Page 108 of Boss and Brat

School. Again. Away from Carter. Away from the ranch. Away from… this.

“Oh,” Ethan said, because his brain couldn’t come up with anything better.

“It’s up to you whether you want to commute or live on campus,” his father continued. “I’m giving you a second chance, Ethan.”

A second chance.

The words hit him harder than he expected.

He swallowed. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything right now. Just think about it.”

Ethan glanced at Carter across the kitchen. Carter was watching him, arms crossed, and concern written all over his face. The idea of leaving him—even for classes—made Ethan’s chest tighten.

“Yeah,” Ethan said. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good,” his father said. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

They hung up, and Ethan lowered the phone slowly, staring at the screen like it might tell him what to do.

Carter stepped closer, his boots whispering over the floor. “Everything okay?”

Ethan’s chest squeezed, like the phone call had wrapped invisible hands around his ribs. “He… is giving me the option to finish school. Says I can commute or live on campus. Says it’s a second chance.”

Carter nodded, expression steady in that way that always grounded Ethan. “That’s good news.”

“Yeah,” Ethan said, though the word stuck to his tongue. Nothing about it felt simple. His stomach twisted with a mix of relief, dread, and fear. “I just… I don’t want to leave the ranch. I don’t want to leave you.”

Carter’s eyes softened, the tension in his shoulders easing. “You’re not losing me. No matter what you choose.”

Something in Ethan’s chest loosened—just a little, but enough to breathe again. “I just need time to think.”

“Take all the time you need,” Carter said. “We’ll figure it out together.”

Carter studied him for a moment, then added, “Living in Chico gives you the freedom you had. Is that what you want?”

Ethan shook his head immediately. “No. I want you. My problem isn’t over commuting or not. It’s whether I want to return to school.”

“I can help you on that,” Carter said, voice firm but gentle. “You’re finishing what you started.”

Ethan frowned, heat rising in his cheeks. “Why do I feel like you’re on his side?”

“I’m on your side always,” Carter said without hesitation. “I want you to finish. That’s all.”

Ethan rubbed his forehead, the weight of everything pressing down again. “We have to leave in the morning.”

Carter nodded once. “Let’s take a walk on the beach.”

“Good idea.”

They fell into step, shoulders brushing now and then as they walked through the cool sand. The ocean murmured beside them, waves rolling in and out like a steady heartbeat. Ethan breathed in the salt air, trying to settle the storm inside him.

“I want to tell my father first,” Ethan said. “Do you mind?”

Carter slowed a little. “Don’t you want me to tell him and make this okay?”

“It’s not about making it okay or not,” Ethan said. His voice wavered, but he didn’t look away. “It’s about me finally telling him I’m gay. In his own cold manner, he loves me. I thought about lots of our conversations and I think he already knows.”