Page 131 of Zane

Zane laid his hand on the table, palm up, and Kelsey didn’t hesitate to put her hand on top of it. His fingers tightened around hers as he smiled at her, his brown eyes shining with love she hadn’t been sure she’d ever see from him again.

“I love you,” he said.

Kelsey never tired of hearing those words from him, unable to completely let go of the fear from those early days following the accident when she’d wondered if he’d ever say them to her again. “I love you too.”

With a gentle squeeze of her fingers, he bent his head and said grace for their food.

“We’re fully booked for the next week,” Zane told her. “Unless we get some cancellations, from the moment we open on Wednesday, our tables will be full.”

“That’s wonderful!”

The restaurant had only been open for three months, but it was already doing extremely well, thanks to a famous actor who had shown up with his wife and four kids a month earlier. On Kayleigh’s recommendation, they’d decided to give it a try.

The kids had loved the experience so much that the actor had shared his endorsement of the restaurant all over his socialmedia. From that point on, the reservations had grown. It was a blessing after all the hard work Zane had put into it.

It had taken nine months for him to find a location around Serenity that would be suitable. There had still been plenty of work needed to create the welcoming, comfortable, yet elegant interior he’d envisioned.

Having their dreams unfolding at the same time had been a bit hectic, but Zane had resolved to always give their relationship precedence.

So, while he might have made more money if he’d been open seven days a week, he chose to close the restaurant on Mondays and Tuesdays. The care home had also been willing to give Kelsey those days off, so they spent that time together, unwinding from their busy careers.

“You still up to going to Mom and Dad’s tomorrow for the barbecue?” he asked.

Kelsey nodded. “What’s Labor Day weekend without a barbecue?”

Zane chuckled. “Exactly.”

“Are you cooking for it?”

“Nope. Mom said that they were going to take care of everything.”

“Can you imagine if Rori went into labor on Labor Day?” Kelsey said. “That would be hilarious.”

“I don’t think she wants that.”

“No, that’s true. She said she wanted to be able to enjoy the holiday, andthenshe could go into labor.”

It was going to be odd to have a baby around all the time, but Kelsey was looking forward to it. Though she and Zane hadboth agreed they wanted to have kids, they weren’t ready just yet. So, in the meantime, they’d enjoy being aunt and uncle to yet another niece or nephew.

Once they were done eating, they cleaned up their dishes, then locked up and turned off the lights on the main floor before going up to their room—formerly her room. Lee and Rori had given them free rein to change anything they wanted to in the room, so over the past year, they’d repainted and brought a few more of their things out of storage.

If someone had asked her if she’d be happy living with other people after getting married, she probably would have said no. But, for whatever reason, this worked out well for them. Plus, she enjoyed being close to her best friend. They had a lot of fun with Lee and Rori.

Maybe it was because, growing up, she’d lacked a community of supportive and loving people. Having found it there in Serenity, she was happy to keep those people close. One day, they’d move out on their own. But for now, she didn’t want to mess with a good thing.

Since they had a full day ahead, they didn’t stay up as late as they might have on other nights. Once they were ready for bed, Kelsey curled up against Zane and listened as he read a chapter of the Christian suspense book they were working their way through.

After he finished the chapter, they put their phones aside and turned off the lights before cuddling together and spending some time in prayer. It was her favorite time of the day, and the last things Kelsey did each night before sleeping was to thank God for sparing Zane’s life that night in Tampa and bringing them even closer together.

It was something she would never take for granted.

~*~

Around one the next afternoon, Zane and Kelsey made their way out to the family home for the barbecue.

“I can’t wait until the leaves are fully turned,” Kelsey said. “And all the fall events start up.”

“We might have to miss some of it this year because of our schedules,” Zane told her.

---