the prayer, everyone quietly repeated “amen.”

“Thank you for cooking, Mrs. Ramsay,” Shay said as the food was being passed around.

“Call me Cons, dear,” Mrs. Ramsay said.

Shay took the chicken and placed some on her plate before passing it to Constance.

“So, how did you guys meet?” Arthur asked.

“We met a few times, actually,” she said honestly.

“Yeah, the guys and I were out having a meeting, and I tried to get her number. But she stubbornly declined. Met her again at her father’s event, and she still refused to give me the time of the day,” Ethan explained.

Shay though back to the day they met. “And then one night it was raining and I was having one of the worst days of my life, and he found me. We got to know each other from then on.”

She smiled at him. She was glad he’d kept trying—he was someone worth getting to know.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, and she blushed in response. This was one of the many things she liked about Ethan—he showered her with kisses and affection and never failed to make her feel wanted.

“So, Shay, what do you do for a living?” Ethan’s father, Alaric, asked.

“Actually, I’m an influencer, a brand ambassador, and I have my own clothing line,” she answered before taking a bite of her food.

Arthur raised his eyebrows. “What made you pursue that line of work?”

“I kind of fell into it, honestly. I wasn’t planning on becoming an influencer, but everything seemed to fit.”

She didn’t want to disclose the whole story. It was too much to unpack, and she hadn’t even had this conversation with Ethan yet.

“Is that all?” Constance asked.

“I’m sorry, I don’t follow,” Shay said, confused by the response.

“What’s your long-term plan?”

“Do you plan on being an influencer forever?” Alaric rephrased for his wife. “It’s not a stable source of income.”

After carefully placing her silverware down, Shay said calmly, “I have my own clothing line, and over the past year I’ve been working on my brand. I’m able to raise awareness for the things I believe in.

“And I do have a plan.” She paused to take a sip of water. “I want to expand my name, open a boutique, and start a fund for charity. That’s my five-year plan. My long-term plan is I want to start a pro bono clinic.”

She noticed Ethan staring at her with a look she’d only seen once before.

“I didn’t know that,” he said.

“Yeah,” she said, nodding.

“I like her for you,” Arthur commented, breaking the tension between them.

“Are you with my son for money?” Constance asked, taking Shay by surprise.

“Mom!” Ethan scolded.

Shay placed her hand on Ethan’s to assure him it was okay, then looked at Constance. “I would never be with someone for money. If we make it and end up getting married, I would sign a prenup.

“I believe in equality and protecting assets. I would never make Ethan pay for anything, nor would I ever ask anything from him.”

She paused and looked at both Alaric and Constance. “I have my own money. I earned my own money. I haven’t taken any money from my father since I turned eighteen.

“I know that some girls would be attracted to Ethan’s money, but I promise I’m not one of them. I’m independent, and I don’t need someone to take care of me financially. Ethan is his own person, and I admire him for that.

“I don’t need fancy items or materialistic things. What I look for in a partner is, and always will be, the connection.”

There was a brief moment of pause while they processed what she’d said.

“I like you,” Constance remarked, giving Shay a warm smile.

“Good job, Ethan,” Alaric said.

Shay’s shoulders relaxed as she exhaled a breath. She’d been worried that she stepped over the line, but she meant every word she said.

The rest of the dinner went by smoothly as Ethan’s family reminisced about him growing up. Shay learned that although Ethan was a multimillionaire, or billionaire even, he had a humble beginning.

Ethan started Entice Corporation ten years ago, raising funds on his own, and now it was one of the world’s leading tech companies that programs and builds machinery for medical-grade equipment.

That was how he knew her family. What she hadn’t known was that he’d been in business with them for the past five years.

“We look forward to spending more time with you soon,” Constance said as she kissed Shay’s cheek goodbye.

Shay felt the same. Ethan’s family had given her a chance, and it looked like they’d enjoyed her company as much as she’d enjoyed theirs.

Their demeanor toward her had changed drastically after she’d revealed her stance on money. They’d warmed up to her and spoke to her like an equal, which she was thankful for.

Shay had learned that Arthur was single, and that he was a lawyer just like his parents. And although Ethan ended up choosing a different path, he’d studied pre-law.

Waving goodbye to his family as they walked back to the car, Shay beamed with joy. She had never formally met a boyfriend’s parents before, and she was glad it had gone so well.

She buckled herself in as Ethan got into the driver seat and started the car. As it roared to life, she gave a contented sigh.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I like your family,” she admitted, then paused as she felt her phone vibrate in her bag. Quickly taking it out, she looked at the caller ID and her eyes widened.

“It’s my brother,” she said, showing Ethan the phone.

“Do you want to tell him?” he asked, understanding instantly what she meant by it.

She shrugged, then thought about it for a moment before nodding her head.

“Then answer it,” he said, grinning.

Nervously, she took a deep breath and answered the FaceTime call.

“Ian,” she said, instantly recognizing their house in the background.

“I’ve been trying to call you all evening. Where have you been?” Ian asked. She could tell he was walking away from the house, needing some privacy as they spoke.

“Ian, I have something to tell you,” she started as Ian settled down and looked into the camera.

“Whose car are you in?” he asked, completely ignoring her statement. Rolling her eyes, she turned the camera toward Ethan, before scooting nearer to him.

“You know Ethan, right?” she asked.

“Ethan? What are you doing with my sister?” Ian asked, still not getting it.

“I’m dating your sister,” Ethan announced.

Shay watched as her brother’s face changed, then instantly hung up before bursting into a fit of laughter.