Page 17 of Finding You

He glanced at Raven, noting she sat with her hands tightly clasped in her lap. He could feel the tension bouncing off her, and he wasn’t sure if she was still worried about the babies. Or was it that she was anxious because of being with him?

“Have you been to Chicago before?” he asked, hoping to get her to relax before they made it to the restaurant.

“Yes, before my parents died, I visited at least once a year.”

Ah hell. So much for getting her to relax.

“I’m so sorry about your parents. Was this recent?”

Zion gripped the steering wheel tighter as Raven told him that they were in a car accident when she was fifteen. She was in high school, and her mother’s only sister, the one who lived in Chicago, moved to Houston. Her aunt hadn’t wanted to pull her out of school and thought it would be better to keep her life as normal as possible. Which sounded like Raven really appreciated. Since she didn’t have siblings, her friends helped her get through the loss.

As she continued talking about her childhood, Zion was surprised to learn the parents who were killed were her adopted parents. She never knew her biological mother and father. Not only had Raven been adopted, but both her parents, the ones who raised her, had grown up in foster care. Her mother had been adopted, but her father spent much of his childhood in the State’s system.

“I miss them every day, especially since they don’t have a big extended family. I see my aunt as often as I can, but my cousin and I don’t talk as much as we used to. She had just started college when my aunt moved to Houston to take care of me, but we spent summers together. Once we both started our careers, we drifted apart. Living in different cities didn’t help.

“But now that I have Andrew and Zanaya, I have my own little family.”

Andrew nodded. “My mother mentioned you’re thinking about moving to Chicago. Is that why? To be closer to your extended family?”

After a long hesitation, and with her looking everywhere but at him, she finally said, “That’s part of the reason, but I’m also moving because... To be honest, I need some space from my ex.”

Zion stiffened as he pulled into the underground parking lot of the hotel where the restaurant was located. All his senses went on high alert and a wave of protectiveness clawed through him.

He stopped himself from saying the first thing that popped into his mind, which was—Did he hit you?

He was already getting angry, and she hadn’t said anything about a physical confrontation with the man. Still, Zion wondered, especially since whatever was going on with her ex could affect Zanaya and Andrew.If, and that was a bigif, Zion was the father, he’d have every right to know the type of people she had around his kids. And if the person was abusive?

Dude. Don’t go there.But he couldn’t help himself. One of the worst aspects of his job was responding to domestic violence calls. He hated them. They were dangerous, and they rarely ended well for all parties, including the police.

Steadying himself and trying not to jump to any conclusions, he said, “I can’t wait to hear more about this ex of yours.”

Chapter Eight

What is wrong with me?

She’d said too much. Why’d she bring up Maximus? No, she hadn’t mentioned him by name, but the fact that she’d mentioned an ex was a dumb move.

I should’ve kept my big mouth shut.

Raven knew why she hadn’t. Maximus had called her earlier, and he was still on her mind. Like a fool, she had answered the phone. In her defense, he had called from a different telephone number. The only reason she bothered talking to him was because if she hadn’t, he would’ve kept calling. Thankfully, he was out of the country and had no idea that she was in Chicago. If she was lucky, she could make it back to Houston, ship her belongings to Chicago, and head back here before he even knew she was gone.

But all that was unlikely, she thought as she and Zion exited the elevator on the floor where the restaurant was located. Surprisingly, he hadn’t said anything about her ex, except that he was looking forward to hearing more. Maybe he meant in the future. Which was fine by her. She’d rather talk about anything but Maximus. Unfortunately, at some point, especially if Maximus didn’t back off, she’d have to mention him to Zion.Since he was the twin’s father, he’d have a right to know her ex had become a little emotionally unhinged lately.

Raven stood off to the side while Zion spoke to the hostess. The place looked packed. For a Chinese restaurant, it was large and a little fancier than she’d expected. She didn’t feel out of place with the way she was dressed though. Some people were casually attired while others looked as if they were going out on the town after dinner.

“Right this way, please,” the hostess said with a smile.

With Zion’s hand at the small of her back, Raven tingled all over from his touch. It didn’t matter that she had on a sweater, she felt him to the depths of her soul, and it was unnerving. She didn’t want to still be attracted to him. She didn’t want to still want him. And she sure as heck didn’t want to enjoy the way his hands felt on her body.

It had already been hard enough when he had her hugged up to him at the B & B. It had felt so good being in the circle of his arm that she hadn’t been able to pull away. He was making her feel the way he had during their brief time in Vegas. Like she was special, wanted, and cherished.

Nope. She had to keep her head. This outing might feel like a date, but she needed to remember that all they could be were parents to their babies. Any romantic notions she might have, needed to be put on the back burner.

“Is this okay?” the hostess asked when she stopped near a table that was secluded in a far corner.

The terrace views were impressive, surrounded by tall office buildings and high-rise apartments or condominiums. Large greenery offered seclusion from other patrons while the view of the sky and surrounding buildings weren’t hindered.

“This is perfect,” Zion said and moved in front of the hostess to pull out the chair for Raven.

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