“I’m sorry, Zach,” she whispered and turned away.
He wasn’t sure if it was an apology or a dismissal. “For what?”
“Freaking out,” she said, her back still to him.
He walked over to her and turned her around gently. “It’s okay.”
Deb didn’t pull away from him, but she didn’t readily fall into his arms. Looking up at him, she searched his eyes. “Will you take me to meet her?”
Zach smiled. “Because you want to meet her or make sure I’m telling the truth?”
She shrugged. “A little of both, I guess.”
“If that’s what it takes, then I’d be happy to. You’re one of her favorite actresses. When I told her we were working together, she got so excited.”
“How old is she?”
“Twenty-four. Five years younger than me.”
Deb took a deep breath and let it out shakily. “I guess we should go downstairs. My parents are probably wondering why we’re not down yet. My brother will be here later today.”
Deb stepped back from him, but he took her hand. “Can we kiss and make up first?”
A faint grin tugged at her mouth. “Sure.”
Not taking the chance she would change her mind, he crushed his mouth to hers in a searing kiss meant to heal wounds.
She pressed close to him.
Backing her up to the bed, he knew they wouldn’t be going downstairs until much, much later.
Chapter 11
That night, Deb and Zach huddled around a highly competitive game of chess as the Christmas tree lights burned festively beside them. Her brother had called and he was only minutes away.
“Checkmate,” her father said with a smug grin and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.
“Ahhh!” Zach let out an animalistic sound. Deb looked at the two men in her life and sent a prayer of thanks upward. She was blessed to have them both, and after Zach’s honesty about his sister, she couldn’t help but feel a little dishonest in her choice to keep her brother’s secret. But he would find out soon enough and she told herself this was his last test. If he passed, she wasn’t sure she could hold on to her heart.
Hearing the faint thump of car doors slamming and children’s excited squeals, Deb glanced at Zach. He winked and gave her a smitten look she was starting to believe was real.
“That must be your brother,” he said and stood, walking to the front door.
When Deb reached the front steps where Zach stood, she watched as Alyson, Eric’s wife, walked around to the back of the van and retrieved his wheelchair. As soon as Zach saw what she was doing, he ran to her side, offering help.
He introduced himself to her brother and shook his hand vigorously. He allowed Eric to get into the wheelchair by himself, something Deb admired. Zach understood, to Deb’s relief. No one ever seemed to understand Eric’s need to prove himself in the little ways. He’d had the disability for some time and was capable of doing things for himself.
Deb knew from experience the only help Eric didn’t refuse was being handed something out of reach. The rest was pure male pride.
Eric smiled as he looked up and saw Deb, causing tears to blur her vision. Seeing her brother so happy with such a wonderful family was more than she could take.
Brad had never even tried to connect with Eric. Zach certainly passed the first test. They were already striking up a conversation as Zach took packages from Alyson and handed a few for Eric to put in his lap, another amazement for Deb. Very few people would just hand gifts over to him without arguing. Zach didn’t even appear to think much of it.
“Aunt Deb! Aunt Deb!” Jesse and Elizabeth called as they attacked her middle in a three-way hug. Stumbling a little, Deb laughed and hugged them back.
“How are you guys?” She kissed the tops of their soft heads. Closing her eyes, she wondered if she would ever have what her brother had. Looking at Zach again, their eyes met and she couldn’t read his emotion. Was he angry at her for not telling him the truth? Or did he understand Deb’s needed to see his real reaction before she could fully allow him into her family?
“There’s a ramp at the side entrance,” Eric said to Zach. Instead of pushing him, which she knew Eric would refuse, Zach simply followed as Eric wheeled himself to it.
Inside, chaos ensued. Jesse and Elizabeth were immediately under the tree shaking gifts after the obligatory hugs and kisses to Deb’s parents. Deb watched them, enjoying their seven-year-old twin conversations. They finished each other’s sentences a lot, which never ceased to amaze her. She often heard of the twin intuition and knew while a lot of it was probably just myth, some of it was certainly real.
As she stood in the doorway, watching everyone, Deb felt arms go around her and a kiss planted on her neck. She smiled and leaned her head against Zach’s chest.
“I should be mad at you for not telling me,” he said.
“But?”
“But I’m not. I understand how you can forget.” He nudged her ribs playfully, and she squealed.
“At least you knew I had a brother! Actually, it was a test for you.” Deb turned in his arms and watched his reaction.
He eyed her and then looked to his left, away from her. “Did I pass?” he asked, looking back at her, annoyed.
Deb reached up and kissed his cheek. “With flying colors. I don’t know why I ever doubted you.”
“What am I supposed to say?”
“You’re supposed to wrap your arms around me and never let me go.” Deb reached up and pressed her lips to his.
“I can handle that,” he mumbled against her and hugged her close. Their kiss was chaste, but Deb wondered how long it could be before they could retire for the night.
“Seriously,” she said as she pulled away. “I’m going to try very hard to never doubt you again. I want to let go of everything Brad did to me and start over. I want to trust you and fall in love with you. Be a real wife.” Even as she said the words, she was afraid. Wasn’t everyone afraid before jumping out of the plane? Most of the time, one lived to tell about it, other times not, so she just had to take the chance.
Zach pulled back, his eyes wide with an unreadable emotion. But then he covered it with a teasing grin. “Come on, you know you’re already obsessed.”
She let her curiosity slide for now, but later she would ask him what was on his mind. He covered up his feelings a lot with humor.
“Obsessed, definitely.” Deb grabbed his cheeks and brought him down for a quick kiss.
“You two get a room,” Eric said as he wheeled up to them, grinning. When they separated, Deb rolled her eyes. “Mind your own business, brother.”
“Since you guys are making out in front of my kids, it kind of is my business.”
Deb rolled her eyes again and bent to give him a hug. “Something tells me you and Alyson are a lot worse than us sometimes.”
“You’ll never know.” Eric hugged her back. When they separated, Eric extended his hand to Zach. “Thanks for the help, man. Alyson’s already told me all about who you are, so I don’t feel like a formal introduction is necessary anymore.”
The two men chuckled together.
“She’s a fan, huh?” Zach asked, glancing at Alyson, who was engrossed in conversation with Deb’s mom.
“More like a stalker. If I had known you were going to be here, I would have chained her to the wall at home and come by myself. The last thing I want to see is my wife drooling over a movie star at Christmas.”
“I’ll try to keep my charm to minimum.” Zach winked at Deb.
“Okay, you two,” Deb said, laughing. Those two were going to be trouble. “Let’s see if we can eat. I’m starving.” It was tradition to open one gift on Christmas Eve from each family member and the rest on Christmas morning. Thankfully Deb and her mother had finished all their Christmas shopping a few days ago, and everything was sitting, wrapped, under the tree.
“Hey Mom, Dad!” Deb called. “Let’s get to it!”
H
er father rolled his eyes and stood. “Okay everyone! Let’s gather around and offer a blessing, and then we’ll eat. Dinner is going to get cold.”
A little later, after everyone’s stomachs were full and Deb had played a game of Candyland with the kids on the floor, the rest joined them in the family room. Jesse and Elizabeth gave out the gift from their family. Zach looked surprised when he received a gift but stood and passed out his own gifts to her parents and even Eric’s family. Deb felt emotion stir in her again.
Zach went back to the tree and stooped, picking up a small package and bringing it back to Deb. Even more surprised, she just looked at him. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I know.” He flashed a smile.
“But I guess it’s a good thing since I got you something.” She stood, handing out her own gifts. The twins squealed when she gave them theirs. Deb tried not to spoil them, but to her shame, she’d bought the kids everything she thought they would like.
“Do we open everything one at a time so everyone can watch?” Zach whispered, holding his two gifts in his lap, looking around with raised eyebrows and a helpless frown.
“Just the kids, then we can dig in.”
Zach cleared his throat and lifted his arm, wrapping it around Deb’s shoulders. Her mother grabbed the camera and snapped a picture of them. Deb grinned, but too late.
“For your first Christmas together,” her mother called.
Deb nodded at her then laughed. Placing a hand on Zach’s leg, she leaned into him, sinking into his warmth, inhaling his scent, and feeling like nothing else in her world could be more perfect.
* * * *
Zach had a hard time staying calm. He knew the gift he was giving her tonight was extravagant, but it was perfect for Deb. He was afraid her family would think it was showy or inappropriate, but Deb’s reaction was the only one he cared about. His heart beat in his chest as she unwrapped the gift with care.
The velvet box threw her off, he knew, even as her eyes darted to his. “Zach,” she said in a warning tone.
“Just open it, Ms. Paranoia. I wouldn’t do something like that at Christmas. That’s cheating you a gift. And I’m a little more original than that.”
The desired result of her tinkling laughter met his ears.
She opened the box to reveal a sparkling four-carat diamond engagement ring.
“Maybe not.” He shrugged.
Her face broke into a wide smile. “Zach! It’s beautiful!”
He shifted at the roomful of eyes watching him. “I, um, thought you should have one.”
Deb threw her arms around his shoulders, almost landing on top of him. He caught her and met her searching lips for a searing kiss. He tried not to think about her family watching. Deb hugged him. After she broke away, he heard her sniff. “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear. “I love it.”
Still not quite the declaration of love he was after, but he was getting closer. When she pulled back, he thumbed away her tears. “Don’t get emotional on me.”
“No, it’s just so thoughtful. No one has ever bought me something like this.”
“Not even—”
“No, not even Brad.” She hugged him again. “I can’t wait to show it off.”
He turned his lips to her ear so no one would hear. “Maybe I can see you wearing it tonight… only the ring.”
She laughed again and playfully slapped his arm as she sat back down on the couch, even closer to him than before. “You’ve got a deal.”
Zach grinned. Merry Christmas to him.
He took the ring from her and glided it along her elegant finger.
“Yes,” she whispered against his ear.
“Phew,” he said, feigning relief. “I was afraid you might say no. I wasn’t too sure…”
“Shut up.” She giggled. “Open yours.”
His heart clattered against his rib cage. Receiving gifts always felt awkward to him, mainly because he so rarely got them. When he pulled back the tissue paper in the box, he revealed a pair of expensive black leather gloves he’d been eyeing a few weeks ago.
“I noticed you needed some for weather up north,” she said.
She bit her lower lip and offered him half a smile. Was she bothered by the fact his gift didn’t cost as much as hers? He grinned. “Thank you. I was beginning to think frostbite was going to set in. Not to mention this is the very pair I almost bought the other day.”
“Really?”
“Yup.” He leaned over and gave her a kiss and smiled. “Thank you, Deb. They’re perfect.”
Just like her. Just like this Christmas. Just like his life.
Chapter 12
As Deb and Zach lay together in a tangled heap of sheets and limbs, Zach asked quietly, “Can I ask what happened to your brother?”
She took a deep breath. It wasn’t easy recalling the pain her brother had gone through.
As he stroked her hair gently, her eyes drooped and her words slurred. They had made love earlier, and now she stretched, relaxed and sated. “Yeah,” she said quietly, reflecting. “It was a car accident when he was sixteen. His buddy dared him to see how fast his new sports car could go. He lost control and wrapped it around a tree at the bottom of a hill. His friend didn’t make it and, for a while, we didn’t think Eric would, either. But he’s more stubborn than most of us and decided he wanted to live. Unfortunately, he was bitter for a long time until he met Alyson in college. She saw past the wheelchair, saw who he was on the inside and who he could be. I’ve never seen him happier.”
“It’s great she make him so happy.” He kissed the top of her head tenderly. “I want to make you happy too, you know.”
At his words, she lifted her head from her position on his chest and rested her chin against her wrist. She studied his lips and touched them with the tips of her fingers. “You do.”
“Do I?” Zach rolled over to his side so they faced each other. He kissed her hand where his engagement ring still hugged her finger.
“More than I ever thought, after our rough beginning.”
Zach chuckled. “I certainly never thought I’d be here, either.”
“Well, we are,” she said. Then she gasped as she raised her head and looked at the clock. “Look, it’s after midnight. Merry Christmas, Zach.”
He smiled and touched her face reverently, tilting her chin up to his mouth to kiss her softly. Nudging her nose with his, he whispered, “Merry Christmas, Deb. I love you.”
Deb wanted more than anything to say it back to him, but the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Zach. So she settled for telling the truth. “Zach, I want to return your words… I really do.” Then a grin etched her lips. “Just keep up all that charm of yours and I’ll fall before you know it.”
He chuckled again. “Deal.” Pulling her into his arms, he snuggled against her warmth. His stubble scrubbed against her temple, but she welcomed the feeling. More than once, the sense of coming home, while being in Zach’s arms, overwhelmed her. Now, while lying in her childhood house, a home representing so many memories and previous Christmas Eves filled with anticipation, she’d been given the best gift of all.
“Shhh,” Zach said. “I think I hear Santa’s sleigh.”
Deb grinned. “Me too.”
* * * *
The next morning, Jesse and Elizabeth awakened the whole house with squeals and giggles at the most ridiculous hour. Zach rolled over and glanced at the clock. It read four in the morning. Did kids really get up this early? He vividly remembered sleeping until noon if his parents allowed him to.
The knock on the door and the excited voices continued, and Deb rolled over and snuggled closer.
“Make them go away,” she murmured against his neck.
“Mmm. If only I could.” He kissed her, unable to keep himself from touching her.
She giggled and pushed him away.
“Get up, horny. This happens every Christmas morning, and if you’re serious about making this a real marriage, then
you’re going to have to get used to it.”
“You mean every Christmas from here on out is going start at four in the morning?”
“Yup.”
“Now I’m rethinking my decision.” He groaned.
She gave him a playful shove.
Seeing her disbelief, he smiled. “You didn’t think I was serious, did you?”
“I don’t know. How do you feel about kids?”
“Since you’re not sure you love me yet, maybe we shouldn’t have the kid conversation. Especially at four in the morning.”
“No, I’d like to know. We can talk details later. Do you even want kids?”
“To be honest, I haven’t thought a lot about them. I was so screwed up by my family, I guess I just always assumed I would spare a child the misery of having me for a father.”
Deb’s sleepy eyes softened. “I saw you with Jesse and Elizabeth last night. You’d make a great father.”
“Details later, then, huh?” Having the children discussion seemed a little pointless right now, since Deb wouldn’t even say those three little words. Not to mention, he didn’t want Deb to see how the thought of having children made him break out into a cold sweat.
“Yeah,” Deb conceded as the twins yelled at them, letting them know they were the last ones to come out. From what she had told him, it was tradition for everyone to be in the room to open gifts on Christmas morning.
Zach and Deb dressed quickly and headed downstairs. Zach watched her as they entered the family room. The Christmas tree shone brightly, and all the other lights were dimmed. Everyone sipped on steaming coffee, and the smell of pine and cinnamon invaded his nostrils. The girls anxiously handed out gifts.
“Which ones did Santa bring?” Zach whispered in Deb’s ear as they stood in the doorway of the living room under the mistletoe.
“They don’t do Santa. Eric and Alyson felt like it was lying to them.”
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