Page 29 of Keeping Her Safe

When they passed the next time, the woman was gone, and Evie was talking to someone behind her. Still holding her hand, Zachary pulled her towards the table Evie was casually leaning against. Zephyr’s steps slowed; she wasn’t ready yet. She needed more time. Relief washed through her as Zachary pulled her to the table at the stand next to Evie’s.

Zachary’s breath was hot on her cold ear when he whispered, “Look interested, Zeph.”

But she was listening to the conversation going on behind her at the neighboring stand. She could tell by the voices that Evie was talking to one of her sisters.

“Have you decided if you are going to take a vacation this winter?” Evie was asking.

“I don’t know if Gabe will be able to get enough time off to do anything fun.” That must have been Zoey, Zephyr thought. Her husband’s name was Gabriel.

“At least I don’t have that problem. Jasper can get off any time until tax season rolls around. But I would have to pull Ben out of school. I hate to do that, but warm weather …” Evie said.

The voices rolled over Zephyr as she looked at the items for sale on the table in front of her. A familiar warmth settled over Zephyr at the cadence and tone. A memory rushed through her mind of sitting on the floor in some tiny apartment, playing with toys as her mom talked on the phone. Maybe it was the accent that brought it all back, or maybe it was just the fact that these also were Kate’s children. But she hadn’t thought about those days in years.

As the feelings were washing through Zephyr, Zachary had been picking up and putting down things from the table. He turned her to him and put something on her head and looked down at her.

Placing a hand over each cheek, he wiped away the tears from her eyes with his thumbs. “Don’t cry, Zeph,” he whispered.

She shook her head. “I’m not.”

“Okay.” He softly smiled at her and let her cry.

His words had made the memory fade, bringing her back to the present. He must have put a hat on her head because she was starting to feel warmer. Or maybe it was because his hands were holding her face, and his was a few inches away from hers. She could feel his hot breath on her lips as she stared into his brown eyes.

Blinking, she watched as he closed the small space between them and kissed her lips lightly, just a whisper of a touch that set her entire body on fire. Suddenly, she couldn’t feel the cold air at all. She was consumed by the warmth of Zachary.

“Get a room!” someone hollered from somewhere in the distance.

At least it sounded far away. As Zachary straightened up, he looked at the stand behind the one with the hats. Slowly, she too turned her head in that direction to see who had interrupted the moment.

“Yeah, you too. No hanky-panky out here.” Zoey was now standing, leaning against the table with potatoes on it. Her brown eyes were sparkling, and she was laughing as she said it. Zephyr had never seen anyone who looked so much like her … ever.

“Zoey, leave them alone,” Evie said. “Sorry about her. My sister is a little outspoken.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed her, but I really couldn’t help it. She looks so beautiful in the hat,” Zachary said to the two women.

Both women’s eyes then shifted straight to Zephyr, and both said, “Ahhhh.”

“Should I buy it for her?” Zachary asked the women, and both nodded enthusiastically. Zephyr watched Zachary smile at the women and turn to pay the woman who was selling the hats, adding one for himself to the bill.

As he was paying for the hats, Zephyr watched the women who were her sisters. They looked very similar, and even though their hair and eyes were different colors, they had many features that were the same. Anybody who saw them would think they were sisters. Would they notice that she, too, looked the same as they did?

“I hope you’ve tied that one down. He’s a keeper,” Zoey said to her.

Unable to find words, Zephyr held up her hand, the one that wore her mother's wedding ring—their mother's wedding ring.

“How long?” Evie asked with a smile.

Why hadn’t they discussed what they were going to say about their relationship? Maybe they had never thought it would come up, but every time they were with anyone else, it did. Zephyr took a deep breath and let her imagination fill in the gaps her mind could wrap around.

“It seems like just yesterday that I became Mrs. Wainwright. A dream for so long, but a reality for just a short amount of time. Maybe one day, it will feel real,” Zephyr said as Zachary turned around.

“Are you from around here?” Zoey asked. “You have an accent, and I have never seen you around before.”

“No, we’re from Florida, just on vacation,” Zachary said.

“Are you on your honeymoon?” Evie asked, looking at Zephyr.

“We prefer not to call it a honeymoon because honeymoons end, and we plan to stay this way forever,” Zephyr replied shyly, feeling Zachary’s arm encircle her waist and move them forward to the table her sisters were standing at, pushing her closer to them.

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