“Well, this is certainly a surprise,” she said, enveloping Zeek in a hug. He didn’t let go of my hand the entire time, which meant he had to return the hug one-handed. When the woman pulled back, she gave him a soft smile before continuing. “Not that I mind one bit. You know you’re always welcome anytime, dear.”
“Hello to you, too, Mom,” Zeek greeted. “Theo was supposed to tell you that I was coming.”
“Well, he must have forgotten.” It was then her eyes landed on me. I watched her blue eyes widened in shock. “Oh, hello, dear.”
“Hi,” I muttered, giving her a pathetic wave.
“Mom, this is Jude. Jude, this is my mother, Angie.”
“Welcome, dear! It’s nice to meet you. Please, come in.”
Zeek gave me a small smile, my hand still clasped in his as he led the way inside. I could feel his mom’s eyes on us as she closed the door behind us, but she made no comment.
My eyes remained locked on Zeek’s back, unsure whether I wanted to risk looking around the house or not as we headed toward the backyard where I feared I would feel more out of place than I already did.
Once outside, I mustered up the courage to take in my surroundings. The backyard was huge, much larger than I would have expected. Several large trees dotted the fence-line, providing shade for the three tables that had been set up nearby. To the right of the tables I spotted Theo talking to a young boy who appeared to be around six or seven.
“Look who’s here!” Zeek’s mom announced as she entered the backyard.
“Uncle Z!” the young boy shouted, charging for the man in question.
“Hey, buddy,” Zeek greeted, picking him up into his arms and tickling his stomach as the young boy squealed in response.
There were a number of introductions that followed. Thankfully, I had a good memory and knew I would remember them all. And even if by some chance I didn’t, I knew I’d never forget their faces.
“So, how did you two meet?” Angie asked once we’d all prepared our plates.
“Mom,” Theo warned. “That may not––”
“It’s fine,” Zeek interrupted. “We met four years ago. There were a few kinks that we had to work out first before we found each other again. But the important thing is that we did.”
“Oh?” She wore a confused expression for a moment before putting two and two together, her face falling slightly when realization struck.
“We’re good, Mom,” Zeek assured her. “Please don’t worry.”
“So, you two are dating, then?” Dannie asked around a mouthful of food.
“I suppose you could say that.”
“Cool.” He turned back to his plate full of food, no longer interested.
“I think it’s more than cool,” I whispered, pressing a small kiss on Zeek’s cheek.
The rest of our brunch went smoothly. Rob, Zeek’s father, asked a few questions about my upbringing, but quickly dropped it when I told him flat out that my parents were no longer a part of my life. From that moment on, he seemed to make it his life’s mission to be a father-figure to me as well.
Life as a couple was still fairly new to the both of us–even intimidating at times–but every day was a new day. And for the first time in a long time, things in our lives seemed to be headed in the right direction.
One thing that had become abundantly clear since our time in captivity was that Zeek and I were stronger together than we were apart. While it didn’t necessarily make sense, our souls were entwined. And for that reason, I knew nothing would ever tear us apart.
We were destined, our lives tethered together.
Zeek
Life, like it was always intended, went on. Some days were great, others even better. However, there were always a few days here and there, scattered about, that just sucked. Thankfully, those days had become few and far between.
But when one of those days did make an appearance, Judah and I were there for one another, holding the other up.
Sure, it would have been nice if no one ever had to have a bad day and everything was all rainbows and butterflies. Unfortunately, life didn’t exactly play fairly. Everyone was bound to have a less than perfect day every now and again. That was life.
