Page 43 of Signed, SEALed, Delivered

***

The hearing to decide if my petition for a restraining order would be granted was this afternoon. Dad and Zach showed up as a unified front, dressed in tailored suits with shaved faces. We climbed into my father’s town car, his normal driver holding the door open wide for us. Zach wrapped his arm around me, tucking me into the protection of his body. As we made our way into the city, the car swayed with the irregularities in the road as we approached the Court House. Dad assured me I had nothing to worry about, and the way Zach held me confirmed his words to be true.Today must have been a busy day for hearings; the hallway outside the courtroom was filled with men in orange waiting to have their time before the judge. I was about to tell Zach we could go sit down, when a deep voice to my left spoke my name.

"Kennedy?" Jerking my attention in the direction of the voice, I came face to face with Ethan. Dressed in jeans, a button up shirt and boots, with his left arm in a sling, and a bandage over his right eye. I would have thought the horse defending me would have been a deterrent; apparently this was not the case.

“Ethan.” Fear tickled at the edge of my resolve, causing me to pull at Zach’s arm involuntarily.

"I’ve told you we’re meant to be together, why you fight it I cannot understand. If I were you, I would find something else to do besides testify at this trial." The threat coming from his menacing voice hung in the air. I was frozen, until I heard the response from behind me, a response that was equally as menacing.

Zach's fingers dug into my shoulder, pushing me toward my father. "You’re really gonna do that here? Threaten her like that?"

Ethan never responded with words. With a sneer growing on his face, he looked to Zach, and then to my father before walking into the courtroom. Zach pulled out his phone as the door closed behind Ethan.

“He can’t hurt you, Darlin’.” My father assured me as he kissed my temple.

The door opened again and a man in uniform stepped out. “Forrester?” he called in a raised voice, the sound echoing in the massive hall.

“That's us, Darlin’. Remember what I said, he can't hurt you.”

Zach is still on his phone when I turn around to look for him, his eyes full of anger and determination as they lock with mine. I watch as he tells whomever he is talking to he will see them later, ending his call.

I’m not sure what I expected out of the hearing, but in less than seven minutes, after my father stood before the judge presenting the facts, I was granted an order of protection. As the gavel came down on the wooden desk of the judge, Ethan laughed, shook his head and muttered something under his breath as he left the room. Having this order of protection gave me permission to let out the breath I had been holding since he walked into the stables.

***

Since the beginning, Zach and I have spent every possible hour together. He usually tried to bribe me to spend the night with him, kissing my neck or using his wandering hands. Tonight as I washed the final plate and he dried, placing it back in the cabinet, I waited for the groping to begin. When he grabbed his car keys and explained he had an early appointment in the morning, I nodded, trying to cover my disappointment. The ride back to my apartment was quiet and I wasn't certain if it was due to my repeated decline of his advances or something, someone, else.

I tried not to read anything into his mood, after all we are all entitled to be 'off' every once in awhile, but as I stared at the shadows on the ceiling, my mind refused to shut off. Finally, in exasperation, I tossed the covers back and grabbed my own set of keys.

It was well after one in the morning, so the streets between Zach's house and mine were empty. I tried to plan what I would do. Would I just crawl in bed with him and try to make up for all the refusals I have dished out over the past several months? He had given me a key months ago, encouraging me to come and go as I pleased.

Pulling around the house, I locked my car and slid my key into the lock of his back patio door. Oddly, his alarm wasn't engaged; perhaps he was too tired and simply forgot. Stepping into the kitchen, I notice movement to my right. Shifting my eyes, I expected to find Zach standing with a bottle of water or a late night snack. Instead, I found a dark haired, wide-eyed girl, dressed in a t-shirt and nothing else.

“Hello?”

“I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Oh, um. Zach is—”

“No,” I interrupt, my hand extended in her direction. “No need to explain.” Turning as quick as I possibly could, I ignored whatever the girl is calling after me. Climbing into my truck, the engine roars to life as I turn the ignition, slam it into gear, and pull out of the driveway.

When did I become so desperate for love and affection that I tossed away my sense of self-preservation? How blind had I become to let a man pull the wool over my eyes? Zach came in like a superhero, dressed in camouflage and a bright smile, swearing to me he was, “just trying to do the right thing.” The irony of the situation, I’d assumed because Zach had a good story to tell and didn't ask for money, he was one of the good guys.

I watched the sun filter through the clouds as I waited to see Zach pull up to the shop for his early morning appointment, but it never happened. Jason came strutting up the sidewalk with a smile glossing his face, looking happy and content. I wouldn't rob him of that just because I had the ability to attract the worst people in the world. Taking my keys in hand once again, I powered off my phone and made the six-mile journey to my father's house.

I have always loved the condo my father kept downtown. It's quaint and has comfortable furnishings, not to mention, my mother absolutely hated how simple it was. I was taking a huge chance my father was home this morning or if he would be alone. To my knowledge, my father had still not presented my mother with divorce papers, or stopped seeing Leeann. My hand reached up, grasped the ring that ran through the nose of the metal horse, and tapped it against the door three times. I was about to turn around and leave when the door opened, revealing my father in his suit and tie, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

"Sweetheart?" My father's voice laced with concern, giving me the needed courage to throw on the fake smile I wanted to hide behind. If only for today, I will pretend my life was anything but what the evidence was telling me.

"Dad, I apologize for showing up unannounced."

He held out his hand inviting mine to join his. "This is your home, too. You never need a reason to come over."

I remember when I was six, sitting at the bar in this kitchen, swinging my socked feet back and forth as I watched my mother cook eggs. Once dad started making money, those duties fell to the staff she insisted on hiring. Now, I sit in the same chair, albeit a little more worn than before, drinking the coffee my father proudly made for me.

"I know you’re a very busy man and have more clients to see than hours in the day, but—"

Taking my shoulders in his hands and looking directly in my eyes, he responded with some of the sweetest words any man has ever uttered to me. "My day can wait. I would be honored to spend time with my little girl."

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