Adopted Parents
217 Words
Zara POV
I may not have known where I came from, but I never questioned where I belonged.
My adoptive parents, Blake and Julia, were the kind of people you could build a life around. Blake worked long hours at the Chelsea Stamping Plant, making parts for Ford, and still managed to run a small cattle farm on the side. He smelled like motor oil and hay, and I loved him for it. Julia was the high school principal—sharp, poised, and respected by everyone in town.
They gave me everything I needed. A warm home. Steady love. Support in everything I did, from sports to college applications. I never doubted I was theirs, even if the blood in my veins said otherwise.
I had friends, too. Real ones. Ria was my ride-or-die, the loud one with no filter and a heart bigger than our town. Tessa was quieter, but sharp, loyal. The three of us stuck together through everything—school dances, heartbreaks, late-night study sessions. We all ended up at the University of Michigan, chasing degrees in law and finance, trying to build lives that made sense.
It was there I met Colton Shepard.
Tall, brilliant, charming in a dangerous kind of way. The heir to Shepard Oil—and my first real love.
- Writer
