Almost Perfect (25 page)

“Liz grew up here, like me. Unlike most of us, she didn't have an easy time of it. Her mother was indifferent at best and abusive at worst. Some of you might remember her. She had a reputation for being a drunk and…” He hesitated.

The crowd went quiet.

“In high school, Liz was smart and beautiful and sweet. But almost no one bothered to notice. Instead the other kids said terrible things about her. Things that weren't true.”

Liz didn't know if she should walk faster or disappear into the crowd. Humiliation burned her cheeks.

“It was all a lie,” Ethan continued. “I know, because I was her first boyfriend. Her first kiss. Her first.”

“We know about the kid, Ethan,” someone called.

“Right. But what you don't know is that I made a promise to Liz back then. I told her that I loved her. I said we'd go off to college together. And then when my friend asked me if I was dating Liz, I lied and said she wasn't anyone I would spend time with. I denied I even knew her and I did it in front of all my friends and in front of Liz.”

There was an audible gasp.

Liz wove through the ever-growing crowd. She could see the stage more clearly now, could see Ethan. He stood alone, facing the town.

“I betrayed her and broke her heart,” he said quietly. “I denied her and I denied myself. Because I did love her. But I was young and stupid and more worried about what my friends thought than her. I didn't deserve her.”

“You can say that again,” someone urged.

Liz reached the side of the stage, where the steps were. But now that she was there, she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Stop him? Listen? This was the most surreal moment of her life.

“Liz took off. Who can blame her? About three weeks later, she found out she was pregnant. She came back to tell me and I was, ah, otherwise occupied.”

“What does that mean?” someone asked.

“He was in bed with someone else,” a guy in the back hollered.

Several people laughed. A few groaned.

“Not smart,” a woman said.

“Tell me about it,” Ethan agreed. “Flash forward six years. Liz came back again to tell me about my son. This time, she was determined I would know. But someone got in the way and kept the information from me.”

He drew in a breath. “The reason I'm telling you all this is that Liz is staying in town. She's moving here so I can be with my son and her nieces can live in a familiar place. She's a helluva woman.”

“Hey. We've got kids here.”

“Oh, sorry.” Ethan looked chagrined. “She's amazing. So for those of you who want to say something bad about her, you're going to answer to me. No more stopping her on the street or in a store and saying she was wrong to keep Tyler from me. No more making her feel bad. Liz deserves better and we're all going to give it to her. Understand?”

There were several murmurs of agreement.

Liz felt as if she were taking part in a play. Or watching a movie. This couldn't be happening.

“If she's all that and you're obviously in love with her, why aren't you marrying her?”

The question came from down in front. Liz stiffened, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

Ethan sighed. “Hi, Mom.”

The crowd laughed.

“Answer the question,” Denise insisted.

Liz held her breath.

“I want to. Liz is my world. But I've been an idiot one too many times. I asked her to marry me because it was the right thing to do.”

“You really are stupid,” a woman commented.

Everyone laughed.

“Did you tell her that you're sorry?” a boy offered.

Liz turned toward the speaker and saw Tyler standing next to Denise. Abby and Melissa were nearby, all looking at Ethan, all hopeful.

“She likes it when you apologize after you've done something wrong. And she always gives you a second chance,” Tyler informed.

“Not this time, buddy,” Ethan argued.

“But if you love her,” Melissa said, “you should tell her again. Tell her like you mean it.”

“Kiss her like they do in the movies,” Abby added.

“It's not going to be enough. Liz deserves better than me.”

“Darlin', if we only married who we deserved, then the world would be filled with single women,” an older woman said.

There was more laughter.

“I do love her,” Ethan told the crowd. “But sometimes love isn't enough.”

Liz stared at the man who had always been in her heart and knew she'd been given the most precious gift of all. A second chance. Whatever doubts she'd had faded away in the face of Ethan humbling himself before everyone he knew—just to protect her and make her feel safe.

She felt his love, his caring, his support. The road they shared might not always be easy, but it was where they both belonged.

“Love is always enough,” Liz said.

He turned, looking stunned. “I thought you weren't going to be here until noon. I thought the kids had come on their own.”

“The band goes on at noon. We got here a while ago.”

He dropped the microphone to his side. “How much did you hear?”

She climbed the stairs to the stage. “All of it.”

“I do love you, Liz. I mean that.”

“I believe you.”

“What's he saying?” someone in the crowd asked.

A person up front shushed him. “We'll tell you later,” the woman said.

Ethan set the microphone back in the stand and moved toward her. “I want us to get married. I want us to be a family. But only because I want to spend my life with you, making you happy. I want to be the man you deserve, but I'm going to need your help to get there.”

“You got that right,” she said with a smile.

“Is that a yes?” he asked.

She stepped into his embrace.

“Yes,” she whispered, right before his mouth pressed against hers.

“They're kissing like in the movies,” Abby crowed. “I love it when that happens.”