Zach paled slightly then glared at his sister. “I don’t have a father, Zelda. I have a sperm donor to whom I owe nothing and he owes nothing in return,” he said flatly. “I don’t hate the man. I just don’t want him in my life.”
“Why? Zach, he didn’t know about us,” Zelda said softly.
Zach shrugged and a flash of pain crossed his expression so quickly, I wasn’t sure that it had happened. However, his body went rigid. I could read his feelings of worthlessness loud and clear. “No reason,” he said in a clipped tone. “Just is the way it is.”
“Zach, you’re right,” I said as Zelda’s eyes grew wide with disappointment and surprise. I held up my hand before she could contradict me. I continued, choosing my words carefully. “You owe Fabio nothing, nor does he owe you. But I think you owe it to yourself to at least get to know him a little bit. If you like him, great. If you don’t, you lose nothing. However, there might be something to gain for both of you.”
Zach ran his hands through his hair and expelled a very long slow breath. The tension in his body was obvious and his magic was very close to the surface. My warlock was a ticking time bomb of pain.
“The only thing to gain from the man is the name of the investor if he knows who it is, or at the very least a list of possibilities,” Zach ground out between clenched teeth. “Other than that, I’d like to kick his ass.”
“Mmkay, it’s a start. Violence is an excellent jumping-off point,” Zelda said. “Look, when he was my cat, I ran over him three times with my car and considered dropping him off at the pound before we worked it all out. Plus, I saw him naked. It was fucking horrifying. Took me forever to call him dad after seeing his junk. If you want, you can use the term Fabdudio—kind of a combo of Fabio and Dad. It works for me.”
“I’ll stick with Zelda’s dad for the time being,” Zach said.
“That works too,” Zelda said with a grin. “He answers to pretty much anything.”
“How about calling him Fabio?” I suggested, going for something that wouldn’t incite a smackdown in the first two minutes of a meeting. “Or sperm donor, if Fabio is too personal. Our goal is to get a name so Bob and Roger don’t die. Keep the end game in mind.”
Zach turned to me. He looked like a lost child, unsure what to do. He didn’t think he was good enough for Fabio in the same way he didn’t think he was good enough for me. My heart clenched and I immediately moved to him and held him tight. His body was stiff and unyielding. I hugged tighter and he finally relaxed and hugged me back.
“You make it all okay,” he whispered. “You make me okay.”
“No,” I whispered back. “You will make you okay, and I will be here to love you while you figure it out.”
“You’ll come with me to see Zelda’s dad?” he asked.
Smiling, I realized I’d lost the name war. It didn’t matter. We were about to take the first baby step in Zach learning to love himself and letting shit go. If he ended up having a relationship with Fabio, that was wonderful. If he didn’t, that was fine too as long as it was his choice and not because he didn't think he was worthy. “Yes, I will be at your side when you talk to Zelda’s dad.”
“Awesome,” Zelda said, yanking Sassy up off of the floor and pushing all of us out the front door. “I need to get laid and you all need to get some names so we can start begging for Bob and Roger’s lives. Here’s Fabio’s address. Have fun and let me know how it goes.”
On that loving parting note, she shoved a piece of paper into Zach’s hands and slammed the door shut on us.
“How about I go find Zorro and take him for a ride on my broom?” Sassy suggested.
“Umm… how about you find him and let him know we’re going to see Fabio?” I countered. I’d seen Sassy fly. You couldn’t pay me to get on her broom, and I certainly didn't wish that on my bestie.
“On it,” Sassy said, hopping on her broom. “I’ll find him and fly him over to my place for the evening so Zelda and Mac can bang in peace. You guys go kick Fabio’s butt and get some names. If we have names, I’ll know who to wax. Remember to take pictures!” She zipped off and Zach and I watched her almost crash into a tree.
“She’s going to wax the investor?” Zach asked, wincing as Sassy strafed the top of Sponge Bob then flew off towards town.
“Apparently,” I said with a pained laugh. “Sassy’s unique.”
“And violent,” Zach added.
I laughed again. “Says the man who wants to kick his sperm donor’s ass.”
Zach chuckled and shrugged. “I just…”
“You don’t need to explain unless you want to,” I told him.
He nodded and smiled. “You’re perfect, Willow.”
“Not even close,” I said with a giggle.
“For me,” Zach said softly. “You are perfect for me.”
Zach leaned into me with clear intention in his eyes. My breath caught in my throat and I met him in the middle. I would always meet him in the middle. This was a little more than a baby step, but I couldn't resist the way the touch of his lips on mine made me feel. I melted into the kiss that I’d been waiting for my whole life.
As Zach deepened the kiss, the world fell away and my body tingled from head to toe. It was slow and insistent and passionate. The sounds he made sent my brain right to places that included far more than kissing. Our tongues tangled in a sensual dance and our bodies pressed so close there was no space left
