“She has and you’re an ass,” Sutton says, and sniffs.
“Agreed,” I tell her. “So just tell me what I need to know so I can work on fixing this.”
Appraisal of me…cold and calculated, then Sutton gives me a small smile. “No, I believe that’s just a friend of hers. Some guy named Mark. They went to school together.”
The dude whose couch she crashed on before becoming Ben’s nanny. Relief floods my senses, particularly as I see that Kate is now sitting down with Ben, Violet, and Ruby and playing with them, her “friend” Mark sort of standing there stupidly watching. She’s completely ignoring him and I want to yell out across the yard, “Yeah, fucker…she’s not into you.”
That relief is short-lived when the band strikes up Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” and her “friend” leans over to whisper in her ear. Then she’s standing up, giving him a small smile, and he’s leading her out to a grassy area in front of the band to…dance?
Oh, hell no.
I push my beer into Ryker’s chest and he takes it from me. I start across the deck, but Sutton’s hand on my arm stops me. “No bloodshed in my home, Zack.”
“We’re in your yard,” I snap at her. “It will seep into the ground. Easy cleanup.”
She chuckles and gives me a squeeze. “No bloodshed on my property, then. Be nice. Kate won’t take kindly to you bullying her friend.”
“Friends don’t dance to this song,” I tell her pointedly.
“Probably not,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. “So you better hurry.”
I pull away from her but she squeezes my arm a little harder, stopping me once again. I turn to look at her and she leans in, her eyes now almost devilishly conniving.
“Oh, and Zack?” she says sweetly.
I just stare at her, waiting for whatever other pearls of wisdom she may have for me.
“The reason I threw this party was so that you and Kate could be in the same place at the same time and have an opportunity to talk. I was hoping you’d come to your senses.”
My jaw drops and I look at her in disbelief. “You threw this party—?”
“To get you two back together? Yup.”
“That is so beyond devious, I don’t even know what to say to you,” I tell her with awe in my voice.
“How about thank you?” She smirks at me.
“Thank you,” I say, and then I’m pushing through the crowd on the deck, making my way down the steps and across the lawn. Kate’s back is to me as I approach them, and a few other couples are dancing as well.
My eyes are pinned on the douche that has his hands on Kate’s waist, and the minute he catches my glare, his own eyes flare with unease. He immediately releases his hold on Kate and takes a step backward as I approach. I give him a nod and growl, “Take a hike.”
Kate’s head snaps my way and her eyes go wide when she sees me. She then flicks her surprised gaze over to Mark, but he’s already walking away.
“That was rude,” she says indignantly.
“He’ll get over it,” I say as I take her hands and bring them up so they rest on my shoulders. My arms wrap around her waist and I pull her in close.
Bending my head down, I rest my cheek on the top of her head and start swaying to the music. Her body follows right along with me, but she’s stiff…uncertain in the way she’s touching me. I don’t care, though.
She’ll melt before I get through with her.
“What are you doing, Zack?” she asks me hesitantly.
I lift my head from hers and peer down at her. The blue color of her eyes is stunningly clear, but the entirety of her gaze is filled with confusion.
“I wanted to talk to you,” I say simply.
“About what?” she asks back, just as simply.
I don’t respond right away, but rather sweep my gaze around Sutton’s yard. So many happy people here, and the ones that look the happiest to me happen to be standing beside their loved ones. My eyes flick up to the deck and Ryker is still standing next to Sutton, who has her arm wrapped around Alex’s waist. They all three simultaneously give me thumbs-up signs and big grins.
It encourages me.
When I look back down at Kate, I tell her, “I donated Gina’s clothes today to the church that Mely belongs to.”
“Oh,” she says softly, and with sweet sympathy in her eyes. “Was it hard?”
“Yes,” I tell her honestly. “It was hard, but they were taking up space and served no good purpose to either me or Ben. So it needed to be done.”
At this moment, I’m the only one who understands the double meaning behind what I just said. Kate will learn it soon enough, though.