Page 74 of Abandoned

“Nor should you. I’ll see you there.”

“Make yourself at home.” AJ left less than five minutes later.

When Zara arrived home, she was surprised the other two had already left but didn’t question Will’s answer that they had other things to do. He did not want to explain what went down while she was gone.

They ate lunch, and Will helped her unpack most of her boxes before it was time to head downtown.

Zara parked her car outside the pub where Megan’s party was going to be, but they had arrived a little early. She and Will got out of her stifling car. The breeze had picked up and made the temperature tolerable.

“Wanna stroll down by the river?” He offered his hand.

She slid hers in his and held it loosely. “You gonna take me to the place where we first kissed?”

“Maybe.”

“Sounds better than going to this party.”

“Why so down about a party?”

She shrugged. “Not used to Christian parties. The word has bad associations for me at this point. Plus, I hardly know these people.”

“You know me. Isn’t that enough?”

She bumped him. “I suppose. But I like hanging out with you better when it’s only the two of us.”

“What about Logan?”

She giggled. “I like hanging out with him too.”

“See, you’ll be fine.” He directed them down the path toward the river.

They didn’t even make it all the way to the bridge before Will pulled her into his arms. He stopped under a drooping willow tree, and without any teasing, met his lips to hers. All afternoon, they had resisted kissing one another since they were in her bedroom without anyone else around. But he didn’t hold back any longer.

She drank in the tenderness of his kiss, but passion ignited within her, and she had to force herself to hold back so they didn’t end up awakening more than they could satisfy.

Breaking the kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

He ran his hand along her back. Slow. Gentle.

She leaned back and looked in his eyes. They were on fire. Oops. She stepped back. “We should cool it a little, shouldn’t we?”

He raised his eyebrows briefly. “Yeah.” A big sigh came with the word.

She giggled and held up her hand, still clad with her twisty-tie ring. “So I take it you’re gonna wanna replace this pretty quickly.”

“I hope to. We aren’t moving too fast?”

“Babe, this thing is careening forward at breakneck speeds, but I’ve also never been so sure of something in my life. With Ernie and Rainie behind bars, I don’t have to worry about who’s behind the next bend. I just hope you’re there with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“How do we know? I mean, I know I love you. I know that we work well together.”

“Does feel kind of like a shot in the dark at times, but we pray. Keep talking about our hopes and dreams. If they align and we have peace when we pray about it, I think that’s what we need. I know I love you and can’t imagine life without you.”

Will’s phone beeped in his pocket. “Probably Logan wondering where we are. Bet he wants to be there even less than you do.”

“Doubtful.”