Page 32 of Zane

It sank into him then.

She was hiswife.

He had awife.

Even though it wasn’t Sarah, he’d taken on that responsibility with Kelsey. Willingly. So eventually, he’d have to figure out how to deal with her and their relationship.

There was no way he could just jump right back into the marriage with a virtual stranger. However, maybe it was time to take it seriously. Perhaps the first place to start was with the photos that he’d downloaded from the cloud when he set up his new phone.

He’d avoided looking at them, but perhaps they would help him understand a bit about their marriage and how he felt about Kelsey.

But there was a knot in his stomach at the thought, and his head started to ache.

Maybe it could wait for another day or three.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Kelsey followed Lee and Rori to a row about midway down the aisle in the large sanctuary of their church. Zane was behind her on his crutches.

They’d been stopped by a few people as they’d entered the foyer, but many had seemed to realize that Zane wasn’t comfortable standing to chat with them for too long. Most had just assured him that they were praying for him.

Kelsey wasn’t sure why she’d decided to go to church with them that day, except for the fact that she wanted to be with Zane. It had been a bit like water being poured on her parched heart when she’d seen him again after nearly a week apart.

It had taken everything inside her to not protest them living separately for the past week. However, it was important that they move things along at his speed. And now they were back under the same roof, so she was happy. Well, as happy as she could be given their current circumstances.

When they reached a nearly empty row, Lee went in first, followed by Rori and Kelsey. As they settled into their seats, Zane propped his crutches beside him. He shifted around a few times, clearly trying to get comfortable on the padded pew.

It was a bit of a surprise to Kelsey that Zane had wanted to come to church. Never in all their time of dating had he mentioned wanting to attend any services. They had gone to church together once, back when they’d come to Serenity for Christmas. The whole family had attended the Christmas Eve service, so they’d gone with them.

Her world had been turned upside down in the recent weeks, and at times, it felt like she was living in a nightmare. To go fromtheir happy life in Tampa, to living in Zane’s hometown—a place he’d never planned to return to—with a husband who didn’t remember her… It felt like too much for one person to have to endure.

As the pews around them filled, Kelsey spotted other Halverson family members taking their seats. Charli and her husband and kids slid into the row in front of them. Well, two of their kids. The two youngest ones weren’t with them.

“Hey, Uncle Zane.” Charli’s oldest daughter Layla greeted her uncle with a smile.

The girl had dark hair and brown eyes like her mom and looked to be maybe thirteen or fourteen years old. Amelia, who sat next to her, had blonde hair and was younger than Layla. Her smile was a little more reserved than her sister’s.

“Hey, girls,” Zane said, reaching out to bump fists with Layla then Amelia. “How’s it going?”

“Good,” Layla said. “How’s your leg?”

“Still attached, so that’s a good thing.”

“Definitely,” Amelia agreed with a nod.

Before they could talk more, music began to play. The girls turned around, and Kelsey looked toward the stage where the musicians stood. She recognized Gareth on the drums, but he was the only family member up there.

Kelsey had no idea what to expect of the service, so she hoped she didn’t flub anything up. Rori had explained that there was nothing she needed to do to participate, which Kelsey had appreciated. Going into new situations wasn’t anything new for Kelsey, but she preferred familiarity.

After a man had welcomed the congregation, he invited them to stand. Kelsey glanced at Zane, thinking he might stay sitting,but he grabbed his crutches and managed to get to his feet. His arm brushed hers as he adjusted the crutches once he was up.

He might have lost four years of his memories, but apparently, he remembered all the songs they sang that morning. Though Kelsey had heard him sing before, this seemed different.Heseemed different.

After the service had gone on for about twenty minutes, a middle-aged man took his place behind the podium. He smiled as his gaze swept the congregation, before landing on Zane.

“I just want to say how happy I am to see Zane and his wife Kelsey here with us today. I won’t ask you to stand, son. However, I want you to know that since word of your accident reached us, we’ve been praying for you. And we will continue to pray for your healing.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Kelsey saw Zane smile and nod. She was aware of people turning to look at them, offering smiles. It took everything within her not to shift in her seat.

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