She shakes her head. “Nothing. I’m fine.” She’s lying even without the evidence. I know it because she won’t look me in the eye.
“Zoey don’t lie to me,” I tell her. My voice is eerily calm, nothing compared to how I feel on the inside right now.
She shrugs to play off how hurt she really is. I watch as her perfected façade comes into place. “I’m not. I’m fine, it’s not a big deal.” She steps around me and high tails it to the front door. Zayde catches her just before she makes it inside. I jog over in time to Zayde, whose temper has always been hot, throwing his hands up in the air. I can see the red tint to his skin. He’s going to blow a gasket.
“This shit right here is why you need to stop going out with douchebags like him! When are you going to learn?” Zayde hollers, frustration and his need to protect winning out over his common sense.
Zoey’s back goes rim rod straight and her eyes narrow. “Why don’t you just mind your own damn business? For once just stay out of my life! I can take care of myself.”
Zayde scoffs. “Clearly.” His tone drips in sarcasm and before anyone can react Zoey strikes, slapping Zayde across the cheek. No one even notices because of the party going on around them but I see it and I know that Zoey is going to spiral now. Shock is registered on Zayde’s face.
Zoey covers her face with her hands and shakes her head. I know she’s already regretting her actions. She turns and runs inside. “Zayde,” I call to him.
“You go make sure she’s okay. You can reach her better than anyone and you can handle her. I’m going to go kill someone.” Zayde turns around and starts to stalk off.
“Zayde!” He turns around. “At least take someone with you, please. I mean I know you can hold your own, but just to be safe.”
“Fine. Just make sure she’s okay,” he tells me. I nod in response and head inside. I head through the main part of the clubhouse and to the hallway that has multiple doors. Behind each door is a bedroom. They’ve all been converted. There’s more than enough for each brother of the club and then some. At the very end of the hallway is a staircase. On the first break is Zayde’s room and at the top is Zoey’s. The clubhouse is literally their home. I know that their dad loves this club, but I also feel like they deserve an actual home. I don’t blame her for wanting to spend so much time at my house. I can already hear the music coming from behind her closed door. I knock, but I already know she won’t hear me.
I push open the door and I find her pacing around the room, running her hand through her hair. Her face is red and tearstained, her eyes bloodshot and her breathing is erratic. I close the door and step into her path. She looks up and I see it. She crumbles. The façade falls away and Zoey is vulnerable and open. She throws herself into my chest and I wrap my arms around her as tightly as I can as I lower us to sit on the floor. She sobs and sobs until I’m certain that no human can possibly cry this much. Finally, the sobs diminish into hiccups and then she’s quiet, too quiet. When I look down she’s sound asleep.
I pick her up as carefully as I can and carry her to the bed. I lay her down and pull her shoes off. I walk over to the stereo system and turn it off. “You’re always saving me,” she mumbles.
I walk over and press a kiss to her temple. “As long as you let me, I will.”
As I descend the stairs, I run into Zayde. His hands are smeared with blood and his cheek has a bruise forming, but overall he looks pretty good. We nod at one another to let the other know that things are handled.
Sitting here now with Zoey in my arms again, I can’t help but feel like the past is repeating itself in some way. I place a gentle kiss on the top of her head. “You should eat something.”
“I’m not hungry,” she mumbles, her hot breath cutting through the fabric of my shirt.
I pull her away from me. “I didn’t ask that. I’m telling you that you should eat something.” I nod to the food on the counter.
She rolls her eyes, but grabs the food. She might say she isn’t hungry, but I know that she is. I sit in silence while she eats. When she’s almost finished, she looks at me then back at the food. “You remembered all my favorites.”
I shrug then smirk. “You’re kind of a hard one to forget.”
Zoey blushes and looks away. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Zoey blush before. I used to compliment her all the time and she’d just shrug or laugh. Her confidence was unfaltering back then but now, something is different. She finishes the last bite and turns to look at me before covering her mouth. “Oh my god! I didn’t even think to offer you any of that. I’m the worst.”
I laugh. “Not even close, Zo. Besides, I didn’t want any.”
“You’d say that anyways to make me feel better. You were always the nicest,” she says quietly.
There’s that damn word that I hate, ‘nice’. That was always how she described me. I had always tried hard to be nice in my life, but Zoey always wanted something opposite of that and I could never get it figured out. “Maybe before, but things are different now. Look, Zayde is three days out. The club should be heading back this way tomorrow. You can stay here in your old room until they get back. Wilder won’t bother you, but he’ll be around if you need him or anything.”
Zoey looks at me. “You don’t live here?”
“No, it doesn’t work for my lifestyle. I have an apartment. Do you have any bags?” I ask, as I stand up.
She nods her head. “Yeah, but I can get them.”
“No, that’s what Wilder is for.” I holler for him and he comes quickly. I tell him to grab her stuff from her car and lead the way to her room. I used to sneak back here all the time when she first left. The room smelled like her and it still felt like her presence was there, but as time went on, the room became empty and cold. At one point, Allen, their dad, wanted to convert it into another room to have as a just in case a situation occurred and they needed it, but Zayde threw such a fit that Allen backed off.
We pass by what is technically my room, even if I don’t use it as we head for the stairs. Once we reach her room, I push the door open and flip the light switch. I hear her gasp before I register the sight in front of me. The room is trashed. I’ve only stepped into this room once since Aubree was born and it didn’t look like this the last time I saw it. Maybe, Zayde let his temper get the best of him or something. “Oh, Zayde,” Zoey quietly mumbles.
“You can stay in my room. I’ll get Wilder to clean this up for you tomorrow,” I tell her, as I turn off the light and turn around.
Zoey shakes her head. “Please, don’t have him clean it. I can do it.”
“Okay,” I tell her.
An awkward silence falls between us and I quickly move around her back to the stairs to take her to my room. I stop at my door and pull my key to unlock it. “I thought you didn’t live here.”
“I don’t anymore, but I still have a room here. It comes with being part of the club, but I rarely use it. It might be dusty, but the sheets and what not are clean,” I tell her.
The smell of baby lotion and mint fills the room. Last time I was here, I had Aubree and she had fallen asleep before I could get her home, so we had slept here. My heart aches to see my little girl now. I’m not sure if Zoey recognizes the scent of the lotion or not, but she doesn’t mention anything. “Make yourself at home. Wilder is down the hall in one of the empty rooms if you need anything. I’ll try to stop by tomorrow either before or after work to check on you, but I need to get going.”