It Was Always You by Aliyah Burke

her instead of dictating to her?”
    He scowled at his sibling. “Who is the one she loved that didn’t stick around in Springwood?”
    Nate arched an eyebrow. “Really?”
    “What? How the fuck would I know who it is. I’ve been gone for eighteen years.”
    “You truly are dense sometimes, brother. She’s loved you forever. You left her once before and that was before all this happened between you. She’s scared it’s going to happen again.” Nate rose and walked to the kitchen.
    ***
     “You saved our baby girl.”
    Zane moved his gaze between Zoë’s parents, Rolland and Marcia Duncan, before finally landing on Rolland, who’d spoken.
    “Yes, sir.” He sat in their living room, a slice of homemade peach cobbler, partially eaten, on the plate before him.
    “And you announced she may be carrying your baby to the entire police department.” Rolland drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair.
    “With all due respect, sir, that’s between your daughter and me.”
    “Twice now you’ve called me sir. You were one of mine growing up, your footfalls were ever present in this house, and you carried on with our boys. Now I’m sir.”
    “You’re her father and a man who deserves my respect.”
    “Enough that you sleep with my daughter.”
    “She’s not a teen. We broke no laws.”
    “Stop it, both of you,” Marcia said, pushing up from her seat to pour more coffee. “This isn’t about that. It’s about saying thank you to Zane for being there when she needed him.”
    He licked his lips and perched on the edge of the cushion. “Actually, I don’t need thanks from you. I could use something from you, however.”
    They exchanged looks and waited for him to continue.
    ***
     “Ready?”
    Zoë shook her head, even as she rose to follow Cora. “Not even remotely.”
    Cora squeezed her hand as she guided her to sit in a certain chair. Snapping on gloves after she gathered the label she wanted, Cora eased close on her wheeled stool. She beckoned for Zoë to put her arm out on.
    Zoë watched her. Cora was efficient, no doubt, and had taken the vial of needed blood with no pain and swift accuracy. “You know what else I need.” She pointed.
    Zoë grunted and waited for Cora to tape on the gauze. “Your job is so rewarding,” she groused, reaching for the empty specimen cup.
    “I think so. Go on. I’ll be near.”
    “Lucky you.”
    Cora pushed away, removing the gloves as she did. “Stop procrastinating and pee in the damn cup.”
    Zoë made a face at her before she walked off. She returned to deliver the cup. “Here you go.”
    “Sit down, Zoë.”
    She listened, accepting some more hand wipes. “What’s up?”
    “I’m running your stuff straight through.”
    Dread filled her gut. “The blood test was positive, wasn’t it?”
    Cora faced her. “Let me start running everything before you jump to conclusions, okay?”
    Pregnant. The possibility neared with each tick of the second hand on the clock off to her left.
    “Right,” she muttered.
    “You don’t have to wait,” Cora said. “I can call with the results.”
    “But I can wait?”
    Cora nodded. “Yes, come on.”
    She led Zoë to a spot out of the way in a small sitting area. Accepting a seat in the corner, she drew her legs up on the seat and wrapped her arms around them. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her heart, which currently was doing a great equivalent of the speeds obtained in a NASCAR race.
    She walked out of the hospital three hours after she’d entered, lost in thoughts about the news. So much so, she nearly missed the parked truck with a man resting against the driver’s door. Zane waited, arms crossed over his wide chest and his ankles hooked as well.
    “What’s the verdict?”
    She jerked at his words, realizing she’d almost figured what she’d been seeing was a figment of her imagination. “What verdict?” She hated how instantly her body betrayed her when it came to him. It