Page 3 of Zane

They hadn’t really had a honeymoon, unless he counted the three days following their elopement when they’d come to Tampa to find an apartment before returning to Chicago to pack up all their belongings. Which he didn’t because it had been a super stressful and busy time.

Even during the drive down almost four weeks ago, they hadn’t had a lot of time together. They’d had to travel in separate vehicles, since Kelsey had driven Zane’s car, while Zane drove the moving van they’d packed with their personal belongings and used to tow Kelsey’s smaller car. So they’d only had a few hours together at the hotels where they’d overnighted during the trip.

Since arriving in Tampa, Zane had jumped right into his job, while Kelsey had spent the first week going to interviews and finally landing a new job. Thankfully, Kelsey’s new place of employment had been willing to work with her so that she and Zane had the same days off each week.

So far, their days off had been filled with unpacking and buying the things they needed to set up their new home together. They hadn’t had a lot of time to explore their new city, though they had gone to the beach one day because they’d really just needed a break. But now that they were more settled, they were hoping to do more sight-seeing.

After a brief discussion, they decided that on their days off that week, they had better take care of a few other necessities—like switching over their driver’s licenses before the thirty days were up—and then spend some time just relaxing and seeing what else Tampa had to offer.

They’d both decided that one visit to the beach was probably going to be enough for now, so they had to figure out what else was of interest to them around the area.

Zane was glad to leave the touchy subject of his family behind, and from the appearance of Kelsey’s dimples as they talked about something more enjoyable, so was she.

Once they’d finished their coffee and cookies, they cleaned up together, then made their way to the bedroom. He’d always hada fairly practical décor aesthetic, but Kelsey had brought warmth and coziness to their apartment.

Their bedroom was dominated by the queen size bed, but Kelsey had picked colors and styles that made it feel like their own private oasis. Which it really was. They made a practice of not discussing difficult things once they were in bed, unless it pertained to their relationship. So far, that hadn’t been necessary.

Kelsey went into the bathroom to do her nighttime skin routine and brush her teeth, while Zane got his clothes ready for the next day. Once she was done, Zane took his turn in the bathroom, then he crawled into bed next to Kelsey.

He was so grateful for Kelsey’s presence in his life, and though things might seem a little rough with his family at the moment, he was confident it would smooth out. His parents had only ever wanted what was best for their children, and Zane was sure that in time, they’d see that his marriage to Kelsey was what was best for him.

“Want to read a chapter?” he asked, holding up the paperback they’d been reading together at night before going to sleep.

Though he wasn’t sure that Dean Koontz was the best before sleep reading. This particular book had some vivid descriptions of some scary situations. Still, he and Kelsey had had fun reading it. She was better at reading out loud, and after a long day at work, it was a relaxing way to end their day.

Nodding, Kelsey moved over next to him. She leaned back against him, her head resting on his shoulder. Zane slipped his arm around her waist and listened as she started the next chapter.

When his relationship with Sarah had ended, he’d really struggled. He’d also been convinced that he’d never feel about anyone else, the way he’d felt about Sarah.

He’d been filled with so much hurt and anger, with cooking being the only thing that brought him any sort of joy. To fill the empty hours, he’d cooked. At work and at home, he’d cooked.

He’d made huge advances in his recipe development, though he’d abandoned his original plan to create dishes that might appeal to children or people who were intimidated by the idea of fine dining. That change had garnered him a better position at a better restaurant, which had eventually led him to the job at the one Michelin star restaurant in Tampa.

Eventually, though, he’d come out of his fog of hurt and anger and once again began to socialize, mostly with his co-workers at the restaurant where he’d gotten a job a year or so after his breakup with Sarah. One of those co-workers had been Kelsey, and the rest was history.

Not wanting to ever revisit that time before meeting Kelsey, he had initially closed the door firmly on Sarah and had refused to talk about her, their relationship, or the breakup with anyone. Even to Kelsey. He hadn’t wanted his future with Kelsey to be tainted by the knowledge of the emotional wreck he’d been following that breakup.

But three months ago, he’d reached out to Sarah once again, wanting to apologize for his behavior following the breakup. He’d even met up with her and her husband, and his plan was to tell Kelsey about Sarah and to hopefully introduce them.

However, that plan had changed with the job offer in Tampa, plus Sarah and her husband had moved to Washington state. Zane had put off telling Kelsey about Sarah for so long, he now wasn’t sure how to broach the subject with her. Especially sincethey’d had a discussion about previous relationships, and he hadn’t mentioned Sarah.

It was hard for him to share with Kelsey just how off the rails he’d gone when faced with Sarah’s rejection of him and the future they’d planned together. That was his pride, really. He needed to get over it and be transparent with Kelsey, telling her about everything that had happened with Sarah.

Because as difficult a time as that had been, he’d learned and grown from it, and he believed it had prepared him for this next phase of his life with Kelsey and as a sous-chef at a one Michelin star restaurant.

But that could wait for another time. The sanctuary of their bedroom wasn’t the place to have that conversation.

CHAPTER TWO

Even though she always got home well before Zane, Kelsey didn’t tend to linger at the restaurant where she worked. That night, however, she took her time since he was probably going to be at least an hour later than he usually was.

“Did you and your hubby have a fight?” Tanya asked.

“What?” Kelsey looked up from the menus she was straightening at the hostess stand.

Tanya was the manager of the restaurant, and she’d been the one who had hired Kelsey three weeks earlier.

“Most days, you’re out of here as soon as your shift is over,” Tanya said, her brown eyes holding concern. “Is the honeymoon over already?”

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