Page 99 of A New Chapter

“I’m a financial consultant. I work with people mostly on retirement plans.”

“You do ok, then?”

“Dad!” Emma scolded.

“Yes, sir. I do very well,” Zack replied, and he squeezed Emma’s knee under the table.

Satisfied with Zack’s answer, Hank returned to eating.

“I’m done. Can I go play now?” Gracie asked.

“Sure, honey,” Emma said, and they all watched Gracie scurry away from the table.

Silence descended again, and then Mary asked, “When did you two meet?”

“Well, now, that’s a funny story,” Zack began, ignoring Emma’s warning glare.

“Tell us,” Mary encouraged.

“We first met five years ago at your nephew Phil’s wedding…”

“I thought you looked familiar,” her father piped in.

“I was enamored with your daughter back then, but as you know, she was engaged to someone else.”

Emma swallowed nervously and avoided eye contact with her parents. Why is he doing this?

“So, I didn’t see Emma again until this past summer when Gracie and I moved here from Ann Arbor. Our love of reading led us to Emma’s bookstore, and the rest, as they say, is history! I like to think that we were destined to be together.”

Emma wiped at a miniscule speck of spaghetti sauce on the tablecloth and willed Zack to stop speaking. But apparently, he wasn’t finished yet.

“The bottom line is that I love your daughter, and Gracie does too.”

“Does anyone want dessert?” Emma blurted, rising from the table abruptly.

“Not yet, dear, but would you like help with the dishes?” Mary asked, seemingly looking for a distraction.

“No. Zack will help me. Why don’t you and Dad go into the living room and check on Gracie?”

As soon as her parents left the room, she turned on Zack and hissed, “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?” he asked innocently.

“Tell them all that stuff about us? You shared more information with my parents in five minutes than I’ve shared in the past year!”

Zack took the dish out of her hands and set it on the counter before pulling her into his arms. Against her will, Emma melted against him.

“I wanted your parents to know how much I love you. I didn’t want them to think that I was just some stranger who swooped in on their daughter.”

Emma peered up at him through damp lashes. “You’re too good to me. Do you know that?”

Zack kissed the tip of her nose. “I love you, Emma, and I will always be here for you and for our baby.”

He laid his hands on her belly just as Mary and Gracie re-entered the kitchen. Mary’s hands flew to her mouth, and Gracie’s eyes widened with confusion.

Emma felt the blood rush from her head, and she suddenly went limp in Zack’s arms. In a swift movement, he scooped her up and rushed out of the room, barking orders as he went. “Get her a cool washcloth and a glass of water. Quick!”

Zack gently laid Emma down on the couch and instructed her to breathe. Seconds later, Mary and Gracie came in bearing the requested items. Hank stood in the center of the room, looking bewildered by all of the commotion.