Battle for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #3) by Sharon Cummin Read Free Book Online Page B

you
talk about your place very much.”
    Julie
felt bad for judging him. He was right; they all gave him such a hard
time. She thought he lived in a small, messy apartment. Never did she
picture him having a nice home. How could she be so mean, she
wondered? Her eyes scanned his yard. The grass was cut perfectly and
there were pretty flowers in the flowerbeds. There was a porch that
went across the front and wrapped around the side. He had a swing,
chairs, table, and flowers across the front. His home was two stories
with a built-in garage. It looked so homey from the outside.
    “ It's
beautiful, Ethan.”
    She
looked over at him and could see the sadness still there. When she
looked back again, the confident Ethan was back. Julie was surprised
how quickly he could turn it on and throw his walls up.
    “ Thanks
for the ride, mom,” he snapped, as he reached for the door.
    Julie
reached over and grabbed his arm.
    “ I'm
sorry about the bar. I shouldn't have chased that chick away. It was
none of my business. I was just upset when I walked in and saw
sadness in your eyes. She should have been making sure you were okay,
not making a move to see what she could get from you. I shouldn't
have stuck my nose in your business in the first place. You're a
grown man. If you want to take home a different woman every night,
that's your business.”
    She
let go of his arm and looked back down into her lap.
    “ I
shouldn't have gone over to that table. Those are people your friends
with, and I shouldn't have made it awkward for you. I just wanted to
make sure you got home safe. I don't like seeing people drink like
that. It never ends well.”
    She
turned her head to look out her window, as she brushed a tear from
her eye. Julie was lost in her emotions but snapped out of it when
her door opened. She hadn't even noticed him get out of the car. He
leaned down in front of her and wiped gently under her eyes.
    “ Those
people aren't my friends. You, Gavin, Becky, Heath, Josh, and Lisa
are my friends. The people in the bar are just that, people from the
bar. What do you mean it never ends well?”
    Julie
tried to look back down to her lap, but Ethan held her chin with his
hand.
    “ Why
did you leave Gavin's house like that?”
    “ They
shouldn't have gotten pregnant, that's why. I can't deal with that
stuff,” he said.
    “ What
happened to make you feel that way?” she whispered.
    “ I
could ask you the same thing. I know your parents don't drink and
neither does your brother.”
    She
needed to recover from the situation. There was no way he was getting
into her mind. Not a chance. She worked very hard to keep certain
things away from her brother and the rest of her family. There was no
way she was going to tell Ethan anything. He would tell Gavin
everything she told him. Her brother had enough to deal with. He
didn't need to concern himself with her and her past. It was just
that, her past. She wanted to leave it there.
    “ I
was talking about the hospital,” she said, as she pulled her
chin from his hand. “I should get going.”
    He
stood up and reached for her hand.
    “ I
don't buy that for one second, but I get that you aren't going to
tell me what that was about. Come inside for a few minutes. You might
as well see the inside of the house too.”
    She
knew it was probably not the best idea. It was like Gavin was yelling
at her to drive away in her mind. Julie was curious about the inside
of Ethan's house. She couldn't help but want to know more about the
hard-ass he was. He shook his hand at her.
    “ Are
you coming?”
    “ Yes,”
she said, as she took his hand.

Chapter
8
    Ethan
hoped Gavin wouldn't find out Julie was at his house. He let out a
huge breath as he opened the front door. They walked into the
entryway and Julie gasped. She stood still and looked around.
    “ It's
not really that big of a deal. Come on, I'll give you a tour.”
    She
followed after him. He showed her the dining room and then walked her
to the