Page 7 of After Him, There Was You
Walking into his arms, I instantly felt more security and dare I say love, than I had felt in years, even considering the time where I thought I was happily married.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, slightly pulling myself away from Zane, forgetting he and O’dell were first cousins and therefore, his presence made perfect sense.
“What am I doing at my club?”
“No… Wait a minute. This is your club?”
“Yes. I’m the owner of this club. It’s one of a few investments I’ve made over the years,” he noted casually, almostas if he didn’t know how impressive it was to be the owner of one of the most popular nightclubs in North Brooke Port.
“Wow. That’s impressive, but I was asking you what you are doing back in North Brooke Port.”
“I moved back here a few weeks ago to take care of my mom. She refused to move with me, and when she said she would love for me to be back home, I made it happen,” he reasoned, shrugging his perfectly broad shoulders.
It was refreshing to see even with time he still had such a pure heart and was willing to make sacrifices for the ones he loved. Aside from his attractive and charming physical appearance, his heart was one of his best attributes.
When Eva and I ran into Zeke, I didn’t imagine I’d have the chance to run into Zane, but then again, I didn’t have a clue he was back in the country either.
“Is your mom sick?” I questioned, feeling as though I had to know without souring the mood for the night too much.
“Yeah,” he confessed as a wave of sadness washed over his charming face. “She has cancer, but she’s maintaining.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I offered, leaning in to give him another hug. It was so second nature for me to want to console him that I didn’t hesitate to wrap my arms around him.
“I appreciate it,” he stated, accepting my embrace. When we ended the interaction, I glanced up to find him looking over my shoulder. He nodded in the direction of my best friend and his brother who were so entangled in each other’s presence and mouths that they didn’t notice his acknowledgement.
“Look at them,” I pointed with a smile, happy to see Eva letting her hair down, not to say that she ever had much of a problem in that area of her life.
Eva never had a problem getting a man, but she had a habit of pushing every man away before she had the chance to see how great they could be together. She would mention themto me, but they never made it to a point of meeting me, and they never had the chance to meet her sons. The most I ever got from her regarding the men she entertained was a secondhand photo they had sent to her.
Hopefully, she wouldn’t fall into her same pattern with Zeke because she deserved to have someone to put and keep a smile on her face.
“I would love to catch up with you somewhere a little more private, if you don’t mind. I need to know what Jason was thinking letting you out of the house,” he stated, grabbing a hold of my hand, skillfully examining my fingers and the lack of jewelry decorating them. “There has to be a story to this.”
“Where can we go to talk?” I asked with my eyes bouncing around the jubilant spectacle we were centered in.
“Follow me.”
Doing as he instructed, I had no problem following him wherever, whenever.
Chapter 5: Love In This Club - Zane
Tara was everything she was the last time I saw her and then some. Due to the enhanced definition of her coke bottle physique, I could only assume she had birthed at least one child.
Initially when I accepted the offer to play overseas ball, I wanted her to leave North Brooke Port and come with me. She was already in a relationship with Jason although they were on a break because he was cheating on her with just about everyone, when I stepped to her. Tara and I shared a special connection that had much more substance than what the two of them could’ve ever shared, and I felt like she should have known it.
I thought the connection was enough for her to take me up on my offer, but the moment she turned me down, I knew I was wrong.
Looking back on things, it was selfish of me to express my feelings to her and ask her to leave the country with me in the same breath. Though the kiss led to intimacy, when it was all said and done, she let me know she couldn’t uproot her life for me.
“So, this is really your club?” Tara questioned as she stepped into my office, almost like she hadn’t believed me when I told her on the club floor.
“Yes, why is that so surprising?”
“Trust me, I’m not saying it to say I can’t believe you’re capable of owning a business because you’ve always been smart, Zane. However, I didn’t know you had any ties here with the exception of your family.”
“Yes. I have a few businesses around town because I believe in giving back to the community who made me into the man I am. I’ve always wanted to create opportunities for employment in the place I grew up in,” I stated. “For me,making a name for myself was more than about living the good life. It was about being in a position to help others elevate and have chances they wouldn’t have normally had. But enough about me,” I concluded, attempting to minimize the effect her look of approval was giving me. “I’m more interested in your relationship status.”
“Why the sudden interest?” Tara asked with her eyebrow piqued to match my curiosity.
