by SJ McCoy
Smoke leaned in the doorway that led out from the kitchen. He had his arm around Laura and Holly and Pete stood with them.
April and Eddie were sitting at the patio table with Kenzie and Chase and an older man she didn’t recognize.
Even Clay was there, smiling at her. She smiled back and then saw Marianne standing beside him. Marianne gave her a reassuring smile and jerked her head to her left. Maria looked to see what she was trying to tell her, and her mouth fell open when she saw her parents standing there.
She squeezed Zack’s hand tight. “What … how …”
He smiled down at her. “You said you wanted to tell them once it was all over. I wanted to meet them, and I knew they’d want to see where you were living and that you’re okay.”
Her dad was smiling at her and her mom was wringing her hands together. Maria’s eyes filled with tears as she made her way to them.
“Maria.” They wrapped her up in a hug, both wrapping their arms around her at once.
She lost herself in their familiar embrace. It’d been way too long since she’d seen them.
Her dad stood back and smiled at Zack. “Thank you for inviting us.”
Zack shook his hand and bent down to kiss her mom’s cheeks. “Thank you for coming.”
“How did you even get here?” asked Maria.
Her mom smiled at Marianne. “I have an old friend who wanted to help out.”
Her dad nodded and looked at Clay. “And we know a very generous man who didn’t mind giving us a ride in his plane.”
Clay smiled around at them. “I’m just happy to be able to play a small part in—” She felt Zack tense behind her as Clay obviously pulled himself up before he continued. “In all this.”
Marianne smiled at her and took Clay’s hand. “We’ll talk to you later,” she said before leading Clay away.
“Thank you for coming,” Zack said again to her parents. He was nervous, she could tell. But her parents didn’t seem too upset. In fact, they were both beaming and happy.
Her dad grasped Zack’s shoulder and walked him away, leaving Maria alone with her mom. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Mom.”
Her mom smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. “That’s okay, Maria. We understand. Zack explained. You know your father and I only want to see you happy. Zack’s a good man. Marianne told us all about him, but even if she hadn’t, you can just tell he’s a good man. He’s from a good family.”
“I believe he is, but I haven’t met …” She gave her mom a puzzled look. “How do you know?”
She could only describe the way her mom smiled as mysterious. She pointed to the man sitting with Eddie and April. “We’ve met his father.”
“When? Just now? How long … when did you arrive?”
Her mom gave her that same smile. “Yesterday afternoon. You know how your Zack went out with Luke last night?”
Maria nodded.
“Well, he didn’t just see Luke.”
She had to laugh. “Well, isn’t he the little schemer.” A wave of warmth spread through her chest. She felt like the luckiest girl on earth just to be with him. To know that he’d gone to all this trouble just to give her a housewarming party like this—that he’d known how concerned she’d been about telling her parents, and that he’d managed to get them here and smooth things over with them before she even saw them.
“He’s a good man, Maria.”
“And you don’t mind that we’re living here—together—in sin?”
Her mom pursed her lips. “You know I can never tell you that I approve of that.”
Maria should have known better than to ask. She couldn’t ask her mom to change her beliefs. She’d just have to be grateful that she wasn’t trying to impose them too strongly.
“I don’t want to disappoint you, Mamá.”
Her mom gave her that weird smile again. “You haven’t. You make me very proud.”
~ ~ ~
Maria’s dad walked Zack over to his own dad who got to his feet and smiled at them. For a moment, the three of them stood there smiling at each other.
Zack’s dad broke the silence first. “I haven’t met your daughter yet, Alberto. But I’m already proud of her.”
“As am I. You won’t be disappointed when you get to know her.”
“I feel like I already do. My son has loved her for a long time.”
Alberto smiled at Zack. “I wish I’d known from the beginning. I wouldn’t have worried about her so much if I had.”
Zack nodded. “I couldn’t tell her how I felt. But now I want the whole world to know. I’m sorry I couldn’t come to you earlier, to tell you and to ask you.”
Alberto smiled. “The past is in the past. Now there’s no more hiding. I know, her mom knows, and you know that you have our blessing—and our approval. So, how much longer are you going to wait?”
Zack grinned at him. “Not another minute.”
He made his way over to Laura who was standing just outside the kitchen door with Smoke.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
Zack had to swallow around the lump that had formed in his throat.
She handed him the box, and he tried to clear his throat before he spoke.
Smoke grinned at him. “Don’t bother trying to pull yourself together. You’re going to turn into a ball of mush. It happens to the best of us. No one’s judging. We know.”
Luke stood beside him in the doorway and nodded. “It’s true. Now go do it.”
He looked around for Maria. She was standing talking to her mom and Marianne. He tapped his dad and Alberto on the shoulder as he passed them. “Come on. This is it.”
~ ~ ~
Maria was laughing with her mom as Marianne told them how nervous she’d been the first time Clay had come to her house. She stopped when she saw Zack approaching them with his dad and hers following on his heels. Her heart started to race. She could only hope that they hadn’t gotten into a disagreement about something.
The way Zack smiled at her told her there was nothing to worry about.
When he reached her, he nodded at Marianne and her mom. To her surprise, her mom reached up to kiss his cheeks before she and Marianne moved away.
When they’d gone, Zack took hold of her hand and gave her that weird look. It set her heart racing. She still hadn’t figured out what it meant when he looked at her that way.
“Is something wrong?”
“No! Hell, no! Nothing’s wrong, things couldn’t be more right. Well, except for one thing.”
He was making her nervous. He looked around at everyone, and she followed his gaze. Everyone had stopped talking and they were all watching them. She looked back at Zack; her heart was racing out of control. She didn’t get what was going on.
He squeezed her hands and then got down on one knee and she finally understood. One hand came up to cover her mouth, but he kept a tight hold of the other one and smiled up at her.
She smiled back. She couldn’t believe it, and yet it felt so perfectly right.
“Maria.” His voice sounded gruff and scratchy. He tried again. “Maria. You know I love you. I’ve already told you you’re stuck with me.”
She nodded and the tears started to roll down her cheeks.
“I promised you forever, and I meant it. We haven’t had the easiest start, but that’s only proved how good we are together, how strong we are, and how much I love you. I’m going to love you till the day I die, and I’m going to do my best to make you happy every single day. Please tell me you want it, too. Say you’ll be my wife? Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” She nodded like a crazy person. “Yes. Of course, I’ll marry you.”
He slid the ring onto her finger and got to his feet. His arms closed around her and she reached hers up around his neck to pull him down into a kiss. It didn’t matter who was watching: her parents, his, all their friends—they all disappeared as she and Zack got lost in that kiss.
When they finally came up for
air, he landed a peck on her forehead. “Do you like it?”
She didn’t know what he meant until he tugged on her finger, and she looked down. “Holy shit!” She pressed her lips tight shut and looked around, hoping no one had heard. Of course, they had and were all laughing.
She looked up into his eyes. “It’s gorgeous, Zack! It’s …” She’d worked in a jewelry store her entire adult life. She knew her diamonds, and the one sitting on her finger was no less than three carats. “I don’t need all that.”
He cupped his hands around the sides of her neck and looked down into her eyes. “Maybe not. But you deserve it.”
“It’s true.” His dad had come to congratulate them, as had her parents. “I don’t know you yet, Maria, but I already know that I’m proud to call you family.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek and she took an instant liking to him.
“And I know I’m proud to call you family, too.” She smiled. “I mean, look at the son you raised.”
She’d hoped to make him happy, but instead his smile faded. “I’m not proud of the way I’ve affected his life.”
Zack put his arm around his dad’s shoulders. “I’ve told you and told you. None of it was your fault.”
Maria hugged him. “He’s right, you know. You aren’t responsible for what Morales did. But you are responsible for having raised a wonderful son, and I’ll be forever grateful to you.”
Zack grinned. “I told you. She’s a real positive peanut. She’ll find the bright side in anything.”
His dad laughed as she slapped Zack’s arm. “I am not a peanut.”
Her parents hugged them both.
“We’re so happy for you,” said her mom.
Maria laughed as it dawned on her. “And this is why you didn’t mind us living together. You knew, didn’t you?”
They nodded. “Zack asked us, and we gave him our blessing.”
She smiled up at him. “You have been a busy boy this week, haven’t you?”
He laughed. “It was tough to pull it all off with you trying to play nursemaid the whole time—not that I’m complaining about that,” he added hastily.
She slid her arm around his waist and leaned against him. “I should know by now just how good you are at hiding things.”
He hugged her into his side. “Not anymore. I’m done hiding. I lost too many years hiding from Morales. I hid my heart from you for longer than I could bear. I should have waited until my past was all dealt with, but I couldn’t do it.”
She looked up into his eyes and smiled. “That’s because between you and me, there’s just too much love to hide.”;
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A Note from SJ
I hope you enjoyed Maria and Zack’s story. Please let your friends know about the books if you feel they would enjoy them as well. It would be wonderful if you would leave me a review, I'd very much appreciate it.
There are so many more stories still to tell. I can tell you that the Nashville folks finally got tired of waiting. They’ve pushed Autumn and Matt to the forefront, and no matter how much Autumn tried to resist it, their book will be next. There is also a bunch of cowboys growing very impatient in Montana. And there’s another more mature couple who are eager to add to the Silver series soon. That’s without even thinking about Grady, who would like the Hamiltons series to be at least five books long. And Spider, from the Davenports series—he’s no millionaire but he so deserves his own book and will get one. If you know me at all, you’ll know that planning and organization are not my strong suits. However, I’m working on it! I’ll let you know when I figure it out.
In the meantime, check out the “Also By” page to see if any of my other series appeal to you – I have a couple of freebie series starters, too, so you can take them for a test drive.
If you’d like to keep in touch, there are a few options to keep up with my imaginary friends and me:
The best way is to Sign up for my Newsletter. Don't worry I won't bombard you! I'll let you know about upcoming releases, share a sneak peek or two and keep you in the loop for a couple of fun giveaways I have coming up :0)
You can join my readers group to chat about the books on Facebook or just browse and like my Facebook Page.
I occasionally attempt to say something in 140 characters or less(!) on Twitter.
And I’m always in the process of updating my website at www.SJMcCoy.com with new book updates and even some videos. Plus, you’ll find the latest news on new releases and giveaways on my blog.
I love to hear from readers, so feel free to email me at [email protected]. I’m better at that! :0)
I hope our paths will cross again soon. Until then, take care, and thanks for your support—you are the reason I write!
Love,
SJ
PS – Project Semicolon
You may have noticed that the final sentence of the story closed with a semicolon. It isn’t a typo. Project Semicolon is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and love to those who are struggling with depression, suicide, addiction, and self-injury. Project Semicolon exists to encourage, love, and inspire. It’s a movement I support with all my heart.
"A semicolon represents a sentence the author could have ended, but chose not to. The sentence is your life and the author is you." - Project Semicolon
This author started writing after her son was killed in a car crash. At the time, I wanted my own story to be over. Instead, I chose to honour a promise to my son to write my ‘silly stories’ someday. I chose to escape into my fictional world. I know for many who struggle with depression, suicide can appear to be the only escape. The semicolon has become a symbol of support, and hopefully a reminder – Your story isn’t over yet
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Also by SJ McCoy
Summer Lake Seasons
Angel and Luke in Take These Broken Wings
Zack and Maria in Too Much Love to Hide
Summer Lake Silver
Clay and Marianne in Like Some Old Country Song
Summer Lake Series
Emma and Jack in Love Like You’ve Never Been Hurt (FREE)
Holly and Pete in Work Like You Don't Need the Money
Missy and Dan in Dance Like Nobody's Watching
Smoke and Laura in Fly Like You've Never Been Grounded
Michael and Megan in Laugh Like You’ve Never Cried
Kenzie and Chase in Sing Like Nobody’s Listening
Gabe and Renée in Smile Like You Mean It
Missy and Dan’s wedding in The Wedding Dance
Ben's backstory in Chasing Tomorrow
April and Eddie in Dream Like Nothing’s Impossible
Nate and Lily in Ride Like You’ve Never Fallen
Ben’s Story in Live Like There’s No Tomorrow
Smoke and Laura’s wedding in The Wedding Flight
Remington Ranch Series
Mason (FREE)
Shane
Carter
Beau
Four Weddings and a Vendetta
A Chance and a Hope Series
Chance Encounter
Finding Hope
Give Hope a Chance
The Davenports
Oscar
TJ
Reid
The Hamiltons
Cameron and Piper in Red Wine and Roses
Chelsea and Grant in Champagne and Daisies
Mary Ellen and Antonio in Marsala and Magnolias
Marcos and Molly in Prosecco and Peonies
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