How could she tell her family it was over? That Scott wanted different things from what she wanted. She had been stupid to have hoped otherwise. A fool even. All he wanted was a sexual relationship and her heart wanted so much more. The heartache she was feeling was the fault of her own. Scott had been honest from the beginning. She had been the one to make more of what was happening between them. She was the one who started confusing the farce engagement for the real thing, especially since she was still wearing his ring and her family still believed she was engaged. She was the one who assumed more was going on between them besides sex. At no time had Scott asked her to fall in love with him. She had done that one her own.
“Is turquoise and chocolate still your colors?” she heard Paulette ask.
Zanaa looked up, met her golden gaze and nodded. “Of course.”
B Barbara’s thin face lit up with excitement. “I agree with Paulette.
It would be so much fun. What do you say? We can have a girl’s day. You know Mother would love to hang out at the spa then have lunch at Tiffany’s.”
Zanaa was grabbing straws. “We couldn’t possibly shop for a gown without Madea,” she argued softly.
Her grandmother turned up her nose. “Nonsense. I can wait to be surprised on your wedding day.”
“Come on, Zanaa? What do you say?” Paulette pleaded.
I say I don’t have much of a choice. “Sure…it sounds like fun.” Things were spiraling out of control. Before the weekend was over she was going to have to find a way to tell her family the truth.
to have to find a way to tell her family the truth.
*
Where is she? Scott paced the length of the house, going mad wondering why Zanaa wasn’t at home.
Last night he had returned from New York and knocked on her door, wanting to talk, but there had been no answer. He then tried her cell phone, which had gone directly to voice mail. Even her assistant Ashley didn’t know where she was, although he had a gut feeling Zanaa had given her instructions not to share her whereabouts with anyone, especially him.
Now he was losing his mind.
Scott ran his fingers through his locs as he tried to make sense of it. He didn’t understand it. Any other female, he had maintained boundaries. Dated a couple of times, called when he was good and ready, but never had a woman become more important than his video game designs. Never had a woman broken his concentration when he needed to stay focused. Absolutely never. Until he met Zanaa.
With her he had no control of his thoughts. He couldn’t get her off his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he lost the battle. How was that possible? Or better yet, how had he allowed it to happen? Taking a deep breath, Scott was confident now he no longer had control of his heart. And on the plane ride home, he realized he no longer wanted to.
What amazed him most was that he’d only known Zanaa for a short period of time yet he felt as if she had always been a part of his life.
And what was even mindboggling was that he didn’t want it any other way.
Scott took a deep breath, trying to maintain control, something he was finding hard to have when Zanaa was involved. That woman had touched him deeply. Being away from her, he realized he loved her more than he ever loved any other woman in his life, including his ex-fiancée.
Darnell cleared his throat. “Yo, since you’re standing there with a long face, I guess that means you’re interested in more with this chick than you let on.”
More? For the past few weeks he hadn’t been able to think of anything else. He kept replaying their last night together in his head over anything else. He kept replaying their last night together in his head over and over. Zanaa had tried to put doubt in his sister’s head about the future of their relationship but the selfish part of him wasn’t ready yet to let go.
She was the only woman who made him feel that good and the thought of some other man being with her made him crazy.
Scott glanced over at Jace and Sheyna who was waiting patiently for an answer. “Maybe I am interested in more,” he finally replied and took a seat on a chair.
Sheyna sprung from the couch and planted hands at her waist.
“Hey, either you do or you don’t. If this is just another challenge then you need to leave Zanaa alone.”
Scott shook his and leaned back against the cushions. “It’s not a challenge.” He didn’t miss the sparkle in Sheyna’s amber eyes at his answer.
Darnell shook his head with disbelief then brought the bottle of beer to his lips. “I never thought I’d see the day my brother lost his mind to a woman.”
He scowled. “Get used to it.” Not only had he lost his mind but he finally accepted he had lost his heart to her as well. There was no way his brother would understand something like that. At least not yet. But one of these days.
Jace glanced from his wife to Scott with a curious look. “Is she cute?”
Scott’s answer was between a snort and a laugh. “Fine as hell.”
“I guess that counts for something,” Darnell replied with a chuckle of his own. “Wow! I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation.”
Sheyna bopped him playfully across the head. “She’s also educated and smart and runs her own business.”
“Did I mention she was fine as hell?” Scott added with a wink then rose from the chair and paced around their family room with hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I’ve blown it with Zanaa. I doubt she’ll even speak to me.”
“So what are you planning to do to fix things?” Sheyna demanded to know as she returned to her seat.
to know as she returned to her seat.
His brow furrowed with frustration. He didn’t have the slightest idea. That woman had tilted his life on its side. He loved having Zanaa in his life and didn’t want to lose her but he knew being together meant finally being in a committed relationship. Zanaa wasn’t going to have it any other way. And finally he understood why. A woman like her deserved so much more than he had offer. “Part of me wants to show her how much I care about her and that I want our engagement to be real. I want us to really start dating. Movies, dinner, you name.”
“So in other words you want a real relationship with her?” Jace asked.
“Yes and no. The other part of me is telling me to run like hell.”
Darnell barked with laughter. “Now that’s the Scott I know.”
When Jace saw the glare his wife was sending in Darnell’s direction, he grasped her hand, lacing her fingers with his. “Scott, I know exactly how you feel. I was the same way when I first realized I had fallen in love with your sister. The last thing I wanted was a relationship but now that I have Sheyna, I couldn’t imagine my life without her.” He reached over, grabbed Sheyna around her waist, pulling her down onto his lap and captured her mouth with his.
Scott felt a tug of envy. What would it be like to have someone in his life that had his back and was there lying beside him every night?
Watching the couple, Darnell stuck a finger in his mouth then shuddered. “Dude, you seriously want to look like those two?”
“I’m not sure,” Scott lied. Deep down, he knew what was in his heart. He was just too stubborn to admit it.
Sheyna narrowed her eyes the way their mother used to and replied, “If you’re not sure what you want, then leave Zanaa alone. But I advise you to figure it out because there’s someone else out there who would appreciate a good woman.”
Scott cut his eyes in her direction and it took everything he had not to blow his stack. As far as he was concerned the only man Zanaa was going to be with was him.
Sheyna must have seen something in his face because she moved over to where he stood and took his hand. “Answer one question for me…
over to where he stood and took his hand. “Answer one question for me…
do you love her?”
Staring down at her, he took a deep breath then said the words that felt almost natural to him. “Yes…I love Zanaa.”
Her eyes danced with excitement. “Then you better go get her.”
Chapter Nineteen
Zanaa stepped out the dressing room and heard a collective gasp.
“Oh Zanaa! You’re beautiful.” Barbara said and rushed to stand beside her.
“You really think so?”
“Oh, yes. Baby, you look beautiful,” her mother replied with tears in her eyes.
Zanaa swung around and stared in the full length mirror and her breath stalled. The long white organza gown had spaghetti straps and was covered in satin flowers, crystal beading, sequins and pearls. Paulette came over and placed the chapel train on her head and stepped back with her hand under her chin.
“When Scott sees you in that dress he’s going to fall in love with you all over again,” Paulette said with a sigh.
She choked back a sob. How she wished that were true but unknowing to her family, he would never see her wearing the gown because there was no engagement. Let alone a relationship.
Paulette moved to stand beside her. “You are going to be a beautiful bride.”
“Yes, Zanaa. Your sister is right. You look absolutely beautiful.”
Zanaa’s head snapped around and her heart did a leap at the sight of Scott standing at the front of the small bridal shop. What was he doing here? She didn’t even want to guess. Hell, right now she could barely breathe. All she could do was stand there and stare at his gorgeous face.
For a moment it was as if time stood still before Scott slowly moved toward the platform where she was standing.
Scott was wearing gray slacks, freshly pressed, and a leather bomber jacket. One hand was thrust into a pocket, taunting the material across his flat stomach. A button down burgundy shirt had been tucked in across his flat stomach. A button down burgundy shirt had been tucked in while a black leather belt had been snaked around his slim waist. He moved with lethal grace that stopped the air in Zanaa’s lungs. She loved this man. There was no denying how she felt. When he stopped at the bottom of the platform, less than ten feet away and looked at her, she gasped.
“Don’t you know it’s bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding?” Paulette pointed a stern finger in his direction.
“I couldn’t stay away. I had to come see you.”
Zanaa took a step forward. Her heart was pounding so heavily she didn’t want to get ahead of herself. “Why is that?” she said barely above a whisper.
Scott glanced around at her family who was standing, waiting to hear what he had to say. She didn’t miss the confused looks on their faces.
The reason they were confused because they had no idea what was really going on between the two of them, while she was confused as to the reason why he needed to see her after walking out on her.
Scott climbed the steps onto the platform and stood in front of her.
Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the intensity at the brim of his eyes. Scott reached out and cupped her face with his hand and unconsciously she leaned into the warmth of his hand.
“I needed to tell you…I love you.”
Zanaa heard the collective sighs of her sisters and mother and it took her a moment to realize what he had just said…or at least what she thought he said. “What did you say?” her words coming out in a rush.
“It sounds like he said he loves you,” her mother interjected with an approving grin.
“Thank you, Mother Reynolds,” Scott replied then returned his eyes to Zanaa. The look was more serious than anything she’d seen before.
“I love you, Zanaa Reynolds. I think I fell in love with you the first time you knocked on my door accusing me of stealing your newspaper.”
“Newspaper?” Barbara said then turned to Paulette with a puzzled look. Zanaa ignored them. All she cared about was the man standing in front of her.
“Why did you leave?” She had to know.
“Why did you leave?” She had to know.
Scott released a heavy sigh before saying, “Because I was afraid of what I was feeling. In such a short period of time, you had become so important in my life, I didn’t know how to handle it.”
She nodded, understanding exactly what he was saying. “You hurt me.”
“I know and I’m sorry. If you give me another chance I promise I will never hurt you again.”
After staring at him for a long moment, Zanaa shook her head.
“Scott, you’re not the only one who’s scared. After Cole, I swore I would never let another man get that close to me again. And then I met you, and you agreed to pretend to be my fiancé—”
“Pretend!”
Zanaa witnessed the stunned look on her mother’s face. This was not at all how she had planned her family finding out her engagement was a fake. “Mother…I was going to tell you.”
Scott touched her arm, halting any further explanation. The heat radiating from his touch flowed through every nerve in her body. “Zanaa, before you explain to your family, there’s something I need to say to you.”
At the disappointed looks on her family’s faces she felt a headache coming on. “What’s that?”
She watched as Scott dropped to one knee and took her hand in his. His eyes never left hers as he touched the ring—his ring—on her finger.
“Zanaa, I love you. I can say it again and again as many times it’s going to take for you to believe you are the only woman I want in my life.
But please take me out of my misery and agree to marry me?”
“Marry you?” Paulette screeched. “I thought they were already engaged?”
Barbara tapped her oldest sister on the arm wearing a scolding look. “Silly, weren’t you listening. Zanaa said the engagement was a fake.”
While her sisters whispered behind her, Zanaa stared down at Scott in awe. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Then she blinked and a tear slid down her cheek.
“Zanaa, you have changed me and after spending the last few days “Zanaa, you have changed me and after spending the last few days alone, I know my life would be empty without you. I have never met a woman as precious and perfect as you. I have but one wish and that’s to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Will you please be my wife?”
Tears spilled from the surface. Her heart thumped and somewhere in a distance she heard the collective sighs of other customers in the shop.
This was the moment she had been hoping for. A moment she believed impossible and was never going to happen. She had insisted on ending what they had because she loved him too much to settle for anything less than all of him.
“What’s taking her so long to answer?” Barbara mumbled under her breath.
Scott choked out a laugh. “I was going to ask the same thing,” he said and when his Adam’s apple bobbed at his throat, Zanaa realized he, too, was nervous. As she continued to stand there with tears streaming down her cheeks, he stood up and took both her hands in his. “Zanaa, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
Her sister’s moved in close, concerned something was definitely wrong.
“Zanaa, are you okay?” Paulette asked.
Cheeks moist with tears and glowing with happiness, Zanaa finally smiled then bobbed her head. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Scott released a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. You had me worried there.”
“Zanaa, the man asked you to marry him. Are you going to answer him or not?”
She frowned over at her baby sister then returned her attention to Scott and tried to laugh but instead cried, “I love you, too, Scott, and yes, I’ll marry you.”
She threw her arms around him and he lifted her off the floor and twirled her in a circle. “Yes!” he cried. “She said yes!”
“I think we’re making a scene,” Zanaa said around a laugh.
“Let them look. You just made me the happiest man in the world.”
He lowered her back to the floor then gathered her in his arms and captured her lips in a searing kiss she felt all the way down to her toes.
<
br /> captured her lips in a searing kiss she felt all the way down to her toes.
“Together life will never be a dull moment,” he promised as he broke away from her mouth. “That’s one thing you can count on.”
Leaning against him, she whispered his name, loving the feel of his muscular arms beneath her fingertips. This was her man. The man she loved who would someday be the father of her children. She had never felt this happy and alive before.
Her mother cleared her throat, drawing their attention. “Now let me get this straight…am I planning a wedding or not?”
“Yes, absolutely,” Zanaa said a little breathless, and when she leaned forward and kissed Scott again, all the customers in the shop burst into applause.
Epilogue
On the last Saturday in July, Zanaa was standing on the sandy Rehoboth Beach, wearing a strapless, ankle length, cream silk dress. Her pulse raced as she watched Leah walk across the sand, dressed in a short-sleeved chocolate gown, while Paulette and Barbara, who served as bridesmaids, wore turquoise.
“You ready?” her father asked as he moved up beside her.
Zanaa gazed up into his eyes and smiled. “Yes, I am.” She kissed his cheek then looped her arm through his.
They walked across the sand together. Her feet were bare as she enjoyed the feel of the warm sand between her toes. This was exactly as she had always envisioned her wedding day to be. She gazed ahead and when her eyes locked with Scott’s, her pulse leaped. Darnell stood beside him. In the short time she’d known him, she had grown to adore him. He was standing handsomely in a crisp, white tuxedo shirt and pants, but today she only had eyes for one man, and Scott was so handsome, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He grinned and a smile split her face. There was definitely never going to be a dull moment in their life together.
Her father delivered her to Scott, and Zanaa placed her hand in his. Facing each other, she couldn’t stop staring into the depth of his eyes.
This is what true love feels like, she thought with a smile.
In Her Neighbor's Bed (The Beaumont Series) Page 16