Page 4 of Zane

Kelsey gave a short laugh. “No. Zane’s working later than usual, so there’s no rush for me to get home.”

“Ah… for the days of young love. Feels like forever since I’ve had that with my hubby.”

“How long have you been married?”

“Twenty-five years.”

That surprised Kelsey. She’d thought Tanya was somewhere in her early thirties. The woman was striking, with high cheekbones and flawless brown skin. Her curly black hair was pulled smoothly back from her face, accentuating her beautiful features.

“That’s wonderful.” Kelsey hoped that she and Zane could do whatever it took to make it that far in their marriage. Or even further.

“It hasn’t all been sunshine and roses,” Tanya said. “But the good times we’ve had together are an incentive to fight through the rough times to get back to the good.”

Kelsey hoped that she could keep that mindset if she and Zane ever ran into struggles in their relationship. Given that they hadn’t been married all that long, they hadn’t had many disagreements. Even things that might have caused conflict for other couples—wanting to elope and making a major move—hadn’t in their situation because she hadn’t had an issue with either.

“Just keep the lines of communication open,” Tanya advised. “If you both keep talking, it’s less likely that small issues will become big ones.”

Kelsey appreciated the advice because she had no one in her family that had set a good example in a relationship, let alone a marriage. Even her best friend had had trouble keeping a boyfriend.

She had also been adamantly opposed to Kelsey marrying Zane and moving away. They hadn’t spoken since Cheryl had called her a desperate idiot for agreeing to elope and move away with Zane. Cheryl had never liked Zane, though she’d never voiced why.

Kelsey suspected it was because he treated her so well, and Cheryl had never experienced that kindness with any of her boyfriends.

Still, it was sad, but perhaps not surprising, that her friend hadn’t wanted her to have something good in her life. No one had ever wanted that for her.

No one except Zane.

The man had proven himself to be a cheerleader as she’d shared about her dreams, and Kelsey knew that when she finally took and passed the nursing exam, he’d be thrilled for her. And even though she was working hard for her own sake, his belief in her made her want to work even harder for him.

Finally, she said goodbye to Tanya and headed home. She had two days off, which she was really looking forward to. Especially since she would be spending them with Zane.

They had plans to run a few errands because there were some things they hadn’t sorted out from their move to Tampa yet. The nitty-gritty things that were necessary when moving to a new place. They’d been putting them off, and they needed to stop doing that.

The dark apartment was quiet as she walked in, but that was the norm these days.

After turning on some lights, she went to the bedroom and changed out of her work clothes. She either wore a black pencil skirt or black slacks with a white blouse and heels. It was a simple but elegant outfit which was appropriate for the restaurant since it was a popular date night destination.

Once dressed in a pair of loose cotton shorts and a T-shirt, Kelsey carried the hamper of dirty clothes from their room into the short hallway leading to the main living area and opened the doors of the closet that contained their washer and dryer. She quickly moved the clothes from the hamper to the washer and started it up, grateful that they could do laundry in their apartment whenever it was convenient for them.

After she was done with that, Kelsey grabbed a glass of water, then went to the comfiest chair they had in the apartment and picked up her tablet to do some studying. It had taken her yearsto complete nursing school, and she was hoping to finally be able to sit for the nursing exam soon.

The move to Tampa had postponed her initial plan to take the test in Chicago, but she didn’t mind. It was a small price to pay in order to be with Zane.

When he’d first told her that he’d been accepted for the sous chef position at a one Michelin star restaurant in Tampa, Kelsey had been sure that he’d leave her behind. Her heart had broken at the thought, and she’d readied herself for the inevitable.

When he’d told her they needed to talk, she’d been braced for the breakup. Instead, she’d gotten a proposal. She hadn’t hesitated even a second before saying yes, and when, soon after, he’d posed the idea of eloping, she’d jumped on board.

Her dream for her wedding had never been for a fancy one. No, it had been for her groom to be a good man who loved and cherished her. Which Zane certainly seemed to be and do.

There had been no way she’d let him go, even if it meant moving across the country and postponing taking the nursing exam. It had already taken her longer than usual to make it to this point in her quest to become a nurse, so what was a few more months?

Most days, she used the hours between when she got home from work until Zane got home to study and prepare for the exam. Though school had never come super easy to her, she’d always worked hard to get good grades, realizing she was going to need them if she wanted to achieve her goals. So she was studying hard in order to not just pass, but to excel as a nurse.

It felt like all parts of her life were finally falling into place. And while Kelsey had always figured that with hard work, she could attain her goal of becoming a nurse, she hadn’t been so sure she’d end up with the type of man she wanted.

But for whatever reason, Zane had walked into her life, and after first becoming friends, they’d become something so much more. She was determined to do whatever she had to in order to make sure that their life together lasted forever.

As time clicked by, Kelsey kept an eye on her phone, watching for when Zane left the restaurant. When she finally saw his indicator move, she smiled. It would probably take him about half an hour to get home, since the late-night traffic would be light.

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