getaway car | ethma

Prologue

Ethan

I had a bad feeling in my stomach. I knew something bad was happening.

That's how I felt the day I heard about Emma's engagement. That's how I felt when my dad had two weeks left to live.

I had no clue where my life was headed. Sure, I had a great job, and a nice little house down the street from my parents, but Emma wasn't in my life, and my dad was so sick that he wasn't himself anymore.

I just wanted to make my dad proud before he died.

So, week one of him being in the hospital, I took the money I had saved and I bought the sports car that my dad and I always talked about.

He was so excited about it. I just wanted to put a smile on his face. I knew how much pain he was in, but he never let it show.

I wish I had the strength to smile through pain like my dad did.

He gave me a list of things to do when he's gone.

Find a girl and treat her right, take care of my mom and my younger siblings for him, and to make sure that someone's taking good care of Emma too.

Honestly I had spent the last six months focusing on work and my dad's health, and I was trying as hard as I could to block out my thoughts about missing Emma.

After Emma and I broke up five years ago, I decided just to stay single. If Emma wasn't the one, I didn't think anyone else would be.

Of course I still had hookups here and there, but I never remembered their names the next day, nor did I ever plan on seeing any of them ever again.

If I couldn't be with Emma, the next best thing was being alone.

I didn't mind being by myself. The one person I would've been with wasn't an option, so I figured the next best thing was being alone.

I didn't think I needed anyone. I trained myself to stop needing Emma. Well, mostly. I still missed her like crazy, but I tried not to think about it as much as possible.

I was fine.

But when my dad passed away that third week of December, the one person I needed the most was Emma.

I felt like all hope was lost.

What I didn't know, was that I was completely wrong about that.