If someone had told Zack he'd hang out with Becca and actually manage to enjoy himself after all she'd said and done, he would've called them crazy.
Right now he felt like the crazy one, though, because that was exactly what had happened last night--and somehow carried over into the following day.
Last night's dinner had been Eli's favorite of spaghetti with Italian bread followed by pudding for dessert. Zack and Moses had even wound up staying after dinner long enough to play with Eli while Becca tidied up.
But today the agenda included cake tasting--and ballroom dancing later in the evening--with George and Wynonna along for kicks and giggles. Not that Zack figured he'd be laughing much.
"Oh. My. Word. Bex, you've got to try this one," Kaity said around a mouthful of cake.
Zack noticed that the bride looked tired but after working all night and only catching a couple of hours of sleep before hitting the bakery, who wouldn't be?
"No thanks. This is all you. Even David said so."
"He just wants to stay skinny for his tuxedo fitting. My dress won't fit if I keep this up. Zack?"
Not about to turn down cake, he lowered his camera and stepped forward to accept the sample slice the baker offered him. He seated himself beside of Kaity, opposite of Becca, and noticed her gaze drop to the plate in his hands. "Sure you don't want this?"
She shook her head and he frowned. Life was too short not to eat cake. And she was certainly skinny enough to afford the calories.
"Oh, this is it," Kaity said. "This is the one. And the coconut icebox cake. I want those two flavors and red velvet for David's groom's cake."
"I'll go get the design books then," the baker said to Kaity.
"I'll help you. Eli and I both need to wash our hands after all the icing we managed to smear on ourselves, right, Eli? Be right back, Bex."
Becca looked uncomfortable being abandoned by her sister yet again and studiously made a notation in her wedding binder, the act taking too much focus.
He wiped his mouth with the napkin and shifted from his seat to what had been Kaity's. "Try it. You won't regret it."
"I'm sure I wouldn't but no."
Zack shrugged and sat back in the padded chair, scarfing down another bite of the delicious cake. "Suit yourself. I'm curious, though."
"I'd think you would have more important things to wonder about than my not wanting cake."
There it was again. That bite of sass and coolness he'd been subjected to all morning along with silent glares. "I find it strange that you're the one upset with me when I've been so...forgiving."
Sitting so close to her, he heard Becca suck in a sharp breath.
"You've forgiven me?"
"I'd like to say yes but I'm not quite there yet," he said, sliding a glance over his shoulder to make sure no one was around to hear their discussion. "I'm still angry as all get out that you kept me in the dark and denied me the chance to know my child. But, despite that, I thought we'd made some progress last night toward being able to get along without having to pretend so much. What changed?"
"Everything..."
Becca stared down at her hands and when the waiting stretched from seconds to nearly a minute, he reached out and took one of her hands in his. "Becca, talk to me."
She shook her head, blinking rapidly, until she finally took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders and lifted her head.
"It's silly and stupid and petty. And I'm a horrible person for feeling this way."
"Feeling what way?"
"Zack... He talked to you."
Still confused, he stayed silent, willing her to continue.
"Eli is so loved by my family and friends and yet he won't speak to them. Only me--and now you?"
Zack removed his hand from hers. "First I'm not good enough to be father to my own child and now you're angry because I'm not good enough for your kid to talk to?"
"What? No."
"That's exactly what it sounds like," he said, standing and getting as far away from her as physically possible in the small room.
"Zack..."
He held up his hand and thankfully she got quiet, giving him the time he needed to process and work through the anger nearly overwhelming him.
Eyes closed, he braced a hand on the window frame. He was a grown man, no longer the kid from nowhere who had nothing to offer her. Her comment shouldn't hurt as much as it did.
"Zack."
She touched his back, lightly at first and then firmly, using both hands to brace herself and lean against him. When he felt her head against his shoulder blade he tried to remember what it was like not to love her. Want her.
The realization that he couldn't was a slap in the face he didn't need on top of everything else.
"I'm sorry for how it sounded when I said that. For how my words hurt you. You are a good man. You always have been and I know that. Wait," she said, fingers clenching into the layered flannel over thermal shirt he wore. "The lack of... faith I had in myself... That had nothing to do with whether or not you were a good man or whether I believed you would be a good father. I know you would've been."
"Except for the fact I was dirt poor," he murmured. "I guess I didn't realize it bothered you so much."
“We were so young. And I am deeply sorry for the way I handled things."
"Are you?"
Silence followed the question.
"I'm sorry for my part in you not knowing your baby, for taking that away from you. But I'm not sorry for going away with the end goal being to give our baby a better future with parents who desperately desired a child and couldn't have one instead of two unprepared kids who weren't ready for that responsibility. It was more than not having money, Zack. It really was. I couldn't stand the thought that we would have ended up resenting each other, maybe hating each other, and what kind of life would that have been for a baby? Tell me you understand that. Will you at least try to understand that?"
He inhaled a steadying breath and turned to face her. Her beautiful gaze held his and for a moment Zack saw into her soul. All of the pain, the fear and hurt and sadness. She held nothing back and in that moment, forgiveness filled him, rushing through his body like waves crashing over the shore.
He lifted his hand to her face and tilted her head higher, lowering his head but stopping just short of kissing her even though his body wanted to do nothing else.
When she didn't pull away or tell him no, he closed the distance and brushed his lips over hers. Memories crowded his brain as he deepened the kiss and the only thing he could truly focus on was how right it felt. How right it had always felt.
But what about her upset over Eli talking to him? The nagging thought intruded on the tender moment and he ended the kiss, pulling away from her. "Why don't you want Eli talking to me?"
Her eyes had a dreamy quality to them and he liked the fact that he'd caused it more than he probably should have.
"Oh, Zack. It's not that I don't want him talking to you. I'm thrilled that he's talking to someone other than me. It's just... Last night after you left Kaity's apartment, when I put Eli to bed... We always read a story at bedtime. It's our thing. But last night-- All he wanted was for you to come back. That's when I realized I have to be very, very careful. The last thing I want is for him to get attached to you when we'll be leaving right after the wedding. He's had enough to deal with in his young life, and with his issues, I don't want to add to it."
It made sense. Protecting her son was what any loving mother would do. Not that he'd ever had any experience in that area. His biological mother had given him up and his adoptive mother had left him and her blood daughter behind with an abusive alcoholic to raise them. You've got a good mama, kid.
And truth be told, he didn't want to do anything to hurt Eli or his mother despite everything that had happened. After all, Becca had gone through the adult version of everything Eli had experienced as well and wore the results on her too thin frame and in her battle-weary expression. "Okay."
"Okay?"
He lifted his hand, using a single finger to smooth the pinch from her eyebrows. "I get it. You don't want Eli getting attached and getting hurt because you plan to leave after the wedding. But what if you didn't leave?"
"What? Why wouldn't we go back?"
"Because Eli's father gave up his parental rights and you have family and friends here who are more than willing to fill the void in his life."
"I have a business in Charleston."
"You can relocate. Becca.... stay," he said, holding her gaze and praying she saw everything she needed to see. "Give me a chance to show you how much things have changed."
Oh! Daddy, I'm so sorry I keep stepping on your toes." Becca smiled in apology at her father and tried to calm the flutters in her pulse due to Zack's steady observation of her. Shouldn't he be photographing the bride?
Her father kept up the gliding pace of the dance, twirling her around despite her clumsiness.
"I should've worn my steel-toed boots."
A laugh caught Becca by surprise as she met her father's amused gaze. "Like you've ever owned a pair of steel-toed boots."
A flicker of something--regret?--passed over his features but when she opened her mouth to ask him about it, he noisily cleared his throat. "How are the wedding plans coming? Have you emptied the account I set up for you yet?"
Still struggling to remember the proper steps, she stared down at her feet and shook her head. "No, but if there's anything leftover, I'll let you know."
Her father chuckled and squeezed her hand tight. "That's my girl."
One-two-three, one-two-three. Why was Zack still watching her?
"Rebecca..."
She lifted her head to gaze at her father and managed not to stumble. Graceful, she wasn't. "Yes, Daddy?" Stop staring. Just stop already so I can focus.
"You've had a good life, haven't you?"
Becca stumbled and her father tightened his arms to keep her from falling. "Yes, of course. Why would you ask that?"
He exhaled and the deep sigh blew the curl by her cheek, causing it to tickle.
"I've just wondered if maybe... Well, we're both old enough to know money doesn't bring happiness."
"That it doesn't." She and Elliot had made a good living but happy wasn't a word to describe their marriage. At first things went well but then...
"Do you know I used to own a pair of steel-toed boots?"
She gaped at him for a moment before looking down at their feet, taking in his Brooks Brothers suit, power tie and designer shoes. "You did? Was it part of a costume?"
This time a low chuckle rumbled out of his chest, the sound more than a little wry.
"No, it wasn't part of a costume. Believe it or not, I used to work construction."
This time she really did gape at him. "Seriously?"
Her father nodded, his eyes narrowing in his amusement at her question.
"It's true. I didn't receive the inheritance from your grandfather until I was 25 and despite him having plenty of money to send us kids to school, he decided it was best if we earned our education. Well, I didn't think he was serious, so I made decent grades but nothing scholarship-worthy."
"I see. Daddy, why are you telling me this?"
"Because after all of these years, the man without money is the same man now with money."
She frowned, not following her father's words. "Daddy, I'm sure you have a point to all of this but..."
"I've noticed you keep looking at the photographer. Any special reason as to why?"
Becca stiffened and in the process stumbled again. "N-no. I'm just... watching to see what pictures he takes of Kaity."
Her father leaned low and brushed his lips across her forehead.
"Don't ever play cards, sweetheart."
"Daddy..."
"You still have feelings for him," her father stated, his tone grim.
She had to mull over her answer, even though it was a statement and not a question. "I... loved him. I know you and Mama always thought it wasn't real and just a teenage summer crush but it was more. And that was before we shared something so precious as..." Her voice broke and she had to stop and clear her throat. But her father's hands tightened over her and at her waist and she knew he understood. "But you were right. We were too young and the timing was all wrong."
"God's timing is never wrong, Becca-boo."
"No, but-- He also took our baby home so it wasn't meant to be. Zack was so angry when I told him the truth. But now he says... He says he's forgiven me."
They danced several steps in silence.
"You don't believe him?"
"No, I-I do. But I've made a life in Charleston," she continued softly. "Even if I worked out all of the details with my business and my life there with Eli... there's still you and Mama, and I know for a fact you can barely stand being in the same room with him right now."
"I wouldn't say it's quite that bad."
"But it's pretty close."
"I'll let you in on a little secret," her father said, lowering his head so that he could speak into her ear. "Father's aren't supposed to like the men in his daughters' lives, at least not right off."
"Well, I might not be eighteen anymore but I couldn't go against your wishes back then and I still can't."
"Is that why you kept your divorce a secret?"
She lowered her lashes in an attempt to hide her thoughts. "I knew you'd be disappointed."
"I'm disappointed that after all we've been through you didn't feel you could come to me when things began going downhill."
"I'm sorry. I wanted to. But--"
"But your mother and I haven't made it easy for that to happen, have we?"
Becca inhaled and shrugged. "You expect a lot of yourself so... I'd say it's normal to expect a lot of us."
"Life isn't about expectations, Becca. It's about love."
"I know. But that's why I couldn't tell you I had screwed up again. Family means everything. You taught me that."
"Okay, everyone. Time to pair up with your partner for the night," the instructor called. "Bride and groom, parents, bridal party. Oh, I love how you are already couples," the woman said.
Until she turned to her left and saw Becca standing there alone.
"Are we missing a groomsman?"
"Yeah, sorry," David said with a grimace in Becca's direction. "He had a work emergency and had to leave."
"Well," the instructor said, her attention shifting to Zack. "It looks like you will have to be our fill-in once again, Mr. Dupre."
"Oh, um..." Becca shook her head, but Zack immediately set his camera down and walked toward her. Becca saw Kaity's smile turn positively blinding, but more than anything else, she felt her parents' scrutiny. Especially her father's.
"Don't worry," the instructor said. "Mr. Dupre is now a pro at this. How many times have you had to step in for the bridal parties you've photographed?"
"Too many to count," Zack said, moving to a stop before her.
The intensity of his gaze left Becca struggling to breathe properly, but before she could make an excuse to untangle herself from the awkwardness of the dance with her parents watching, the instructor walked over to the sound system and told them to take their positions.
Zack took her hand in his and place his other hand at her waist. Becca stared up at him, transported back in time to a hot summer night when they had danced under the stars.
"Relax. I'm halfway decent at this," Zack murmured.
The music started and right on cue Zack began to lead her in the steps. He wasn't "decent." He had a natural masculine rhythm and grace that left her gliding across the floor despite her two left feet.
"Look at me," Zack ordered. "Don't count the steps. Just move to the music.”
She followed his instructions, the act easier since Zack was such a good leading partner.
"Have you given any thought to my question?"
"It's all I've thought about." Zack kept them moving, guiding her through the steps and around the wooden floor of the studio.
The song came to an end and Zack brought them to a stop, only then did she realize they were the center of attention and that the other dancers had stepped aside to watch them. She'd been so lost in the moment she hadn't realized they had become a spectacle. "Oh... Oh, um."
Kaity's eyebrows rested high on her forehead and she began clapping, grinning all the while, and the others joined in, a few of the groomsmen whistling and saying that Zack had put them to shame.
A flush crept into her face, her cheeks blazing hot. One glance at her frowning parents sent a cold blast through her and she felt like a teenager all over again.