The MC President's Forsaken Wife (Zara and Knox) novel Chapter 354

Chapter 174-1

25 Points

small coastal airport near Owls Head, Maine is quiet, swallowed whole by a soft, thick blanket of falling white.

The engine rumble of our twin-propeller commuter plane dies down into a low whine, and as soon. as the cabin door unseals and pushes outward, the sharp, pine-scented chill of the northern air rushes down the aisle. It sweeps away the stuffy, recirculated heat of the cabin, instantly clearing, the last lingering traces of airport heaviness from my head.

Locke doesn’t just walk beside me, he guards me. The moment our boots hit the top step of the outdoor boarding stairs, he shifts his massive frame onto the windward side, using his leather jacket and broad shoulders like a permanent wall against the biting ocean breeze.

“I have real winter boots on today, Locke,” I say, my voice muffled by the thick knit scarf around my neck. My breath plumes into thick white clouds in the freezing air. “Look at the treads on these things. I’m not going to slip.”

“You won’t slip because I’m holding you, baby. Steps are slick. Keep your eyes on where you’re putting your feet.”

“Yes, sir.”

His eyes scan the quiet, snow-covered tarmac now, tracking every patch of black ice on the walkway until he spots his old pickup truck, parked beneath the heavy snow-laden boughs of a

spruce tree near the fence line.

Calling in a favor to have one of his old college buddies drop the truck off at the airfield before our

flight touched down was classic Locke. He was prepared for every step of getting to Evelyn’s

place, long before we even left the ground.

He moves with efficient, practiced purpose once we reach the vehicle. Knocking a thick layer of powder off the driver’s side window with the sleeve of his coat, he unlocks the cab and starts the engine so the heavy-duty heater can begin to roar. Then he turns back to me.

Before I can even lay a hand on the passenger door handle, Locke steps in, wraps his hands around my waist, and lifts me smoothly off the icy ground, setting me neatly onto the high bench seat before shutting the door firmly to keep the cold out.

“I have legs, you know!” I say through the glass as he walks around to the bed to throw our luggage

1. “I can even use them!”

He opens the driver’s door, sliding his bulk into the cab with a deep grunt, the suspension dipping slightly beneath his weight. “Your legs don’t need to be sliding around on black ice when I’ve got

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Chapter 174-1

two hands to pick you up.”

1.25 Point

The drive out toward the coastal bluff is breathtaking, wrapped in the kind of quiet stillness you only find in the deep north after a heavy snowfall. The narrow two-lane highway winds through dense pine forests where the branches bow low under the weight of the snow.

Every few miles, the trees part to reveal jagged granite cliffs and dramatic glimpses of the dark,

churning Atlantic Ocean crashing violently against ice-rimmed rocks below.

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“How’s the stomach holding up?” he asks after a few miles of quiet driving, his gaze flicking from the snowy road to my face. “Any more nausea? We can pull over if you need a minute.”

“It’s completely fine,” I assure him, leaning my head back against the leather seat and soaking in the roaring heat coming from the dashboard vents. “The cold air fixed it completely. The smell of the airport diner was just… a lot. I promise you, Locke, stop worrying. I feel wonderful now.”

“Hard habit to break,” he mutters, his jaw tightening slightly as he shifts gears for a steep incline. “Seeing you go pale like that back at the terminal… felt like somebody put a vice on my chest. I don’t like seeing you sick, Zara. Especially when I’m the one who dragged you onto a plane.”

“You didn’t drag me anywhere, I told you,” I say. “I begged to come. I wanted to see where you go when you need to disappear. I wanted to meet Evelyn in her own space. This baby is just letting us know it’s in there, that’s all. It’s a good sign.”

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