Private Emotions – Promises (The Private Emotions Trilogy) Read Online Free Page A

I am. If I do stray from the path, just nudge me and I’ll know that I’m going too far.”
    Now that I had all of them coming to my place this evening, I needed to make this dinner extra special, which meant that I would have to go to the market and get all of Maria’s favorite food. Thinking quickly on my feet, I realized that I could make a theme of it and that way their announcement wouldn’t come as that big a surprise.
    As I walked down the supermarket aisle I came across the spice rack where I had left the final clue that led Ethan to the river for what was the frankest conversation that we ever had. Knowing his past and the obstacles that I had in mine, I had enough courage to call him on his crap and put things straight once and for all. It was still up in the air whether or not there could be anything more between us than just an arrangement but I’ve learned that life was unpredictable.
    I got all my ingredients together, went back to my apartment and got things ready for what I hoped would be a very pleasurable evening with my friends and Ethan. Maria and Barry had only met him briefly but they knew how much he meant to me and were willing to give him a chance. They were instrumental in my plans the other night on the river and I have learned over our short time together that they could be counted on when I needed them the most. Of course, the same went for me when they were concerned.

    The dinner was on the stove and Barry and Maria were the first to arrive. I had to hug both of them for all the support and joy that they had brought into my life. We talked about the other evening and they were happy to hear that things went better than expected.
    “It’s not every day that Snow White is seen on the streets and the look on Ethan’s face when he saw me dressed as a maître d was priceless.” The knock on the door signaled the arrival of Ethan. My heart still skipped a beat each time I knew that he was near. I opened the door, gave him a kiss and offered him a glass of wine. I returned to the kitchen to finish up with the food preparation.
    We all settled around the table and Ethan said, “Gee, you do seem awfully familiar to me but you certainly weren’t wearing those kind of clothes when I saw you last.” Barry and Maria exchanged glances with the both of us and then we all burst out laughing at the absurdity of the scavenger hunt. A farcical of a hunt that I had put into place to get him to see me as an equal.
    “Okay, I have prepared for you all: baby meatballs, little baby carrots, baby spinach, and for the peace de la resistance...baby back ribs.” The three of us were already in the know but the menu was making Ethan look towards us, back at the plate and towards us again. He was now staring at both Maria and Barry with joy in his eyes.
    “If all this constitutes what this evening is about, then I suppose congratulations are in order or am I entirely off the mark here?”
    Maria was smiling from ear to ear when she said, “Yep, we have a bun in the oven and it has been a long time coming.”
    “Honey, we might have taken the long way to our destination but the trying was fun. At least it was for me.” Maria punched him in the arm and he immediately flinched but smiled at his little joke. Ethan and I joined in on the merriment and offered a toast to the happy couple. Maria drank chilled apple cider instead of the champagne that the rest of us were drinking.
    “Emily, I just love the theme of this dinner party and I’m so glad that I have such good friends to share my news with.” Unknowingly to Maria, Barry had already shared the news with me, but had sworn me to secrecy. Maria didn’t want anybody to know until she was ready to make the announcement. We had a wonderful evening together and they got along with Ethan better than I had expected.
    The end of the evening was already upon us, so we hugged each other and promised to stay in touch. If I had my way, I would be in the delivery