Zach (Torey Hope: The Later Years #3)

by A. D. Ellis

  “Mmmm, before you put me to sleep doing that, I wanted to talk to you about something before I bring it up to Decker.”

  He laid the brush down and sat on the bed as she turned from the mirror to face him.

  “So, I haven’t completely thought this through, but I’d really like to work with Uncle Nate, since he has a degree in counseling, and get something set up at The Center+. Not professional psychiatric help, but counseling to help people like me who are recovering from a bad incident. And maybe to help those people, like Vincent, who are suffering through darkness alone. I know years ago Libby, Audrey, and your dad had set up some talk therapy sessions at The Center+, but I’d like to look into revising the program.” She stood abruptly, clearly excited and thinking about this possible next step.

  He stood and drew her into a soft hug, kissing her forehead. “I think it’s a fabulous idea, and I’m sure Decker will be glad to have you helping to expand so many aspects of The Center+. I bet my dad would be more than willing to help with the counseling too. Heck, if you think about it, so many of our family have dealt with some really crappy things, I’m sure most of them would be more than willing to offer some of their time to help others through rough times. Maybe just having some people to talk to would help, and set up a more official counselor as well.”

  They stood silently for several moments, just savoring the touch of their bodies together.

  Sighing deeply as if she’d made up her mind to speak to Decker soon, Zoey moved away from him.

  “Do you remember sitting here about four years ago?” She plopped down on the bed.

  “Yeah, it was probably one of the hardest days of my life. Saying goodbye to you, it tore my heart out.” Zach settled in beside her on the bed.

  “I remember wishing sooo badly that you’d kiss me.” Zoey grinned. “God, I was so young and naïve. I want to thank you for being the level-headed one during that time. It would have been a bad move on both our parts.”

  “As much as I loved you then, I couldn’t bring myself, as a legal adult, to kiss a kid. Just didn’t sit well. It’s hard to explain how I knew I loved you, knew I’d spend the rest of my life with you, knew I’d one day take you in my arms and kiss the ever-loving shit out of you, but it just wasn’t right at that time.” Zach shook his head at the memory.

  “You said some things that really stuck with me that night. You said we were writing our own stories. You’d go off and write yours, while I wrote my own, and one day our stories would meet up again. Then we could write our story together. I never once doubted that our stories would come back together. I’ve never doubted that our journey would be together. I’ve never questioned your love for me, our love for each other.”

  Stopping her words, Zach grasped the back of her head pulling her in for a long, slow kiss. “Don’t you ever doubt what we have, pretty girl. Remember, you’re my forever.”

  “I used to think our love was perfect, and it needed to remain unflawed. But, we’ve seen just since you guys came home that while our love may be perfect, real life isn’t. And that’s okay. I’ve already told you I’d rather have real with you than perfect. But, ever since that day four years ago when you talked about us writing our stories separately and together, I’ve held onto that image. I know our story will have happy parts, and sad parts; there will be good parts and bad parts. Sometimes I’ll write a chapter by myself, while you work on your own chapter. But, no matter what, I know I want to spend the rest of our lives writing this story.”

  “I hope you wrote those words down somewhere, because I plan on us using those as part of our wedding vows someday soon.” Zach cupped her cheek, smiling mischievously.

  “Zach, as romantic as it would be to have you propose to me right now, I’m going to have to pull the ‘this is real life’ card. I’m only 18, we aren’t ready to get married yet. Plus, I’ll need more time to get those vows just right.”

  He smiled at her somewhat panicked response.

  “No worries, Zoey Belle. Part of me wants to get a ring on your finger as quickly as possible, but then I remind myself that we waited 18 years to get to this point, I think I can be patient for a few more years. As long as you’re by my side.” He kissed her quickly. “But, I do think we should practice our first dance as a couple.”

  When she looked at him questioningly, he stood from the bed and cued up his phone. Reaching for her hand, he spoke seriously, “Zoey, may I have this dance?”

  Pulling her effortlessly into his arms, he spoke, “I heard this song a day or two after the attack, and it almost seemed to be mocking me. I was pissed off at a song. I felt like it was saying you needed to just brush yourself off and move on, and I knew it was going to take more than that. But each time I heard the song as you healed and got better, I realized that’s exactly what you were doing. It wasn’t a quick jump up and brush yourself off, you were doing it on your own time. At one point, I worried that he had shattered you too much, that I’d have to learn to love the new you. I know we’re going to grow and change, but I was afraid he’d taken you from me, even though you were right there with me. But, each day we pushed you a little bit further, not wanting to go too far, but knowing the old Zoey was strong enough to handle the prodding, and praying the new Zoey was too. Watching the light come back into your eyes, the shine come back to your smile, it made my heart start beating again as I watched yours start beating again.”

  He paused and leaned his forehead against hers. “We will face hard times. That’s not an if, it’s a when. Illness, financial issues, loss of loved ones, there’s no way around those things. But, we’ve been knocked down and gotten back up this time, and I know we’ll be strong enough to do it again. So, instead of being pissed at this song, now I’ve sort of claimed it as our song.”

  He thumbed his phone. As “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again” by Danny Gokey filled the room, he wrapped her in his arms and they swayed to the music.

  When the music ended, she lifted her tear stained face to his, “That was a beautiful song, and it’s definitely ours now. Thank you for your words, I know our journey won’t be easy. There will be hills and valleys, twists and turns, and plenty of roadblocks. But there’s no one I’d rather be on this journey with than you.”

  His phone began ringing, but before he answered it, he brushed a thumb across her lips. “Still my forever girl?”

  “Always your forever girl.”

  Kissing her deeply, he distractedly thumbed the phone to accept the call.

  “Hello?”

  Instantly he pulled away from her. Grasping her hand, he listened to the caller.

  “Got it. No problem. We’ll be there.”

  Disconnecting the call, he looked at Zoey.

  “What? What is it?”

  “It’s Kendrick. We need to go.”

  **********

  OUT TAKES

  When Zach took Zoey to her school dance because her date stood her up, he contacted Kendrick and had his cousin pay the kid a visit. Here’s the scene and one of the reasons we all love Kendrick.

  “Hey there, I see you’re playing some ball. Care if I join?” Kendrick bestowed his signature grin on the middle school boys playing basketball at the local park.

  The four boys looked a little baffled why a teenage boy like Kendrick would want to play ball with them, but they readily agreed.

  As the game continued, Kendrick made chit-chat.

  “What’s going on over at the middle school? Looked crowded.” He kept his face completely blank.

  “Some stupid dance.” One of the boys stated, and the rest of them broke into a fit of laughter.

  Fighting to keep his composure, Kendrick continued to play it cool.

  “Oh yeah, why aren’t you guys there? Fine young men like yourselves probably have to fight the ladies off.” He drained a three-pointer and waited on the kids to hang themselves.

  “Yeah, we fight the ladies off, but we had a little bet going about tonight.” The kid who spoke seeme
d to be the leader of the group.

  “A bet? Like you bet each other you wouldn’t go to the dance? Sounds pretty lame if you ask me.” Kendrick was beginning to understand what had happened, but he waited for the boys to say it out loud.

  “Nah, man. We each asked a girl to the dance, then dumped her. We assigned points for their reactions. Skipping the dance, getting angry, going by herself, every possible reaction earned certain points. The one of us who earned the most points gets his lunch bought for him all week at school.” The boys smirked and nodded their heads as if they thought their game was awesome.

  Taking a couple minutes to gather his thoughts, Kendrick dribbled and shot the ball over their head a few times. Feeling ready to deliver his smack down, he held the ball and turned to face them.

  “Wow, that’s…cool?” Kendrick shook his head, and made sure the boys realized he thought their bet was stupid.

  “So, you let a girl buy a dress, jewelry, new shoes, do her make-up, get excited about the dance, and then stand her up…all so you have the chance of having a cafeteria lunch bought for you?” Kendrick stopped and watched as the boys’ faces to see if realization was setting in. It wasn’t.

  “Must have a lot better lunches at the middle school these days. Five years ago they pretty much sucked. Or at least they were bad enough I wouldn’t have given up the chance to hold a girl in my arms and maybe kiss her just for a couple of free lunches.”

  The boys just shrugged and looked like they wished he’d leave.

  No such luck.

  “So, what are the points for a beautiful girl getting stood up, but her very attractive, older cousin drives her to the dance and spends the evening making sure she has the time of her life?”

  “Um, well, we didn’t plan for that one. Probably 5 points.” The leader began to shuffle his feet, and the asswipe who’d stood Zoey up was starting to look extremely pale.

  “What about the points for the girl who has a cousin who hates little shit-ass punks like you and comes to the ball courts to teach you a lesson?”

  When the boys realized they’d been caught, they started to back away like they planned to leave.

  “Not so fast, gentlemen.”

  Kendrick moved behind them and stretched his long arms to gather them all close.

  “I’d say I’m worth at least 10 points. Dontcha think?” He grinned evilly and winked.

  “What are you going to do to us?” The one who had stood Zoey up had trouble keeping the abject fear from his voice.

  “Oh, I’m not going to hurt you, although I’d really like to hurt you the same way you hurt those three girls tonight.”

  “It was actually six girls…”

  “Dude! Shut up, don’t tell him that!”

  “Ah, so not only did you each stand one girl up, you stood up multiple girls who all thought they had dates to the dance? Bravo, bravo.” Kendrick shook his head in disgust.

  “So, here’s what you’re going to do, and don’t think you can skip out of it. I have two cousins, an uncle, and several friends at your school, so I’ll know if you try to get out of your punishment.”

  He sat the boys down on the bleachers and listed his requirements.

  “One, you will take each girl you stood up a flower every day this coming week. Deliver it to her at her locker. If you get punched or slapped, take it like a man because you deserve it. Two, buy a lunch and give it to a kid who looks hungry or sad or alone. Three, you won’t need to buy another lunch because you’ll be brown-baggin-it with bologna or PBJ from home for the entire week.”

  Just when he thought he was done, inspiration struck.

  “Oh, and you have to sit together at a lone table, and put up a sign that says, ‘We can’t eat with the rest of the school because we suck for what we did.’ And of course you won’t breathe a word of this to anyone unless you want more punishment. I’m betting your parents had no clue you made the bet and planned to hurt those girls.’”

  By the time the boys scrambled from the bleachers and ran from the park, Kendrick was laughing and truly wished he’d be able to watch the lunch room this week. He’d make sure Uncle Nate knew what was going on. He knew Zoey and Aly would keep him apprised of the boys’ progress in their week-long punishment.

  He headed home while he texted Zach, “It’s all taken care of, dude.”

  The past year or so had been rough on Kendrick. He reveled in being able to forget his troubles and just help his family. When he was joking around or messing with punk-ass kids, he wasn’t thinking about how much the past couple years had sucked.

  Notes

  I started writing my first book (For Nicky) in October 2013; I had no clue if I could do it, and even less clue about what to do when I finished it. About halfway through that book, I realized that the mean, terrible sister, Audrey, had a story to tell; I started Because of Beckett as soon as I finished For Nicky.

  I had no intention of continuing the Torey Hope Series. However, readers had fallen in love with the stories and they asked for more. I created a heartwarming Christmas novella to lead into the third full-length novel, Loving Josie.

  One day, in the shower (where else do great ideas come from?), I realized that the younger generation of Torey Hope had some stories to tell. I ran the idea by readers, and they loved the prospect of continuing the Torey Hope Series. So, voila, Torey Hope: The Later Years was born! You can read Decker and Sawyer HERE and HERE.

  One of these days, I’ll let the other characters and stories out of my head and create some new books and series; until then, I continue to fall in love with the hearts of my Torey Hope characters in each and every story.

  THANK YOU FOR READING! I hope you enjoyed; please take a moment to leave a review. If you’re reading on a file/device that doesn’t take you to a review option, you may click here to leave a review on Amazon. bit.ly/ZachAmazon

  A.D. Ellis

  About the Author

  A.D. Ellis spends the majority of her days loving and wrangling two school-aged children, a husband, and a Yorkie with a stubborn streak a mile wide before heading to the inner city of Indiana to teach a challenging group of alternative education students in grades third through sixth. Most days she hits the gym after school in hopes of running and lifting away the stress and headaches of the day before picking up her children and squeezing a whole day’s worth of loving and living into the too-short hours before bed. It’s no wonder Ms. Ellis lives for the slower, easier days she gets to enjoy on breaks from school.

  Growing up in a small farming town in southern Indiana, A.D. is grateful to her mother for passing along the love of reading. With her nose constantly stuck in a book, Ms. Ellis became accustomed to friends and acquaintances snickering and shaking their heads at her love of reading.

  A.D. never dreamed of being anything but a teacher, although there are certain times of the year when she laments her career choice. Ms. Ellis had a story idea floating in her head for about a year. After persistent prodding from a friend, A.D. put pen to paper and began writing her first story in October 2013. From that moment on, she was hooked. Taking the people and stories from her head and sharing them with readers is a scary, exhausting, rewarding, and fulfilling experience which A.D. plans to continue until there are no more stories banging around in her mind.

  A.D. Ellis’ work can be found on two major platforms including Amazon. Please contact her on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.

  Amazon bit.ly/AmazonADEllis

  Facebook www.facebook.com/adellisauthor

  Twitter www.twitter.com/ADEllisAuthor

  Website http://adellisauthor.webs.com

  Acknowledgements

  This is always one of the hardest parts of finishing a book, but quite possibly the most important part! It’s so hard because I fear I’ll miss someone who has helped me out, supported me, been a listening ear, or offered advice and encouragement. If I miss listing your name here, please know it wasn’t on purpose, and I love you dearly!

 
; To my editor, Stephanne, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sharp eyes and constant professionalism. You were a gift to me over 10 years ago, and you continue to be a blessing.

  To my friend, fellow author, and cover designer, Andrea Michelle at Artistry in Design. Thank you for taking my vision and bringing it to life through your design. I love you!

  To my dear beta readers. Your input, feedback, and encouragement has proven invaluable to me! I truly trust you all and value your opinions more than you’ll probably ever understand.

  To my street team/pimpers. Those of you who list me in contests and comments and shout outs all the time, you’re amazing and I love you for always working to get my name out there! If I start naming people here, I’ll be sure to miss some; just know if you’ve ever shared my name or my books, it means the world to me and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know!

  To my READERS!! Without you, there would have never been a third book, let alone a seventh book! Thank you for loving Torey Hope and the characters as much as I do; knowing you are looking forward to another book is a lot of what keeps me writing some days. As long as these stories are in my head, I’ll keep sharing them with you.

  To the BLOGGERS who read and review and share my books!! You are beyond a shadow of a doubt some of the most dedicated and selfless people I’ve ever known! Thank you so much for being such a support to those of us who have stories to tell. I love BLOGGERS!

  To my girls at The Indie Erogenous Zone. You are beyond fellow authors, you’re my support, my heart, my friends. There have been days I wanted to give up, but I had you to turn to; days when a bad review breaks my heart, but I talk it out with you. I truly consider you all my close friends and I wouldn’t want to be facing this crazy journey without you! IEZ4Life! T&F girls!

  To my Juice Box ladies! Thank you so much for welcoming me into your crew and sharing your knowledge, experience, advice, and fun with me! Having some real-life authors/friends I can collaborate with is a great feeling. Dance parties, lunches, movies, videos, wine, painting, pizza…the list goes on and on! Thank you for letting me be a Juice Boxer!