DARKSIDE OF THE MOON (23 page)

She had been in a funk since then.

She’d tried looking around for other buildings, but nothing was in her price range.

Zane slowed his speed until he came to a stop. Killing the engine, he flipped the kickstand and slid off the bike first.

“Keep them closed,” he said near her ear as he slid his arms around her waist and picked her up off the bike.

She giggled as he set her on her feet and gently kissed both cheeks.

He swung her up in his arms and began to walk.

“What’s going on? You’re being very secretive.”

“More secretive than when we put that flaming pile of dog shit on Damon’s front stoop?”

“Yes.” She laughed as she recalled the look on Damon’s face when he realized he’d stepped in dog shit trying to put out the fire. He’d assumed Jayden had done it and was determined to prank him back.

She’d never seen Zane so relaxed before, and it was good to see him interacting with his fellow Guardians. Since she’d finished working on Ava’s house, he’d invited her to come stay with him in Little Rock until she got her next job.

Truth be told, she was in no rush to find another contracting job. She had a lot of money in the bank after finishing Ava’s house. She was still determined to find another building to fix up for her girls’ home. She knew it would come along. She just had to be patient.

The smell of autumn was in the air, and from the scent of turning leaves and brown grass, she realized they must be out in the country, away from the city limits of Little Rock.

He set her gently on her feet and covered her eyes with his hand.

“Open them.”

She opened her eyes and blinked against the bright sunlight. She smiled in confusion as she saw all the Guardians from Little Rock standing in a line in the middle of a pasture.

“What’s going on?” She looked up at Zane.

Barrett stepped forward.

“Zane told me about the project you had in mind in Jonesboro.” He cocked his head.

“He did?” She blushed. Would the Pack Master think it a stupid idea?

“And when they condemned and tore the apartments down, it got me to thinking.” He propped his hands on his hips. “It would probably be a better idea to build your safe haven for girls in a centrally located place in the state. Like Little Rock.”

She nodded. “I’ve been looking around in town, but everything is so expensive.”

“Maybe you should look out of town and start from the ground up. Like here.” He waved his hand over the pasture.

“That’s going to be well out of my budget. The cost to build it would be astronomical.”

“Not if money is no object.” Barrett motioned toward the people standing in front of them. They parted, revealing a sign that read
Future home for girls — SKYLAR’S HOUSE.

She shook head. “I don't understand.”

“This is your land, Skylar. It’s bought and paid for. There’s even an account set up in your name with six million dollars in it to build it however you want,” Zane whispered in her ear.

“But who bought it?” She looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears.

“We did.” Victoria and Richard Steele stepped forward from the crowd of Guardians. Victoria’s hair was pulled into a loose bun, and she was dressed in skinny black pants and crisp white top and ballet flats, looking like she’d stepped off the pages of a magazine. Richard looked a bit more relaxed in his khaki pants and golf shirt. She’d never seen him wear anything other than suits.

“Hey, honey.” Victoria pulled her into a hug. “We’ve missed you so much.”

“Hey, Skylar. I’m glad to see you.” Richard hugged her next.

She wiped the tears from her face as Zane pulled her into his embrace.

“You did this? For me?” She looked up into his parents’ faces.

“Zane told us about what happened and how disappointed you were. We got in contact with Barrett, and he helped find us land that was available and set up the deal. We bought the land, but Barrett funded the building account himself,” Victoria whispered.

“Don’t go around telling everyone. The last thing I need is for everyone to start asking for a dollar.” Barrett scowled and hurried away.

“I don’t know what to say.” She looked at Zane’s parents. “Thank you. I will never be able to repay you for this.”

“Actually, there is a way you can repay us.” Richard gave her a wink. “Zane has something he wants to ask you.”

She turned to face Zane. His smile had vanished, and he stared at her intensely.

“Skylar, I have never met anyone who is as caring and loving and giving as you are. When I am with you, all I can think about is how lucky I am, and when I’m away from you, all I can think about is seeing you again.” He swallowed. “I don’t want another day to go by without knowing that you are mine.”

“What?” Her heart jumped in her chest. Love swelled up inside her.

“Skylar, I love you more than anything else in this world. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want to have children and raise a family with you. Skylar, will you be my mate?”

“I love you, Zane. You know that. But…” She looked at his parents and her heart broke. “You deserve to be with someone that your family will be proud of.”

“Skylar Wade, I want you to know that you have always been so precious to us.” Victoria blinked back her own emotional tears. “I know that you’ve had a difficult life, but I also know that whatever has happened has never affected our opinion of you. We love you unconditionally, and we would be proud to have you in our family.”

“So you would, in fact, be doing us a very large favor if you agreed to be Zane’s mate.” Richard grinned.

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she buried her face in Zane’s chest. He held her tight and let her cry. After a minute, he pulled back and looked a bit worried.

“Skylar, you didn’t answer my question. Don’t leave me hanging here.” Zane frowned.

“I love you, Zane. I always have.” She laughed. “I would love to be your mate. Forever.”

His mouth descended on hers in a hot kiss. She held onto him as her chest filled with more love than she’d ever known.

The End

Jodi was born and raised in Mississippi. Her deep Southern roots and love of the paranormal led her to write Southern Paranormal novels. She currently lives in Northeast Arkansas with her handsome husband, brilliant son, a temperamental swan, and yellow lab that is fond of retrieving turtles when duck season is over.

Find her on Facebook:
Jodi Vaughn, author

Follow her on Twitter:
@JodiVaughn1

Sign up for her newsletter and check out her website: 
http://jodivaughn.com

Find her on Instagram:
VaughnJodi

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions

By payment of required fees, you have been granted the
non
-exclusive,
non
-transferable right to access and read the text of this book. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without the express written permission of copyright owner.

Please Note

The reverse engineering, uploading, and/or distributing of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

Thank you.

Cover Design and Interior format by 
The Killion Group