Page 56 of A New Chapter

Chapter 27

Five hours is a long time when you’re in a car by yourself, Zack thought as he made his way home. He had thought about Emma during most of the drive, which was in keeping with what he had confessed to her the day before.

Ugh. So much for playing it cool. He had tipped his hand after spending one weekend in her arms. One weekend!

It’s not my fault. She looked up at me with those doe eyes and asked about my feelings. Yeah, dork, but you didn’t have to tell her everything.

When he had finished chastising himself, he switched to thinking more positive thoughts. Images were more like it. Images of her under him, over him, and beside him—her petite body heated and responsive to his every touch. She hadn’t been shy, that was for sure. And he loved it. Loved every minute of it. It wasn’t just the unbelievably awesome sex either. It was everything: her laugh, her smile, her bright eyes and flushed cheeks. The way that she sparred with him and didn’t back down when he was being Mr. Persistent. Zack laughed out loud at the nickname.

When his steamy thoughts caused a reaction in his pants, he toned it down and pulled up some G-rated images, such as them walking along Navy Pier and taking candid photos of each other at The Bean.

Inevitably, his thoughts wandered to their discussion about what would happen next. Here was where he floundered, because, honestly, he had no idea. He wasn’t convinced that Gracie was ready to include Emma in their lives, at least not on a permanent basis. Gracie saw Emma as “the one who told her stories,” not as “the one who was stealing her daddy’s heart.” Zack chafed when he recalled the discussion he had had with Alicia about Emma. Alicia had tried to warn him that it was too soon for Zack to introduce a woman into Gracie’s life, yet she was already living with her intern. When he had called her out on it, Alicia had made the excuse that she kept her activities with Gracie separate from what’s-his-name. What was his name anyway? Zack had been referring to Alicia’s live-in as everything but his real name, and now he’d forgotten what it was! Oh well, the point was, it had pissed him off. He had a right to live his own life without interference from Alicia, or did he? Certainly, as the mother of his child, she had the right to voice her concerns, but still, it irked him.

If he were being completely honest, some of what Alicia had said rang true. They hadn’t been divorced for that long, and Gracie was still adjusting to their separate living arrangements. It seemed like a lot to ask for her to accept Emma into their lives too. His thoughts swirled around and around in this vein, so when he saw the exit sign for Clarkston, he was pleasantly surprised. Zack shook his head and chuckled. “Emma Murphy, what on earth have you done to me?”