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He sighed. “Mom?”
“Yeah, baby?” My tongue felt thick in my mouth.
“I’m glad Dad saved you.”
I stifled a small cry. My eyes squeezed shut, but a tear managed to still work its way through as I spoke, my next words feeling like they came through my throat wrapped in barbed wire. “Me too, baby. Me too.”
I let him go this time because I had to, but not for much longer.
“It was good seeing you, Mackenzie. Glad you’re doing better. You had us both so worried,” Stan said, his smile appearing tender to the rest of the world, but I saw it for what it really was: treacherous. And I wanted to scream. “Nice meeting you, Zeke. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.” He winked as though it was some sort of inside joke that he was more important than a lawyer because he got called into work on a weekend.
“See you next weekend,” Zeke countered, somehow making it sound both like a promise and a threat.
My feet stayed rooted to the grass as Stan pulled Jake to his side and led him from the park. The farther they got, the more my chest ached. I’d escaped my ex with my life but not with my heart. He still had that wrapped in his clutches.
“Kenzie.”
I shuddered at Zeke’s voice, suddenly feeling the exhaustion that adrenaline had kept at bay. My stomach rumbled.I hadn’t eaten or drank anything all day, and now I was paying for it.
“Kenz…”
Zeke’s hand on my shoulder was all it took for me to crumble. My shoulders caved, and my head slumped. I reached for him, but I didn’t have to—he was already there.He was always there.
He pulled me to his chest, and I clung to him, his body like a warm, stone shield as silent sobs racked my body. His arms wrapped around me like the roots of an oak tree, the beat of his heart a steady drum in my ear.
“Whatever it takes, I won’t let him keep you from Jake,” Zeke murmured low against my hair. “I promise.”
I could break a million times, and somehow Zeke always knew the right words to say to put me back together.
Seven months, I’d dotted every i and crossed every t in order to get to this moment. I’d prepared to see Jake again. I’d prepared to deal with Stan again. But I wasn’t prepared to watch Jake walk away—for the moment I had to let him go again until I could keep him safe.
And I definitely wasn’t prepared for the man who held me as I fell apart… or the way I hoped he’d never let go. Zeke Williams wasn’t part of my plan at all.
CHAPTER8
ZEKE
She was still thinking about earlier. I didn’t blame her. I was, too.
Time felt like it hadn’t existed for the minutes I held her in the park, her whole body shaking with massive sobs. I wanted to say something—to say a million things. But what the hell could I have said that would’ve been enough?
That her ex was a fucking ass. That her kid was amazing. That no matter what she’d been through, she was a whole person. Not broken. Not less. Not unworthy. She deserved to be in Jake’s life and not have to worry about whatever fucked up power game Stan was playing.
The guy was so full of himself, I was surprised he had any head space left to think about someone else, let alone save their life.
Was he on duty? Was he really called into work? Who the hell knew… I certainly hadn’t seen him take a call while he casually chatted with his lawyer in the shade. But why would he lie? And why the hell did he treat her the way he did? Was it because she left him? But there was no bitterness, only a muggy superiority…Mackenzie…like she was a child to be disciplined, too.
I had so many goddamn questions about him… about them… but no right to ask. No right to even wonder.
“Thank you for coming… for everything today,” her quiet voice trickled over my kitchen counter, and I looked up to see her wipe the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
After we left the park, the first place I took us to was a pizza shop in the city for some food. The day would’ve been emotionally draining for anyone, let alone someone who hadn’t eaten anything.
We hadn’t said much over dinner. Even less on the drive back to Carmel. My frustration grew with the dwindling miles back to Blooms. We’d be getting back to the house right after the dinner rush; any other day, it was a great time to unwind with the other residents and catch up on everyone’s day. But when you were still processing the magnitude of seeing your son after seven months… I knew having to pull out her gracious smile and generous conversation was the last thing Kenzie needed.
Taking her straight to Blooms might’ve been a mistake, but bringing her here—to my apartment—definitely was.
It went against every rule. Professional rules. Personal rules. But what other option did I have? Roasters was closed. The pub would be packed. There was my office downstairs, but even put-together and organized, I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was comfortable.
