Chapter 28 Zach
Zach
Zach placed the wedge of the crowbar behind the backsplash and tapped the other end with a hammer, prying away the orange tile that had seen its heyday in the eighties. He’d lined the kitchen sink with plastic, and now there was a pile of broken pieces filling the space.
Working overtime at the ranch hadn’t done much good.
Matt had never heard of an all-nighter, so Zach had moved his focus to Lauren’s house around eight o’clock.
An hour and a half later, and she still wasn’t home from her date.
If she didn’t walk through that door soon, he was going to demolish the whole kitchen.
He froze, gripping the bar in his hand. What if she invited her date to come in? She wouldn’t do that, would she?
No, she wouldn’t. She’d given him the night off, but she had to have known he would work anyway.
The minutes ticked past, and Zach’s skin was buzzing.
He’d been determined not to call her under any circumstances when he left the ranch, but now the clock was pushing ten and his resolve was fickle.
Restaurants were closed. If something bad had happened to her, every minute counted.
She’d gotten a ride from her date, which meant she was completely at the mercy of someone else to get home, and Zach didn’t like that one bit.
His heart was trying to pound out of his chest by the time he ripped his phone from his back pocket and texted her.
Zach: Are you alive?
Her response appeared almost immediately.
Lauren: Almost home.
He tossed the phone onto the counter and propped his hands on the edge. The pounding in his ears was easing, but he wouldn’t be able to breathe until she was back inside this house.
He’d resumed his demolition when the front door opened, and Lauren’s keys clinked onto the small table by the door. Dropping what he was doing, he rushed into the living room.
Lauren slid her coat off her shoulders, revealing a bandaged arm where the sleeve of her sweater had been cut off. Dark blood stains were splattered down the left side of her jeans.
Zach’s fists clenched at his sides, and he forced the words past his tightening throat. “What happened?”
Lauren whipped around, sending her hair flying out in a wave. Dark circles hung beneath her eyes, and fear lit up her expression. “Zach, what are you doing here?”
He was by her side in a second, gently lifting the injured arm. “What happened?”
She hung her jacket by the door and breathed a heavy sigh. “I fell in the parking lot when we were leaving the restaurant.”
A steady warning thumped in his head. “You fell? Lauren, this is more than a fall.” The bandages were five inches wide, and there were developing bruises peeking out past both ends.
“I tripped on these stupid heels in the restaurant parking lot, and I hit the bumper of a truck. There was a sharp edge on it that cut my arm.”
Zach pointed at the door. “Is he out there?”
“Who?”
“The guy who did this to you! I’m going to rip his arms off and shove them down his throat.”
Lauren grabbed his arm as he threw the door open. “No, no, no, no, no. This isn’t Chris’s fault. I did fall. I’ve got a nasty bruise and a cut. That’s all. They stitched it up at the hospital. I also got a tetanus booster, in case you were worried about that.”
Zach whipped back toward her. “You went to the hospital? And you didn’t call me?”
Lauren’s brows pinched together. “Well, I didn’t think you needed to know. I was fine.”
Zach closed the door and locked it, resolved that the guy who let Lauren get hurt would probably live long enough to make it home, but not long after that.
“He didn’t even make sure you got inside okay. What kind of guy is this?”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “He didn’t drive me home.”
“Then who did?”
“I got a ride,” she explained.
“From a stranger?” Zach’s voice was loud even to his own ears, but he couldn’t help the outburst. What kind of loser didn’t make sure she made it home after getting injured on his watch?
Lauren rested her good hand on his shoulder. “Ride share is pretty common these days, even out here in the middle of nowhere. Calm down.”
“I can’t. I’m going to kill him! You’re hurt!”
“It was an accident! Why are we yelling?” Lauren asked.
Zach rubbed his hand over his head and paced a few feet away before making his way back to her.
She stepped into his path and lifted her chin.
“You have to stop thinking violence is the answer. Chris didn’t do anything wrong.
It was getting late. His daughter was ready to go to bed, and he needed to relieve the babysitter.
I got a ride to the hospital, got stitched up, then came home. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine,” Zach countered. Maybe he wasn’t fine. His hands were sweaty, and all he could think about was crashing into her and replaying the kiss that lived rent-free in his head all the time.
“I am! Why are you so worked up?”
Zach pressed a finger to his chest. “Because I protect what’s mine!”
Lauren jerked back as if he’d slapped her. Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. Silence ticked around them as she stared at him with wide eyes.
Shoot. What had he said? Red still tinged the edges of his vision, but he couldn’t understand why Lauren was upset.
“What?” he asked when she continued to stare at him.
“I’m yours?” she whispered.
That’s what he’d said. He would protect her because she was the only good thing in his life, and he couldn’t live in a world where she wasn’t okay.
The realization hit him. He’d bonded with her so strongly that she’d become a part of him. At least, that’s how it felt. When she hurt, he hurt. It was messed up, but just seeing the bandage on her arm made him physically sick.
The fire drained out of him. The realization was too big of a blow. Why did he have to experience this epiphany when he was standing right in front of her? Why had he poured his heart out before he filtered the words?
“You’re…my friend. Always have been,” he whispered back.
Everything he’d been denying was clear as if the fog had melted away, but sharing the full extent of his madness would scare her off. It terrified him, but he couldn’t run away from it.
Lauren took a step toward him and eased her hand into his. Hers was so small clasped in his larger hand, and he squeezed just enough to let her know he was with her.
She looked at him with warm dark eyes as she whispered, “I know we’re friends. We were even when you used to deny it.” Her chin lowered, and she stared at their clasped hands. “But I’m not yours yet.”
Yet. That one word gave him more hope than anything in his entire life. She’d been clear about her beliefs, but he couldn’t understand how they pertained to him. Not yet, at least.
“And I won’t be dating anymore,” she added.
The invisible band around his chest broke, and he could breathe again.
Talking about feelings was new and uncomfortable, but he could do it as long as Lauren led him through it.
As long as she kept seeing the things he couldn’t put into words, he could get better at doing the things he’d never done before, like care for someone.
He couldn’t bring a single word to his mind.
What did he say to that? Thanks for not stomping on my heart anymore?
Good grief, he was turning into the Grinch when his heart grew three sizes in the span of thirty seconds.
It was all too much, and yet, not enough.
He still wanted to wrap her up and never let go, but he also didn’t want to chase her away.
He didn’t want to freak out when things got serious, but he wasn’t doing a very good job of being patient either.
So he stood there, frozen. Waiting to see what would happen and too afraid to move.
Lauren squeezed his hand and smiled like they’d been talking about something normal, like the ten inches of snow they were expected to get tomorrow. “I’m really tired, but I’m not ready to sleep yet. Want to watch a movie with me?”
Zach blinked. Movie. Couch. Normal. “Um, I kinda made a mess in your kitchen.”
Lauren squinted through long, dark lashes. “Did you throw a tantrum while I was on a date?”
“Actually, I didn’t this time. I was removing the backsplash. I’m not sure which is going to be the death of me, you or those tiny tiles.”
She tugged him toward the couch. “Why don’t you find us a movie while I get out of these clothes? I need to treat the stains on these pants if I want them to have any chance of surviving.”
Zach sat on the couch, but every muscle in his body was stiff and ready to spring into action. “You almost gave me a heart attack when I saw you.”
Some of the light came back into Lauren’s eyes as she handed him the remote. “I’m fine. Like I said, it’s just a scratch. Only five stitches.”
Lauren disappeared into her bedroom, but Zach’s adrenaline was still pumping too hard to sit down.
He decided to clean up the mess in the kitchen as best he could.
Once he’d wiped every surface, he put away the tools.
When there wasn’t anything left to do, he resumed his place on the couch and flipped through the channels.
There wasn’t anything interesting on TV, but that was mostly because Lauren was the most interesting thing, and she was taking way too long to change into pajamas.
He’d just scrolled past Reba, a show they’d been watching in the evenings, when Lauren walked into the living room.
“Oh, can we watch that one?” she asked. “I could use a good laugh at Barbara Jean tonight.”
Zach turned on the show, and Lauren huddled into her usual corner on the couch. Her hair was still damp from a shower, and she’d twisted it into a loose braid that hung over her shoulder.
He turned his attention to the show. He couldn’t stare at her all night, or she’d get creeped out. He’d gotten a good enough look to notice she’d changed the dressing on her arm. No wonder it had taken her so long. The stubborn woman refused to ask for help.
When the half-hour show was over, Zach picked up the remote. “Do you want—”
Zach stopped short when he glanced at Lauren.
She had scooted down on the couch and was fast asleep with her head on the arm rest. Her eyes were closed softly in sleep, and her chest rose and fell in a small, even rhythm.
The short sleeve of her pink sleep shirt brushed against the top of the bandage on her arm.
Every ounce of the anxiety he’d been carrying throughout the day and night evaporated. It was as if his body hadn’t allowed him to settle until he saw her at peace.
How did he get here? How had he gotten so deep into this game that he hadn’t seen her creeping into his heart until she had already made a home there?
Zach pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over her. He stared at her, rubbing a hand over the five o’clock shadow on his jaw. The world around them could be burning, and he’d be wide awake, making sure she could sleep in peace.