Did he mean . . . no. He couldn’t mean this would be them and Brock. He’d said he’d never marry, he’d never have a family, and Brock wasn’t “his” technically.
Sophie stared at the image until the lines blurred and a teardrop landed on the paper, smearing the F in family.
That man was so infuriating and confusing all at the same time. Now she had to go to him and see what he wanted, what he meant behind this drawing, because she truly had no idea.
She’d told him he wasn’t welcome in her life anymore if he walked out, and at the time she meant it. But now, yeah, she didn’t think she could turn him away if he wanted back in.
That didn’t mean she had to make it easy for him, though.
* * *
Zach finished putting the last bit of grout over the new tile in the main bathroom. He’d wanted to be alone, so when Braxton had finished up with his classes for the day, he’d come by and taken Brock to dinner.
Honestly, Zach didn’t know what was worse, being alone with his thoughts or being with his brother, who was still pissed.
When he’d picked Brock up from Sophie’s office earlier, Brock seemed both amused and confused. He was smiling, but then said Sophie would bring the sketches when she wanted.
Had she not looked through them? Did she even get what his pathetic attempt at art had meant? He deserved to suffer for how he’d treated her, how he’d walked away again, but was she going to give him anything to go on?
He’d obeyed her wishes and kept his distance. Using Brock as a middleman hadn’t been his first choice, but Zach was desperate and he wasn’t about to just let the love of his life go without a fight.
Sophie was too kind, too sweet to totally ignore him. But she had told him he wasn’t welcome back into her life if he left. Would she hold on to those words? Would she protect her heart even more now?
Pushing up off the hard floor, Zach stretched and twisted until his back popped. Just as he reached down to get his tray of grout, a spider the equivalent of his size-thirteen work boots scurried by. Damn pests nearly gave him a heart attack every time.
He stomped on the bug with more force than necessary, but he really wasn’t taking any chances. Anything with eight legs that could move that fast could not be trusted.
The front door opened and closed before Zach could grab the empty tray or take off his knee pads. He moved down the wide hallway toward the foyer and froze.
Sophie stood in the middle of a dirty, dusty construction zone wearing a spotless yellow dress with little brown sandals. Her hair was down and straight, not a curl in sight, and her face was completely devoid of makeup. She looked as tired as he felt, but she was the most gorgeous sight he’d seen since he left her place last weekend.
His eyes darted down to the folder in her hand. There was no doubt now as to whether or not she’d seen his picture.
“Here are the sketches.” Sophie extended the envelope but moved no closer.
Slowly, Zach crossed the open space and took the folder.
“I don’t know why we had to pass this back and forth,” she went on, crossing her arms over her chest. “Braxton already delivered it once.”
She didn’t know why? Zach flipped the folder open and leafed through the pages. His sketch wasn’t there.
“Was this all there was when you got it?” he asked, dumbfounded.
“Of course,” she replied. “Those are the drawings I put in there. Should there be something else?”
“I had . . .” Zach flipped through them once more. Maybe it had fallen out.
“What?” she asked, taking a step closer. “What are you looking for?”
Focusing back on Sophie, he saw the shimmer in her eyes as she tried in vain to blink tears away. “With all of your images of this home in the past, I put my image of my future, our future.”
“Ours,” she repeated. “And you think we have a future together? Because I’m positive you were the one who never wanted to marry. Never wanted a relationship, and you walked out on me.”
Zach gripped the edge of the folder. “I am guilty of all of those things. I’ve never denied that I’m no good for you, Sophie, and I deserve every bit of penance you give me.”
Damn it, now his own eyes were burning. This moment meant too much. He couldn’t let her slip out of his life again. Nothing else mattered but her forgiveness.
“You saw the drawing.”