His journey to Portsmouth might have been in an attempt to get away from the memories of Juliet, but Ethan soon found himself battling with newer memories; Gretchen. For some reason he couldn't quite understand, he found it impossible to get the image of Gretchen lying on the bed in his guestroom, out of his mind, neither could he forget the sudden rush of emotions he felt as he stared down at her.

Even now, as he watched Elizabeth and Gretchen from the vantage point of his room's balcony, his gaze couldn't help but linger on the red head for a few seconds. She sat on the grass with her back to him and her head bowed. He watched as the wind washed through her hair, loosening it of its bond. Elizabeth could be seen a little distance away from Gretchen, her hands buried in the grass.

Ethan leaned forward, his arms resting on the railings as he stared at Gretchen. It had only been a week since his return but in that one week, he found himself looking forward to watching her spend her evenings outside. At first, he told himself he needed to observe her spend time with his daughter, but he knew it was falsehood he would never admit to out loud, for he found himself ignoring Elizabeth and staring only at Gretchen.

Ethan was so lost in his thoughts of the red head that he didn't realize when she turned around, until he was staring directly into her eyes.

Embarrassed, a slight frown pulled on the edges of his brows; he should not be here, staring. Why did he suddenly find it impossible to do anything but stare at her?! —he mentally kicked himself.

Suddenly turning from him, he watched her turn her attention to Elizabeth who was now reaching for her mouth.

She hurried over to Elizabeth, scooping her up in her arms and wrestling whatever it was she had attempted to eat, from her hands. It appeared to him that Gretchen was giving Elizabeth a scolding as well, and the thought brought a small smile to his face.

What would it be like to be down there with them?

It was an appealing thought, even if he knew he had no business thinking such a thing.

Shaking his head in a failed attempt to shake the thought away, he turned from the scene and made his way back into the building, knowing full well that it was time to get rid of the silly emotions that were starting to expand in his heart, before it was too late.

Chapter Eight

With her hands clasped before her, Gretchen couldn't help but notice the way her fingers trembled as she stood before Ethan's study, waiting for Jacob to announce her presence. She wasn't sure Ethan would want to see her, but she couldn't leave the premises without his knowledge, and while she hated the thought of leaving Ellie's side for even a second, there were a few things she needed to do in town and she couldn't keep putting them off for so long.