52. Izzy
Izzy
I can’t believe Zach is here. Well, I can, because now I’m positive that it’s been Meghan snitching all along.
I had a suspicion, but I didn’t want to ask her straight out and force her to either lie or give up the ruse.
I might’ve complained about Zach, but secretly I loved that he kept showing up at every turn.
What I can’t believe is that he stayed with this group of crazy women, or how much fun it’s been having him here.
When I first saw him step through the doorway, I was torn between the joy of seeing him and the embarrassment of being surrounded by sex toys. As always though, he took it in stride.
When he announced that he’d buy all the goodies tonight, Julie ordered another round of margarita pitchers.
That was about an hour ago, and to say I’m tipsy would be to speak the truth.
I keep telling myself that I have nothing to worry about, but there is still a chance Zach isn’t looking for a serious relationship.
So the margaritas are to help keep me honest, and to help cushion any possible rejection.
“Izzy, Jackson’s here to bring us home. You comin with or stayin here?” Katelyn asks, looking back and forth between me and Zach.
I glance at Zach.
He squeezes my shoulder. “I’ll drive Sugar home.”
My stomach clenches at the idea and I wonder if it’ll freak him out to discover that I live so close to his new house. I guess that will be the final test of the evening.
As the room starts to clear out, the bartender comes in to pick up the glasses.
She smiles seeing that we’re the only ones sitting.
“Can I get you two lovebirds anything else?”
My turtledove does a happy dance at that term.
“I think we’re set. But do you mind if we stay in here to talk awhile?” Zach asks.
She gives us a long look. “As long as you promise that all you’ll be doing back here is talking.”
An odd sound pops out of my mouth but Zach just grins. “I promise, ma’am. No funny business.”
Julie is still in the room, packing up her toys. “Don’t worry. The ones I bring are just for display. There won’t be any buzzing sounds coming from back here.”
“Oh my god,” I mumble.
Next thing I know, the room is empty. Leaving us alone.
“So…” Zach settles back, keeping me against his side. “This was an interesting date.”
“Yeah, quite the date. Good thing you were here to save me.” I can’t stop my smile as I roll my eyes.
“Fucking Meghan.” He shakes his head.
“I had a suspicion it was her. Your appearance tonight confirmed it.” I turn a little so I can look up at him. “How were you guys communicating? Did she steal your number from my phone? ”
“Nope. We put our heads together at that haunted house thing.”
“Really?! When? I was clinging to you all night.”
“I know.”
He smirks and I smack his chest.
He catches my hand before it falls away and holds it on top of his thigh.
“When you went to the bathroom, I asked her for advice on how to win you over. We weren’t sure how long you’d be, so she just said to swap numbers and that she’d be in touch.
Then she sent me the info for your bowling date and told me to have at it .
I think she thought I’d have better luck getting you on Team Zach.
But you kept shooting me down, so she kept sending me to crash your dates.
I’m not sure why she sent me here tonight, since clearly it outed our scheme. ”
I pretend to think it over. “Well, I think she probably sent you here tonight just to torment you.” I shrug. “After the painting thing, I may have mentioned something to her that I was done dating.”
I feel his thigh tense under my palm. “Done dating?”
I bite my lip, then decide to go for it. “Done dating guys that aren’t Zachary Hunt.”
He stares at me for a long moment. “Really?”
“Really.”
The word is barely out of my mouth before his lips are on mine. It’s not a frantic kiss like we had in the bowling alley. It’s a claiming kiss; a kiss that says we have all the time in the world.
The thought that makes me pull back.
“Zach, if we do this, I don’t want to be seeing other people.”
“No shit, you won’t be seeing other people.”
“You either,” I tell him .
He rolls his eyes. “Sugar, I haven’t even looked at another woman since the first night I laid eyes on you.
The hours between that night, when you snuck out of my room, and that morning you threw your folders at me in your dad’s office, were the longest of my life.
I knew I wasn’t done with you, but I had no idea how to find you.
I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t reappeared in my life.
Luckily, I don’t have to find out. Because here you are. ”
“Here I am,” I say, a little shyly.
Zach runs his thumb down the curve of my cheek. “Whatever assurances you want from me, consider them granted. Isabelle Thorpe, I want to date you. You and only you. I’ll be whatever you need me to be, but I’d like to be your boyfriend.”
“I’m sorry.” I bite my lip. I won’t let myself get emotional right now.
I try to look away, but Zach uses the hand on my shoulder to tip my chin back up.
“What do you have to be sorry for?”
“For fighting this. For pushing you away. For going on all of those stupid dates.” My lips tip up at that admission.
“Hush, darling. You told me enough about your douchebag exes for me to know why you’d be hesitant to date a hockey player. I get it. I’m not them. And I would never use you. But I get it.”
“Thank you for being so patient.” I sigh.
Zach chuckles. “ 'Patient' is a word that’s probably never been used to describe me. But persistent has been.” He pushes a strand of hair behind my ear.
“This is weird. I feel like I know you so well, but at the same time I feel like I don’t know anything about you.”
“Ask away," he smiles.
“Okay. Tell me about your family.”
Zach instantly deflates. “You sure you want to bring this night down already?”
His drastic demeanor change has me backpedaling. “If you don’t want to talk - ”
He cuts me off - “It’s not that. It’s just not a happy tale.”
Zach grips my knees, pulling my legs up and onto his lap.
I lean against the arm rest that’s now behind me and look at the handsome man in front me.
And I swear he’s even better looking than he was when we met.
Of course he hasn’t changed, physically.
But I’ve changed. I know him better now.
And everything I learn about him makes him even more attractive.
“What do you want to know?” He asks.
“Everything.”
Zach watches me for a moment before tipping his head back. “I don’t have a whole lot of family to speak of. No real siblings. My grandparents have all passed away. Both of my parents were only-children.”
One phrase catches my attention. “Real siblings?”
He nods. “Yeah, I probably shouldn’t say it like that though.
My parents are both remarried. I have a couple of half-sisters on my dad’s side, but I’ve never had the opportunity to meet them.
A few step-siblings on my mom’s side too, but I’ve only met them a handful of times.
I’m sure they are all nice people, but it’s hard to consider them family. ”
My chest starts to ache. If this is how his tale ends, the beginning probably won’t be pleasant. “Do your parents try to keep you separate from their. . . other families?” That sounded harsh, but I don’t know how else to say it.
Zach gives a sad laugh. “That’d be one way to put it. Honestly, I doubt they even know I’m back in the States.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “How would that even be possible? You’re all over TV. Were you raised, like, Amish or something?”
This time when Zach laughs, it’s full of humor. He tips his head to face me and the quirk of his lips has the tightness around my heart releasing a bit.
“Sugar, you are too perfect.” Zach reaches out and brushes his thumb across my cheek.
“I was raised normal . Or at least normal compared to that. And I might be on TV, but only on sports shows. My parents don’t watch hockey, or at least they never did.
I can’t imagine they’d start now.” I grab his free hand, holding it between mine.
“They never made it to a single game when I was growing up, for fear they’d run into each other. ”
The pain I’ve been feeling on Zach’s behalf explodes into anger as my jaw drops. “Excuse me?!”
Zach laughs again.
“I don’t see how this is funny.” I state.
“I know you don’t. And it’s adorable.” He leans in, giving me a quick kiss on the lips.
Effectively shutting me up. “My parents got divorced, or at least started the process, when I was like five. It was ugly. I was too young then to understand all the reasons why they hated each other, but after hearing enough insults thrown around, I’m pretty sure they were both unfaithful. ”
I make an angry sound in my throat and Zach flips his hand over until our fingers intertwine.
“Anyways, like any pair of narcissistic lawyers would do, they drug the mess out and made everyone’s lives hell.
Neither had been what you’d call nurturing before the divorce started, but somehow I became the prize in their fucked up war.
It’s hard to complain as the kid of well-off parents who’re trying to one-up each other by buying me things, but I knew an empty gesture when I saw one.
Wasn’t too long, though, before I wised up and used it to my advantage.
Even after the divorce was final the same bullshit went on.
” Zach grins at me. “That’s how I got those kickass rollerblades. ”
“Oh yeah?” I try to smile, but it falls flat.