Seeing Is Believing
07
Zak picked Mason and I up at the airport in Las Vegas. I couldn't believe that I had agreed to this. It wasn't the greeting that one would expect. A few weeks ago, we were happy and whatever but it was clear that was gone. Maybe most of the blame for that fell on my shoulders. I wouldn't even look him in the eye when we saw each other. I didn't know if I believed his story and if it was true and he did care for me, why did it take Mason and Aaron to get him to call me?
"Let me take your bag for you," he offered.
"I've got it," I said, picking it up. His hand covered mine, forcing me to look at him. He looked at me with his sad blue eyes.
"Let me do this for you...please?" I tightened my jaw and removed my hand from the bag. "My car's this way..." he murmured to both Mason and I as he led the way out to the parking lot. He opened the passenger door for me.
"Thank you..." I couldn't help but think back to our earlier meetings. I knew that he was chivalrous and I knew that he was a good person...I just didn't know what to do. I was conflicted.
"This is the damn airport that shattered my phone," he sighed as he walked around the car, popped the trunk and put my bag in the back. "Mason, can I take yours too?" my nephew nodded and handed the bag to Zak before getting in the back seat. I felt him touch my shoulder in a reassuring manner. He knew that I didn't want to fly out to Vegas. I had to leave Boots with Kat and I didn't like doing that. And, by doing this, I already had to quit my job at the diner. This sucked.
"Do ya live in the city?" I asked, deciding to make small talk, kind of anyway.
"I live a few minutes off the strip...It's not noisy if that's what you're asking." That was what I was asking. "And you're going to have your own room," he said, looking into the rearview mirror at Mason.
My nephew nodded. I knew that I was putting him in a tough spot. He believed Zak's story wholeheartedly and he didn't have any attachments to Middlefield. I did.
"Am I going to have my own room or am I sharing with you...?" I couldn't help myself. I had to know...I wasn't so much opposed to sharing a room with Zak...I just would rather not.
"You can have my room, I'll sleep on the couch."
I hated the look he gave me. He wasn't the strong, dominating, man that I had met. He was looking at me like I was in control of everything. That wasn't what I wanted. He should just be himself...right?
***
It had been a few days. I had refused to let Zak sleep on the couch, it was his house after all. And, he refused to let me sleep there either-I was pregnant. So, we ended up sharing a bed. But, I swore that it was like we were on opposite sides of the planet. There was a large gap between the two of us and it was sad, really. Gracie, his dog, did like to take over that space.
I woke up before he did, as per usually, and I decided that maybe we shouldn't be on opposite poles like this. We were going to be parents together after all. I decided that breakfast might be a good peace offering. After I made it, I even brought it to him. It wasn't even seven o'clock yet. I sat on the edge of the bed with the food and set it on the bedside table. I shook Zak's bare shoulder slightly. He had always slept shirtless. He opened his eyes and looked up at me. "Macy?"
"Yeah..." I replied. All of those emotions that I had been trying to repress when it came to Zak, I felt this heat in my chest as he met my eyes. "Look, I want to just start over," I gently cupped his cheek with my hand, he covered my hand with his own. "I'm Macy."
"Zak," he smiled sleepily.
"I made ya breakfast, by the way."
"I wondered what smelled so good," his smiled broadened while he stretched.
"I've gotta wake Mason up. Today's his first day of school here...I've gotta get 'im registered an' what not."
"Can I go with you?" he asked. I considered saying no.
"That's up to Mason. This is his first day, I don' kno' if he wants some strange dude walkin' into his school," I gave Zak a light smile. It was funny how easy it was for us to just fall into whatever this was. "I'm going to go wake 'im an' I'll ask 'im if ya want..."
"No, I want to myself."
"Okay," I started to walk out of the room, but then I noticed Gracie lying on the bed looking at me. "Gotta go out, Grace?" I asked her. Her ears shot up. I asked her once more and she shot out the door and to the back door. I smiled and let her out the glass door. I left the coffee pot brewing and I went to wake up Mason.
***
Mason agreed to Zak coming with us to get him signed up for school. That didn't take long so he stayed at school and Zak and I went back to his house.
"So when can we tell everybody?" he asked on the way back. I looked over at him slightly puzzled. "About the baby, I mean..."
"Oh...I uh...I don' know...I guess that's up to ya. Kat already knows, so does Mason...Those 're all of the people that I would want to tell anyway."
"What about Thanksgiving?" that was in a few days. "My mom has me, my sister, and her kids over every holiday. You and Mason should come with me and we can tell everybody there..."
"Like I said, 's up to you," I said, rubbing my hand across his bicep lightly. I didn't know if I was ready to meet his family yet. We hadn't known each other for every long but in seven and a half months, I wouldn't hava a choice. Plus, then I would just be the girl that hid from them but was having Zak's child...So I didn't have much of a choice.
"Alright. I'll call my mom and let her know that I'm brining along guests."
***
"Hey mom," I was about to walk into the kitchen but I heard Zak on the phone, I paused, but then decided to walk in there anyway. He greeted me with a kiss on the head as I walked past. "I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be bringing two guests with me to Thanksgiving..." I could faintly hear a female voice on the other line while I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.
"Is it a girl?"
"Yes, it's a girl," he smiled. "Her name is Macy." I didn't hear what she said next, but Zak laughed a little bit. "She's not just some girl. She means a lot to me actually," I froze with my water as he smiled and pulled me to his side while we were both leaning against the counter.
"Why the two then?" I could hear his mom's voice a little bit better now.
"She has a nephew, he's fifteen. I'm going to call you back in a little while I've got some stuff to go over for our next lockdown."
"When's the lockdown?"
"We'll be leaving the day after Thanksgiving..."
They said their goodbyes and Zak put his phone back on the counter and moved so that he was standing in front of me.
"You have a lockdown the day after Thanksgiving?" I asked him. He rested his hands on my hips and nodded. His facial expression was sad.
"I don't want to go, but it's one of the only times we can be sure Kentucky isn't going to be snowy and stuff..."
"Where are y'all goin' in Kentucky?"
"Wilder...We're going back to Hell's Gate-Bobby Mackey's Music World..."
"You're going back there?" I had watched that episode.
"Yeah..."
"Will you be alright? I mean, isn't that place really dangerous?"
"I'll manage," he promised, kissing the tip of my nose. "It's dangerous, but Nick, Aaron, and I all have been doing this for a very long time and we know what we're doing. Don't worry your pretty little head about us."
"Ya think my head's pretty?" I joked.
"I think everything about you is beautiful," he dipped his head down and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he lifted me up onto the island counter.
"Wait is it safe to-?" he let his eyes do the rest of the asking. "Since you're pregnant and all..."
"It's safe," I told him, pulling him back in for a kiss. We hadn't done this since I had come to Vegas. We had only just made up today anyway.
"Are you sure?"
"Mm hmm," I replied, deepening our kisses. "But let's go up to your room..." It wasn't that doing it on the counter wouldn't have been ideal, I just didn't want anything unexpected to happen.
***
"You know what I want right now?" I asked as I cuddled against Zak's side.
"Mm, what's that, babe?" he asked.
"Apple Juice."
"I'll get you some," he offered as he started to get up.
"We're all out," I replied, pulling him back towards me. He rested his chin on the top of my head.
"I'll go to the store and pick up some later," he said instead.
"You're too sweet," I pressed a soft kiss to his bare chest.
"Mm hmm," he hummed, kissing my head. "We've gotta leave to go get Mason soon..."
"Damn...I was gonna go make lunch...and then take a nap, 'm tired."
"You can stay here, and take your nap. I'll go get him. Take a cool car and make it look good," he smiled.
"Ya would do that?"
"Of course. You told me about what happened back in Middlefield. I know how awful people can be..."
"Thank ya, 'm sure Mason'll thank ya too."
***
When I woke up from my nap, it was nearly six o'clock. It was actually Gracie's playful barking that woke me up. I wasn't mad, I needed to get up anyway. I had put Zak's T-shirt on before I went back to sleep, but now I needed to put my actual clothes on. Mason was here and I didn't want him to see me in just Zak's shirt. I put on a loose pair of sweat pants and a different shirt. I walked out of the bedroom and downstairs. Zak and Mason were in the kitchen and it sounded like they were putting groceries away.
"Remind me to tell Macy that I got her apple juice," Zak told Mason.
"You can tell her," Mason smiled as I walked into the room.
"Y'all didn't have to let me sleep so late..." I had an almost four hour nap.
"You need it," Zak smiled at me. "I bought your apple juice."
"I heard," I grinned. "Thank you," I walked into the kitchen and got a glass from the upper cabinet and poured myself some. "So what do y'all want for dinner?" I asked them.
"I'll cook," Zak offered.
"Look at ya, spoilin' me now. I coul' get used to this."
"Well get used to it," he kissed my head as I put the apple juice back. He seemed to be doing that a lot today.
Mason made a gagging sound. "I may've liked it better when you two weren't talking," he left the kitchen with his can of Mountain Dew and went into the livingroom.
"How'd you sleep?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
"Fine, I had a some strange dreams though..." his grip tightened a little.
"What kind of strange?" he asked.
"Jus' strange," I placed my hands over his and leaned against his strong chest a little bit. "There was somethin' that didn't have a face and it was telling me somethin' but I couldn't quite understand..." his grip tightened once more. "Wha'? What's the matter?"
"Nothing..." he sighed, resting his head on my shoulder. "Did you feel anything touch you or-"
"It was only a dream. Whatever you're thinkin' is the underlyin' meanin' here, there ain't one. I'm fine." He didn't say anything else. I waited for a little while and just let him hold his arms around me. "So what're gonna make us for dinner?" I asked.
"I don't know yet," he admitted, letting his arms fall. "What are you in the mood for?"
"Hmm...I would love some pancakes righ' 'bout now...with strawberries."
"Strawberry pancakes for dinner?"
"Yeah, with bacon...Ya better get used to these odd cravings."
"Alright, anything for you babe."
"Turning into a cheeseball on me already," I laughed.
"I wouldn't be like this if I didn't-" he stopped suddenly.
"If ya didn't what?"
"N-nothing, nevermind." I wasn't convinced, but I let whatever it was go.
"Let me take your bag for you," he offered.
"I've got it," I said, picking it up. His hand covered mine, forcing me to look at him. He looked at me with his sad blue eyes.
"Let me do this for you...please?" I tightened my jaw and removed my hand from the bag. "My car's this way..." he murmured to both Mason and I as he led the way out to the parking lot. He opened the passenger door for me.
"Thank you..." I couldn't help but think back to our earlier meetings. I knew that he was chivalrous and I knew that he was a good person...I just didn't know what to do. I was conflicted.
"This is the damn airport that shattered my phone," he sighed as he walked around the car, popped the trunk and put my bag in the back. "Mason, can I take yours too?" my nephew nodded and handed the bag to Zak before getting in the back seat. I felt him touch my shoulder in a reassuring manner. He knew that I didn't want to fly out to Vegas. I had to leave Boots with Kat and I didn't like doing that. And, by doing this, I already had to quit my job at the diner. This sucked.
"Do ya live in the city?" I asked, deciding to make small talk, kind of anyway.
"I live a few minutes off the strip...It's not noisy if that's what you're asking." That was what I was asking. "And you're going to have your own room," he said, looking into the rearview mirror at Mason.
My nephew nodded. I knew that I was putting him in a tough spot. He believed Zak's story wholeheartedly and he didn't have any attachments to Middlefield. I did.
"Am I going to have my own room or am I sharing with you...?" I couldn't help myself. I had to know...I wasn't so much opposed to sharing a room with Zak...I just would rather not.
"You can have my room, I'll sleep on the couch."
I hated the look he gave me. He wasn't the strong, dominating, man that I had met. He was looking at me like I was in control of everything. That wasn't what I wanted. He should just be himself...right?
***
It had been a few days. I had refused to let Zak sleep on the couch, it was his house after all. And, he refused to let me sleep there either-I was pregnant. So, we ended up sharing a bed. But, I swore that it was like we were on opposite sides of the planet. There was a large gap between the two of us and it was sad, really. Gracie, his dog, did like to take over that space.
I woke up before he did, as per usually, and I decided that maybe we shouldn't be on opposite poles like this. We were going to be parents together after all. I decided that breakfast might be a good peace offering. After I made it, I even brought it to him. It wasn't even seven o'clock yet. I sat on the edge of the bed with the food and set it on the bedside table. I shook Zak's bare shoulder slightly. He had always slept shirtless. He opened his eyes and looked up at me. "Macy?"
"Yeah..." I replied. All of those emotions that I had been trying to repress when it came to Zak, I felt this heat in my chest as he met my eyes. "Look, I want to just start over," I gently cupped his cheek with my hand, he covered my hand with his own. "I'm Macy."
"Zak," he smiled sleepily.
"I made ya breakfast, by the way."
"I wondered what smelled so good," his smiled broadened while he stretched.
"I've gotta wake Mason up. Today's his first day of school here...I've gotta get 'im registered an' what not."
"Can I go with you?" he asked. I considered saying no.
"That's up to Mason. This is his first day, I don' kno' if he wants some strange dude walkin' into his school," I gave Zak a light smile. It was funny how easy it was for us to just fall into whatever this was. "I'm going to go wake 'im an' I'll ask 'im if ya want..."
"No, I want to myself."
"Okay," I started to walk out of the room, but then I noticed Gracie lying on the bed looking at me. "Gotta go out, Grace?" I asked her. Her ears shot up. I asked her once more and she shot out the door and to the back door. I smiled and let her out the glass door. I left the coffee pot brewing and I went to wake up Mason.
***
Mason agreed to Zak coming with us to get him signed up for school. That didn't take long so he stayed at school and Zak and I went back to his house.
"So when can we tell everybody?" he asked on the way back. I looked over at him slightly puzzled. "About the baby, I mean..."
"Oh...I uh...I don' know...I guess that's up to ya. Kat already knows, so does Mason...Those 're all of the people that I would want to tell anyway."
"What about Thanksgiving?" that was in a few days. "My mom has me, my sister, and her kids over every holiday. You and Mason should come with me and we can tell everybody there..."
"Like I said, 's up to you," I said, rubbing my hand across his bicep lightly. I didn't know if I was ready to meet his family yet. We hadn't known each other for every long but in seven and a half months, I wouldn't hava a choice. Plus, then I would just be the girl that hid from them but was having Zak's child...So I didn't have much of a choice.
"Alright. I'll call my mom and let her know that I'm brining along guests."
***
"Hey mom," I was about to walk into the kitchen but I heard Zak on the phone, I paused, but then decided to walk in there anyway. He greeted me with a kiss on the head as I walked past. "I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be bringing two guests with me to Thanksgiving..." I could faintly hear a female voice on the other line while I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.
"Is it a girl?"
"Yes, it's a girl," he smiled. "Her name is Macy." I didn't hear what she said next, but Zak laughed a little bit. "She's not just some girl. She means a lot to me actually," I froze with my water as he smiled and pulled me to his side while we were both leaning against the counter.
"Why the two then?" I could hear his mom's voice a little bit better now.
"She has a nephew, he's fifteen. I'm going to call you back in a little while I've got some stuff to go over for our next lockdown."
"When's the lockdown?"
"We'll be leaving the day after Thanksgiving..."
They said their goodbyes and Zak put his phone back on the counter and moved so that he was standing in front of me.
"You have a lockdown the day after Thanksgiving?" I asked him. He rested his hands on my hips and nodded. His facial expression was sad.
"I don't want to go, but it's one of the only times we can be sure Kentucky isn't going to be snowy and stuff..."
"Where are y'all goin' in Kentucky?"
"Wilder...We're going back to Hell's Gate-Bobby Mackey's Music World..."
"You're going back there?" I had watched that episode.
"Yeah..."
"Will you be alright? I mean, isn't that place really dangerous?"
"I'll manage," he promised, kissing the tip of my nose. "It's dangerous, but Nick, Aaron, and I all have been doing this for a very long time and we know what we're doing. Don't worry your pretty little head about us."
"Ya think my head's pretty?" I joked.
"I think everything about you is beautiful," he dipped his head down and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he lifted me up onto the island counter.
"Wait is it safe to-?" he let his eyes do the rest of the asking. "Since you're pregnant and all..."
"It's safe," I told him, pulling him back in for a kiss. We hadn't done this since I had come to Vegas. We had only just made up today anyway.
"Are you sure?"
"Mm hmm," I replied, deepening our kisses. "But let's go up to your room..." It wasn't that doing it on the counter wouldn't have been ideal, I just didn't want anything unexpected to happen.
***
"You know what I want right now?" I asked as I cuddled against Zak's side.
"Mm, what's that, babe?" he asked.
"Apple Juice."
"I'll get you some," he offered as he started to get up.
"We're all out," I replied, pulling him back towards me. He rested his chin on the top of my head.
"I'll go to the store and pick up some later," he said instead.
"You're too sweet," I pressed a soft kiss to his bare chest.
"Mm hmm," he hummed, kissing my head. "We've gotta leave to go get Mason soon..."
"Damn...I was gonna go make lunch...and then take a nap, 'm tired."
"You can stay here, and take your nap. I'll go get him. Take a cool car and make it look good," he smiled.
"Ya would do that?"
"Of course. You told me about what happened back in Middlefield. I know how awful people can be..."
"Thank ya, 'm sure Mason'll thank ya too."
***
When I woke up from my nap, it was nearly six o'clock. It was actually Gracie's playful barking that woke me up. I wasn't mad, I needed to get up anyway. I had put Zak's T-shirt on before I went back to sleep, but now I needed to put my actual clothes on. Mason was here and I didn't want him to see me in just Zak's shirt. I put on a loose pair of sweat pants and a different shirt. I walked out of the bedroom and downstairs. Zak and Mason were in the kitchen and it sounded like they were putting groceries away.
"Remind me to tell Macy that I got her apple juice," Zak told Mason.
"You can tell her," Mason smiled as I walked into the room.
"Y'all didn't have to let me sleep so late..." I had an almost four hour nap.
"You need it," Zak smiled at me. "I bought your apple juice."
"I heard," I grinned. "Thank you," I walked into the kitchen and got a glass from the upper cabinet and poured myself some. "So what do y'all want for dinner?" I asked them.
"I'll cook," Zak offered.
"Look at ya, spoilin' me now. I coul' get used to this."
"Well get used to it," he kissed my head as I put the apple juice back. He seemed to be doing that a lot today.
Mason made a gagging sound. "I may've liked it better when you two weren't talking," he left the kitchen with his can of Mountain Dew and went into the livingroom.
"How'd you sleep?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
"Fine, I had a some strange dreams though..." his grip tightened a little.
"What kind of strange?" he asked.
"Jus' strange," I placed my hands over his and leaned against his strong chest a little bit. "There was somethin' that didn't have a face and it was telling me somethin' but I couldn't quite understand..." his grip tightened once more. "Wha'? What's the matter?"
"Nothing..." he sighed, resting his head on my shoulder. "Did you feel anything touch you or-"
"It was only a dream. Whatever you're thinkin' is the underlyin' meanin' here, there ain't one. I'm fine." He didn't say anything else. I waited for a little while and just let him hold his arms around me. "So what're gonna make us for dinner?" I asked.
"I don't know yet," he admitted, letting his arms fall. "What are you in the mood for?"
"Hmm...I would love some pancakes righ' 'bout now...with strawberries."
"Strawberry pancakes for dinner?"
"Yeah, with bacon...Ya better get used to these odd cravings."
"Alright, anything for you babe."
"Turning into a cheeseball on me already," I laughed.
"I wouldn't be like this if I didn't-" he stopped suddenly.
"If ya didn't what?"
"N-nothing, nevermind." I wasn't convinced, but I let whatever it was go.