Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
S on of a…
Zion lunged out of his chair, barely keeping from knocking it over. He pulled his wallet from his pants pocket and took out a couple of large bills. So much for having leftovers as a midnight snack , but there was no time for food to be wrapped up. He tossed down more than enough cash to cover the meal and a generous tip before he chased after Raven.
He was a bastard. A jerk to the ninth degree for questioning the twin’s parentage—again. Especially in a restaurant full of people. What made it even worse was he didn’t miss the tears that had gathered in her pretty eyes.
What had he been thinking? No, scratch that, he knew what he’d been thinking—just maybe he wasn’t the father. The problem was, he let his wayward thoughts slide out of his big mouth.
Ignoring the attention they’d attracted, Zion darted out of the restaurant. He saw Raven get on the elevator, but the doors slid closed before he could get to her.
Dammit .
Thankfully, the second elevator’s doors slid open, and he got on along with several other people.
“Ground floor, please,” he said to the guy who was standing closest to the buttons as if he were the elevator operator. Zion prayed he’d get to Raven before she caught a ride. He was counting on her not knowing the building to slow her down.
After two, long, excruciating stops, the metal doors finally slid open on the ground floor, and he took off for the front of the hotel. When he rounded a corner, he saw her talking to the concierge.
“Raven!” he called out as he jogged toward her.
She and the hotel staff glanced up and looked at him, but then Raven went back to talking to the older man. The moment Zion reached her, he gently tugged on her elbow.
“Baby, I’m sorry. I was a jerk.”
“Yeah, you were.” Without another word, she eased out of his grasp and started to move toward the entrance, but he blocked her path. When she stepped to the left, Zion did too.
He lifted his hands out in front of him. “Please. Just hear me out and give me a chance to make this right.”
After a slight hesitation, she nodded.
He reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers, knowing it wasn’t a good idea to take such liberties, but he did anyway. He wanted to touch her, to have her close to him in any way possible. It blew his mind that even after all their time apart, there was still an electrical current that shot through him whenever he touched her.
That alone should be enough to make him think before speaking. He had to make this right since he had already decided, whether the twins were his or not, he wanted Raven in his life. But at the rate he was going, she might not want anything to do with him, and it would serve him right.
Zion guided her over to the large sitting area. There were people milling about, but there was a comfortable-looking sofa tucked in the far corner that was available. When they reached it, he directed her to have a seat, and he sat next to her.
“I’m an asshole, and you have every right to be pissed at me. However , Raven, I had to ask the question, and if you were in my predicament, you would’ve too. I think it’s better to be upfront and honest about this situation than to have questions and concerns floating inside my mind and not saying anything.”
Raven sighed. “That might be true, but like I said last night, I get this is a shock to you. But it’s not just about you right now, Zion. This past year has been hard for me too, and I’m sorry if I’ve ruined your—”
“Stop. You haven’t ruined anything. It’s just taking some effort for me to wrap my brain around the fact that I might have children.”
She propped her elbow onto the arm of the sofa, then rubbed her forehead. “I know, and it was a fair question. Maximus and I broke up a year and a half ago, and even months before then, he and I hadn’t been intimate. There’s no way he’s the father of my children,” she said the last part with emphasis, and Zion didn’t comment.
Right now, they were her children, and he was glad she was acknowledging that instead of calling them his. If that made him a jerk, oh well. Until he got those results, he wasn’t going to assume anything.
“Why are you running from this guy?”
“I’m not run—”
“Let me rephrase my question,” he interrupted. “What happened between the two of you to make you want to leave Houston and move here? Has he hurt you?”
Zion braced himself for the answers, but if the guy had caused harm to her or the babies, he might hunt the creep down and—
“No,” she said quickly and shook her head. “He hasn’t physically hurt me, but he’s acting like we’re still a couple, and I don’t know what to do. How many times can you tell someone that you’re not interested? Or that you’ve moved on? Or that you don’t want him to stop by uninvited?
“He’s obsessed and unpredictable. Which doesn’t make sense to me. He’s a nice-looking guy who could probably get any woman he wants. Especially with his wealth and the connections he has around the state of Texas.”
Zion didn’t like hearing her ex was unpredictable. Unpredictable could mean a lot of things, like the guy was craycray or stalkerish. Zion wasn’t picking up fear vibes from Raven, but she was definitely frustrated with Maximus.
As for the guy being able to get any woman he wanted, it was clear he wanted Raven. Which was understandable. Raven was a gorgeous woman with a slamming body, and when she was angry, there was a fire inside of her that was hot as hell. So yeah, Zion could understand a man having a hard time letting go.
“He’s not just obsessed with me,” she continued, “he’s like that with the twins also, and it makes me uncomfortable.”
Unease crept through Zion, but he kept his mouth shut. Why would the guy be obsessed with the babies? And once again, the thought that the man might be the father floated around in his mind.
But from what he knew of Raven, he didn’t think she was the type of woman to play games. Besides, she’d gone with him that morning to get the paternity tests. Despite his need to have the results before moving forward, Zion honestly couldn’t see her pushing him to have the paternity tests done if she didn’t think the twins were his.
Still, he had to be sure himself.
“I’m not sure if he’s showing such an interest in the twins because he thinks it will help him get back with me. He is not their father, and he knows that, but he’s not backing off. I honestly thought once he realized I had moved on with my life that he’d do the same.”
She shook her head and stared out across the space at a father trying to get his toddler son away from the water fountain. The man tried talking to the little boy, blocking his view of the water, but nothing seemed to be working. Finally, he picked up the kid and carried him away kicking and screaming.
“Instead of the kids being a deterrent for Maximus, they’ve been like a magnet,” Raven continued, then turned to Zion. “I don’t know what to do about him. Technically, he hasn’t done anything wrong. So, getting the police involved is out of the question. But he won’t respect my wishes to back off and stay away. He’s been coming around more and buying the twins tons of stuff which I keep sending back.”
“Does he have children, and what does he do when you send the items back?” Zion asked, wondering if something else was wrong with the guy.
“No, he has no children, as far as I know, and he fusses a little about me sending the supplies and other baby stuff back. He tries to appeal to my single mother status, saying he’s sure that we can use the stuff he sends. He’s right, but I will never take anything from him. I want him out of my life, and I’m trying to put as much distance between us as possible.”
They talked for the next few minutes, Raven sharing more instances of things he’s done or bought for the babies. To anyone else, it might sound like a friend trying to help her out with the kids, but she genuinely sounded concerned.
“Do you think he’d do something to the twins?” Zion asked, not wanting to put the thought in her mind if she hadn’t thought about it.
Still, it was a question that needed to be asked. He and his parents had already agreed they’d help her anyway they could, but if this guy was unhinged, they needed to know.
Considering how long it was taking her to respond, he was starting to think that was exactly what she was concerned about. “Raven?”
“I don’t think he’d do anything to Drew and NayNay, but Zion, I honestly don’t know. He has the financial means to do whatever he wants, and I won’t put anything past him.” When he started to speak, she placed her hand on his thigh but quickly removed it. “With that said though, he hasn’t given me reason to believe he’d do anything to harm them.”
Zion nodded. “Okay. Well, if that changes, let me know.”
She didn’t say anything. Only stared at him until she said, “Why? If you don’t think the twins are yours, then why do you even care?”
He caught a twinge of hurt in her voice, but she met his eyes and kept her head held high. This woman was definitely not helpless. Nor was she a weakling or a pushover. No, she had an inner strength that reminded him of his mother and sisters. Feminine and delicate on the outside, but strong and mighty inside.
That was something Zion could appreciate. He had fallen hard for her in Vegas, but the few interactions they’d had since running into each other again was allowing him to see another side of her. A side of her that he liked.
“Raven, despite what you might think, I care about you and the babies,” he said, reaching for her hand and glad she didn’t pull away as he gently rubbed the back of it with the pad of his thumb. “I already told you that no matter the results of the tests, I want to be here for you guys. I also want to put this out there… Now that you and I have reconnected, I’d like for us to spend more time together. Get to know each other better.”
It probably wasn’t the best time to tell her that, but Zion didn’t like games. He was interested in her, kids or no kids, and he planned to shoot his shot. All she could do is tell him to go to hell. Yet, he sensed the attraction between them was still as strong as before, even if he’d been pissing her off.
She looked at him in surprise, opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. She searched his eyes as if trying to determine if he was serious. Instead of telling her that he was, he planned to show her if she’d let him.
He brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Tell you what, don’t say anything. Just think about it. I know we still have stuff to work out, but I’m a true believer that things turn out the way they’re supposed to.” He stood and pulled her up with him. “I hate how I ruined our dinner, but I’ll make it up to you. I promise. For now, how about I take you home? I mean back to the B & B, if you’ll let me.”
She pulled the strap of her purse onto her shoulder and looked at him. “I appreciate that. As for everything else you said, let’s see how things turn out with the tests. Then we can revisit this conversation.”
Zion nodded, and for the first time since learning about the twins, he hoped they were his.