Sand Angel Page 0,63

crumbled. She trembled. “I’m so sorry.”

“What for, angel?” He brushed her tears, but they kept falling one after the other.

“I—”

“No apologies. No regrets,” he whispered in her ear. “Just tell me you love me.” He hugged her closer like he would never let her go.

“I do.” Her voice quivered, short, gasping breaths. “I love you both so much.” For what seemed like forever, her father held her while she cried. She had wasted so much of her life running, running from the very people who loved her. When her father released her, she grasped Drew’s hand.

Both her father and mother took note of her action. They shared a look that Zoë couldn’t read, and then her father extended Drew his hand. “Drew.”

“Mr. Davis,” Drew returned.

“Oh my, what must the neighbors think? Come inside, you two. Have you eaten?” Her mother ushered them through the door.

The scent of fried chicken filled the air. Nothing had changed. It was Sunday and Sunday was fried chicken day. Zoë knew there would be fresh green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and maybe even a cherry or apple cobbler for desert.

Life changed, but some things never did—like a parent’s unconditional love or the fact that Josh was mooching another meal. He showed up just as the table was set.

Zoë couldn’t remember anything tasting as good as her mother’s cooking. Josh reminded them of the time that he and Drew glued the principal’s front door shut and laughter filled the dining room. It sounded like old times. Her mother reached over and covered Zoë’s hand with hers. She glanced at Drew, a question raising her brows.

Zoë didn’t need words to understand that her mother wanted to know if all was well. Zoë nodded. “I love him, Mom.” Her words were said quietly, meant only for her mother, but the room got deathly quiet. She could have heard a pin drop from a mile away. All eyes were narrowed on Drew.

The moment could have been awkward. It sure as hell was for her.

Drew appeared unaffected. He turned to her father. “Sir, I’d like your permission to marry your daughter.”

Zoë’s heart stuttered. OhmyGod. The air in the room disappeared, felt like it had been sucked away by a vacuum. For a moment she couldn’t breathe and things got hazy. Dammit. Tears. She was looking through misty eyes.

Her mother slapped her palm across her mouth to muffle her cry. Josh sat there beaming like the toad he was, while her father cleared his throat. He solemnly faced Zoë. “Angel, is this what you want?”

She gazed at Drew, seeing love reflecting in his eyes. “Yes, Daddy.”

Her father was a big man, standing six-two, but in her eyes he seemed to grow several more feet when he turned to Drew. “Boy, if you don’t treat my baby right, I’ll hunt you down and beat the living tar out of you.”

“You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Davis. I plan to make your daughter very happy.” When the conversation returned to something close to normal, he leaned into Zoë. “Starting tonight. Are you ready to go home?”

Chapter Eighteen

The crowd loved Zoë.

The roar and energy in the stadium rose with the complexity of each of her jumps. The fact that she was a woman just added to the excitement. The scent of gas and oil as one bike after another zoomed by made Drew queasy, or maybe it was his anxiety as he stood beside Josh in the pit watching his bride-to-be.

Like an angel, Zoë soared off the ramp, flipping the bike up and over to complete a full somersault. Drew’s knees went weak. His heart lurched into his throat, making it difficult to swallow. His skin shrank two sizes too small. Another stunt like that and the paramedics standing by would have to revive him.

The throng jumped to their feet. Their cheers were like thunder, echoing in the arena.

The tightness in Josh’s face softened as Zoë landed safely. His relieved exhale matched Drew’s. Josh shook his head, a weary smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “She’s either amazing or fuckin’ nuts.”

Guess the jury was still deliberating the answer to that question, but Drew thought she was amazing.

Several other riders took their jumps as Zoë made her way around the moist dirt track. She raised her hand, motioning one of the factory riders she performed with to join her. Together they hit the ramp, and with a choreographed move they did a simultaneous somersault. After Drew’s heart started to beat again, he