My heart constricts... cramps... rolls over and almost dies at the pain in his voice. Because while he says he doesn't want to leave me, it doesn't mean that he's not going to.
I decide to put my heart on the line, because if I don't, I could lose everything that has become dearest to me. Fisting his hair, I pull his head away from my neck and see the shimmer of wetness still in his eyes... swimming with such yearning and pain.
I lean in and place my lips over one eye, feeling it flutter closed. I kiss him softly on the tender skin, feeling his lashes against me and tasting the salt of his tears.
Pulling back, I wait until I can see those beautiful blue eyes, and I tell him with overwhelming feeling. "I love you, Zach. I don't want you to go."
He sighs gently with a tender smile, and he presses his mouth to mine. "Let's just lay here like this for a while. I don't want this moment to end, because everything always seems to end for me."
I can't deny his request, so I don't push further at him. I made my feelings known, and now he holds my heart. It's up to him to decide what to do with it.
Chapter 27
Zach
"Zach?" I hear Randall's voice and look up from the magazine I had been reading as I waited for him in his lobby. He didn't make me wait long, and I stand up from the couch I was sitting on.
"Hey... I'm sorry to show up unannounced like this, but do you have a minute to talk?"
Randall beams at me and beckons me forward. "For you, I have all the time in the world. Come on... let's go back to my office."
I follow behind Randall, my heart beating with fear and excitement. When I woke up this morning, still wrapped up sweetly in Moira's arms, my decision was made. I was going to stay here... with her... and start a new life. A life maybe I was supposed to have all along. A life reclaimed.
I also knew, deep in my heart, this is what Paraila was hoping for me.
But I needed Randall's help... so the first order of business was to swallow my pride and ask for it.
I had slipped out of bed gently, leaving Moira softly slumbering. I know I wore her out the night before, and after experiencing the most intense, most erotically overwhelming orgasm of my entire life, I was wrecked as well. I had never slept more deeply or more peacefully since the day I was born.
When I woke up, I knew that had nothing to do with the fact that I claimed Moira's ass as my own last night. It had everything to do with the fact that she loved me, and I was pretty fucking sure that I would die without her. So I took a quick shower, got dressed, and made a call to Sam to ask him to drive me to Randall's office in downtown Atlanta.
Randall leads me into his office, softly shutting the door behind us. He takes a seat on his leather couch, foregoing the formality of sitting behind his desk. I take a chair opposite, placing my hands on my knees... my body tight with anxiety.
"What's wrong?" he asks with concern in his eyes. "You look about ready to explode."
"I want to stay here... in the States. With Moira."
Understanding laced with pure happiness seeps into Randall's eyes, and his teeth flash at me. He claps his hands together once and says, "My boy... that's fantastic news. I'm sure Moira is so happy. I knew there was something special between you two."
"Actually... I haven't told her yet. I need to get some things figured out first."
Randall leans forward, his face dead serious. Leaning his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together, he asks simply, "What can I do to help?"
"I need a job... some way to..." But my words falter. How do I say this without sounding like a caveman? "I need some way I can take care of Moira. No... that's not right, because she can take care of herself. I just... I need some way to contribute. To be useful. I need a job, and I'd like to work for you. Maybe in one of the stores... stocking shelves or something like that."
There.
It's out.
I've asked for his help, and all I can do is wait to see what he'll do for me.
"Zach... you have a place at Cannon's. And I will have you start at the bottom and work your way up, so you can learn every facet of this business. Because if you stay here... and you work for me, I expect you will go places and be right at the helm with me one day. But for now... I don't want you here."
I blink in surprise at him, so sure he was going to immediately put me in the store that's located in the mall not three miles from my house. "But... I need something now... a way to make money."
"What you need is your education," he says with a serious look. "I propose letting me help you get that. You'd need to get your GED first, and then you need to go on to college. You're bright, and there's no reason why you shouldn't flourish in an academic setting. You'll be a little behind, but I'll get a tutor to help you get caught up."
"School? College?" I ask, dumbfounded. It had never occurred to me.
"Yes, and once you complete your undergrad, I'll put you to work here. I'll want you to go on and get your MBA, but you can do that and work part time."
I appreciate the strong confidence in his words, but this just won't do. I don't have time for that. "I need to earn a living now. I need to be able to contribute," I tell Randall with sincerity. "I cannot accept charity."
Randall leans back in the couch and taps a finger against his lips while he appraises me. "How about this... you can work part time at Cannon's while you get your education. It won't be enough to cover tuition and books, but if you let me pay for that, the part time work can help you contribute to yours and Moira's household expenses. I assume you will stay with her?"
"That was my plan. Which means I'll have to go to school somewhere near her home if I can swing it. Or at least within traveling distance."
"Trust me... I donated enough money to Northwestern when I hired Moira that I guarantee you'll get a spot there as long as your grades are good."
Good grades? Oh, fuck. Can I really do this? Can I really buckle down and actually go to college?
Fuck yeah, I can, roars within my head, because I'd do anything to make this work with Moira.
"I accept," I tell Randall with a smile of thanks. "And I'll pay you back every dime you invest in to me."
Randall chuckles and stands from the couch. "Not necessary. I consider it investing in Cannon's future. But I will accept a hearty handshake to seal the deal."
I stand from my chair and reach out to Randall's outstretched hand. On impulse, I step forward and wrap my arms around his shoulders, pulling him in for a quick hug. "Thank you, Randall. This means a lot to me."
When I pull back, his eyes are wet with emotion, and he gives a cough. "Yes, well... it's my pleasure. Truly, and can I finally say, Zach... welcome home, my boy."
Sam drops me off at my house, and I practically leap past the four short steps that lead up to the porch. I shove the door open, calling out Moira's name.
I see her immediately sitting at the kitchen table, her laptop open and her cell phone lying beside it. She turns to me, and her face is deathly white. Standing from the chair, she walks toward me, reaching out her hands. I link mine with hers and ask with a sickening feeling in my stomach. "What's wrong?"
"I'm so sorry, Zach," she says, her eyes filling with tears. "But Father Gaul called a little bit ago. The Matica raided Caraica two days ago. Father Gaul immediately hiked out to a river town that had satellite phone service to call me."
"Paraila?" I ask, my throat feeling as if it were filled with sand and my heart galloping away from me.
"Injured. He was shot with an arrow, but Father Gaul thinks he'll be okay. It went into his shoulder and the wound looks fine."
"And the others?" I ask in a hoarse whisper.
Moira's eyes drop to the ground, and she doesn't answer me right away.
"Moira," I yell at her. "What about the others?"
"Several are dead... I'm not sure who. Some of the children were taken. The village was burned to the ground."
My head tilts back, my neck seemingly unable to hold it up. My mouth opens, and I roar in pain, "FUCK!"
Moira's arms are around me, squeezing me tight... plastering her body as close to mine as she can get. "I'm so sorry, Zach. So, so sorry."
My arms hang limply at her side, unable to accept her comfort. Fury blazes through me... fury at Paraila for making me leave, rage at Randall for insisting I come, and bitterness toward Moira for enticing me to stay away from my home and those that needed me.