Fighting the Inevitable

Chapter 3: Twisting Fate

Copyright 2019 © Rosesareforever    

Fighting the Inevitable

Chapter 3

Twisting Fate 

Casting a quick look at his Rolex, Ethan cursed as he noticed it was almost twelve o'clock. He was running late. Family brunch always started at 11 a.m. sharp. His mother was going to skin him alive. He might be a tough guy, not easily deterred, but his mother could scare the living daylights out of him. If she lowered her voice, you listened. It was not a good idea to get on June Hardman's bad side. She might seem sweet, but looks could be deceiving.

As he crossed the driveway in quick, long strides, Ethan looked through the kitchen window. His mother was standing in the middle of the room, hands on her hips, a scowl across her face. Smiling innocently, he waved at her and hurried his pace. Yup, he'd been right – she was going to skin him alive.

Deciding on diversion, he immediately went in search of his sister-in-law once he entered the house, finding her in the lap of his brother. Of course. Where else would she be? Ignoring the sentimental crap, Ethan opened his arms widely. "My newest sister, give your brother a hug!"

Amelia giggled, shook her head and accepted his sideways hug while staying in Benjamin's lap. It was quite awkward, to be honest, but it beat being scolded by his mother. "How's my favorite sister doing?" he asked, deliberately riling up the other one.

As expected, Abigail jumped up from the sofa she'd been reclining on and pointed at him. "How dare you! I'm your favorite sister."

Rolling his eyes, Ethan turned her way. "Of course, how could I forget?" he singsonged in a fake sweet voice.

Before his sister could manhandle him, his mother walked into the room and interfered. "Quiet, both of you," she ordered, baling her fists. "You," she declared, pointing at Ethan.

He tried his innocent smile again without avail. "Hi, mom, how are you?"

"You're an hour late!" she screeched.

"Mom," Benjamin interrupted. "Can we cut this short and start eating? I'm kind of hungry."

Ethan sent his brother a grateful look. Benjamin winked in return. Ah, it was good to be home. Family dynamics in the Hardman household were quite interesting. With his mother's temper, his sister's sass and Benjamin's 'I don't give a fuck'-attitude, it didn't happen very often that they had a quiet afternoon. Harold, his stepfather, was their eternal mediator. The guy was laid-back, unobtrusive and calm – the exact opposite of Ethan's mother, which turned out to work perfectly.

His mother and Harold had been married for over twenty years. While June hadn't taken his name because she wanted to keep the same last name as her children, she loved the man dearly. Her first marriage had left her with serious battle scars, scars Harold had managed to heal without much difficulty.

Growing up, Ethan had only known warmth. While his sister and brother still remembered the days in which their mother had been married to their sperm donor, Ethan had been blessed with blankness. He'd been only two when his parents separated, too little to have memories of those dark days. He'd never suffered from nightmares like his sister had, and for that he was glad.

After they'd said grace and started eating, his mother's focus returned to Ethan. Just by the look on her face he already knew what was about to happen. He didn't have to wait long. "Meet any nice ladies this week?"

Every Sunday, for as long as he could remember, his mother had gauged whether he'd already met a decent woman. Her desperation to make him settle down had only increased now Benjamin was wearing a ring. Ethan was the only one left not chained down. Why his mother believed happiness included commitment he'd never understand. The woman had had the worst first marriage in history. One would think she'd be hesitant about relationships – she was not. June Hardman still believed in fairy tales. It spoke volumes about what kind of husband Harold was.