“Mmmhmm.” He didn’t seem convinced, and I wasn’t sure there was anything I could say to make him so. “You could reset with Steven and me, you know. That offer will always stand.”
A blond head poked through the doorway. “Did I hear my name?”
Zane held his hand out and wiggled his fingers, beckoning his husband closer. “I was reminding Zara our guest room is permanently open to her.”
Steven crossed the room, taking Zane’s hand. His thumb went straight to Zane’s wedding ring, rubbing the smooth surface. “That’s true, honey. We love having you at ours.”
I hopped up, giving Steven a hug. He was an incredible hugger. Only a few inches taller than me, but stocky, with massive arms capable of lifting extremely heavy objects. He put them to good use now, wrapping me up tight.
“I’m most definitely going to take you up on that when I come back from Wyoming, since I’ll be homeless.”
Steven was a foreman at one of the docks our dad operated. A few years ago, Zane stopped in to have lunch with him, laid eyes on Steven, and never looked away again. They might’ve looked like an odd match on the outside, but besides my parents, I’d never seen another couple so in love.
Another reason I had to get out of here: I was still in my bitter divorce stage and refused to infect them.
Zane cleared his throat. “The offer might be rescinded if you don’t take your hands off my man.”
I squeezed Steven tighter. “But he’s so good at hugging.” Zane growled, and I laughed, releasing Steven. “All right. You can have him back.”
The two of them helped me pack the rest of my bedroom. I hadn’t lived in this apartment long, so there wasn’t much, and everything I did have was going into storage while I figured myself out.
Just as we were deciding whether to reward all our hard work with pizza or Chinese, our parents showed up carrying bags from my favorite Mexican place.
Mom bustled into the kitchen, brushing kisses on my, Zane, and Steven’s cheeks. Zane followed to help her dish the food onto paper plates as Dad greeted Steven, clapping him on the shoulder and kissing the side of his head. “How’s my favorite son-in-law?”
“I’m your only son-in-law now,” Steven quipped.
Dad didn’t miss a beat. “Nothing changed. You were always my favorite.”
“Amir, be nice,” Mom called from the kitchen.
He grumbled under his breath. “No need to be nice to that piece of shit, Zadie. Least our girl came to the realization before wasting any more of her life with him.”
She sighed. “Do we even need to talk about him?”
I waved. “If I get a vote, we never mention my very bad taste in men again. I’m aware my picker is broken. It’s in the shop being serviced.”
My dad came to me, taking me by the shoulders. With my mom, brother, and me, he was a gentle man, but as I’d gotten older, I’d become aware outsiders had a different impression of him. Even at sixty, he was an intimidating presence. Tall and strong, his dark eyes were a black hole when he wasn’t focused on the people he loved, and his resting expression was a scowl. But he always looked at me like I was precious and treated me the same.
“Nothing about you’s broken, baby girl. You got caught up in something, and maybe a little turned around, but that’s not your fault.” He leaned down, kissing my forehead. “You’ll take the summer, get your head on right, and see you were never the problem.”
I sucked in a shaky breath, my head falling to his shoulder. “Thanks for saying that. I was sure you were going to try to talk me out of going.”
“If I thought it’d do any good, I would.” His chuckle was a low rumble. “You’ve got your mind set on Wyoming. I get that. Only thing I worry about is you making the drive alone. Not a fan.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, hoping I sounded more certain than I felt. It would be a long drive, farther than I’d ever done...the kind of trip I’d imagined taking with Jackson one day. And while I’d be doing it alone, at least I could play any music I liked without worrying about him complaining and eat all the junk food I wanted without judgment.
“You will be.” He pulled back, tipping my chin up. “You’re gonna get out there, have your big adventure, find your path again, and set it right.”
“I hope so,” I whispered.
“I know so, Zara.”
Chapter Three
Zara
Athousandmileslater,I rolled down Main Street in Sugar Brush, Wyoming.
