Page 22 of Gone Away Home

I hate it and I wish I could talk to him about it, but if he’s not willing to give, then I’m not going to invite the possibility of Zayla being hurt into our lives. No way in hell.

“Dustin,” Mr. Lang greets me and pulls me into a hug, “it’s good to see you.”

“Good to see you too, Mr. Lang,” I tilt my head toward his wife, “and Mrs. Lang.”

The older woman blushes sightly as she smiles. “You’re an adult now, I think it’s about time you call us Elaine and Albert.”

“He doesn’t need to call you Elaine,” Albert grumbles. “Then he’ll be using your first name to sweet talk and flirt with you.”

Zayla tries to walk past me, but I’m not going to let her walk by without soaking up her nearness, even if it’s only for a moment. I simply can’t help myself.

Elaine pats Albert’s chest like he’s being cute as she giggles softly. “I don’t think he’ll be flirting with me,” she admonishes her husband before turning her appraising eye my way. “Isn’t that right? Not with this,” she makes a hand motion to indicate my woman and me, “going on. It’s good to see you two finally together.”

I open my mouth to tell her thank you, relieved they don’t seem to have an issue with our relationship. Since this is the first time we’ve talked since we started working, I wasn’t sure if they fell into the camp where they couldn’t say anything nice or if they didn’t care either way.

“We’re together,” I confirm and look down at my woman to find so much love in her eyes as she meets my gaze.

It takes my breath away when she looks at me like this. Everything around us starts to fade away, but before I can be lost in her brown eyes completely, I’m yanked out of serenity and faced with the woman who has been sneering at us all day.

“You shouldn’t be supporting this,” there’s fury written all over her face. “It’s an outrage. They’re related. Them being together is a disgusting abomination.”

I curl my lip at her to show just how much she’s pissed me off. It’s a warning for her shut the fuck up. I have a feeling she won’t listen, though.

“Marnie,” Zayla’s voice is cold and cutting, “you really shouldn’t speak about things you don’t know about.”

“I know you’re related,” Marnie’s voice is raised, probably just for the purposes of attracting attention.

“No, we’re not,” Zayla states firmly. “Our parents got married when we were teenagers. We lived under the same room for three years, but that’s it and we were not close during that time. We’ve done nothing wrong.”

“It’s amazing how you don’t even see how filthy and wrong this is,” Marnie shouts.

Zayla arches an eyebrow and crosses her arms across her chest, her eyes cold and hard as she looks Marnie over. “Forsomeone who is laughed at behind her back for being a town bicycle, one of legends, calling someone filthy and disgusting for being in love is kind of rich. Don’t you think?” Marnie’s face pales, but Zayla isn’t done; I’ve never seen anything more glorious. “And let’s not forget one of the ways you became such a legend involves the entire baseball team running a train on you during your senior year.”

A slow clap starts not far from us, and we look over to find Jade, Jasper’s little sister, standing there with pride shining in her eyes as she looks at Zayla. Elaine is covering her mouth, but from the twinkle in her eyes it’s clear she’s trying not to laugh.

Marnie lets out an undignified sound before turning around and practically running away. Good riddance.

I kiss Zayla’s temple and murmur, “Proud of you, sweetheart.”

“That was amazing,” Jade gushes. She groans and shakes her head, “I remember when that happened with the baseball team. Coach was not happy, and they talked about morality agreements for players because they were afraid some sexually transmitted infection was going to ruin their chances of being state champions.” She looks at Elaine and Albert and winces, “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” a small giggle escapes Elaine before she takes a breath and composes herself, “that was highly entertaining. People in glass houses and all. Clearly, she didn’t learn that lesson.”

“I’m kind of glad for it,” Jade deadpans, “or else we would have missed out on the show. If only I had popcorn.” She winks at Zayla. “I, for one, am glad you two are finally together. Iapprove. Not like whether I approve matters or was even asked for.”

“I appreciate it all the same,” Zayla grins and pulls Jade in for a quick hug.

“The only thing that matters at the end of the day is if you love each other, and that you’re going to fight for each other when times get tough. And they will get tough because life needs ups and downs,” Elaine’s voice is filled with sage wisdom.

“I’ll fight every single day for Zayla,” I tell Elaine honestly.

“Good,” she nods, clearly relieved. “Some days I’m not sure how I can still be surprised when people talk about things they don’t really know about. You know,” she leans toward me and her voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper, “Hollis and Slade share a woman. They love her with all they are, and she’s their biggest cheerleader. It works for them and I’m glad it does. It’s unconventional, but they’re happy. Far too many people choose appearances over happiness and it’s sad.”

I blink a few times at the woman because while I may have gotten updates here and there about the residents of Jasper Ridge, this particular detail was never shared with me. I’m curious as hell about it, but it’s not my place to ask for or look for answers.

“They’re happy?” When Elaine nods, I shrug. “You’re right, it’s all that matters. Life is too short to worry about people judging you.”

She pats my hand and the comfort in the gesture makes me feel seen and loved. After Dad’s reaction, I welcome the feeling without a second thought.

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