Carly's Gift Read Online Free Page B

Behind her, she heard a soft clink as Ethan added another ice cube to his drink. It was only his second, he’d been quick to point out when she’d given him a questioning look earlier. She hadn’t bothered mentioning how full the glasses had been, knowing it would only lead to an argument.
    From the moment Ethan had arrived home that night and she’d told him that David was coming to dinner, the tension had been unbearable between them, making it impossible to communicate on any but the most fundamental level. Even her choice of pot roast for the meal had brought comment. Ethan had been quick to point out that her seeming lack of imagination could only mean she’d spent the entire afternoon thinking about what to cook.
    Experience had taught her that when he was like this nothing she could say or do would change or modify his feeling. In the morning she would begin the repair work. It was little enough considering what he had done for her. Still, there were times when she grew weary of applying bandages to wounds that never healed.
    From the time Ethan and David had been in preschool together, Ethan had perceived himself to be in David’s shadow, losing every foot race by a pump of the arm, every spelling bee by a word, and the girl they both loved by a heartbeat. For a few short months after she and Ethan were married, he’d allowed himself to believe he’d finally won, but the victory—like the battles—was mostly in his mind. Still, she’d never stopped trying to give him what he needed even when she realized his hunger was insatiable.
    He could not make love to her without remembering David had made love to her first. He could not look at the daughter he’d raised as his own without seeing David’s blue eyes and light brown hair. Carly could not say “I love you” without seeing “But only second-best” in his eyes.
    He lived for his sons, glorying in their athletic prowess and their unquestioned lineage. And Eric and Shawn worshiped Ethan, even to the point of canceling plans with their friends in order to spend time with him.
    To an outsider they would seem the perfect family and, on the surface, they were. So what if on closer inspection it became clear that all was not as it seemed?
    The cupboard door slammed behind Carly, startling her as she was checking the roast in the oven. “Damn it,” she said, flicking her hand to cool it.
    â€œBurn yourself?” Ethan asked with concern as he came up behind her.
    She touched her tongue to the side of her finger. “For the second time today.”
    â€œYou must be nervous.” He swirled the amber liquid around his glass. “Or excited.”
    â€œProbably a little of both,” she admitted, refusing to be baited. “I can’t imagine what the three of us are going to find to talk about for an entire evening. We have nothing in common with David anymore.” As soon as the words were out, she realized the opening she had given him. She said a silent prayer he wouldn’t take it. She should have known better.
    â€œOh, I can think of something. But I’m sure he didn’t come here to discuss that—not after all this time.”
    Impulsively, she slipped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. “I love you, Ethan.”
    The smile he gave her did nothing to modify the torment in his eyes. “I know you do, Carly, in your own fashion.”
    â€œIt’s the only way I know how.”
    He placed a kiss on the top of her head. “Would that it were enough,” he said. “Think what glorious lives we would lead.”
    She leaned her cheek against his chest. At thirty-eight, he was as lean and muscular as he’d been in college and, although his dark brown hair had begun to recede the way his own father’s had at that age, only those who’d known him all his life could notice the change. His eyes were warm and expressive, the