Page 21 of Zane

“Zane?”

Hearing his brother’s voice had Zane lowering his hands. Gareth approached the bed, snagging a chair and sinking down into it. His brother’s brown gaze was serious as he regarded him.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“Is this brother Gareth asking, or doctor Gareth?”

“Does it matter?”

“I suppose not.”

“So?” Gareth prompted. “How are you doing?”

“As well as can be expected, I suppose.”

“Pain?”

Zane gave him an honest assessment of his aches and pains.

“And how are you feeling about the plans to go to Serenity?”

“It’s the best place, I guess. I’m going to need the support.”

Gareth nodded. “You are. But you could have that here with Kelsey.”

Zane frowned. “I can’t stay here just with her.”

“She’s your wife, and whatever else we might feel about your relationship, I’m sure she loves you.”

“I’m so confused by the family’s reaction to her.”

“I think it has less to do with her specifically, though clearly Mom and Dad have concerns about her not being a Christian, and more about how your relationship and marriage unfolded.”

“What do you mean?”

“We met her for the first time at Christmas, and she was only with us for three days. We didn’t have much chance to get to know her in all the hustle and bustle of the holiday. The next thing we know, a few weeks ago, you announce that you and Kelsey had eloped and moved together to Tampa. It was a… shock.”

“So Mom’s upset that she didn’t get a wedding?”

Gareth shook his head. “I doubt it’s that. Mom’s upset that you married someone that the family doesn’t know at all. She’s worried about you. That’s how she is. You know that.”

“I guess.”

“Mom will come around, especially if she gets to spend more time with Kelsey. I don’t think you would have married someone who wasn’t a decent person.”

“I’m just surprised that I’m married to… uh… to someone who isn’t Sarah,” Zane confessed. “I’m having a hard time accepting that. As far as my memory goes, we’re still together, and I love her.”

There was a long stretch of silence as Gareth frowned at the floor. “I can’t imagine how that would be. If I woke up and Ariaand I weren’t together anymore, but in my memory, we were, I think I’d lose my mind.”

It definitely was something that Zane was struggling with. He tried not to think about it, which was only doable when Kelsey wasn’t there, and no one was talking about her.

“It’s a bit of a brain scrambler, to be sure,” Zane said. “And I really struggle with just not knowing how I’ve ended up with someone else. I need to understand.”

“I don’t know the details,” Gareth said with a shake of his head. “Just that Sarah broke up with you three or so years ago. I never heard anything more.”

“She broke up withme?” That didn’t clarify anything. But it did cause pain when he realized that she’d rejected him.

“You could try talking to Lee to see if he has more details. Or maybe you need to have a conversation with Kelsey about it. She might know.”

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