Wicked Game | Grayson Dolan

4

Samantha

I got all of the errands done before noon today, so all I have to worry about is making dinner tonight for Ethan, Jack, and Grayson.

I'm sitting in my living room when Indy calls me.

"Hey, Indy," I say. "What's up?"

"What are you doing right now?"

"Nothing. I'm done with my errands for the day, until I have to make dinner for the boys tonight."

"Wanna come over? I'm making soup for lunch. We can catch up."

"Okay," I say. "I'll be there in twenty."

"Sounds good, Sammie," Indy says.

As soon as I arrive, I let myself in. I have a key for emergencies since Natalie is my sister, so I usually let myself in when I come over.

"Wow, it smells good in here," I say, sitting down at the counter while Indy chops vegetables. There's sad music playing, which is also when I notice that Indy's been crying. "Indy?" I ask. "What's wrong?"

"Did you know that Ethan's taking me to New York this weekend?"

"I did know," I say. "As a thank you for watching Jack so much."

"He totally didn't have to do that," she says. "Ethan's done so much for me lately, yet he's taking me on a weekend trip to thank me."

"I can't tell if you're crying because you're upset, or because you're happy."

"Both," Indy says. "The reason I've been watching Jack so much is because I got laid off from my job. Ethan's been financially supporting me in turn for me watching Jack."

"Indy, I had no idea," I say. "I'm so sorry."

"No, it's okay. I just feel bad that Ethan's paying me. I told him when Jack was born, that I'd always watch Jack if Ethan needed me to. For free. But the second I lost my job, Ethan insisted that he'd keep me on my feet as long as I'd take care of Jack. He was thinking about getting a nanny anyway, and he trusts me."

"That's just what we do in our circle," I say. "We take care of each other."

"Yeah, but this whole New York thing. And I love taking care of Jack. The more time I spend with the little guy, the more I realize that I don't want it to be my job to take care of him. I want it to be my life. I just don't know if Ethan feels the same way. I spent my whole life looking for the person who was right in front of me." Indy's tears start falling again. "I just—I care about Ethan so much, I wouldn't know what to do if he wasn't in my life."

"He wouldn't know what to do without you, either," I say. "I always tease Ethan that he's in love with you, but he's never denied it, Indy. Why do you think he's taking you to New York, just the two of you? He's never even done that with a girlfriend."

Indy laughs. "You know, if Ethan asked me to marry him right now, I think I would say yes."

"Indy Eleanor Levy!" I say. "Are you actually serious?"

She nods. "He's my best friend. Why wouldn't I marry him?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Mmhmm," Indy says.

"Have you and Ethan ever. . ., you know?"

Indy laughs. "Promise not to tell?"

I gasp. "I knew it! I fucking knew it!"

She's still laughing.

"When?" I ask.

"Well, he was my first. When we were sixteen. Then we fooled around some when we were in college. Then there were a couple times this year that turned into a few more times, that turned into our New York trip coming up."

"Indy!" I say. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because we didn't think it would amount to anything."

"Obviously it is!" I say. "I can't believe that Ethan was your first time, and you told me it was a random from the beach club. How did that even happen?"

"Well, it was a rainy day. You and Natalie were away with your mom for the weekend, and Grayson was at the youth center. Ethan made a joke about us making out, and then we actually started making out, and one thing led to another."

I laugh. "So, you were both bored and decided to have sex?"

"Pretty much. We had nowhere to be, and nothing else to do."

"Did he make you feel special?"

"He always makes me feel special," Indy says.

"I can't believe you're getting married," I say.

"Watch it, Kettering, Ethan and I have never even officially dated."

"Oh, come on," I say. "You already know everything about each other. You've definitely had dinner alone together. You've definitely finished a bottle of wine together."

"True," Indy says.

"And then there's Jack. Who you love like your own."

"How could I not?" Indy says. "Every day that I watch Jack, I look at him and wonder how someone could just leave him like that."

Ethan didn't know about Jack until two weeks before he was born. Giana (a one night stand) showed up at Ethan's door one day, and told him that she didn't want to be a mother. In a split second, Ethan's entire life changed.

After Jack was born, Giana skipped town and Ethan got sole custody. Ethan has been an amazing dad to Jack, and has dedicated every second of his life to making sure he can provide for his son. It's been amazing to witness, and Jack is the cutest little kid in the world.

When Indy's homemade soup is done, we pack it up and drive over to Ethan's to eat lunch. Jack's allergies were acting up, so we figured the soup would make him feel better. He's been running around the house in a diaper ever since he ate, so I think it worked.

"Thanks for bringing lunch over, Indy," Ethan says, giving her a hug. He kisses the top of her head. If you're outside of our circle, you'd think it was just an innocent gesture, but I know exactly what it means.