For Nick (10 page)

Then a slow song came on next. It was the only moment when Andie looked entirely unsure of the circumstances. Zach remedied the situation quickly by taking her in his arms and pulling her close, loving the feel of her cuddling up to him. She rested her head on his chest and held onto him tightly, letting him know that she welcomed the contact. If she’d been stiff and unresponsive, he would’ve let her go, knowing he was making her uncomfortable. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her away.

“I guess we’re used to each other’s touch now,” she said, a smile in her voice.

“It wasn’t hard.”

“No, it wasn’t. As a matter of fact, this feels too easy.”

“I’m sorry about the ridiculous contract. I really am.”

Andie pulled away from him, effectively ending their dance. His arms felt empty without her.

“I feel like I’m dating you and I have to constantly remind myself why I’m here. I keep forgetting this isn’t real,” she said aloud. Her eyes flashed with emotion. “I’m confused. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”

He liked her forthrightness, but there were no easy answers to her question. He’d been taken by surprise at the chemistry between them too. “To be honest, I don’t know anymore.”

“Fair enough,” she consented.

“Hey, we’re allowed to be friends. Don’t worry about it, Andie.” Zach suddenly wished they were on an even playing field with no contracts to bind them and complicate life. “How about we just continue to ‘date’ and see where life takes us?” he suggested.

“Doesn’t that go against everything in our contract?” she queried, her eyes filled with worry.

He shrugged, not knowing what to say. Finally he answered, “I apologize. I guess it does.”

“This is crazy. Being married and on a honeymoon is playing havoc with my emotions,” she stated bluntly. “The contract didn’t cover any of this.” Seemingly, Andie regretted her words. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that out loud.”

“No, I know what you mean, I feel the same.” He released a deep breath. It felt good to get their feelings out in the open. This situation was about a hundred times harder than he’d thought it would be. “Perhaps we need to slow down a bit. Would that make you feel better?”

“I don’t know. I like being with you, I don’t really want it to end,” she commented with so much candor, it surprised him.

“I don’t either,” he returned, knowing they shouldn’t be having this conversation. As long as they didn’t
say
it, it wasn’t really happening. Right? They should pretend nothing was changing between them. But things were. And they both knew it.

“Where does that leave us?” she asked.

Zach decided it was time to lighten up. “It leaves us with an interesting week ahead of us. Nothing more. Let’s just relax and have fun. It’s been far too long since I’ve taken a vacation.” If anything developed between them, it would happen naturally.

“For me too. But I like you, Zach. I like you a lot. Maybe too much. I think we’re on dangerous ground.”

Her frankness, again, took him aback. He liked it, however. “I know we are. I didn’t expect this to happen. What do you suggest we do?”

Her eyes wandered momentarily. “Maybe I should leave. Maybe we’re getting
too
personal
. Maybe we should spend this week apart. No one needs to know we didn’t spend the week together,” she said with a slight frown.

“Is that what you want, Andie?”

“No,” she whispered slowly. “I want to stay with you, more than I should. What do you want?”

“I want you to stay, more than I should. I want to be friends and we’ll see where that takes us. Nothing wrong with that, is there?” Andie was right; the trappings of a honeymoon were getting to both of them.

“As long as the feeling is mutual, then I suppose not.”

“It’s mutual, Andie. But I don’t want you to feel that any of this is expected of you. The contract was meant to protect you, as well as me. Instead it seems to be complicating our lives and making us over think everything.”

“You’ve been the perfect gentleman. I don’t feel any pressure from you. I think I’m the one pressuring you by initiating this conversation.”

“I think it needed to be said.”

“I think so too.”

“Let’s not worry so much. I’m gonna spend a lovely week with my new bride and enjoy every minute of her captivating company. End of story. Any objections?”

“None.” She didn’t smile at him, she beamed as if somewhat relieved to have this all out in the open.

“What now?” Zach asked.

“Dance a little more?” she suggested.

Zach let out a shout of laughter, finding Andie to be intriguing. “Deal.”

He could’ve held her all night. But in the end, she said goodnight and they retired to their respective rooms.

“Andie?” he said, from across the hall.

“Hmmm?”

“I like you too. A lot.”

-8-

The next day dawned, bright and glorious. Andie wondered what today would hold with a thrill in her heart. At breakfast, Zach didn’t disappoint. “Would you like to go on a hike today?”

After last night’s conversation, she knew whatever she was feeling, Zach was too. This eased her worry and helped her to feel a little more relaxed around him. Their relationship seemed to have taken off at a dizzying speed and she felt as though she was holding on for dear life.

But she didn’t want to let go.

Zach dug out some old daypacks from the closet, they packed them and off they went. They hiked for about two hours and then stopped at a cliff that harbored a breathtaking view. Zach laid out a blanket and they took a break, eating a snack and sharing a bottle of water. When they were finished, Zach positioned himself behind her and she leaned back into him as he wrapped his arms around her protectively, surprising her. Within the circle of his embrace, she felt oddly safe and secure. There was no desire to end the physical contact, quite the opposite in fact.

“I used to come up here as a kid. Over the years, it’s been my favorite place to come and think. I feel surprisingly content this year. You’re a peaceful person to be around, Andie. You’re calm and soothing, there’s something comforting about you. I noticed it immediately when I met you for the first time. You have a quiet self-assurance about you, as if nothing or no one can ruin your day. I like that. You seem almost untouchable, as if there’s an invisible wall around you that protects you from life. You caught my attention because of it.”

“Thank you, Zach.” He had no idea what those words meant to her, or how true they were. She
was
wrapped in ice, refusing to break down. “I guess when you’ve faced the unthinkable, nothing more in life can surprise you or hurt you. It’s not really a good place to be.”

“I’ve never felt it, I fought against it. I became restless because of it. I work so hard because I’m running from something, I just don’t know what it is I’m running from.”

“I think maybe it’s a fear of screaming and never being able to stop.”

“You may be right, Andie. I wish I could find the peace you’ve found.”

He knows nothing about me. I have no peace in my life, just a roller coaster ride that keeps on getting faster and faster. But he doesn’t want to know. He doesn’t want to get too personal, just consummate a marriage, evidently that’s not too personal.

Zach arose quickly, feeling as though the conversation and situation had turned far too intimate. Or maybe it was just his own traitorous thoughts. He found himself wanting to lean her back into his arms and kiss her soundly. He nearly acted on the temptation too. “I’m sorry to get all philosophical on you. This place brings it out in me.”

Andie stood slowly, gazing out on the view, perhaps wondering at his abrupt change. Zach watched her profile, the wind in her hair as it fanned out behind her. He was again struck by her beauty. He also found that he genuinely liked her—really liked her—and his feelings shocked him. Perhaps Andie was right and they were on dangerous ground. After all, he was the one who said he wanted no romantic entanglements. But it had been a very long time since he’d felt anything anywhere near this and something inside of him wanted to explore it further. Maybe, just maybe, his grandfather had known what he was doing.

Bite your tongue, Zach.

She sparked something in him, he just wasn’t sure what it was yet. Things were going well. She wasn’t demanding or flirty, garrulous, or constantly making eyes at him, or complaining all the time, like so many he women he knew. She was…pleasant and surprisingly amenable. His time with her felt easy and relaxed, like he didn’t have to try to have a good time, it just happened naturally. It was…nice, for lack of a better word.

When they shared physical contact, she seemed to soak up the affection like a sponge. She obviously liked his touch. He wondered what was holding her back from making the first move. He had to admit, he’d be ready and willing. But he’d promised her that she would be the one to decide if anything happened between them and he couldn’t go back on his word. Something about her told him she would be disappointed in him.

I want heeerrr
.

For heaven’s sake, even his thoughts were growling. He shook his head to rid himself of the thought. “Shall we hike back?”

When they arrived home late that afternoon, Andie began to notice the pensive looks from Janine. Although she and Zach were spending every moment together, she was sure Janine was wondering why they weren’t doing what honeymooners should be doing. They were in separate bedrooms and it was obvious they weren’t spending much time in bed, sleeping or otherwise.

Janine served dinner that night out on the patio with only candlelight to illuminate the table. Soft music emanated from the CD player. She turned down all the lights in the house and opened several windows to let in a soft breeze. Sheer white drapes billowed in the wind, creating a magical feel. Andie felt a little mesmerized by it all and when Janine left, Zach told her, “I think Janine is trying to give us a little push in the right direction. I think she’s on to us.”

They giggled as if they were two kids involved in some sort of practical joke. Actually, she giggled and he chuckled. A deep, manly chuckle that echoed around the small confines of the patio. Andie quickly sobered, feeling mesmerized by Zach’s mere presence in her life. She was beginning to feel quite taken with him. “This is nice, Zach. I didn’t expect to enjoy this week at all,” she reiterated. “
Sweet surprises
,” she remarked with a grin.

“
Content couple
,” he responded.

“We really have to stop this. We’re getting cheesier by the moment.”

When dinner was finished, Zach said, “
Magnificent movie
?”

“
Entirely entertaining
.” They couldn’t seem to help themselves as they continued to laugh at their own jokes. They could both throw out alliterations at the drop of a hat, they simply rolled off their tongues. Weirdly enough, they both found them hilariously funny.

When they sat down on the couch, Zach patted his lap, inviting her to lie down. She did so willingly, entwining her arms around his legs. One of his hands absently ran through her hair, sending shivers down her spine. The other hand rested at her waist. The movie was a good one, but she wasn’t paying much attention to it.

Her thoughts had turned to Zach.

It’s part of the deal
, Andie told herself over and over. It was what he wanted. The marriage had to be consummated at least once. Tonight seemed like the perfect night. And she wanted it to happen. Wouldn’t it be easier on a night when she was ready and willing? Why wait until the magic of the honeymoon was over? She hadn’t intended for this to happen so soon. But she also hadn’t known how much she would like Zach, or how much they would hit it off and become friends. Even he had admitted that the feeling was mutual. Clearly they’d both been taken by surprise by how much they liked each other. If they weren’t under a marriage contract, Andie knew things would’ve progressed much more quickly than they already had between them. At a minimum, they would’ve at least shared their first kiss. The wedding kiss didn’t count, since it was required, even though it had certainly been memorable. There were numerous instances where another kiss could’ve happened easily.