27. Ambrose #3
Zeth chewed and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve before answering, “I’m nervous to eat dinner with your family, but also looking forward to being a part of it too.
And I’m really excited to use your front door.
This morning, I thought I might die as I slipped on your trellis in the rain.
But I’m not complaining, if a window means holding you in the morning. ”
“Mm, I slept so well last night. I think you spoiled me. Especially playing with my hair.”
“Spoiling you brings me pleasure too. I can barely keep myself from touching you now.”
“Well, what’s stopping you?”
Zeth straightened and gave me a fervent stare. He pushed the basket and dish aside to hop up onto the counter to sit next to me, and patted his lap. “Come here, darling, and rest your head a moment.”
I bit my lip as I shifted on the counter and moved my legs up.
Lying back, I rested my head in Zeth’s lap, over the towel to keep him dry.
My face heated as I realized how we would look if anyone peered into the laundry’s window, but I didn’t care as I stared up at him.
“My head has been aching all day. You can massage it if you want. I like that.”
Zeth gazed at me softly and ran his hand through my hair, his fingers lightly massaging my scalp. He had such a caring touch. It made my skin tingle with good sensations that trailed down my neck and into my back. It was so calming, my body relaxed, and I closed my eyes.
“I’m also nervous about dinner with my father,” I muttered.
“Don’t worry, I won’t use the soup spoon for my pudding,” Zeth teased.
I tried to smile, but I let out a ragged sigh instead. “I’m afraid of confronting him. But I want to tell him on Sunday about us. I want him to know—I want everyone to officially know—that we’re courting. I don’t want to wait any longer. The thought of waiting makes me feel sick.”
Opening my eyes, I found Zeth watching me carefully, his fingers soothing as they smoothed back my hair.
“You’re strong, Rosie.” Zeth traced my jaw with his thumb.
“You have the strength right here. Honoring your father’s wishes all these years took more strength than you give yourself credit for.
I have faith in you. And now, you have me.
I’m honored to stand by your side as we tell him we want to start courting, officially. ”
I clutched his hand against my face. Zeth made me feel worlds better, but I was still terrified of things going wrong. “And if he doesn’t bless us?”
“If the worst happens, we’ll figure it out. I just…” Zeth shrugged. “I think your dad loves you enough to approve.”
“What…?” I sat up and stared hard at the floor. “My father hasn’t ever told me he loves me. Come to think of it, I’m not sure he’s told my sisters either.”
“And he dotes on them, you can’t deny that. They get whatever they want. He doesn’t stop them from working or roaming around town at their own whims. He even lets Marigold negotiate for him. He loves them. So why do you think he doesn’t love you too? He allows you the same freedom, in that sense.”
I nodded, but I still couldn’t shake my nerves. My father never talked to me about my troubles, or even his own. Then again, I never went to him to talk about those things either. There was no telling how he would react.
Jumping off the counter, I sighed. “I just… wish I had some sort of reassurance, that no matter what happens, things will work out for you and me.”
Zeth stared at me for the longest moment, which made me feel hopeless, until his face brightened. “Ah, I know just the thing to show you. Come with me.” He hopped down to take my hand and pulled me swiftly around the counter to the back workroom.
As I stepped inside, my eyes roamed the room, taking in the water pump and copper laundry tub with some socks and a shirt draped over its rim to dry.
A sloping tin roof above us extended out to create a long workspace.
Steady rain fell on the roof, the constant pitter-patter of drops on metal echoing wonderfully.
I could imagine myself going to sleep here listening to it, especially if Zeth massaged my head again.
Zeth led me toward a far corner of the room, and I followed him to the back wall of windows. I wondered what could possibly be back here, especially as he pointed into a far corner.
I walked around him to see what he was trying to show me and faced a large corner beam that had darkened with age. There were several marks in the wood, carvings with Zeth’s name or tallys or symbols.
Zeth came up behind me and placed his gentle hand on my shoulder. “This is where I was sent to cool off when my emotions got out of hand as a kid. I needed to cool off a lot. But that’s not why we’re here. Do you see it?”
“Hm,” I hummed as I looked back at the carvings. “I see a lot of equations. I know how much you love those. You were an artist in your own way.”
“You’re the artist, darling. But no, look closer to the floor.”
I licked my lips and squatted. From the light of the window, I was able to make out two big letters with a plus symbol between them.
“A plus Z?” Deciding to tease him, I playfully asked, “Annabelle plus Zeth?”
When he didn’t say anything, I glanced over my shoulder to find him glaring at me with mock annoyance. Laughing, I got to my feet and grabbed his waist.
“Who’s the lucky boy, my love?” I asked softly.
Zeth shook his head with a grin. “ Amby plus Zeth. You and me. We add up.” He tugged me close. “We make sense, like one of these math equations. I was around fourteen when I carved that, a year before you dared me to kiss you, and even then, I knew the truth. We belong together.”
My heart swelled, enamored by his words and enchanted by the engraved letters. I imagined a young Zeth sitting here stewing in his anger while carving the ‘A’ of the one boy in his life who made him feel better.
Our bond was deeper than friendship, and even love.
From the moment I’d met Zeth at the schoolhouse, an imaginary ribbon of fate had tied us both together, and with each passing year, more ribbons joined the main one to make up our memories and experiences.
And while this primary ribbon had thinned somewhat from the years we were apart, it could never be severed.
“We’re kindred spirits,” I finally said, moving closer to him. “That’s… how I feel when I’m with you. It hurts to be apart from you. Even when we were just friends, I hated us being separated.”
“That’s how I’ve always felt too. Our bond is strong, Amby,” Zeth replied with a soft sigh.
His eyes sparked with desire as he reached up to thumb my bottom lip.
“It’s why, no matter how bitter I was at you when I came back, I couldn’t deny how much I cared about you.
” His fingers caressed my jaw and slid to the back of my head to my hair.
When his fingers curled gently in my tendrils, I took in a sharp breath, the sensation jolting me in all the right ways.
Zeth pressed his lips under my chin and whispered, “My sweet darling, if you ever need assurance, I’ll give it to you, be it by words or touch or silent companionship. I’ll give you anything you need.”
I smiled warmly at him, believing every word. And Zeth pulled me in for a rough but reassuring kiss that promised his acceptance. This sign that we were meant to be together made me feel much better. It reassured me that, no matter what happened, I would have Zeth.
We could marry, become parents someday, have cats and a tree swing. I could see myself working on furniture for our home, perhaps even trying to cook with Zeth for the first time in my life. Truly experience things with him, things I never thought I’d do before.
I was suddenly looking forward to Sunday dinner.