Page 61 of Charger

“That seems fair. Really, thank you for the invite and for last night, but I need to get going. I have to pick up Chloe and…”

“Nope, I won’t take no for an answer.”

“It’s true. You might as well give in.” Zach shrugs and before I know it, I’m eating Maggie’s homecooked bacon and eggs.

I open my door and there’s Zach. His hair is tousled, his jeans are hugging his thighs, and his leather is draped over his white t-shirt, which of course always looks good on him. To be honest, I still feel embarrassed about last night. Being rejected by Zach kind of sucks. I wanted to hide out today, but seeing that it was a fair, Chloe would be excited to go, and this gave Zach more time to spend with her.

“Hey.” His voice is deep.

“Hey.” I grab my hair, tossing it in a pony as he walks inside. Zach watches me as if tying my hair up is the most seductive thing. But the way he looks at me makes my nipples perk up.

“About last night…”

“Let’s just forget it, please.” I stop him, basically to save myself from more humiliation. There’s no hole for me to crawl inside, so let’s not.

Chloe comes running out from her bedroom. “Charger!” Zach crouches down to Chloe’s height, catching her in his arms.

“What’s up, kid? You ready to go eat cotton candy until your teeth fall out?” They both laugh together. “I was just kidding. Your mom wouldn’t be too happy with me.”

She pats his arm. “Can I call you daddy instead?”

He looks at me, then back to Chloe with a smile. “Sure, kid. I would love that.”

“Yay!”

He taps her on the nose, then glances up at me.

“Ready?” I nod my head yes and we all head downstairs.

I catch a glimpse of Zach’s bike parked off to the side. This is actually the first time I’m seeing it in the daylight. I have to do a double take, stopping dead in my tracks. I recognize something. While Zach carries Chloe ahead of us, I walk closer to get a better look. The detail is so familiar. And now I know why. It’s my drawing.

“I had your drawing hand-painted on as soon as I was able to afford it. The guy who painted it was actually worried about messing it up, since yours was so good.”

I’m stunned, and that’s just touching the surface of how I am feeling.

Gently running the tips of my fingers on its surface, I take in the exceptional detail. The lion looks so real. I’d hate to brag but it looks just like my sketch. Its eyes are fierce, watching, protecting.

“I can’t believe you did this.”

“I told you I would.”

“Yeah, but, how did you… when did you?”

Chloe sings from the back seat of my car and Zach shrugs.

“I came back eventually. My mother, before she skipped town and relapsed, gave me the box with your sketch in it.”

I smile, biting my lip. “You want to know why I chose a lion?” I move closer to him. “Because lions protect. You were always my protector, Zach.”

He tugs me into him and instantly, I melt. His strong arms circle around me all while I breathe him in. “I will always protect you, Jules. You and Chloe both, got it?”

“Mommy! Daddy!”

He pulls me away slightly. “Will I ever get used to that?”

“No,” I whisper to him with a smile. “Come on, Dad.” He takes my palm and we walk hand in hand to the car.

Everyone is already here when we arrive. Mags is with Angel at the booth. Tank and Throttle are hanging out on the side, with a small circle of women ogling them up. I can’t say I blame them. The guys all look like they stepped off the hot and sexy train.

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