The meeting with Sal went better than they expected. It turned out Sal did think Zeke looked a little like his brother. And they got along okay. Emersyn thought Sal must've spent the whole day pondering the idea of having a nephew he never knew anything about. It must've brought him hope, she thought, and she wondered how she would feel if she was in Sal's shoes. She would've felt blessed. Like Zeke was the best gift the world had ever given her. Secretly she already kind of felt something like that. But her feelings didn't matter in this moment. This was about Zeke and finding his family. And they may have done it at last.

They took the next day off from graveyard work so Zeke could get a DNA test done with Sal. Everything seemed to be happening quickly, but she couldn't blame Zeke for rushing things. She'd want to know too. Before any time was wasted in getting to know each other further. Sal was already coming around to the idea, and after the DNA test was finished he invited Zeke over to the bakery so he could show him how to make chocolate croissants. Emersyn prayed some more. She really like Sal. And she loved Zeke. She wanted this to be the open door he was looking for. The family he so desperately wanted.

It would take a week for the DNA test to come back, and they spent that time away from the graveyard. When Zeke wasn't working with Kiel or hanging out with Sal, he was with Emersyn, silencing her fears that he would ditch her as soon as he found his family. If anything, he seemed to want to spend more time with her while he waited for the DNA test results. But unlike the weeks leading up to the discovery of Vance's headstone, Zeke wasn't pushing her away. In fact, it seemed to Emersyn like he was now trying to pull her closer. He would find little ways to touch her. Brushing her hair out of her face. Holding onto her hand as they went on long hikes. Giving her hugs that seemed to last just a beat too long. Not that she was complaining.

She liked this new version of Zeke somehow even more. He was more at ease around her. Like he'd had a wall he'd been holding up the entire time, and he was only just now beginning to tear it down. He laughed easier and louder. Overall, he just seemed so much happier. It was like someone had flipped a switch in his soul, and that ten thousand watt smile he gave off transformed into a hundred thousand watt smile. Everything about him was brighter. Warmer. And every second of every day she spent with him, she found herself falling more and more in love.

A few days after the DNA test was taken, Zeke and Emersyn decided to spend the day exploring the town of Coupeville. They didn't shop like they did the day they went to Port Townsend together. Instead they just walked and talked. Emersyn asked him about Sal, and his face lit up.

"Sal's great!" he said, and she loved seeing his eyes glow with joy and hope. "He's excited for the DNA test results too. The other day he introduced me to a customer as his nephew. I'm not going to lie to you Emersyn. I started crying. I never cry. But I feel so good about this, you know? Like I finally found where I belong. With Sal. The Montgomery family. I could be a MONTGOMERY, Emersyn! Zeke Montgomery has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

She smiled at him. "It really does." And it did. They grabbed some street tacos from a food truck and sat on a park bench to eat. "Hey," she asked between bites, wondering if she should even ask the question that had been on her mind the last few days. "Question for you. If Sal is your uncle, what are you going to do next?"

He froze and looked at her, and she saw a little bit of nervousness in his eyes. "Wh-what do you mean?" he asked.

She frowned. "Well, I mean... you'll have a family now. An established family. Here. On Whidbey Island. So if the DNA test results come back the way we want them to, are you going to move here permanently? Or are you going to go back home to Oklahoma?"

"Oh," he said, and she saw him visibly relax. "I don't know. I guess that really depends on a few things. For one, if Sal wants me to be here. And two, if I can keep my job with Kiel. I love working with him, and I've learned a ton about houses and stuff. Not to mention I'd love to keep living with him for a while if he'd let me. Gotta keep him eating right, you know?"

She nodded. "Definitely. And I bet you that both of those things are going to work out. I have no doubt that Sal wants you here. And Kiel loves you, so that probably won't be a problem. Especially if you keep feeding him that salmon dish you make with the couscous and asparagus. Good lord, I've never heard him rave about a dish more."

Zeke laughed. "I'll have to teach him how to make it. And maybe," he paused, as if wondering if he should say the words he really wanted to say. "Maybe I can teach you too. I mean, you know... if you're not sick of spending time with me by then."

She felt like someone took a defibrillator and shocked her heart. Was he seriously considering staying on the island long term? "Zeke, listen. This summer with you," he looked up at her, and she was struck dumb for a moment at how gorgeous his eyes were. Like pools of robin egg blue paint. One of her favorite colors. "This summer with you has been one of the best summers of my life. And if I had a vote, I would vote for you to stay. No matter what happens with Sal, I think I can safely say that you have family here. Even if it's just with Kiel and I."

His eyes filled up, and she thought he was going to start crying. But he just laughed and said, "I love that. I'd love to be part of your family. But hopefully not like brother or sister or anything. That's not... how I see you. At all. I, uh... I hope you know that."

She burst out laughing. "I know, Zeke," she said, shaking her head. "Don't worry, that's not what I meant anyway. I just meant we care about you. Worst case scenario, we're here for you."

He gave her a small smile, and then hesitated for the briefest moment before reaching out and grabbing her hand. The butterflies in her stomach lifted and began fluttering around at his touch. "Thank you, Emersyn. For everything. All of your help. I know I've said it a million times, but I really couldn't have done any of it without you."

She blushed and bit her lip. But just as she was about to reply, she noticed a tiny red dot just under his nose. It took her a second to realize what was happening. But then the dot got longer. Faster. A tiny red river flowing from his nose and down to his top lip. "Zeke," she said, her eyes widening. She pointed up to his face. "Your nose."

He gave her a confused look for a second. And then it dawned on him. He ripped his hand away from hers and touched the blood that was oozing out of his nose. "Shit," he said, and she was surprised. She couldn't remember ever having heard him swear before. He reached into his cargo shorts pocket for a tissue, but came up with nothing. The blood was coming out faster now. He covered his nose with the hand that was just holding hers, but it was already coated. "Shit," he repeated thickly.

She frowned as her eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay?" she asked. "What do you need?"

He turned his body away from her so she couldn't see the blood pouring out of his nose like a faucet turned on high. "Uhh, napkins? Paper towels? Anything. And ice."

She nodded her head and ran into the nearest restaurant, asking for as many napkins as they could give her. Then she asked for a cup full of ice. By the time she returned to Zeke, his clothes were soaked in blood. She ran up to him and handed him the napkins, leaving a few to wrap around the ice, which she placed on the back of his neck. In just a minute the napkins she handed him were already soaked and she had to get more.

"Damn," she said when she came back and saw him leaning forward, face slightly pale from the blood loss. "Do you get nosebleeds like this often?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes. Not for a while though. I'm sorry you have to see this, Em. I hope blood doesn't freak you out."

She shook her head. It wasn't so much the blood that was upsetting her. Just how much of it was coming out of him. She didn't know how long a nosebleed had to last before it became an emergency, or how much blood you could lose before you would pass out. "No," she lied. "It doesn't. Just... are you okay?"

"Sure," he replied, and then he winced when he pulled the second set of napkins away and saw how much blood was coating them. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "Zeke, it doesn't look like it's stopping. Should we go to the hospital or...?"

"No!" he shouted, and she jumped back, startled. "I mean, no. I'm okay, I swear. I just probably should go back to the house. It'll stop. I just need a proper ice pack and more than just crappy restaurant napkins."

She nodded her head. "Sure. Actually, do you want to come to my place?" She didn't want to leave him alone. The amount of blood he was losing was really scaring her.

He considered this for a second. "Yeah, actually. That might not be a bad idea." She could tell he was trying to hide it, but he couldn't mask the fear in his voice. They started walking to her house. "Kind of wish we had a car right now. Ugh, fuck it. It's ruined anyway."

He crumpled the bloody napkin and pulled his blood covered shirt off and pressed it against his nose. She tried not to focus on the fact that he was standing next to her shirtless, but she felt a blush rising nonetheless. She didn't know why seeing him topless affected her like this. It wasn't like she hadn't seen topless men before. But this was the first time she'd seen him topless, which was the difference.

They finally got to her house. She unlocked the door and let him in first. He rushed to the bathroom, and she wasn't sure if she should follow him. So she went to her room and sat down on her bed, frantically Googling information on nosebleeds. According to Google, nosebleeds that lasted longer than twenty minutes were considered an emergency. She didn't know how long it had been, as she hadn't thought to check the time when it started. For a moment, she considered dialing 911, if only to get him checked out properly.

Several minutes went by, and she finally decided to get up and check on Zeke to see if she should call for help. But when she got to the bathroom, she saw his bloodied shirt was crumpled on the floor with him nowhere to be found. Her heart started racing as she searched around the house, looking for some sign of him. She checked every room, but she couldn't find him anywhere. And then she noticed, as she glanced out her kitchen window, that her art studio door in the backyard was open.

She didn't know why he'd be out there, but she also couldn't remember leaving the door open. So she went out there and checked, and sure enough he was standing in the middle of the room, his eyes searching around and taking in his surroundings. They were surrounded by paintings of headstones. Grays and greens and pinks and all sorts of colors that showed life and death in a way that Emersyn had found beautiful but was too afraid to show anyone else. And there he was, looking upon her collection. Her heartbeat slammed to a stop, and she stood there silently, waiting for him to say something. Anything.

"Did you do this?" he asked, and she was at least happy to see his nose had stopped gushing, leaving behind only dry red residue under his nostrils. She swallowed hard, unsure how to answer his question. He turned away from the paintings and looked at her. She gave him the tiniest of nods, and he looked back up at all the stones around him. "Emersyn," he whispered, and she was stunned to see a tear roll down his cheek. "They're beautiful."

A wave of relief crashed through her. So he didn't think she was a total nutcase for painting pictures of headstones. "You think so?" she asked, because she needed to hear him say it again.

"Yes," he replied, wiping a tear with his bloody hand. "Why though? Tell me?"

Her breath caught. "Um... because I thought I loved seeing the vibrance of the flowers and other offerings around a hard gray stone. I just kept seeing life and death dancing together, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I just... painted it. I haven't shown anyone though. Not yet."

"Why?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Because I didn't think people would see what I saw. I thought people would just see death and would think it was morbid and creepy. I didn't think they'd get it. Do... do you get it?"

He closed his eyes, but he didn't say anything. And then he just turned around and walked toward her. His eyes were intense, and she thought he was going to kiss her. But he just moved past her and out the studio door without a word. Her heart was shattering now as she ran after him. "Zeke!" she called.

He turned around to look at her but continued walking backward. "Emersyn, you're amazing. It's beautiful. I can't stay here though. I need to go. I'm so sorry."

"Why?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears. "Why do you push me away like this all the time?"

His breath hitched, and he stopped walking. It was like her words had frozen him in place. And they just stared at each other. His nose was caked in dried blood, and there was even some on his chest. His hands. He looked a total mess. But it was his eyes that were the most pained. "I can't hurt you," he replied. "And if I don't push you away, I could. I can't explain it. I just...." And that was it. The spell was broken. "I've got to go." And before she had a chance to say another word, he ran through the gate and into the front yard, leaving her behind.

Chapter Twenty-Three

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