Chapter Six – Zak

Zak shifted into his bear as soon as he was out of sight. It was easier to deal with leaving their mate behind if they ran blindly into the mountains until they were exhausted. Standing on the ledge of a cliff, his bear had looked down over Bear Bluff and let out a long, mournful roar. Then he’d made his way back down the steep paths, with aching legs to match his aching heart.

Arriving at the place where he’d left his bike, he climbed on and started the engine, turning it with some determination toward home. Toward Bear Creek. At least he knew that was where Louise lived, and if he had to wander the streets for the rest of his life, he would find her.

We shouldn’t have left her in the first place, his bear told him.

We couldn’t force ourselves on her, Zak said in return.

We could have left a phone number.

We promised no strings attached, Zak ended the conversation, not wanting to think about it anymore. Although he soon found that impossible, Louise would haunt his dreams, day and night, until he made her his.

Arriving at Sunnyside, Zak parked his bike on the driveway, took his one solitary pack, which contained all of his worldly possessions, off his bike, and went inside.

“There you are,” Dean said. “I was expecting you hours ago. Did you get the car fixed?”

“I did. Then I went for a run. I’ve missed the mountains.” Zak was not ready to talk about his mate. Maybe tomorrow, he would tell Dean all about it, but not now.

“Yeah, I get out as much as I can, but my babysitting duties keep me here.” Dean was feeding Storm and looking like a proud grandpa.

“It agrees with you,” Zak said, helping himself to a cold bottle of water.

“Yeah, I enjoy it.” He looked at Storm and said, in a baby voice, “We have great fun, don’t we? We go to the park and the store. How many times a day do you get told you are beautiful?”

Storm kicked her legs excitedly at the sound of Dean’s voice, and Zak had to laugh. “Just by you, or other people?”

“Oh, I tell her twenty times a day at least,” Dean admitted. “And then your mommy tells you another thirty, and all the ladies in town must add up to a hundred.”

“I can believe it.” Zak studied Storm; she was beautiful, but then all babies were beautiful to a man who wanted his own family.

“Just like your mommy,” Dean said. “Only she doesn’t see it. Does she?”

“Do you mind if I take a shower?” Zak asked, shouldering his pack. “Then I’ll help you with dinner.”

“Sure, go ahead. I made your room up.” Dean looked at the clock. “Storm’s mommy should be home in an hour, I like to have dinner ready for her.”

“OK, I’ll be quick.” Zak headed to his old room. He called it his room, even though after he’d left he knew that other kids had stayed in there. Opening the door, he breathed in the scent of the fabric softener that Dean used. The same brand and same scent he’d used for years.

Zak walked to the window and looked out over the well-tended back garden, which was now littered with children’s toys. A small swing and a rocking horse, plus a play mat. The old man really had gone soft on this baby. He hoped Storm’s mom appreciated it.

Stripping off his leather pants, he headed for the shower, and washed off the dirt he’d accumulated from his journey. When he got out, he felt more like the young man who belonged here, and less like the creation he’d invented when he left, which Zak had worn like body armor.

He had no intention of going back. That part of his life had been fun while it lasted, but now he intended to live a quiet life here in Bear Creek. The bad boy was well and truly dead.

Drying his hair, he pulled on his well-worn jeans and a T-shirt, then padded back to the kitchen with bare feet.

“That looks better,” Dean remarked. “Those leather pants were enough to cut off your circulation.”

Zak laughed. “You always did know how to bring me back down to earth.”

“I have a knack for it,” Dean said. “It’s why you love me.”

“It is, old man.” Zak took an ice-cold beer from the fridge, where Dean always kept them in case someone dropped by. “Do you want one?”

“Sure.” Dean took the bottle from Zak, and then asked, “So you drink now?”

“Occasionally,” Zak replied. “I’ve learned that one won’t hurt me, and you taught me I was never going to turn into my old man. So I’ve made peace with the demon drink.”

“You’ve grown,” Dean observed. “And I don’t just mean in the muscle department.”

Zak lifted his arm and made a fist. “I work out a lot. It’s one way to wrinkle out life’s frustrations. Plus, I find it helps me work.”

“Over dinner, you can tell me all about it.” Dean thrust some steaks at him. “I thought we’d have a BBQ since it’s such a glorious evening. You go ahead and light it. You do remember how, right?”

“I do.” Zak took the steaks and some rolls outside. The BBQ had been upgraded since he was here last, but he soon had it lit. Dean was right; it was going to be a glorious spring evening.

The sound of an engine made him turn. He recognized the sound. How the hell had she found him, and more importantly, why?

Zak headed around the side of the house, just as she opened the car door and got out. She stopped dead in her tracks, the car door still in her hand. Her expression was unreadable at first, and then it changed, she looked mad.

Slamming the car door shut, she took two long strides toward him, before she stopped.

“Hi there, Mommy,” Dean’s voice said from the front porch, where he was standing with Storm in his arms, waving her little hand at Louise.

“Hi.” Louise’s body language softened, and she waved back at Storm. “How are you doing?”

“We have had an exciting day. One of my old kids came back to town.” Dean passed Storm over to Louise, and then called, “Zak, come say hello to Louise.”

Zak took a calming breath, shaking off his dazed expression. This was going to be awkward. “I’m here. Hi, Louise.”

“Hi, Zak.” They looked at each other, a little hostility in the air.

Dean, being Dean, picked up on it. “Do you two know each other?”

“We met earlier today,” Louise said, kissing Storm’s cheek.

“You did?” Dean asked warily. “You didn’t get into a fight?”

“No, Zak fixed my car,” Louise said.

“You let a stranger fix your car?” Dean asked, sounding like a protective father.

“Louise was on the side of the road. She said she had called for help, but I offered.” Zak shrugged. “I took her to work and then came here for the wrench.”

“You got onto the back of a bike with a stranger?” Dean asked. This was not going well, Louise’s face paled, and she looked close to tears.

“I’m sorry. I was going to call you, but I didn’t want to be late. You know how difficult it’s going to be for me to get a job, without having my CV say tardy.” Louise’s voice was high, and she looked close to tears.

Dean noticed, and his voice softened. “I’m sorry, honey, I just worry about you.”

“I’m a grown woman,” Louise tried to counter, but she was visibly shaken.

“Hey, I shouldn’t have yelled.” Dean pulled Louise into his arms. “I’m sorry. Come on, Storm has had her dinner, and we are going to have a BBQ in honor of Zak coming home. We might have to wrap up against the chilly air, but it will be worth it.”

“I’m the wayward son Dean never had,” Zak said, winking at her, and then he punched Dean lightly on the arm. It was hard for Zak to resist the temptation to take Louise in his own arms and tell her it was OK. He also had to fight the temptation to punch the old man in the nose for upsetting his mate. But Zak figured that news should wait until a better time. “And anyway, you know girls can’t resist this face.”

“I think it was more likely the pants,” Louise owned up. “Ronni has been talking about your butt all afternoon.”

Dean burst out laughing. “You’ve only been back in Bear Creek for a couple of hours and you already have the girls running around after you. Some things never change.”

“Thanks,” Zak said, not wanting to give Louise the wrong impression of him. “Those days, and those pants, are behind me.”

“Oh, they were behind you, all right,” Dean said with a guffaw which made Louise giggle, and Storm shriek.

“Wow, that is ear-splitting,” Zak said, putting his hand to his ear.

“Sorry, she is learning to make a variety of sounds, but Mommy does not seem to be one of them,” Louise said, her tone tinged with sadness.

“She’ll say it when she’s ready,” Dean said gently. “Don’t worry.”

“OK, the BBQ is ready, let’s get some food on.” Zak walked back around the house.

“You two go ahead, I’ll bring the rest of the food out,” Dean said, shooing them away.

“Are you sure? I can help you,” Louise insisted.

“No, you go and sit down, you look exhausted, and let us men wait on you.” Dean disappeared into the house, leaving Zak and Louise almost alone.

“She’s a cute kid,” Zak said, not knowing what else to say. “Dean dotes on her.”

“He’s been really good to us,” Louise admitted. “More than I deserve.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Dean is a good judge of character, he must think you are deserving if he took you in.”

“So you are you one of his kids?” Louise asked, pointing the conversation in a different direction.

“I am. I have my photo on the wall.”

“Oh, the rogues’ gallery.” She tilted her head and looked at him closely. “I don’t remember seeing you.”

“My hair was longer, I was attempting to grow a beard.”

She snort-laughed, then blushed. “Sorry.”

“I see you recall the picture.” He laughed. “I was into ZZ Top, and wanted one of those long beards.” He pretended to stroke an imaginary beard, but then shook his head. “You’ve probably never heard of them.”

“I have. I know exactly what you mean. But I’m sorry to say, it looked like peach fuzz.”

“Thanks.” He rolled his eyes and then laughed. “You are probably right. I soon shaved off the beard.”

“And is that when the ladies started to chase after you?” Louise asked.

“That and the leather pants. I started experimenting at a young age. What can I say, everyone wants to tame a bad boy.” He held out his hands and walked around in a circle, until he realized he looked like a strutting peacock. “But that is the old me.”

“I see. The female half of the population of Bear Creek have been saved from themselves.” Louise laughed. “Hear that, Storm? The ladies won’t be fighting over Zak.”

“Yeah. I’m not that kind of a guy anymore.” He clapped his hands together, which made Storm jump, her big blue eyes nearly popping out of her head. “Sorry.”

“It’s OK, isn’t it, Storm? We like clapping our hands.” Louise switched Storm around so that she was supported in the crook of her arm and then Louise began to clap. Storm looked at her mommy’s hands with total absorption, and then tried to clap her own hands, but didn’t have the coordination.

“I’m going to get some food on this BBQ,” Zak said, turning away from Louise. It had suddenly hit him that he was going to go from being single to having a family. He hadn’t just found his mate today, he had also found his first child. A child he was going to learn to love as if she were his own.

As Zak put the food on to cook, and Dean came out with salad and potatoes, Zak wondered where Storm’s father was. Had he died? Or simply left her and the baby? Of course, it also explained why Louise had tried to push him away when they first met.

If he read her right, she wasn’t looking for a man, because she was learning to be a mother. Zak knew he was going to have to play this very carefully. His urge to open up and tell her of his undying love would be enough to frighten her away. He could not risk that, not when she was so happy here.

At least he could talk to Dean about this. The man always gave the best advice. Zak only hoped that Dean would not be disappointed when he found out Zak was Louise’s true mate.