She shrugged and smoothed out a crease in her skirt. “What was he rambling on about, anyway? He’s acting like I dragged you out of California or something.” Her eyes cut his way, lingering for a second, before she went back to toying with the full material of her skirt. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t kidnap you and lock you in the trunk of my car when I headed out here.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, dancing around the edge of the subject. Don’t ask . . . don’t ask . . . He couldn’t very well tell her that the very second she’d told him she was leaving California and had found a place in Tucson, he’d started looking for a place there as well. That wasn’t going to help matters any, was it?
“Look, Sebastian is just being . . . Sebastian. You know how he is. He gets an idea in his head and it’s like he can’t see anything else. It warps everything he does, everything he sees.”
She opened her mouth, but this time, before the words could escape, he leaned in and kissed whatever questions she had away.
Sooner or later, he thought. He’d explain it all sooner or later.
Just not yet. This was all too new and he needed to give her time first. If he knew a damn thing about Abby, it was how she reacted and if he told her that he’d been in love with her for well . . . forever? Yeah. That was the kind of news that was best delivered after she’d had some time to get used to things. Used to having him in her life like this, as something more than just her friend.
* * *
Questions.
Damn it, Abigale had been planning to ask him a question . . . or five.
But as his hand caught her face, all thoughts of questions, all thoughts of Sebastian and everybody else seemed to fade away.
Only one thought seemed to exist for her now.
Only one thing.
Zach.
That was it.
Groaning, she opened for him as he twisted and leaned into her body, his warmth wrapping around her. The noise of the party, the high-pitched giggles of the children, the low hum of music, everything faded away . . . nothing but Zach existed.
His hand curled into the wide lapel of the button-up dress she wore, his thumb stroking back and forth over her skin, slow and steady. A simple touch. Almost innocent, but not quite. And she was melting inside. Melting and burning and shaking.
Finally, he eased back, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he stayed that way, his brow pressed to hers, his eyes lingering on hers. “Abby, I . . .”
“C’mon! It’s time for me to eat Daddy’s cake!”
The moment shattered, but it was broken with laughter as they pulled back, grinning at each other for a minute before they looked over at Clayton, Trey’s son.
“Is that what it’s time for, pal?” Zach asked, reaching over and catching Clayton’s ear. He tugged on it lightly and ruffled the boy’s hair.
“Yeah!” Clayton practically bounced on his heels as he looked around. “Meemee told me that I could eat it as soon as I got all of you ready so I gotta find everybody else!”
The four-year-old took off with the single-minded intensity of the young. Sighing, she looked back at Zach and reached up, cupping his cheek in her hand. “You ready for some cake?”
He kissed her palm. “I’m ready for what I was just having.” Then he pulled his feet out of the pool and stood up. “But cake will work for now. The sooner we finish up the birthday stuff, the sooner we can go.”
Chapter Fourteen
He’s spent more than half of his life doing exactly what you wanted him to do, Abby.
Brooding, Abigale stared out the window over the bay.
Usually when they came up to San Diego for one of the family things, they stayed with Zach’s folks. There was even a room that Denise had set aside for Abigale. Abigale wouldn’t go so far as to say it was her room, but whenever she was here, that was the room she stayed in.
But Zach had told her he had reserved a room for them at a hotel and she had been just fine with that.
It had been . . . odd . . . all night.
Even after Sebastian had left, not long after the presents were opened, things had felt off. She suspected it was her, but still, she couldn’t brush