Chapter 31

"Hey, Mate." Zane grinned at me as he leaned against his car with his arms across his chest. The tight black t-shirt doing very little to hide his muscular build. His blue jeans hugged his firm legs so much so that every muscle and bump were visible. I couldn't help the feeling of pride and joy that overwhelmed me when I remembered that he was mine.

An involuntary smile laced my lips as I all but bounced the short way to him. The second I was close enough to him, he didn't hesitate to pull me in against his chest. His strong arms wrapped themselves around me and cocooned me against him. His heart played a sweet rhythm against my ear that had me melting against him as I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked up at him. "Hello." I greeted before his lips caressed mine in a swift but sweet peck. A groan left his throat as he broke his lips from mine.

"I'll never get tired of these," He muttered against my lips before stealing one last kiss as he prepared to straighten up. He effortlessly lifted me up with one arm, making a giggle leave my lips as I let him carry me like a child while he used his other hand to open the passenger door behind him. "It's time for us to get going," He grinned the most boyish smile I had ever seen as he helped me in. A look of utter joy marred his gorgeous features as he helped me in.

Once I was sitting down, he closed my door with a smile before jogging to his side of the car and jumping in.

His eyes instantly shot over to me before he leaned over until his warmth caressed my dress clad chest. I had settled for a simple bodycon spaghetti strapped black dress that went down to my knees. A 2-inch slit came up on one side of the dress and gave a glimpse of my bare skin. However, I also had a pair of tight, silky tights under the dress that I folded to my mid-thigh instead of keeping them at knee length so they didn't peek from my dress. I, however, opted not to bring a bag, so I had to settle with carrying my cellphone in my hand, which I admit can be a little tedious.

A silent 'click' snapped me back to reality and back to Zane as he buckled my seat belt for me like the sweet guy he was. "There we go." He grinned as he stole one more kiss from my poor lips before sitting down on his seat.

"My poor lips." I pouted as I raised my hand to caress my almost dry darlings.

"I won't say I'm sorry." He smirked as he started the engine with a loud 'roar'.

"I know," I playfully stuck my tongue out at him. "But you stole all my lip therapy from my lips now they are suffering."

A chuckle left his lips as he grabbed a pair of dark sunglasses from his side and popped them over his eyes.

"Still not gonna say sorry, but..." He drawled as he pulled the car onto the road. "I have one that you dropped in the glove box."

"Really?" I smiled as I opened the glove box, and yes, there was one of my lip therapies that I had not even noticed was missing. I excitedly pulled it out and squirted some over my lips until they were shiny and moist.

"Here," He said as he raised a pair of dark sunglasses in my direction, "I don't want your eyesight going bad on my watch."

If only he knew how much I loved sunglasses!

"Thank you!" I all but squealed as I took the pair and slipped them over my eyes. The world instantly became darker as I rested my head further into my seat and enjoyed the silent but comfortable ride.

A hand gently engulfed my knee and laid there out of the blue, but I didn't mind. Instead, I saw it as an opportunity to place my own hand over his and started playing with his thicker and stronger fingers.

"Thanks for coming with me, Baby." He said as he turned and lazily smiled at me before facing the road again.

"It's my pleasure." I replied as I intertwined our fingers that were on my knee. He gently squeezed my hand in return before turning into one of the parking lots.

"Okay," He cut off the engine with a silent rumble before we both unbuckled our seatbelts and jumped out of the car - well, at least I jumped out of the car." He made his way over to my side and interlocked our fingers before guiding me through the blue gates with posters and sponsor details on them. We stepped into what looked like the reception area. A glass window showed a working man sitting behind her table as she typed on a laptop while a computer was placed next to it.

The reception area was not at all bad looking. However, the furniture fell on the vintage design side. There was a long bench on one side and a few chairs with cushions on the one side - adjacent to the door we walked through. A burglar gate could be spotted across the room, but unlike the doors that were open behind us, the burglar gate was locked.

Zane gently guided us in the direction of the reception area where I could see a man also typing on a laptop in his respective working space at the back of the room from the glass window. Another person, a woman, stood in front of a printing machine in the distance.

Zane cleared his throat as we stepped in front of the reception window. The man typing on the laptop instantly looked up at us.

"Maddie." He called looking in the direction of the woman standing at the printer. The woman instantly turned around and caught a glimpse of us. A look of realisation painted her features before she made her way over to us.

"Good afternoon. How may I help you?" She 'Maddie' politely smiled as she stopped behind the glass window.

"Hi, we're here for my daughter, Grace Evans." Zane said.

"Okay..." She drawled as she tapped away at the keyboard while her eyes locked onto the screen. "And you are her...?"

"Her father, Zane Evans." Zane responded.

"Alright," She responded after a few seconds of silence. "You may go through." She smiled up at us as a 'click'  sounded from the locked burglar bars.

"Thanks." He nodded at her as he let my hand go and settled his now unoccupied hand in the middle of my back. He gently nudged me towards the now open door and used his one hand to push it open for us so we could walk through.

We were instantly greeted by a spacious green field with swings, monkey bars, slides, and numerous other playing equipment. Classrooms cocooned the playing area with benches and school bags lined up as the sound of boisterous laughter filled the space from the children who were playing around the field.

It was very easy for me to spot the black head angel as she spoke to another girl who was standing next to her parents, I assume.

A few older and younger ladies could also be spotted standing against the walls or playing with the children. They all wore the same blue shirts, so I assume they must have been the staff - probably the teachers, too.

Grace waved at her friend as she followed her parents toward us, probably to leave, and that's when Grace's eyes caught us.

A smile instantly laced her already smiling mouth as she hopped over towards us.

"Daddy! Meli!" She excitedly stopped in front of me and raised her arms in my direction.

I instinctively leaned down and picked her up and cuddled her against my side.

"Hey, Sweetie," I cooed as I placed a big kiss on her plump cheek. "How was your day?"

"Let me get her bag." Zane chuckled as he leaned over my shoulder and placed a kiss on Grace's forehead on his way.

"It so good!" She grinned, "I draw! Count! And sing! And Mimi played with me!" She enthusiastically gushed.

"Really?" I feigned exaggerated surprise. "It sounds like it was fun!"

"It was vewy fun!" She giggled. "Meli! Teacher Cora said pawets day is coming!"

"Really?!" I gasped excitedly, "You must ask Daddy or Papa then, right?"

"Yeah." She responded, her voice going an octave lower.

"We ready to go?" Zane asked as he walked over with Grace's princess bag in his hand.

"Ready. Right, Gracie?" I asked the suddenly quieter girl. Concern was slowly creeping into my stomach as I gently rocked her in my arms, "Are you okay, Sweetie? You seem a bit quiet."

"Yes! I good!" She responded with far too much energy than before. It was clear that something was bothering her, and that unsettled me.

"Okay," I gently rubbed her back with my hand in a soothing motion as I followed Zane out of the building. It was a very short distance to the car even as I carried Grace in my arms. Something about her not being okay made me feel more worried than when I myself was not okay.

We found our way back to the car with an awfully silent Grace, each step making me more worried than the last. Before we knew it, Zane had her safely buckled in her booster seat, and we were driving away from the school's parking lot. A nagging feeling in me told me that there was something amiss, but when I thought about when the silence began, I couldn't help but to ask myself if I had perhaps said something wrong.

"You're overthinking about something." Zane said as we stopped at a red light.

"Daddy." Grace suddenly spoke, breaking the silence she had kept up until now with a whisper.

"Yes, Princess." Zane happily responded, his eyes meeting hers on the rearview mirror.

"Pawets day is coming. Will Daddy come?" She asked.

"Of course I'll be there, Pumpkin. Nothing in the world will stop me." He promised.

"Okay, Daddy." She said before relaxing back into her seat and facing the window.

"I'll talk to her." Zane whispered.

"What about?" I quirked an eyebrow at him as he laid his open hand on my lap and wiggled his fingers in a silent gesture for me to intertwine mine with his.  I didn't hesitate to slip my hand into his as I waited for his response.

"I can see you're worried about her, Mel," He quickly threw me a knowing look before facing the road again as we drove off. "I'll see what's going on unless you feel up to it?"

"No," I shook my head, my chest aching as I responded, "It'll be better if you do it."

"Okay, Baby." He nodded as he raised my hand in his and planted a sweet kiss on my knuckles.

He kept our hands on his thigh for the rest of the ride, silence washing over the car in an almost awkward way as I followed Grace's example and focused my eyes on the road. Before long, we were parked at the house and piling out of the car.

We walked into the house together, then split up so Zane could go get Grace changed and probably to have that conversation with her while I went to the living room with hope of finding something to watch. The sound of the TV murmuring in the background followed by a boisterous laugh had me chuckling as I watched Nolan shake his head at whatever was playing on the TV.

"Why are you being creepy over there, Sweetheart?" He asked as he turned to me with a boyish smile.

"What if I was just practicing my ninja skills?" I joked as I made my way over to the couch. "What are you watching?"

"Nothing now that you're here," He winked as I plopped down next to him. "Come here," He said as he wrapped his arms around me and placed me on his lap. "I missed you." He said as he planted a quick peck on my lips while I loosely wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I missed you, too," I happily sighed as I laid my head on his shoulder. "When did you get back?"

"Just a few minutes ago," He responded, "Now tell me, what has you feeling down?"

"What are you talking about?" I feigned obliviousness.

"Zane told me you were a bit worried about something. What's wrong?" He asked as he ran a soothing hand around my back.

"It might not be anything," I sighed as I moved away from his shoulder, so I was looking him in the eye. "I'm just scared I might have said something to make Grace upset. She has been quiet since we left her school."

"Grace is taking a nap," Zane said as he walked into the room, plopping down onto the couch next to us. "She didn't tell me a single thing." He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"What happened exactly?" Nolan quirked a curious eyebrow.

"Well, she told me about Parents Day, so I just told her that she'd have to ask either of you to go with her." I explained.

Silence followed as we all thought about how that would upset a child. I wonder if it's her first Parents Day.

"Baby," Nolan began, "I think it's possible that she wanted to go with you. She really is fond of you, after all. Maybe she felt rejected by your response."

"You think?" I asked, surprise visible from my voice.

"It is possible," Zane agreed. "Maybe you can talk to her. I'm sure she'll be more open to talking to you than me, at least."

"I don't think I'll get a different response either." Nolan agreed.

"Are you two sure?" I asked, "I don't want to upset her any more than I already have."

"Trust us," Zane reassured, "You're the person she wants to hear from the most here."