“Nope,” Zach says flatly, with no hesitation.
“But that doesn't make any sense,” I say, frowning. “He’s not the kind of guy to run from somethingthisbig.”
Zach scoffs.
“Yes, he’s selfish, but this…that’s not him.”
“So cheating on you, and fathering a child while agreeing to marry you just to fulfill some stupid rich people destiny isn’t considered heartless?” He raises a brow and watches me intently.
I can feel myself squirming under his gaze. “It’s not the same.” I flutter my hand. “That was wrapped in all kinds of problems, and yeah, the way he went about ending things with me was wrong, but that doesn’t change who he was when things got tough. He’d always hold my hand under the table while my mom talked shit about me to whoever would listen, and at the end of those dinners, we’d go out to the gazebo and talk for hours under the stars. He wasn’t always terrible to me, even though that’s what he’d like everyone to believe.”
Zach studies me for a long moment. He’s searching for something, but I’m not sure what.
“What?” I finally say.
“You’re too good for this world,” he says matter-of-factly.
“Why?”
“Because you see the good in people who treat you like shit. I doubt you’d be defending him if you knew half the shit he said about you in the locker room.”
“I’m not defending him,” I insist, though I feel a little less confident. “I’d just rather hold on to the good memories than let the bad ones take over.”
Zach exhales through his nose. “Sometimes the bad parts are the truth, and ignoring them doesn’t make them disappear.”
I glance up at him. “Maybe not, but he’s Ella’s father, so maybe he doesn’t need to be written off just yet.”
That softens him. He doesn’t answer, but I rest my head against his shoulder, and after a beat, he presses a kiss to the top of my head.
“Come on,” he says. “Let me show you Ella’s room.”
He leads me across the hall, pushing open a door to reveal a smaller bedroom. The walls are a lighter blue, and there's a small bed withIced Outsheets against one wall.
“This is for Ella,” he explains. “She’s never had her own room before, so I wanted her to have a place that feels special.”
He pushes open a door, revealing a small bathroom with a step stool and Ella’s name carved into it. Of course, there areIced Outbath accessories sitting on the ledge of the tub.
“This is really sweet, Zach,” I say, taking it all in.
He shrugs, trying to play it off. As though he’s not sacrificing things for them to be here. His time, his money, his freedom— that’s what I love about him. He can say I’m too good for this world, but I think that applies to him more. He’ll always focus on making everyone else happy, even to his own detriment.
“I want them to feel at home here. They deserve it.”
“They do,” I say simply before wrapping my arms around his waist and placing a kiss on his lips.
“Now,” he says with an infectious grin, “let me show you upstairs.”
He takes my hand and leads me up the staircase. I feel it. The nerves. I’m so damn nervous about seeing this room.
At the top of the staircase, there’s a short hallway with two doors. He lets go of my hand and places his on the small of my back, leading me to the one furthest away.
“The master is over here.” He pushes the door open.
The room is dark, but the second he turns on the light, I gasp.
It’s perfect.
I knew it would be.