Always You: A Sweet Romantic Comedy (ABCs of Love Collection Books 5-8)

by Brenna Jacobs

  Zoey looked at the time on her phone. She had to be at the station in an hour. But maybe that still left her enough time. She raced to her front door and flung it open, crossing quickly to Daren and Ryan’s apartment. She knocked on the door, realizing too late they might not be home from school yet.

  The elevator dinged behind her, and Zoey turned around. When the doors slid open, she sighed with relief. “Oh, I’m so glad you guys are home. I need your help.”

  It made Zoey sad to think she’d taken so long to get to know her neighbors a little bit. She’d always been on friendly speaking terms with Ryan and Daren, even on come-help-me-fix-my-faucet terms. But they’d only recently started really talking. Spending time together. The two of them had become the only two people, outside of Nana, that knew the full story of what had happened with Harry.

  Ryan’s eyebrows went up. “What happened?”

  “I texted him,” Zoey said. “And he texted back and now I have no idea what I should say.”

  “You should say you love him, and you’ll be on the next flight,” Daren said.

  Zoey followed them into their apartment and leaned against the counter, watching as they unloaded a bag of groceries. “I can’t just come right out and say it. Tell me how to do this smoothly. I don’t want to mess this up.”

  Ryan held out his hand for her phone. “What have you said so far?”

  Zoey handed him the phone, chewing on her lip until he’d read through the last few messages. “Oh, he’s watching Chicago news so he can see you. That’s so sweet.”

  “What do I say?” Zoey reached for her phone. “It’s been too long. If I don’t respond soon he might get busy doing something else.”

  “Say thank you, first of all,” Daren said. “He paid you a really nice compliment. Then tell him you love him, and you’ll be on the next flight.”

  “Daren!” Zoey said. “That isn’t helpful.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Ask about the kids. If you want to ease in, that’s probably a pretty safe topic.”

  “Right,” Zoey said. “The kids. I can definitely ask about the kids.”

  Thank you, she texted. How are the kids?

  They miss you, Harry’s message read. Almost as much as I do.

  Zoey gasped. She handed the phone to Ryan and Daren. They read the message and then emitted simultaneous and identical, “Awwww”s.

  Ryan handed her phone back. “Zoey,” he said calmly. “Don’t text him back. Call him.”

  Chapter 20

  Harry’s phone lit up with an incoming call and his lungs jumped into his throat. He glanced at his watch. He had another hour before Geneva would be home with the kids. He was supposed to be working from home, reviewing specs for new additions to his line of tools, but this felt like a much better use of his time.

  He stepped out onto his back patio, taking Marigold with him, and answered the call.

  “Hey,” he said.

  A beat of silence, a deep breath, and then he heard, “I miss you, too. So much.”

  Harry couldn’t stop himself from smiling. Dared he even hope?

  “Zoey, I’m so sorry I ever made you feel like you should walk away from your career for me. I was an idiot. I wasn’t thinking about how it looked from your perspective because I was too focused on what I wanted, on how much I wanted to be with you.”

  “I know,” Zoey said, her voice soft. “I get it.”

  “Please trust me when I say it won’t ever be like that. If you want to have a career, I want you to have one. Here or there, or anywhere. If you ever decided you wanted to stay at home with our kids, I would support that too.” He froze. He’d just said kids. Our kids. “Oh, man. Please erase that last sentence and pretend like you didn’t hear me reference our future children.”

  Zoey laughed. “I like the sound of future children with you, Harrison Beckford.”

  “I’m so sorry, Zoey. Truly.”

  “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have left like I did. I should have been more transparent about the job I was trying to get and just, well, everything.”

  “How is the job?” Harry asked. “Do you like it?”

  “Yes,” she replied immediately. “I mean, no. I mean, yes, I love it, but not enough to keep doing it, I don’t think. I’m not saying this the right way. I have so many things I want to say and I’m not . . . I can’t stop thinking about ridiculous questions. Like about whether or not your new nanny is young and beautiful and whether or not you’ve been seeing anyone and whether or not you might consider seeing me again if I happened to come back to California.”

  Harry laughed. “Geneva is sixty-five. She’s a lovely woman, but she’s older than my mom, and she’s been married for forty years. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve tried. But so far, she’s rejected all my invitations.”

  Zoey chuckled. “I’ve missed your teasing.”

  “I’m not seeing anyone, Zoey. How could I possibly think about dating anyone else when I’m still so in love with you?”

  Chapter 21

  Zoey closed her eyes, pressing her phone against her chest for a brief moment before lifting it back to her ear.

  An alarm buzzed on Zoey’s phone. If she didn’t leave for the station in the next five minutes, she’d be giving her producers a heart attack.

  “I have to go to work,” she said. “But can I call you later? Can we talk? Really talk?”

  Harry hesitated before saying, “Of course. I’ll be around. Call me as soon as you can.”

  Zoey ended the call knowing she’d left Harry hanging. He’d said I love you, and she’d said can I call you later?

  But she couldn’t say I love you over the phone. Not for the first time.

  Her bosses were maybe going to hate her for this.

  Possibly enough that she might lose her job.

  She willed her mind to slow down long enough to make some plans. She wasn’t going to work today, but she couldn’t leave them anchorless. She texted a quick message to Sarah, the morning news anchor she’d gotten to know over the past couple of months. Sarah responded almost immediately, agreeing to cover for her. Zoey sent that confirmation, along with a vague explanation of her absence to her bosses, hoping they’d forgive her since she’d found someone to fill her seat.

  Then she headed for the hall closet to grab her suitcase.

  She had a plane to catch.

  Chapter 22

  Harry waited all afternoon for Zoey to call. Then all evening.

  Had he scared her away by admitting he still loved her? He hadn’t planned to say it. But when she’d admitted to missing him, and then gotten jealous over his new nanny, it had just sort of tumbled out. He didn’t regret saying it. But he maybe regretted saying it so soon.

  Just after midnight, someone buzzed the outer gate at the end of his driveway.

  He pulled out his phone, immediately recognizing Zoey’s silhouette standing in the darkness outside the gate. He opened the gate remotely, watching through the feed long enough to make sure she got back in her Uber so the driver could bring her up the long driveway. She could have walked it, but as late it was, he would have hated for her to have to.

  Excitement pulsed in Harry’s chest as he padded to the entryway and swung open the front door. Zoey was already climbing out of the car. He waited where he stood, watching her, mesmerized by her. She was here. Close enough to touch. Close enough to kiss.

  She pulled her suitcase toward him, stopping at the bottom of the porch stairs. She looked travel-worn and weary, but her eyes were bright, her smile stretching all the way across her face.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call you back,” she said as the Uber pulled away.

  He ran a hand across his hair. “Yeah. You had me worried there for a little while.”

  She lifted her shoulders into a shrug. “I just couldn’t stand the thought of saying I love you for the first time over the phone.”

  Harry was down the porch steps in a flash, scooping Zoey into his arms. He breathed her in, every
thing about the way her hair smelled to the way she fit in his arms feeling just so right. He tilted his head and pressed his lips against hers, his hands cradling her cheeks. Only then did he notice the tears sliding down her face.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asked.

  She sniffed and hiccupped out a laugh. “I’m okay. It’s just been a really long afternoon. I couldn’t get a flight at first, so I had to fly standby. When I finally did get on a flight, the plane had mechanical difficulties and was rerouted to Phoenix, so I had to get on a different flight, and this time I was sitting next to this very smelly older man who kept trying to talk to me about popcorn sales—he’s an actual popcorn salesman—and through it all, the only way I managed to keep it together was to imagine over and over what this moment was going to be like.” She sniffed again and wiped her eyes. “I mean, my imagination is pretty good.” She leaned up and kissed him. “But not this good.”

  “Come on,” Harry said, reaching for her suitcase. “Let’s go inside.”

  There was so much he wanted to talk to her about. So much they needed to talk about. But Zoey looked exhausted. He led her to the couch where he sat down and opened his arms. She fell right into them, resting her head on his chest and wrapping her arms around his midsection. He pressed a kiss to her temple, fighting the urge to release the litany of questions he had building inside of him.

  Had she quit her job? If she hadn’t yet, was she going to? Was she okay about that? Was she moving back for good? Did she have a plan?

  Zoey breathed in and out deeply, relaxing further into his arms. “I’m really happy, Harry,” she whispered.

  He smiled to himself. That wasn’t the first time she’d said that to him. Had the first time been the night of the charity event they’d attended together? He couldn’t quite remember. But it didn’t matter. She was home. In his arms. And she loved him. What more could he ask for than that?

  “Yeah,” he whispered into her ear. “I’m really happy too.”

  The next morning, Zoey showed up in the kitchen while the kids were still at the kitchen table eating their breakfast before school.

  The guest room where she’d slept was far enough away from the main part of the house he’d hoped she’d sleep late, but when he saw Hannah’s face as Zoey walked into the room, he was glad Zoey had decided to join them.

  “Zoey?!” Hannah yelled. She jumped from her chair and raced around the island, colliding with Zoey’s legs.

  “Oof,” Zoey said. “It’s nice to see you too, Hannah.” She moved around the table and ran her hand across Oliver’s hair. “Hi, Ollie.” She leaned down and kissed his cheek.

  Oliver smiled and held up his spoon. “Oatmeal?” he asked, offering her a bite.

  Zoey leaned in and took the bite, offering Harry a wide, slightly scared smile. “Hmmm,” she said. “Thank you for sharing.” Emotion swelled in Harry’s chest. How had they ever survived without her?

  “Are you going to stay this time?” Hannah asked. “Forever?”

  Zoey looked up and caught Harry’s eye. “I do have to go back to Chicago for a little bit, but it should only be for a few days. Then I’m moving back here for good.”

  A weight he hadn’t realized was there suddenly lifted off of Harry’s shoulders.

  “Will you be our nanny again?” Hannah asked.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Geneva stiffen.

  “No, baby,” Zoey said. “In Chicago I worked for a news station on TV. When I move back, I’ll have to find a news station here that I can work for. But I promise, we’ll still be together lots, even if I’m not your nanny.”

  Hannah leaned back, looking up at Zoey’s face with a contemplative expression so deep, Harry could see it from where he stood across the kitchen. Hannah motioned for Zoey to bend down, where she whispered something in her ear, after glancing back at her dad just briefly.

  Zoey smiled at Hannah’s words, whatever they were, catching Harry’s gaze before looking back to Hannah. She whispered something back, and Hannah grinned, wide-eyed, before moving back to the table.

  Harry moved across the kitchen, wrapping his arms around Zoey before tugging her around the corner into the living room. His kids might not care if he kissed Zoey good morning, but he still wasn’t sure Geneva wouldn’t scold him. “Good morning,” he whispered. He kissed Zoey gently on the lips.

  “Good morning.”

  “Are you really moving back for good?”

  Zoey nodded. “I’ve already got a few calls in to producers in the area. I made good use of my layover yesterday. And I talked to my producers also, and they’re going to see about reaching out to our affiliate networks to see if they can put in a good word for me.”

  Harry ran his hands up and down her arms. “That’s really great news.”

  Zoey shrugged. “I shouldn’t have been so afraid of the possibility.”

  Harry leaned down and kissed her one more time.

  “What was that all about back there with Hannah? What did she whisper to you?”

  Zoey grinned. “A lady never tells her secrets.”

  Harry groaned playfully. “Oh, don’t make me play this game. You know if you don’t tell me, I’ll get it out of Hannah.”

  “You will not, Daddy,” Hannah yelled from the kitchen. “I’ll never tell.”

  “You’re back in the house less than twelve hours, and already you’re conspiring against me?”

  “Absolutely,” Zoey said. “We girls have to stick together.”

  After one more kiss, Zoey retreated to take a shower and Harry went back and joined the kids at the kitchen table. Hannah had already finished and was carrying her plate over to Geneva when he sat down. On her way back to the table, she wrapped her tiny arms around Harry’s neck. “Don’t tell Zoey I told,” Hannah whispered, “but what I asked her is if she was going to be our mommy since she isn’t our nanny anymore. And she said yes, as long as you ask her one day. Which is why I’m telling her secret, Daddy. So that one day, you can ask.”

  Harry reached up and patted his daughter’s arms, hope filling his chest so full he thought he might burst. “One day, huh?” he asked. “You don’t have an opinion about when?”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “Well, she just got here so maybe not today,” she said with dramatic flair. “You should at least let her unpack her suitcase first. But maybe like, on Wednesday.”

  “Wednesday? I’ll take that into consideration.”

  It was on a Wednesday that Harry proposed, though he waited a few more months to do it. He figured Zoey deserved the chance not just to unpack, but to get a job—which happened in a matter of days, not weeks; apparently Zoey was very good at what she did—and get settled into her new California life before he asked her to marry him.

  When the perfect Wednesday arrived, Harry put on his favorite suit, dressed his kids in their fanciest clothes—Oliver had on suspenders and an orange bowtie—and declared that they were all skipping school, and work, so they could chase down their family.

  Zoey had opted to move back in with her grandmother, both because she believed Emily still benefited from the company even if she didn’t need the care, and, Harry hoped, because she anticipated a wedding in their future as much as he did. Neither of them had said as much out loud, not to anyone but Hannah, but they’d talked around the subject enough, he was pretty sure they were on the same page.

  Harry hadn’t come to see Zoey with much of a plan. He’d just woken up that morning, looked at the bright blue sky and decided it was a good Wednesday to get engaged. He only had an hour or two before Zoey would leave for work, though maybe after the proposal, he could convince her to play hooky with the rest of them.

  Spring was in full bloom in Ms. Emily’s backyard. Zoey had taken to doing morning yoga in the shade of the orange tree in the back of the lot. She was still there when Harry stepped through the back door, a kid holding onto each of his hands.

  When Zoey looked up and saw them standing there
, she smiled. “What is this?” she asked, walking toward them. “You all look so nice! What are we so dressed up for?” For a moment, she looked slightly panicked. “Did I forget something?”

  Harry shook his head. “Nope. Nothing.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Okay. Then, what’s up?”

  “I told Daddy he should wait for a Wednesday. And that’s today,” Hannah said, heavy emphasis on the today.

  Harry swallowed and closed his eyes for a brief moment before steeling his nerves and stepping forward. He took Zoey’s hand. “Zoey?”

  “Yeah,” she said, a tremble in her voice.

  He dropped to one knee. “Marry me?” He looked over his shoulder at his kids. “Marry us?”

  Zoey leaned forward, cradling Harry’s face in her hands and kissed him softly. “Yes,” she whispered. She looked at the kids, motioning them forward. “Yes,” she said again. “Yes to all of you.

  >>>>>>>><<<<<<<<

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  Epilogue

  “Hannah! Where are you?” Zoey called up the stairs. “Do you have Oliver with you?”

  “We’re coming!” Oliver called.

  He showed up in the living room first, his hair mussed and sticking up in every direction. He held a pair of navy-blue shorts in his hands. “I found them,” he said, holding them up. “Just where you said they’d be.”

  “Mommies just know these things, Oliver,” Hannah said, entering the room. She already wore a pair of dark blue jeans, just like Zoey had asked.

  “Do these work?” she asked.