The Last Husband (Forever Love #2)(5)
Author: J.S. Cooper

“Wait.” Zane held up a hand. “Don’t open it yet.”

“What? Why?” I frowned. “Please tell me there are no bugs in here.” I shuddered. “I hate bugs with a passion.”

“Lucky, I would never get you bugs.” He laughed. “Hold on a second.” He walked quickly to the night table and came back with his phone.

“Can I open it before or after you check your text messages?” I asked sarcastically.

“Don’t be silly.” He laughed. “I want to take a photo.”

“A photo?” I blushed and pulled my towel up. “You do not want to take a photo of me in my towel and wet hair.”

“No, silly. I want to take a photo of your expression when you open your first gift from me.”

“Oh?” I laughed. “That’s a bit sentimental.”

“I wanted a photo of you on my phone.” He grinned. “And don’t say a word.”

“I won’t.” I looked down, trying to hide my grin. His words had made me happier than I had ever thought possible. Oh, Lucky, I thought to myself. You’re so easy to please. I laughed and opened the box slowly.

“Look up, Lucky.” Zane’s voice was soft as I lifted the necklace out of the box. I stared into his eyes and I felt tears building up in mine as I glanced at it.

“Oh, Zane. It’s beautiful. I love it. I love it so much.” I smiled widely at him and blinked as the camera flashed. “I can’t believe you bought this for me.” The light flashed again and I laughed. “Enough, you’re going to blind me.”

“Do you really like it?” He looked at me with an uncertain expression. “I know it’s not diamonds or anything, but I thought you would like it.”

“I love it, Zane.” I stared at the necklace in my hand. The actual necklace was made of small, dark blue pieces and there were several turquoise stones that made up the band. “This is beautiful.”

“I remembered one day in the diner you had told me you loved the color blue.” He looked embarrassed. “I thought you would like this. Most women like necklaces, right?”

“I love it, Zane. Thank you so much. I held it carefully in my hand and reached over to kiss him on the cheek. I held his gaze and touched his cheek. “This really means a lot to me, Zane. More than you’ll ever know. Thank you.” I looked down at the necklace again and grinned. “Will you help me put it on? I want to wear it now.” I handed him the necklace and he tied it around my neck carefully. I twirled around once it was on and touched it with happiness, allowing the moment to carry me away.

“Are you okay, Zane?” I touched his shoulder and he glanced at me with emotion-filled eyes.

“You look beautiful, Lucky. Really beautiful.” He paused. “I just can’t quite believe you’re here.” He frowned. “Guys like me don’t get girls like you …”

“Girls like me?”

“The good ones, the special ones. I don’t even know if this moment is real. It doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel like my life. I’m so scared that someone is going to wake me from a dream and you won’t be here.”

“I feel the same way,” I whispered. “It just seems to all have happened so quickly.” I chewed on my lower lip and looked up at his handsome face from under my lashes. “I’m scared that something will go wrong.”

“So am I.” He cleared his throat and looked away. “I don’t know that I can be exactly what you need.”

“What do you mean?” My breath caught in my throat and I stared at him in fear. Was he breaking up with me already? Was the necklace a goodbye gift?

“I had a dream about my mother this morning.” He tried to keep his tone light, but I could tell he was masking a deeper emotion.

“What did you dream?” We walked back to the bedroom and sat on the bed, my hand enclosed in his.

“I just remembered the day she left.” His voice cracked slightly.

“I didn’t realize you remembered that.”

“I try not to think about it.” He forced a laugh and my heart filled with sympathy for him. “I was so young, I didn’t even realize what was happening.”

“You couldn’t have known.”

“She asked me to look after Noah. I was too busy sulking about not getting to go to McDonald’s.”

“You were just a kid, Zane.”

“Why didn’t she take us? Why didn’t she love us enough to make sure she could be the one to take care of us?”

“I don’t know how she could have left you.” My heart ached for him and the pain and rejection he was remembering and feeling. I wished that I could say something to make him understand and feel better. But frankly, I couldn’t comprehend his mother’s actions either.

“Noah never spoke about her. Well, he tried and I wouldn’t engage, and then he just stopped trying.” He looked at me searchingly. “I sometimes wondered if that was healthy. Maybe we should have really talked about it. Maybe we should have confronted our dad.”

“How did your dad react when your mom left and Noah died?” I asked curiously, wondering what sort of man Zane’s dad was.

“He had another woman, so he didn’t really care when my mom left. He said she was a whore and we were all better off without her.” Zane’s voice was bitter. “And when Noah died, he got free publicity for his new movie.”

“Oh.” My voice was hollow and I grieved for the man sitting next to me—the man who had never felt the unequivocal and whole-consuming love that I had gotten from my parents.

“Let’s talk about something else.” He shook his head and jumped up. “I’ll get in the shower while you change, and then we can get this party started.”

“What party?” I half-smiled at him, understanding why he wanted to change the subject. I hated it when people asked me about my parents and the conversation lagged on. I loved my memories of my mom and dad, but I didn’t want to think about their deaths constantly. And I had happy memories. I could only imagine the crushing heartache and unresolved pain that he felt.

“The party that will be our day today.” He grinned. “Even if we can’t have sex to get it started.”

“Zane,” I admonished him. “We are about more than sex.” I shook my head. Men were so predictable sometimes.