Page 130 of Zane

Nothing could have prepared Zane for how amazing it would feel to lead his wife to the Lord. To pray with her as she confessed her sins and accepted God’s forgiveness and gift of eternal life.

He may have lost his memory of the past four years and all the chef’s experience he’d gained during that time, but he had gained so much more. A return to his faith. A closer relationship with his family. But most of all, he’d gained Kelsey’s love and a marriage he was willing to fight for.

EPILOGUE

Kelsey smiled at the woman who approached the desk, a large coffee cup in her hand. “How’s it going, Eva?”

Eva covered her mouth as she yawned. “I’m still getting used to this shift.”

“It’ll be worth it once you do,” Kelsey assured her. “I am so thankful I’m on the same shift hours as Zane.”

Nodding, Eva sank down on the stool at the desk and took a sip of her coffee. “I like still having my evenings free with Dougie. I just have to get used to sleeping through the day. And I need to tell my mom not to call us until after three.”

They chatted for a few more minutes, their conversation eventually turning to what had happened on Kelsey’s shift. There were others also in the process of going off shift, so they each took their turn passing on any pertinent information about the residents of the care home where they all worked.

Once that was done, Kelsey clocked out and gathered up her stuff. After saying goodnight to the others, she headed out to her car. Sliding behind the wheel of her small SUV, she took a moment to just breathe.

It hadn’t been the easiest shift. One of her residents had died. And though it had been expected, it had still been heartbreaking because he hadn’t had family present when he passed.

Unfortunately, working where she did, accepting death had become part of her life. It didn’t make it any easier, however.

After she’d experienced the death of one of her residents for the first time, Kelsey had questioned whether she wanted to continue on with the job, knowing it was probably just the firstdeath of many. Zane had encouraged her to use her faith and love for people to make the days of the residents more enjoyable, whether they had many or few left.

So that had been her goal each day she went in to work. To show joy, love, gentleness, and caring to the residents, some of whom had no one come to visit them. The deaths hadn’t gotten any easier, but she no longer struggled with them as she once had.

Finally, she put her car in gear and prepared for the thirty-minute drive home.

Once she’d passed the nursing exam, after taking it for the second time, Zane’s family had offered her a position in the clinic. However, if she’d agreed to the job, she would never have seen Zane. She’d wanted hours as close to his as possible.

The closest hospital was in Coeur d’Alene, so she’d looked for other options since she didn’t want to drive an hour to and from work. The care home she’d ended up getting a position at was in a town about halfway to Coeur d’Alene.

It had taken some getting used to making the drive in the dark since she got off at midnight, but now she did so in the comfort of the vehicle Zane had purchased for her. He hadn’t been happy with the idea of her driving her little car on the winding roads at night, especially during winter.

Worship music played from the speakers as she drove, and as she sang along, Kelsey felt the stresses of the day fall away. As she neared Serenity, anticipation began to build.

In the year since that afternoon in her room, life had changed completely. Well, not completely. Zane still didn’t have his memory back. They were still in Serenity and still living in the big house with Lee and Rori, who was soon to have their first child.

Job wise, she no longer stocked shelves, and Zane was back to work as a chef. But this time in his own restaurant, with Hudson and Kayleigh as silent partners.

Also, her relationship with Zane’s family had improved greatly, for which she was very grateful. It had taken some work for them to get beyond their rocky start, but they’d built a relationship that Kelsey was thankful for.

As she pulled her car to a stop in front of the house several minutes later, she saw that Zane’s car was already there. That wasn’t unusual. Though the restaurant closed at eleven, he usually stayed until midnight doing the restaurant related business he didn’t have a chance to do while it was open. His commute back and forth was much shorter, so he was always home before she was.

Their days had fallen into a similar pattern to what they’d had in Tampa, and she enjoyed it as much now as she had then. It also made sharing a home with Lee and Rori fairly easy. Because of their opposite schedules, each couple had plenty of alone time.

As she approached the front door, Zane swung it open, letting her know that, as usual, he’d been watching for her. She picked up her pace, eager to reach the man she loved.

Once she’d stepped into the foyer and he’d closed the door behind her, Zane drew her into a hug. Wrapping her arms around his waist, Kelsey leaned against him, grateful to be reunited.

After a couple of minutes, Kelsey lifted her head for his kiss, and Zane did not disappoint. Then, hand in hand, they made their way up to their room, where they showered together.

“Ready to eat?” Lee asked after they’d dressed in their pajamas.

“I am,” she said. “I’m starving.”

Unlike in Tampa, they usually ate their main meal together when they got home from work. Most nights, Zane brought food home from the restaurant, but there were times he made them something once he got home.

Because Lee and Rori’s room wasn’t close to the kitchen, they didn’t need to worry about being too quiet as they set about plating the food that Zane had left to warm in the oven. Soon they were seated at the breakfast nook together.

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