Page 32 of Secret Redemption

He found them in the kitchen; Frank was at the table with his tablet in his hands. Ava and her mother were standing side by side, with Riley next to his mother, sitting on the bar stool with Ava’s arm around his back to steady him. All three were eating cookies.

“Daddy!” Riley shouted when he saw him and wriggled to get down. Ava lifted him to the floor, and his son did a waddling-run to him. Zack crouched down so he was eye level with the boy and his heart nearly melted as his son put his arms around his neck and stated, “Up,” Zack stood and settled his son in his arms.

“Cookie!” his son said and tried to mash a cookie into his mouth. Zack gently leaned back and extracted the cookie.

“Did you make these?” he asked holding up the now crumbled cookie. The little boy nodded in pride.

Zack bit into the cookie and nodded and made all the appropriate noises as his son looked on in pride. “Yum, the best cookie I ever had,” he said and grinned as Riley’s face shone with joy at the praise. Bending, he set his son down, and Riley then ran off to tell his Grandad all about it.

“Ava, can I talk to you in private for a second?

She nodded slightly and followed him out of the kitchen. Frank sent him a warning look, which he ignored. He took the stairs two at a time to his room and heard Ava behind him, but at a normal pace almost as if she was walking to the gallows.

When she walked in, he closed the door behind her, and she stood with her arms crossed over her body in defence.

“What do you want Zack?”

Zack could hear the tired resignation in her voice. “I want to clear the air. I know I made a bet with you, but I don’t want my future based on a bet. I want us married so that we can raise Riley together.” He moved closer so that his chest was touching her crossed arms.

“Why marriage Zack? We can raise Riley together. I see the bond you have with him, and I won’t stand in the way of that.”

“But we are good together Ava, you know it as well as I do,” he said as he pulled her arms apart and fitted his body to hers.

“I know we are, Zack, but is sex enough for you? Don’t you want more?”

“I want you and my son!” he bit out in frustration.

“We can co-parent. I’m happy to stay in the UK. We don’t need to commit to a loveless marriage for that to happen.”

He felt like he had been kicked then, the pain in his sternum made him want to fall to his knees. She had never said she loved him, but he thought maybe she did. Hearing her say she didn’t, was a blow so hard he would rather have been shot or tortured again. She may not love him but the chemistry between them was undeniable, and he was damned if he would let anyone else have her.

He was a selfish man and had never professed to be anything else, and by god, he would marry the woman he loved, even if she didn’t love him.

“I want it all Ava. Riley will have stability in his life and a certainty that all children need.” He knew he was being underhand using Riley but right now he didn’t care, he needed her with him.

“Fine,” she said in resignation that made his victory feel hollow. “You have everything else Zack, you might as well take that too. At least I’ll get great sex out of it,” she said with a shrug.

“You won’t regret it,” he whispered, and as his head moved closer, he vowed to himself that she would never regret the decision to be his.

Zack resisted the urge to kiss her knowing that if he did he wouldn’t stop and his son was downstairs. Instead, he pulled her into his body tightly and held her, inhaling her scent, and feeling her curves as they fit against him. That was the thing with him and Ava, they fit. They always had right from the first time.

He kissed the top of her head and let her go, “I have some calls to make, but we can move Riley into his room after, it’s right next door to this one, and I can set up a camera and intercom.” He watched Ava closely, thinking she might object but the words didn’t come. She just nodded her assent and something about that didn’t sit right with him. Maybe she was tired.

Releasing her, they walked downstairs side by side, and he could feel her heat against his side. When she peeled off and walked towards the living room, leaving him to go to his office, he mourned the loss of that heat.

~~~

After dinner which was a lively affair due to his son’s determination to sit on Zack’s lap the entire time and chatter nonsense nonstop, he retreated to his office to make some more calls to Daniel.

The training phase had finished for his new recruits, and only two had made the cut. Emme had advanced at quite a pace due to Lucy and her dogged approach to her training. She worked the girl hard, and he wondered if she was using it to work through her own demons. He knew Sly was worried about her, but Lucy was Lucy and would not be told.

He poured himself a whiskey as he sat down at his computer. What would Lucy make of Roz and Zin? Zack wondered. Would she see it as a failure of her instincts as he had before Ava had set him straight?

His mobile rang on his desk, the display indicating Daniel. “Yes?”

“Zack, we’ve had an incident,” Dane stated calmly.

Zack sat forward, every muscle alert. “Tell me!” He had made sure the room was secure earlier, and this phone had been tweaked by Will so was as secure as the office was.