Page 52 of Call it Fate

I shared stories of Iain growing up. We ate up the information faster than we ate our lunch, and the time passed quickly and easily.

“Is it just me or are people staring at us?” Zach looked around the diner curiously.

I glanced around, and sure enough, I caught more than a few tables looking our way. I turned back to Zach and shrugged. “I guess they’re talking about the guy who calmed Mayor Sterling down.” But a funny feeling niggled at me that there was more to it.

The mystery was solved when none other than Ruth herself showed up at our table. The spunky, gray-haired owner of the diner beamed at us. “I hope your meal was to your liking,” she said.

We both praised our respective meals. There was never anything to complain about Ruth’s southern-style, rib-sticking meals.

She leaned a little closer and dropped her voice. “Well, I just wanted to let you know that troublemaker Trinity started a rumor going around that our new local hero is actually your young’un’s daddy.” I saw the curiosity in her eyes, but I knew Ruth well enough to know she was giving me an honest heads-up. She peered at Zach with sharp eyes. “I can see for myself it’s likely true.”

Zach held her gaze. “I am Iain’s dad. It’s a personal story, but I’m not going to hide it.”

Ruth gave a quick nod. “Good. I like you. A man should be proud of his family. And you’ve got a good one.” Her eyes swept over me. “Both of them.”

Zach’s smile was even more rib-sticking than Ruth’s food. “I know.”

“Well, alrighty then. You folks enjoy the rest of your day. Lunch is on the house.” She left before we could protest.

“I guess we know what they’re talking about.” Zach’s forehead puckered.

I shook my head. “Welcome to a small town. It’s like the ultimate game of telephone we played as kids. They’ll get the gist of the story right, but it will be interesting to see what embellishment they add.”

“We know the truth, and that’s all that matters.”

I was glad to see he wasn’t bothered about being the topic of gossip. “But, we still have a problem.”

Zach frowned. “What’s that?”

I sent him an exasperated look. “Our timeline to tell Iain just moved up.”

“Well, that’s a simple solution. We tell him.”

I swallowed hard. Everything was changing so fast. “You’re right. When?”

“The sooner the better.”

That was easy for him to say. He had everything to gain. I, on the other hand, was worried I had something to lose.

Zach must have sensed my trepidation, but instead of being irritated, he reached his hand across the table to clasp mine. “It will be all right, sunshine, you’ll see. We’re going to make this work.”

“But how, Zach? You have a life in Charlotte, and mine and Iain’s are here.”

“I don’t know all the details yet. Yes, there will be adjustments for all of us. But, what I do know is that we’ll do it together.”

I turned my hand upward to entwine my fingers with his.

“So, when should we tell him?” he asked.

I drew a deep breath. “How about tonight?”

CHAPTER23

Zach

Never had an afternoon passed so slowly. The closer the clock hands got to four o’clock, the slower they moved. I was excited to see Iain again and tell him the truth of how much I already loved him. Right now, I felt like a guest in his life, but soon, I’d be able to settle into the role of nurturer and provider.

I could tell word spread as quickly as Em had warned. A few patients had stared at me quizzically, and a couple had even tried to bring up the topic, but I’d quickly maneuvered all conversations back to their pet.

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