Getting to Me

It had been a week since Zacky had surprised Mandy by letting her know that they were moving into the other house by themselves, and she had her entire room packed up and ready to be taken over to the new place. She hadn’t had much to take with her, and her parents had already stocked the house with dishes and enough food so that they didn’t always have to come back to their house to eat. McKenna, though she was happy for her sister’s relationship, was upset that her sister was leaving, and she’d run off with Kit Kat to hide somewhere as Zacky and Mandy were loading the boxes into the back of the Suburban.

Suzy was sad as well, although she knew that her daughter was only moving a few miles away. It was always hard letting your children go, and watching Mandy spread her wings for the first time was something that, even if it was beautiful and amazing to see, hurt her. She didn’t think it was all that long ago when Mandy was McKenna’s age, and it made her wonder where the time had gone.

Papa Gates was putting on a strong front, pretending that he wasn’t sad about his daughter moving, though the entire family and Zack could see that he was hurting, too. He had pulled Zacky aside just one more time to warn him not to hurt Mandy, though he already knew the green-eyed man wouldn’t. When he looked at Mandy and Zacky, he saw the kind of love that he and Suzy had. It would be difficult to miss, and that was why he was alright with Mandy moving out with him, even if it hurt to see her go.

Brian was taking it remarkably well, considering the fact that he’d been opposed to Zacky and Mandy’s relationship in the very beginning. He himself was leaving to go back to Fargo in a few days, which made Mandy’s moving all that much more bittersweet, but he was happy to see his sister and friend happy. He knew that sometimes life threw things at you that you’d least expected, and he had a feeling that Mandy’s relationship with Zacky was just such a thing. It was hard to watch his younger sister sucking face with a guy his age, but on the same hand, he knew he could trust Zacky with Mandy. Like his father, Brian knew love when he saw it, and what was between his friend and Mandy was definitely love.

Brent wasn’t bothered either way by his sister leaving. He himself was planning on leaving too, although his parents and siblings didn’t know it. He was happy for Mandy that she’d found someone who loved her, but he knew that this town and living on the ranch wasn’t going to get him where he wanted to be. He already had a one-way-ticket for Los Angeles, and three hundred dollars in his wallet. He knew it was going to hurt his parents when he left, but it was something he had to do. It wasn’t like he’d never come back, anyway. He just needed to find who he was, and that wasn’t happening here in Golden Valley.

As for Zacky and Mandy, both of them were nervous and excited all at the same time. Both of them were looking forward to the challenge of living with one another by themselves, and both of them were eager to see how much farther their relationship was going to go. Both of them realized that eventually, there would be arguments between the two of them. Every couple got into little spats now and again, and they knew that they were to be no exception. But that was something that Mandy knew wasn’t going to break them up. She knew that even if they were fighting, they’d still love one another, and that was something that made her heart swell. He proved how much he loved her every day, and not by just saying it. He backed up those words with actions, and that was what made her realize that it was the truth.

Zacky himself was nervous because in his entire life, he had never lived with a woman that wasn’t his mother or sister. He had never been in a real relationship, either, and that was why he was nervous. He didn’t want to screw this up with Mandy. God only knew how much he loved her, and he didn’t want to see it get thrown down the drain if he made a mistake. And while he knew that Mandy loved him, he didn’t want to screw up. He wanted to be as perfect for her as she was for him, and even if he knew it wasn’t possible, he was sure as hell going to try.

“Well, I think that’s everything,” Brian Sr. said, bringing him out of his thoughts as he patted Zacky’s shoulder before leaning in to give Mandy a tight hug. He knew that he’d be seeing her soon; within a matter of days, even, but that didn’t make it any easier.

“Thanks for helping us, Dad,” Mandy smiled up at him, returning his hug. She wasn’t going to admit it to Zacky, and she wasn’t going to tell her parents, but leaving home was also painful for her, too. It wasn’t that she wasn’t ready to take this step with Zacky. She was nineteen, and she was old enough to start making a home for herself, and that wasn’t what hurt. It was the fact that her parents were no longer going to be just a room away if she needed to talk to them, and even if it would only take ten minutes to drive to the house, that was nine minutes longer than what it had been for her whole life. But along with that, she also knew that it was time for her to spread her wings. It was time for her to start seeing the world with her own eyes. With Zacky, she knew she’d be safe, and that was what mattered. She loved the fact that he was staying with her.

Zacky grabbed her hand in his and gave it a tight squeeze as he walked over to the Suburban and opened up the passenger door for her. She crawled in, and then Zacky opened the back door before calling for Cheyenne, the boxer-pitbull dog that they were taking with them to the new house. The dog jumped in easily and settled down on the seat, wiggling her stub of a tail excitedly as Zacky closed the door.

Zacky walked around the car and got into the front seat before grabbing Mandy’s hand over the center console, looking over at her with a small smile. She nodded her head, letting him know that it was okay, and he turned the key in the ignition before slowly starting to drive out of the driveway.

“We’ll come back to see them every day if you want to, baby,” Zacky murmured to her, rubbing his thumb softly over her palm, making her smile over at him with a shake of her head. She brought his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss there softly before letting it rest on the center console again.

“No, I’ll be okay, Zack,” she said to him quietly. “This day is something that they’ve known was going to happen for nineteen years, now. And I know that they’ll miss having me at the house, but I’m only a few miles away. We’ll see each other every few days, and we’ll eat family dinners together still. This is something that’s good for us,” she smiled over at him.

Zacky beamed, glad that Mandy was as happy as he was about living on their own. He had been worried that he’d pressured her too much, and that she had only agreed because he had insisted. But to hear those words coming off of her lips meant that that wasn’t the case, and it made him happy. He was glad to know that she didn’t feel pressured, and that she wanted to live with him.

The drive to the new house didn’t take long, and loading the boxes into the house only took an hour or so. The dog had already run off around the farmstead to sniff around, and both Sheba and the colt, still unnamed, were in the barn, warm and cozy and out of the cold January wind.

“We can unpack this stuff later, let’s just relax for now,” Mandy murmured into Zacky’s ear as he knelt down to pick up a box, pressing her lips to the back of his neck before pulling him up so that he was standing. He smirked down at her and pressed his lips softly to the corner of her mouth, and then picked her up so that she had to wrap her legs around his waist to stop from toppling over. He grinned when she wrapped her arms around his neck, and then carried her into the living room before sitting down, letting her sit on top of him before pressing his lips to hers softly again.

“You have no idea how much this means to me, Mandy,” he murmured quietly into her ear, his breath hot on her skin as his hands moved slowly up and down her sides. “I love you so much.”

Mandy nodded, leaning her head onto his shoulder before closing her eyes. Words couldn’t tell him how much she loved him. In such a short amount of time, she had come to see Zacky as her oxygen, and she knew that if he wasn’t a part of her life right now, she’d be devastated. And looking into his eyes, she knew that he viewed her with that exact same mindset. And that was how she knew that she’d found her soul mate.