Page 30 of Finding You
“I think you already knew I didn’t have a girlfriend,” he said, his deep, rumbling voice making her tremble. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come over.”
After a slight hesitation and a little squeeze, she released him. “You’re right. I wouldn’t have, but I wanted to make sure no jealous girlfriend would be storming through the door with a hatchet or something.”
Zion chuckled. “Uh,no. That’s not going to happen. You’re safe here.” The smile on his face slowly disappeared, and then he ran the back of his fingers down her cheek before lowering his hand. “Thank you for agreeing to come. I thought it would be better for us to talk here instead of at the B & B. I love my family, but they are good at getting into my business, especially my mom.”
Raven laughed at that because of something his mother had said a couple of hours ago. “I understand, and your mom might or might not have mentioned that I should give you a chance to show me what an upstanding man she raised.”
Though Raven was smiling because she thought it was sweet, Zion frowned.
“That woman just can’t help herself. I don’t know what I’m going to do with her.”
This time Raven laughed. “Well, I personally think she’s fabulous, and she adores you.”
“Yeah, yeah, but sometimes she’s too much,” he said as he stared into Raven’s eyes. “I’m glad you’re back in my life, and no, that’s not a line. I can’t begin to tell you how much I thought about you since Vegas. I’m glad we found each other again.”
That voice. That incredibly smooth, deep, and sexy voice continued to send goosebumps scurrying over her skin. It just added to his well-packaged body.
Good Lord. Would she ever get used to it or him? Especially when he said sweet things to her while continuing to stare into her eyes.
Raven tried not to fidget under his perusal, but she couldn’t stop the shiver that gripped her at the intensity in his gaze. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the chilly weather or his gentle touch as the back of his hand glided down her cheek again.
Either way, he noticed and put his arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get you guys inside. We’ll grab the babies, and then I’ll come back out for anything you want me to bring inside.”
“Okay. I’ll get Andrew if you can get NayNay.”
“I can handle that.”
After she went to the back passenger side, she opened the door and unbuckled a sleeping Andrew. She lifted him out of his seat along with the baby-blue blanket while Zion did the same with Zanaya.
“God, she’s so precious,” Zion whispered, looking in awe as Zanaya stretched her tiny body and started to fuss. “All right, sweetie.” He wrapped the pink blanket around her and pulled her against his large body. Their little one squirmed a bit and then snuggled against him.
As Raven watched Zion, and the way he looked at their daughter, she was pretty sure her ovaries quivered. The twins were small, but when in Zion’s strong, muscular arms, they seemed even tinier. There was so much pride in his expression, and Raven’s heart melted.
“I can’t believe I have a baby girl,” he whispered, looking down at Zanaya as if she was the eighth wonder of the world.
“And a baby boy,” Raven added when she went to stand next to him.
Zion glanced at Andrew and a crooked grin kicked up his sexy lips. “My boy,” he said with unadulterated joy and shook his head. “Raven, they are perfect. You’ve given me something I didn’t even know I wanted. These two are truly a gift.”
The words were spoken with such conviction, she teared up a little. A week ago, he’d told her she must’ve been mistaken. That there was no way he could be the father, but now…God, she was so thankful he was embracing this huge change in his life. She just hoped he didn’t renege and decide being a father was too much of a responsibility. Especially the first time he got to witness the twins waking up at three in the morning wanting to eat.
The babies were doing better with sleeping through most of the night, but still, there were days when they didn’t. So far, Raven wasn’t hearing any warning bells that Zion would bolt at the first sign of trouble, but time would tell.
Barking sounded as they neared the door, and Raven paused. “I didn’t know you had a dog.”
“Yeah, Onyx. Come on in. He’s crated,” he said as they entered a mudroom where a washer and dryer, as well as coat hooks were located.
Raven followed Zion through the eat-in kitchen, and that’s when she saw the dog who started barking and whining. Zion released a quick whistle, and the dog went silent except for a barely audible whine. Through it all, the babies stayed asleep.
“Follow me,” Zion said. “I’ll introduce you to Onyx as soon as we lay the babies down. I’ve been doing some research on the best way to introduce him to the twins. He’s well trained and gentle with kids, but I still want to ease him into an introduction with you and the twins.”
“I can’t wait to officially meet him,” Raven said of the dog.
She had always wanted a dog. At first, her parents’ excuse was they didn’t think she was responsible enough to get a dog. Then, by the time she got to middle school and then high school, they kept her so busy with various sports and other activities until she didn’t have time for a pet.
“Come this way. There’s something I want you to see,” Zion said as he headed down a hallway.
Raven followed a few feet behind, taking in his home. On the walls along the hallway were a few family photos mixed in with gorgeous African art that were strategically placed. The display was beautiful, and she wondered if Zion had done it or if he’d had a designer. Maybe one of his sisters helped him decorate.
