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Yet here he was waking up to eight dogs after he’d spent the night with an amazing woman. Here he was keeping these puppies until they were ready to be adopted out. He’d brought them in when he could’ve left them out.
Okay, fine. He was a dog person. Who knew animals could reach into your heart so quickly and fill areas you never knew were empty?
Glancing back to the Lab in his bed, Zach laughed. Yeah, seriously not how he envisioned waking up today.
Zach showered and threw on clothes to head over to the Sunset Lake property. When he came back into his room, the pups were awake and the mom was sitting beside them as if to try to keep some type of control. She glanced at him and just stared.
“Hey, I’m new to this too,” he told her, then shook his head. “And now I’m having a conversation with you like it’s perfectly normal.”
Definitely a dog person.
After letting them out, feeding them, and giving them fresh water, he put them back in the utility room and arranged the gate back in place. The room was big enough for the pups to play in and he’d made it a point to stop back home every couple hours or so to let them out to run a bit.
Another reason he needed to find a home for them as soon as they were old enough to be adopted. He was losing time on projects by rushing home for bathroom breaks.
As Zach climbed into his truck, he knew his biggest issue wasn’t the dogs. Was he ready to face what had happened last night? Was he prepared to see Sophie and pretend everything was as before? Because as much as she’d said she wasn’t getting any more involved than physical intimacy, he doubted she felt the same this morning.
Sophie was loyal, she was loving, and she was completely open with her heart. There was no way she could go into this so casually. Hell, he wasn’t so sure he could. Not with Sophie. Not with the only woman who’d ever truly mattered.
By the time he made it to the Sunset Lake house, he was even more confused and anxious than ever. On one hand he’d been relieved she’d called him on his feelings and had come to his house. But she’d left him in his bed and not said a word. Why? Was she afraid of what he’d say? Was she regretting her actions?
Zach gripped the steering wheel as he stared up at the house. He prayed she didn’t regret what they shared, because even as unsure as he was this morning, he knew one thing for certain. He didn’t regret what had happened in his bed. She was absolutely everything he’d ever wanted, and for a brief time, she was his.
Zach’s cell vibrated on the seat beside him. Liam’s name lit up the screen.
“Yeah,” Zach answered.
“I’m heading into town in a couple of days. The restaurant is closing all next week for renovations before the summer crowd hits. Figure out what you need me to do and I’ll help. None of that spa shit, though.”
Zach couldn’t help but smile. That actually felt good, especially when talking to Liam.
“And here Braxton and I wanted you researching chemical peels.”
“Chemical what?” Liam sighed, muttered a curse. “Do you have some cabinets to bust out or flooring I can haul away? That’s more my speed.”
“You sure you don’t want to work on the cucumber sandwiches?” Zach teased.
“Kiss my ass. You’re only hurting yourself if you don’t put me to use while I have the free time. Just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
Zach appreciated the gesture. He knew it took a lot for Liam to call him and offer, but Liam had a stake in this as well now. Not to mention they both loved and missed Chelsea. Everything they did came down to her and what she would’ve wanted them to do . . . as a team.
“Do you want to stay at the house?” Zach asked before he could think better of it. Maybe that was pushing the comfort zone for both of them. “You don’t have to, I was just offering.”
Silence filled the line. Zach continued to stare at the second-story windows when he thought he saw a shadow pass in front of a window. But as soon as he thought it, there was nothing there. Must be the early morning sun hitting just right.
“I’ll probably stay at Braxton’s,” Liam replied.
Zach didn’t expect him to say any different, but he’d had a bit of hope in those few seconds of silence. Maybe hoping for closure or even attempting to bridge this gap was too much to expect. Years of anger and holding grudges weren’t going to go away so easily . . . if ever.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” Liam told him. “See you in a couple days.”
Zach clutched the phone long after Liam hung up. Maybe one day his brother would forgive him for ruining his life. Maybe one day Liam would find happiness and not feel the need to hide behind his fear.
But who was Zach to offer advice to anyone on how to recover? He was still a jumbled mess. A year in prison hadn’t done anything but give him time to think about how angry he was at himself, how things could’ve been so much worse and he could’ve killed two of the people he loved.
They’d all survived, and each day they pushed forward in their own ways. Not surprisingly, though, Sophie had emerged as the strongest. She seemed to be the only one of the three with her head on straight, able to come to terms with the past.
Which circled him back around to last night. Was she truly only looking for more? Did she not want anything else?
