Part 41 (1/2)

Elizabeth stood at the sink in the bathroom, her face freshly scrubbed, auburn hair pulled into a ponytail on top of her head, her short blue terrycloth robe belted around her waist as she prepared herself for bed.

She almost didn't hear the doorbell ringing. Grumbling about who could be calling this late at night, she tightened the sash on the robe and headed for the door.

Her eyes widened as she peered through the peephole and recognized the man standing on the opposite side of the door. After two weeks of crying, two weeks of trying to get over him, for a moment she considered pretending she wasn't at home.

Still, she had to face him sooner or later. Ignoring the unwanted clatter of her heart, she blew out a breath, turned the deadbolt and pulled open the door.

”h.e.l.lo, Liz.” He looked unbelievably handsome, even with his hair a little mussed and his slacks slightly wrinkled.

”Hi.” She didn't invite him in. She wasn't about to do that. He wasn't going to con her into the same routine he'd had with Lisa Doyle, sleeping with her whenever he needed a little s.e.xual relief then heading back to a life without her. ”Listen, Zach, I was just about to go to bed. Was there something you wanted?”

His gaze ran over her, searching her face, trying to read her thoughts, just as she tried to read his. ”I need to talk to you. Can I come in?”

Her fingers tightened around the doork.n.o.b. ”I don't think it's a good idea. I think we both know what's going on here and I'm not about to continue where we left off. Now, if there's something you want”

”Actually there is. It would be better if you would let me in.”

She didn't want to. She didn't want to see him. She had been hurting for the past two weeks. She didn't want any more heartache and she knew if he walked through that door there would be.

”Please, Zach ”

”It's important, Liz.”

She took a deep breath and stepped back from the door, pressing her hands against her robe so he wouldn't notice that they trembled. He walked past her into the living room, his legs looking longer, his shoulders broader, even more attractive than she had first thought. G.o.d, Gwen was right. She was a sucker for tall, dark and handsome.

”So what is it?” She told herself to ignore the way he kept looking at her, as if he simply could not stop.

”You aren't going to make this easy, are you?”

”Why should I? I know why you're here.”

”Do you?”

”All right, fine I'll say it, then you won't have to. 'I'm sorry I left the way I did. I'd still like to see you on weekendsyou know, whenever I'm in town.' The answer is I'm not interested. Now I'd like to get some sleep.”

He looked at her and simply shook his head. ”That's not what I came to say. I came to tell you that I love you. I want to know if you love me.”

The words sent her reeling. It was the last thing she had expected him to say. ”Wh-what?”

”I said I love you. The question is, do you love me?”

He loved her? He had said those words before, and once she had even believed them. But even if they were true, it hadn't kept him from leaving. What amazed her was that he didn't seem to know that she loved him.

Elizabeth felt the unwanted sting of tears. ”I love you, Zach. I love you very much. It doesn't change anything.”

”Maybe it does. Maybe it changes everything.” He led her over to the sofa and both of them sat down. ”I screwed up, leaving the way I did. I couldn't think straight. Everything just seemed so confused. To tell you the truth, I was flat-out scared. But those two weeks I was gone gave me time to figure things out.”

Her heart was pounding. She could see how nervous he was, how important this was to him. Maybe he really did love her in his own way. It wasn't enough for her. Not anymore.

”Please, Zach. Don't do this to me again.”

”I'm in love with you, Liz. Crazy in love. The forever kind of love. I want to marry you. I want to have kids with you. I want us to be together for the rest of our lives.”

Her throat closed up. She had imagined him saying those words but never really believed it would happen. The tears she'd been holding back welled in her eyes. ”Zach ”

He reached out and cupped her cheek. ”You said that you loved me. What I need to know is if you love me enough to forgive me. I know I hurt you. I need to know if you love me enough to look inside my heart and know with absolute certainty that you can trust me never to hurt you again.”

Her chest was aching. The tears in her eyes spilled onto her cheeks. Did she love him enough? She loved him so much she would die for him. But trusting him so completely that was a far different thing.

Zach moved off the sofa, went down on one knee, caught her hand in both of his. ”Marry me, Liz. If you say yes, I promise you'll never be sorry.”

Elizabeth shook her head and more tears ran down her cheeks. ”Are you sure this is what you want?”

”I've never been more certain of anything in my life.”

A huge smile broke over her face. ”Then I'll marry you. You must have thought this through or you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't ask if you had the slightest doubt. I'll marry you, Zachary Harcourtand I promise you'll never be sorry.”

Thirty-Five.

Elizabeth decided to play hooky from work and she and Zach spent the day in bed. They were in love. At last, their feelings were out in the open and the knowledge set them free.

”I can't wait to tell my father,” Zach said. He glanced at the clock. ”It's only five. Let's go over to Willow Glen and tell him the news.”

”Are you sure?”

”d.a.m.ned sure.” He cast her a glance. ”Today's Friday. If we stop at the store for groceries, we won't have to leave the house all weekend.”

She smiled at the warmth in his eyes, the desire mixed with love. She thought that sometime during the past two weeks, he had discovered what he really wanted in life and apparently he wanted her.

She felt like the luckiest woman on earth.

It was nearly six o'clock by the time they reached Willow Glen. Walking along the corridor holding hands, they paused outside Fletcher Harcourt's room. The door was open and Zach went in to announce their arrival. When Elizabeth joined them, she found the older man sitting in his wheelchair watching TV, a different man than he had been before.

”Dad, do you remember Liz?”

He studied her a moment, looking thoughtful. Then he smiled. ”You were at the courthouse.” He was a handsome man, as she had noticed the first time she met him, but now she sensed the powerful presence he had once been.

”It's nice to see you again, Mr. Harcourt.”

Zach reached down and took hold of her hand, and his father's silver eyebrows went up.

”I take it you two have known each other for a while.”

”Liz is a family counselor. We met out at Teen Vision several months ago, but I think I've been waiting for her all my life.”

”That sounds promising. Don't tell me the Lone Wolf is finally thinking of settling down?”