The Man on the Moon ~G. D.

PART 8

NORA'S POV

Evie was now six months old and sleeping in her own room. After Grayson and I's date several months back I had officially moved into his room. It still shocked me every time I woke up to see his beautiful, sleeping face, mouth slightly parted, snoring loudly. And it still shocked me how lucky I was. How lucky my daughter was. Grayson was the best father to Evie. Getting up with her late at night when she cried, knowing all she wanted was for her daddy to rock her back to sleep, teaching her things and relishing in her achievements, even mastering her treatments and medications. Which was what he was doing when Ethan stormed in the living room.

"Grayson! I swear if you don't keep Evie's shit in her room I'm gonna riot!" he yelled making Evie start to cry from the outburst and fight the breathing mask from her nebulizer treatment.

Grayson gently tried to calm her, keeping the mask to her face as best as he could as he said, "Ethan, you scared her. It's hard enough getting her to take her breathing treatments in the first place."

"Not my problem, dude. Just keep her shit out of the way so I don't have to explain why there's a fucking stuffed unicorn sitting on the couch in my Snap," he said before stalking out of the room.

"Are you serious?" Grayson began as he tried to hand the mask to me so he could go after Ethan.

"No, Gray. I got it. I think it's time Ethan and I had a few words," I said softly, reaching to squeeze his arm reassuringly as I got up from the couch, walking into the kitchen where Ethan was.

"What do you want, Nora?" Ethan asked with the roll of his eyes upon seeing me in the kitchen.

"I want to talk. And I think it's long over due," I said, confidently, putting my hands on my hips.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, obviously not prepared for the strength I showed in my voice. I was done being stepped all over and I was done having my daughter talked about like she was a pet and not a baby.

"For starters, I'm sick of walking around here on eggshells. I'm constantly doing things to make it easier for you. Whatever you ask of Grayson, I try to make sure I comply as well. When you walk into a room, I exit quietly so I don't make you uncomfortable. I try my hardest to get to Evie quickly in the night so she doesn't wake you up. I don't know what else you want from me. And frankly, I don't know what I did to deserve so much hate from you in regards to me and my daughter. She's a baby, Ethan. How could you be so cruel and cold to a baby? I don't understand. I get that what Grayson did probably wasn't the smartest thing he could've done, but there's not a damn thing you can do about it now. Loving Evie is like breathing to him. That little girl has your brother wrapped so tightly around her finger and Grayson doesn't bat an eyelash. He's her father, Ethan. How that came about doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that he's the only dad she's ever known or will ever know so get used to it and stop being a dick."

Ethan stood there for what seemed like eternity before speaking, "Nora, did you just call me a dick?"

I scoffed, "Are you serious?"

Ethan sighed, "Nora I don't hate you. And I don't hate Evie. I'm still just pissed at what Grayson did. It's not even the fact that he did it. It's the fact that he didn't tell me until after it was decided. He's my brother Nora. My twin. Naturally, I hurt when he hurts, I feel what he feels, and I love who he loves. Granted it's a different kind of love. He and I used to talk about big decisions like this. When he called to tell me that he was a father and that his daughter and her mother were moving in I took as an insult. Not from you but from him. It's like, he didn't consider how this would affect me. I woke up one morning and my whole life changed. My best friend had an entire shift in gravity. I was no longer the center of it. And I can't be mad at you for that. I guess I just took my feelings out on you and Evie and I'm sorry," Ethan replied, his voice softening as he spoke, obvious hurt on his face.

"Ethan I'm not asking you to be my friend.  But I'd like to be your family. Families fight and some family members don't get along. But we're here for each other. Like it or not, Evie is your niece and there's gonna come a time when she's a teenager and she's pissed at me and Grayson and she comes to you. There's going to be times when the only person she feels she can talk to is you. The bond I had with my uncle can never be broken, even now when the only thing I have to hold onto is a grave site and an old flannel shirt. Don't miss out on that. Don't miss out on watching her grow up, Ethan," I said, realizing that that was the first time I'd ever spoken of my family.

"You're right, Nora. But I can't promise that things will change over night. But I'll promise to try and do better. I know you two don't deserve the way I've treated you both," Ethan said, walking a little closer to me.

"I can live with that, for now," I replied with a grin.

"So, do we like, hug? Or can we secret handshake and call it a conversation?"

My face split into a big smile at Ethan's personality finally coming through, "We don't have a secret handshake."

Ethan looks up as if he was thinking, "You're right. I guess we will have to proceed with an awkward side hug until we can come up with something."

My giggle that followed was interrupted with the heavenly sound of my baby girl laughing. Turning, I saw Grayson standing there with our daughter in his arms.

"Everything good?" Grayson asked, walking over to kiss my cheek.

"Not perfect. But better," I replied with a smile.

"Yeah, we can call it that. I'm gonna be in the gym if you need me," Ethan added before walking out.

"So, how was it? Your talk with E?" Grayson asked after Ethan was gone.

"It went okay. We both said some things that we needed to say and at the end we discussed the possibility of a secret handshake," I said, trying to make light of the heavy moment.

It seemed to work as the serious face of my boyfriend turned to a smile.

"Good. If he's willing to come up with a secret handshake then you must of done something right."