The MC President's Forsaken Wife (Zara and Knox) novel Chapter 361

Chapter 177-2

“That’s why I come up here when things get too loud back home,” Locke says, scanning the wide horizon where the gray water meets the pale winter sky. “When the club gets heavy… when the noise and the business don’t stop. This place cleans out the rust in your head.”

“I’m really glad you brought me here with you. It means everything to me that you wanted to share this place- and Evelyn – with me.”

He stops walking right near a huge, ice-crusted rock, turning to face me completely. The crisp ocean wind rustles Locke’s hair as he reaches down, framing both sides of my face with his gloved hands, his thumbs gently smoothing over my cold cheeks.

“You’re my home now, Zara,” he says, “Maine is nice, but anywhere you are… that’s where I belong. You, and this baby.”

My heart swells so full it feels like it might burst right out of my chest. I reach up, pressing my gloved hands over his, and kiss him deeply right there on the snowy shore, letting the salt wind swirl around us while his strong arms wrap around my waist and hold me anchor-steady against the sea.

When we finally make our way back up the bluff an hour later, the sharp cold has put a bright, rosy flush in my cheeks, and my energy is completely restored.

Locke heads straight over to the heavy oak chopping block near the shed, unzipping his heavy coat, tossing it onto a bench, and rolling up his sleeves despite the freezing air. Titan collapses contentedly on the porch planks, his head resting on his paws, keeping a watchful eye on Locke.

“Go inside and get warm,” Locke tells me, reaching for the heavy iron splitting axe. “I’ll be in after I clear this entire log pile for her.”

I nod with a smile, heading inside the warm, fragrant house. I hang my heavy coat and scarf in the hall, slipping out of my snowy boots, and walk into the sunlit kitchen, where Evelyn is standing by the sink, filling a copper kettle to boil water for tea. The soft ticking of the clock fills the room, accompanied by the muffled, rhythmic thud of Locke’s axe swinging outside.

“How was the walk?” she asks.

“Breathtaking,” I say, leaning back against the counter and rubbing my hands together. “He’s out there chopping wood now. He wouldn’t even come inside first.”

Evelyn chuckles, shaking her head as she glances out the kitchen window at Locke’s broad, powerful form bringing the heavy axe down with practiced, flawless rhythm, splitting thick oak logs in half with single, thunderous strikes.

“He always does that. Every time he comes up here to visit, he fixes half the house, clears the gutters, and chops enough firewood to last me through three winters. He can’t help himself, Zara. He needs to protect and provide for the people he loves. It’s just who he is down to his bones.”

She pours two large ceramic mugs of steaming chamomile tea and hands one to me, along with a small plate of homemade ginger cookies. We walk over and sit down across from each other at the small wooden breakfast nook overlooking the yard.

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“He loves you so completely, Zara,” Evelyn says. “After everything he’s carried on those broad shoulders… after seeing what he went through trying to help me rebuild my life after my attack… seeing him like this with you feels like an absolute miracle. I used to worry he’d spend his whole life acting as a shield for everyone else without ever letting anyone take care of him.”

“He told me a little bit about what happened,” I say. “About how he stood by you.”

Evelyn’s eyes go distant for a moment, her delicate fingers tracing the edge of her tea mug. “When that monster attacked me… the whole family wanted to handle things quietly, sweep it all under the rug to keep their business interests safe.”

“Yeah,” I say softly. “That was awful.”

“But Rex refused. He literally walked away from everyone. Said if they wouldn’t help protect a woman who was family, he was done with all of them.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

She takes a steadying breath. “He stood between me and every single person who tried to push me into remaining silent. He spent six months in that guest room upstairs, just to make sure I felt safe enough to sleep through the night.”

I nod.

“He didn’t care about family politics, or losing his position in the family business. He had my back when no one else did, and he was completely unshakeable. That’s the kind of man Rex is.”

“I was so alone before I met him,” I admit quietly, feeling a lump form in my throat at her words. “So used to carrying every burden completely alone, fighting my own battles because I thought I had to.”

“That’s over now,” Evelyn says firmly, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand with a grip that’s surprisingly strong. The jagged scar on her forehead catches the bright sunlight coming through the glass, but her dark eyes are full of serene light. “Rex doesn’t half-love anyone, Zara. He gives everything he has.”

“Oh, God… don’t I know it.”

“You’d better. He’ll put his body between you and the world every single day for the rest of his life without hesitation. And watching him get ready to be a father… it makes my heart burst. He’s going to guard that child with everything he has.”

I look out the window just as Locke wipes a fine sheen of sweat from his forehead with his forearm, throwing another neatly split log onto the towering stack while Titan lazily wags his tail at him from the porch.

Locke glances toward the kitchen window, catches my eye through the glass, and gives me a soft, private, devastatingly handsome smirk before picking up the next piece of timber.

“I know he will,” I say softly, watching him work while feeling a deep, unshakable, beautiful peace settle straight into my bones. “We’re going to build a wonderful life together.”

Evelyn sets her mug down, leaning over to squeeze my hands tightly again, a bright, joyful warmth illuminating her whole face.

“You bring him back here whenever the world gets too heavy,” she says softly, her eyes glinting with a

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Chapter 127

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mischievous, affectionate spark. “This house is yours now, too. You, Rex, and this little one are welcome anytime you need to escape.”

“Really? That’s that’s so amazing. Thank you.”

“And don’t forget… I’m going to be Auntie Evie, and I fully intend to let that kid get away with absolutely ev erything Rex tries to forbid.”

“I’d pay money to see that.” I let out a soft, delighted laugh, the sound filling the sunny kitchen. “So I’ll make sure to hold you to it, Evelyn.”

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