Finding You

chapter 54

"Why I merely opened the door," he says simply. Snoopy continues barking beside me.

"You're not allowed back here," is all I can think to say.

He flashes me a smile. "Rules are meant to be broken sweetie."

I'm trapped. I'm in the kennel and have nowhere to run. He could kill me now and I wouldn't be able to do anything.

"No need to look for an escape, I'm here strictly to talk."

"I have nothing to say to you. Leave me alone."

"I just thought it generous of me to ask you once more, darling, for your compliance."

I say nothing. I also stand my ground, refusing to let him disable me like the last time.

"Nothing still?" He shakes his head. "One day you'll learn when the right time to be stubborn is... or not." He stares at Snoopy distastefully for a second and then sighs.

"Well by now I'm sure your bodyguard has escaped the men I sent after her and has contacted Zyler, so I must be on my way." He backs away slowly, smiling at me. "I did give you a chance."

I know he has left by the barking getting gradually quieter in the room. I take a few deep breaths and gather myself. I quickly make my way to the door and look for him in the lobby, but he's disappeared.

My mom is still engrossed in a deep conversation with the same customer. With the passion my mom has when talking about these animals, it's no wonder he got by so easily.

I go to the door to exit. As soon as I step outside Zay is there and Dasia right behind him. "Are you okay?" he asks with a mix of concern and rage.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Where did he go?"' This time it's all rage.

"I don't know. I think he's gone. He left."

"Are you sure?"

Before I can respond he grabs me and hugs me, almost a little too tight. I tap on his shoulder. "You're gonna squeeze me to death."

"Sorry. I thought..."

"It's okay. I'm okay."

He has a sad worried expression written on his face. "What happened?"

"He said he just wanted to talk. See if I was willing to tell him anything. He didn't hurt me. He didn't even come closer than ten feet."

Zay frowns. "That's all? Just asked you for information again?"

"Yeah. I was surprised."

He looks at Dasia. "Scout the area, see if he left any tracks or trails," he orders. She nods and leaves right away.

He turns back to me. "Are you sure you're okay angel?"

"Yeah, I'm positive. Not a hair out of place."

"Okay." His frown is still there. "I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"Hey, neither of us knew. Besides, Snoopy was there to protect me," I joke. He really was prepared to take down the world standing by my side though.

He doesn't laugh, just grabs my hand. "I kinda wanna never let you out of my sight ever again."

"Well I'm about to go home, would you like to walk with me?"

"Yes. Or I can drive you," he says without hesitation.

"Okay. Driving it is then," I say. He leads me to his car, which I notice isn't even in a parking spot.

"Really stayed in between the lines there," I joke.

"Parking right wasn't on my mind."

He doesn't seem to be in the mood for jokes, so I bring up a more serious but relevant topic. "So last night..."

He looks over at me at a turn. "Last night." He repeats.

"Do you remember it?"

I've rediscovered his smile. "Yes. I remember it. Do you?"

"Yeah. Although I don't remember going home."

"I took you."

"What was it like? Could you hear me? Understand me?"

"I.. yeah. I could. And I was there."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I was there, in control for most of it."

"Oh. And that's not normal, right?"

"Not that normal, no."

"Huh. Well look on the bright side, you didn't tear me to shreds uncontrollably!"

"Not an inch of me wanted to do that angel. I just wanted to lay with you forever."

My heart swells and I put my hand on his shoulder and kiss his cheek.

"Whoa there. Don't wanna make me crash now."

We pull in front of my house. "Thanks for the ride."

He parks the car. "What do you need to do?"

"My mom wants to talk to me. I shouldn't be long, then I'll come over to your house."

"I'm staying with you."

I notice he states this and isn't asking, and I allow it only because of what just happened. "Okay, I'm sure my mom won't mind."

We walk in the house together, and Zay has his hand clenched in mine the whole time. We hang out in my room for a while and I show him some of my drawings and paintings until my mom arrives. She calls my name a few minutes after I hear the door close, and together we go downstairs.

"Oh, hi Zay." She looks surprised.

"I guess he gets to hear the news too then."

"What news?" I ask.

She smiles and opens a drawer in the kitchen and digs around until she pulls out a rectangular paper. She lies it on the counter and I stare at the black and white photo, not comprehending the grayish blurs right away.

"Congratulations Mrs. Garden," Zay says.

I pick up the picture and examine it closer. Then I realize what it is. I look up at my mom with wide eyes. "You're having a baby?"

She nods and her smile grows even wider. Confusion and then surprise run through me. "This isn't a joke?" I ask.

"No honey. You're gonna have a sibling."

Excitement is taking over the other emotions fast. "Oh my gosh!" I hug her and she laughs happily. "When did you find out?"

"I've known for about two months now. It's been killing me to not tell you but, I wanted to make sure."

"This is so great!" I exclaim. I think back to all the times I've thought about having a sibling and never expecting it to happen. It was definitely a long waited dream come true.

I feel her belly and talk to the surprise growing inside of her. We spend time talking about possible names and arrangements, nothing negative coming up to ruin the joy. By the end of the night I'm truly grateful for this little shred of greatness that's shined its way into my life amidst everything else.