by Evelyn Glass
Stephan leaped two feet backward. “Oh my God, that’s amazing, Sophie. Wow. I... I can’t believe it.” He looked at Zeke with a wide grin. “Congrats, man. You have no idea what’s about to hit you.” He began laughing and rubbing his hair with one hand.
Sophie scowled and crossed her arms, which made Zeke feel terrible for blurting out their secret when she clearly wasn’t ready.
He nudged her arm and ducked down to peer into her eyes with a meek smile. “Come on, he was always gonna be the first to know, wasn’t he?”
She smiled at Stephan finally. “Yeah.”
Stephan embraced her with a huge hug. “I’m so happy for you. I really am. I think you’ll be great together... even jumping right into the deep end like this.”
“I’ve asked her to marry me too,” Zeke said.
“Jeez, you can’t keep that shut, can you?” Sophie said, looking at his mouth with a laugh.
“Wow. So, when’s the wedding?” Stephan asked.
“I haven’t said yes yet,” Sophie said scornfully.
“But you will,” Stephan said, with a questioning tone, then turned to Zeke and said with authority, “She will. I know it.” He suddenly began dancing around the garage, calling out:,“Whoop whoop, there’s gonna be a wedding, whoop whoop, there’s gonna be a baby.”
Stephan’s wife Ruth appeared at the door. “What? Oh my God!” She ran towards Sophie with arms outstretched. Zeke watched as Sophie’s face burned red as she sent him a furious look. He mouthed the word “sorry” but couldn’t help laughing at the same time.
Ruth launched into a monologue of advice about choosing a dress and moved right the way through birth to breastfeeding at lightning speed.
“Hey, sorry, but we’d better go,” Zeke interrupted, which judging by the look of relief on Sophie’s face, was the most sensible thing to come out of his mouth since he’d arrived at the shop.
She dragged herself over to his side and apologized to Ruth. “You’ll have to tell me all your best secrets when the baby’s closer,” she added politely.
Ruth and Stephan hugged and grinned at the new parents-to-be, which caused Sophie to let out a groan as they turned to leave.
“First thing I’m going to do is buy a padlock for that mouth of yours,” she joked to Zeke as they got to the car where Nathan was waiting.
“What was going on in there?” he asked. “Looked like fun.”
“Don’t ask,” Sophie said immediately.
He shrugged and smiled. “OK.”
Zeke smiled apologetically at his friend before they all hopped in and drove off towards the small town where Troy lived.
They arrived soon after in a small, ordinary-looking street of modest one-story houses. The three of them exchanged nervous glances.
“Let’s see if we can talk this live wire around and end this once and for all,” Zeke said, opening the driver’s door and stepping onto the sunny street.
They walked up the path together, Zeke ushering Sophie to the back.
He rang the bell, and after only a few seconds they could hear someone approaching the door on a hardwood floor. It opened, and there stood someone who looked exactly like Zeke’s former colleague Gary.
He had on camouflage pants, a dark green T-shirt, and heavy leather boots, as though he really was a soldier. But he wasn’t built like a soldier. He was skinny and pale. His pale blue eyes fixed immediately on Zeke, and he clenched both fists.
“I think you know why we’re here,” Zeke said calmly.
Troy said nothing. He looked past his visitors onto the street suspiciously, before moving to one side to let them in.
Zeke glanced at Nathan in surprise. They hadn’t expected this.
“Go through to the right,” Troy said in a flat, emotionless voice.
Once they were all in the living room, Troy stood in the doorway awkwardly. “It’s hot out. Do you want sodas?”
They all shook their heads. “No thanks. We just want to talk to you. We’re here as... friends,” Zeke said.
“Friends?” Troy said, shuffling his boots from side to side. “You’re not my friends. You let me down.”
Zeke stood up. “Listen, it’s OK. We just want to talk. We can help you… before someone gets hurt.”
“Before someone gets hurt?” Troy asked, punching his fist into his palm.
“Troy...” Nathan began.
Troy paced up and down in frustration. “I’m not Troy. I’m Gary,” he said. “Troy’s my brother. He died.”
Zeke swallowed hard and said softly, “Why are you following us? And more importantly threatening us?”
“I’m not. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Nathan spoke again. “Listen, it’ll all be OK if you stop now. If you get some help. We know you took Gary’s death badly, we understand. But you need to stop blaming us. You need to move on.”
“I need to get something,” Troy said and turned to run down the hall.
“Troy, wait,” Zeke said, rushing to the doorway.
Zeke, Nathan, and Sophie looked at each other with wide eyes.
“A gun?” Sophie whispered.
Nathan got up and pushed past Zeke quickly to run after Troy.
Zeke called out, “Nathan! No! Stick together!” But Nathan was already halfway down the hall when there was an almighty blast. Zeke carefully forced Sophie to the ground as the hall was engulfed in flames. They lay on the floor in silence for what felt like a long time, just staring into the inferno with desperate pain in their eyes. In reality, it was just seconds before Zeke’s survival instincts kicked in and he jumped to his feet, scooping Sophie up with a fireman’s lift, and ran out the door.
On the lawn outside, Sophie buried her face into his chest. “Nathan. Oh my God. Nathan,” she kept repeating in a whisper. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Zeke could feel the warmth of tears on his own face too as he watched the fire sweep into the living room, where they’d been standing only moments before, and burn one of his heroes with its ferocity.
Zeke slammed his fist down on the roof of his car in anger. “Why did he have to take Nathan with him? He was a great man.”
They hugged and watched the flames in stunned silence until the police and fire service arrived. At least this mess was over with Troy out of the picture.
Chapter Twenty One
Sophie
Life returned to normal after Nathan’s funeral. A new form of normal, though, in which Zeke and Sophie felt safe to live their lives without looking over their shoulders at all times. Things were a lot easier without a potential murderer on the loose.
Fire investigation teams had been hard at work for weeks and had released information on a trip wire set up by Troy, which went off when Nathan chased Troy down the hall. They didn’t stand a chance.
Sophie could tell Zeke was having a tough time getting his head around it. He’d finally managed to put the explosion of his past behind him, and then it happened all over again. It may have been on a much smaller scale, but it was just as devastating to him. But still, he had the baby to focus on. Sophie was booked in for her first scan in a few weeks’ time, and the thought of that was a definite tonic for them both. This new life held so much promise. They even started wedding planning. She’d spent a lot of time at his apartment lately, partly because she knew he needed support, but partly because she couldn’t bear to be alone all of a sudden. It was as if having this tiny human growing inside of her had already linked her to Zeke in even deeper ways, and she needed to be with him whenever she could.
At work one Tuesday morning, Sophie was concentrating on replacing a broken suspension spring, which was proving more difficult than normal due to the amount of rust and dirt under the hood. She looked down to see Stephan’s work boots next to the bumper and stood up.
“Hey,” she said, straightening up.
“Hey, do you fancy a coffee? Take a little break?” he asked.
“Sure. That’s sounds good.”
She wiped her hands on a cloth from her pocket. “Do we still have those triple chocolate cookies?”
He laughed. “You getting cravings?”
Sophie blushed. “Maybe.”
Stephan pressed the buttons on the coffee machine and produced two cappuccinos. They weren’t the best in town, but hey, it was hot coffee. She never complained. Stephan pushed the pack of cookies along the desk towards Sophie, and they both sat down in the plastic desk chairs.
“So... how are you feeling about everything?” Stephan asked.
“Is that why you got me in here?” she responded, with a laugh. “To grill me?”
“I suppose so,” he admitted. “It’s just... you’ve hardly said anything, and you’ve got some major stuff going on. I just want to make sure you’re OK. You’re like a little sister to me. And Ruth and I have been through all this – the baby stuff. We can help. It’s scary.”
“Damn right it’s scary,” she agreed, picking up her paper coffee cup. “I have no clue what I’m doing, and that’s just the pregnancy.”
“Luckily, you don’t actually have to do anything right now. Your body knows what to do,” Stephan said. “It’s afterward the shit storm comes, literally.”
Sophie laughed so hard she nearly spat out her coffee.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t tell you the negative things,” he continued. “In all honesty, having kids is the best thing. You’ll be great. I see you with my two, and I just know you’ll be a fantastic mom. And I like Zeke. I think he’s good for you. I trust him. If I didn’t, he would know by now.”
She smiled. “Thanks. Underneath the fear, I’m excited. I can’t believe I’m going to have a family. Oh God, I’ll be in charge of someone’s life. That’s terrifying.”
“Not for as long as you think,” Stephan said, wagging a warning finger. “They get wise so quickly. After just a couple of years, they yank so many decisions out of your hands and have you dancing to their tunes.”
Sophie’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Oh yeah. I mean, take last Saturday, for example. We’re driving to the store, and I want Guns ‘n’ Roses on the stereo. As soon as Sweet Child of Mine starts, Junior starts kicking the back of my chair and chanting, ‘Gregcing Feet, Gregcing Feet, Gregcing Feet.’ I tried to block it out and be a scary dad, shouting a bit, but it just wasn’t worth it. Before we reached the end of the block we were back in penguin land, there were smiles in the back seats, and the kicking stopped. You give in before you’ve even realized you’ve become a softie.” He stroked his chin. “In fact, that’s something I’m going to work on. See, you never stop stressing and learning as soon as you become a parent.”
Sophie sighed. “Sounds very rewarding,” she said sarcastically. They both laughed.
“And what about this engagement?” he asked, pointing to her bare wedding finger.
“Oh, that? I dunno,” she said, shrugging it off. “We haven’t got round to rings. I haven’t even technically said yes yet.”
“I thought it was a done deal... from what Zeke said.”
“And what did Zeke say?” she asked, with a wry smile.
“He couldn’t wait to spread the news that you were going to be Mrs. Draper. He came by the shop with a few of his FA buddies going on about an engagement party.”
“I hope to God he’s not planning a surprise one!”
“Don’t worry,” Stephan said, waving his hand in the air as if to fan away the idea. “I told him to stay away from that idea if he valued his relationship with you... and his balls.”
Sophie laughed. “Thank you. You’ve always got my back.”
“I have. And don’t forget it, kid.” They shared a warm smile that spoke of deep family love. “And please get on with getting engaged. I’ll tell him to get a move on.”
“You know what Beyoncé says, ‘if you like it then you should’ve put a ring on it’.”
“True dat!” Stephan said, throwing his cup into the trash can.
Later that day, when Sophie got back to Zeke’s apartment, she took off her work clothes and began sorting through the dirty washing. Naturally, with the amount of time she spent there, she’d begun to do her laundry there too. Washing their underwear together was odd, but funny. Sophie giggled as she untangled one of Zeke’s black socks from her pink bra straps in the washing basket.
“Take a look at this,” Zeke said, handing her a pamphlet.
“What is it?” she asked, eyeing the glossy paper, which had a picture of a bride and groom sipping champagne under an archway of roses on a perfectly cut lawn.
“It’s a potential wedding venue for us,” he said with a grin. “We could have all our guests seated on the lawn, and the Midnight’s Hounds could do a ride by in their best leathers with ‘just married’ banners and balloons trailing behind...” he paused like he was visualizing the scene.
“No,” Sophie said, putting the brochure down on the kitchen table.
“What do you mean, no?” he asked, following her as she headed through to the side room off the kitchen to gather up more laundry.
“It’s far too much,” she said, busying herself with the task in hand.
“I can afford it.” He leaned on the dryer and attempted to catch her eye.
“That’s not what I meant,” she said, putting the basket down and finally looking at him. “It’s too... big, too extravagant. I don’t want that. I’m not your average bride who’s dreamt about it all her life. I don’t want a huge frilly dress and hundreds of people staring at me. Just the thought makes me feel ill. Can’t we just go down to City Hall and do it with only a few friends?”
Zeke sighed. “It’s such an important day. Is City Hall really enough for you?”
She nodded.
He snuck his hand in hers and squeezed it. “I want to shout it out to everyone the day you become my wife. I don’t want to sweep it under the carpet as just another day.”
She smiled. “But...”
“A compromise?” he asked. “City Hall... but a lovely meal at a fancy hotel afterward?”
She laughed.
“And no frilly dresses,” he continued. “I promise I’ll wear a suit.”
“Fine. That could work. But no ride-past! I don’t want everyone staring at us. Especially as I’ll probably be out to here by then,” she added, gesturing to her tummy and how big it was likely to get.
He pulled her in for a tight hug. “Maybe we should do it sooner rather than later...”
She sighed and frowned. “I don’t know. Isn’t that rushing it?” She tucked the dirty clothes in the washing machine, pressed the buttons, and strode off into the living room.
She settled on the sofa and flicked through some channels. It was late afternoon, and there wasn’t much of interest on. “Maybe we should go for a walk,” she said, looking up to see Zeke standing in the doorway.
“You should move in here,” he said. “It’s big enough for the first year.”
Sophie was stunned. She switched off the TV. Of course, it made sense. It just felt like they were rushing everything. But she couldn’t wait to spend more time with him. She nodded in agreement, unable to gather a sentence together.
“Oh, and there’s something I never did properly,” he said, walking over to her and kneeling down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He swallowed hard. She could tell he was nervous and she knew exactly what was coming. Butterflies erupted in her tummy. Her mouth was parted on a gasp as he opened the box to reveal an engagement ring. It was exactly the kind of thing she would have chosen herself – simple, with a small square diamond in the middle. Nothing over the top.
“So, is it a definite yes?” Zeke asked, taking hold of her hand and laughing nervously.
“Yes,” Sophie said, straightening out her other hand for him to slip the ring on. Her vision blurred as tears welled in her eyes, and before she could clear them, Zeke scooped her up and carried her through to the bedroom, kissing her with a fresh surge of energy.
“I can’t wait for you to be Mrs. Draper,” he said between kisses. “I should have done that somewhere special, like down by the lake or somewhere else romantic.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “Here is just as special as anywhere.”
He smiled and laid her down on the soft white sheets. He lay next to her, holding her hand and examining the ring on her finger. “It looks even better when it’s on you,” he said. “I can’t believe how fast things have gone, but I wouldn’t change any of it.”
“Well... maybe the bomb part,” Sophie said, laughing. “We could have done without that added drama.”