Page 38 of Enchanted

“Come on,” Rami wheedled. “Let me do this. I’m happy to help.”

Happy to help.

When had anyone been happy to help me? Sure, they’d done it, but happily?

“Okay,” I heard myself say. “Thank you, that would be great.”

Rami drove a Mercedes-Benz S Class. I would’ve thought it flashy if I hadn’t glimpsed the other cars in the garage. “Who owns the Lamborghini?”

“Theo,” he said as he smoothly reversed us out and onto the driveway. “The Ferrari and the G-Wagon are his too.”

Fuck. My brain hurt trying to work out the cumulative worth of those three vehicles alone. “What does he do for a living?”

“Annoys everyone else, mostly,” Rami grunted. “I’d love to say he’s compensating for a small dick, but sadly that’s not the case. He’s far too quick to strip naked for my liking.”

I chuckled. “What about the Rolls?”

“That’s Micah’s.” He grinned across at me. “You know about cars?”

“Some.” I shrugged self-consciously. “My dad was a huge car nerd. Guess some of it rubbed off on me.”

“Are the two of you close?”

“No.” I let out a brittle laugh. “He took off when I was fourteen. Haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

Rami blew out a breath. “Shit, that fucking sucks. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. He wasn’t the best dad when he was there. Made little difference when he wasn’t.”

“What about your mum?” he asked as he steered us around a roundabout. “What’s she like?”

My lips curled in a wistful smile. “Mum was awesome. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for me. I loved her more than anything.”

There was a long pause before Rami spoke. “Loved?”

“She died three years ago,” I said softly, staring out of the windscreen as the memories threatened to assault me. The call that came in the middle of the night. Driving to the airport with my heart in my mouth. Learning I was too late before I even boarded the plane. “A stroke. I didn’t make it back from the states in time.”

“I’m so sorry, Ethan.” A large hand slid over my knee and squeezed. I turned my head to see Rami’s brown eyes had turned mournful. “I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like.”

“It’s okay.” It wasn’t, not really. But that was what you said in these situations. “I just wish I could’ve said goodbye, you know?”

“I do.” He squeezed my knee once more before returning his hand to the steering wheel. “I’m sure she would’ve wanted that too.”

“Sorry.” I sniffed, rubbing my nose. “Didn’t mean to trauma dump on you there.”

“You weren’t trauma dumping,” he said as he turned into my street. “I asked questions and you answered.”

“Still, I don’t usually open up to people like that,” I said quietly. “Don’t know what came over me.”

“Blame me. People always say I have a kind face.”

I chuckled as I took in his wide grin. “It’s certainly kind.”

And hot. So fucking hot.

Bad Ethan.

“Is this you?” he asked, peering out of the window at the row of terraced houses.