To the Moon and Back (32 page)

Her brain had been attacked by egg beaters; it was a wonder she could speak at all. She clung to him in disbelief. ‘Did I really? Get to you?'

‘Oh yes. And that was before you ever saw me. The time you met Tony for lunch at the Ivy, remember?' Zack's dark eyes glittered in the dim light. ‘You passed me in the street in your pink coat and I just felt something here.' He pressed his hand to his chest. ‘Nothing else like it has ever happened to me before. But that day it did.'

Ellie was trembling. ‘You never said. You never gave any kind of hint.'

‘You weren't ready.' He touched her face. ‘Not for anyone. Which was fine, I was prepared to wait. Then the Todd thing happened. And that took some coming to terms with, I can tell you. Then you and Todd broke up—'

‘But I was too ashamed to tell you. I felt so stupid and hopeless, such a failure.'

‘And then along came Joe.' One eyebrow lifted. ‘I couldn't
believe
I'd missed my chance again.'

The trembling was stepping up a gear. The backs of her knees had gone all juddery and out of control. That these words could be coming out of Zack's mouth seemed too extraordinary to contemplate.

‘And all this time I've been desperately trying to hide how
I
was feeling. I thought you'd be horrified.' Ellie jumped as a daddy longlegs danced past beneath the lit-up branches of the sycamore tree overhead.

‘I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. One way or another, you were always out of reach.' He pulled her closer and she felt the heat from his chest. ‘I think I'm in love with you.'

Was this a dream? ‘Really?'

‘Actually, no, that's not true. I know I am.'

Ellie's head was in a complete spin. She'd tried her hardest but things hadn't been remotely right between her and Todd. Then Joe had come along and they'd been better, although nowhere near good enough.

And now this. You could never know for sure, but this just might be… perfect.

***

In the marquee, the DJ had taken to the stage in his Status Quo T-shirt. The sound of his favorite band started playing, accompanied by raucous cheers and much stamping of feet as everyone flooded on to the dance floor.

‘ROCKIN' ALL OVER THE WORLD!' People with drink inside them were bellowing along at the tops of their voices. In the back garden, Ellie gave herself up to yet another sublime kiss. Zack really was very good at it. The next moment they belatedly sprang apart at the sound of footsteps on the flagstoned path.

‘Whoops, sorry…' Having left the house, Tizz was making her way back to the marquee. She stopped and beamed at them. ‘Well now, don't you two look happy!'

Zack looked at Ellie. Ellie looked at Zack, struggling to keep a straight face. The silence lengthened. Mystified, Tizz said, ‘Come on then, spill the beans! What's up?'

‘OK, let me tell her. I told you a bit of a white lie before. Ellie and I weren't actually together before today.' Zack's arm slid around Ellie's waist. ‘But we are now.'

‘You weren't? You are? Well, that's marvelous news! But you should have asked me if you were perfect for each other.' His mother's eyes danced. ‘I could have told you that.' A thought occurred to her. ‘Ha, so
that's
why you asked for separate rooms!'

‘Sorry.' Ellie grinned. ‘And you thought I was playing hard to get.'

‘Oh my darling girl, don't apologize, that just makes me love you more. Come along then, let's get back to this party! Don't you just
love
Status Quo?'

That was it then, so much for sloping off. There was to be no early escape. Tizz was insistent and, as it turned out, it didn't matter a bit. If anything, it only served to heighten the delicious anticipation. For the next three hours Ellie and Zack danced and celebrated and socialized with friends and family, all the while enjoying the sizzle of sexual tension that had existed between them for so long but which had only now, at long last, been acknowledged. Adrenaline was zinging through Ellie's veins. It was hard to have eyes for anyone other than Zack. Again and again she thanked her lucky stars, because what if they hadn't found each other?

Finally, just as she was beginning to wonder how much longer she could hold out, Zack murmured in her ear, ‘OK, we have to go now. This has been great, but I'm only human.'

Hooray!

Hand in hand, they slipped discreetly away, out of the marquee and back to the house. In through the creaking back door, across the deserted hall, and up the curved staircase.

‘People are going to wonder where we've got to.' Ellie pushed open the door to her bedroom.

‘They won't notice we're gone,' said Zack as the thud-thud-thud of the music continued to reverberate around them. ‘They're having fun without us.'

‘I think we might have more fun without them.' Whether or not this worked out, Ellie knew she would never regret it. Sometimes you just had to take the risk. Maybe it would be a brief but wonderful romance, maybe it would last a lifetime. She reached for Zack and kicked the door shut behind her. ‘No offense to them, but I know where I'd rather be right now. And it's not out there, dancing to Coldplay.'

At that moment the music faded out and they heard the DJ say, ‘OK, Eminem next, the clean version. Now this one was requested by Ellie and I can't see her on the dance floor. Come on, Ellie, get yourself over here, where are you?'

‘Oops.' Ellie pulled a face. ‘I forgot about that. Should we go back?'

Through the loudspeakers the DJ bellowed, ‘And Zack? No sign of you either. Give us a shout, mate—we're all waiting for you!'

‘Oh God.' Zack tightened his hold on her and smiled ruefully. ‘We're not going.'

‘Good,' said Ellie.

Over in the marquee, meanwhile, the realization that they had both vanished from the party was giving rise to laughter and bawdy cheers.

‘No? No sign of either of 'em? Honestly, this is a shocking state of affairs,' said the DJ. ‘Sloping off for an early night, what's wrong with these people? Disgraceful, that's what I call it. Right then, if they're not here to appreciate my efforts, I'm not playing Eminem. We'll have more Status Quo instead!'

Eleven months later

Ellie leaned out of the second-floor window and watched the goings-on below. There was Todd, playing soccer with an apple, dribbling it past Zack's nephews as he zigzagged across the manicured lawn and through the croquet hoops. There were Tizz and Ken, chatting with Paul and Geraldine whilst they admired the flowers in the borders. And over there was Steph, kneeling to retie the bows on Lily's shoes. No flashing trainers this time. Lily had found and chosen them herself. These were bright green with sequined butterflies on them; she was currently going through an intensely sparkly stage that had Joss curling her lip in bewildered disbelief.

To think that it had been almost a year since Steph and Gareth's wedding. And now she was having her own. How life had changed in the past eleven months.

Her mobile phone rang and Ellie glanced at it before answering. ‘You're five minutes away? Great. Yes, everything's fine. See you soon.'

Turning away from the window, she quickly double-checked her hair was still OK. Not long to go now. It had been Zack's idea to hold the wedding here, at Colworth Manor Hotel where they had spent such an idyllic weekend last November. That had been shortly after he'd sought suggestions for a romantic proposal from Roo, and she had excitedly exclaimed that he must drop the diamond engagement ring into a glass of champagne. She'd seen it done in a film, Roo had told Zack, and it had been so romantic she'd cried buckets.

Ellie's eyes danced at the memory. Zack had nearly cried too, when she'd taken a big swig and almost swallowed the ring.

But the sentiment had been there. It was the thought that counted, and the three dazzling diamonds had glittered proudly on her finger ever since. She knew without a doubt that Zack was the right man for her; in fact, more than that, he was perfect. They were as besotted with each other now as they had been on that first night. These days they laughed, loved, and argued with each other and every day together was a joy. The desolate pain she'd experienced following Jamie's death had lessened and shrunk more than she'd ever imagined possible.

Nor did she see so much of Jamie now, either. The need was no longer there. Occasionally Ellie conjured him up for a couple of seconds, just to touch base and say hi, but these days he didn't occupy her mind to the same degree. Their long conversations were now a thing of the past. It was enough to know that Jamie approved of Zack and the next step she was about to take.

Ellie turned and gazed at herself in the elaborate full-length mirror. Oh my word, would you look at that, she was like an actual proper bride! Her hair was up, but in a tousled rather than a superglued way. Her dress was ivory silk, bias cut, and full length. Zack's sister Paula had done her makeup and they'd heroically resisted the urging from Lily to add pink glitter. All in all, if she did say so herself, she was looking pretty good.

‘Just as well,' said Jamie, appearing in the mirror behind her and flashing his habitual easy grin. ‘Otherwise Zack might run a mile, and that would just be embarrassing.'

Ellie smiled. It seemed only fair to have him drop by, today of all days.

‘So?' She held up her hands, did a pose. ‘Will I do?'

Jamie surveyed her for a couple of seconds. ‘You look fantastic. I'm so proud of you.'

‘Thanks.' She wasn't going to cry, not today. ‘I do still love you.' She needed to say it, to make sure he understood. ‘Just because I'm getting married again doesn't mean I'll ever forget you.'

‘I know. But you've got Zack now.' Jamie looked thoughtful. ‘The only thing I'm not too happy about is his legs. They're not as skinny as mine.'

‘I know. But his knees are knobbly. So that makes you even.'

‘Glad to hear it. OK, I'm going to go now. Be happy, sweetheart.'

OK, maybe just the one tear. ‘Thanks. Bye.'

Ellie carefully blotted her eyes with a tissue. When she looked up again, Jamie had gone.

Moments later there was a knock at the door. She called out, ‘Come in,' and Tony appeared.

They hugged each other, hard.

Tony drew back finally and surveyed her with pride. ‘Oh sweetheart. I miss my boy so much. And I never thought I'd be saying this, but today is going to be a very good day. It's going to be… splendid.'

Moved, Ellie straightened his pale gray tie. Tony was still smartly dressed but the last year had taken its toll on him. There was a lot more silver in his hair now. The lines on his face were more pronounced. He put on a brave front, but she knew he'd been working hard on various projects in order to take his mind off the emptiness in his own life. He'd kept the Nevis Street flat on after she'd moved in with Zack, but these days it was a seldom used pied-à-terre with most of his work concentrated in the States.

And Ellie was fairly certain she knew why. He had learned of Henry's death through the Internet but had respected Martha's wishes not to resume contact. No one knew better than Tony the power of grief.

‘It will be.' She brushed a fleck of lint from the shoulder of his morning suit. ‘You're looking very handsome.'

‘Flatterer.' Ever the actor, he was adept at hiding his loneliness beneath that ready, charismatic smile. Glancing out of the window, he said, ‘By the way, should pregnant women run around like lunatics?'

He was referring to Roo, her topaz-yellow dress plastered to her impressive seven-month bump as she raced barefoot across the lawn with Lily, Joss, and Elmo in hot pursuit. With her shoes in one hand and Elmo's favorite new squeaky toy in the other, she was squeaking it wildly, sending Elmo into a frenzy of excitement. The next moment all four of them had hurtled over a flower bed. It was like a kindergarten version of the Grand National.

‘Roo's fine. It's good exercise. Did I tell you, she's got Todd doing 5K runs with her on Saturday mornings?' Ellie had declined their kind offer to join them, but had nothing but respect for their efforts. Once the baby was born, Roo had her sights set on next year's London marathon. She turned away from the window to face Tony again. ‘Now listen, can you do me a huge favor?'

His expression softened. ‘Anything.'

‘Everyone here knows pretty much everyone else. But I've invited a friend along who doesn't know anyone at all.' Ellie pulled a face. ‘Which means she's going to feel a bit on her own. I was hoping you could kind of look after her. Would that be OK?'

‘Oh God, do I have to?' Evidently not enthralled, Tony hesitated for only a split second before good manners took over. ‘Sorry, that's fine, of course I will. Is it someone you used to work with?'

Ellie checked her watch. ‘Come on, she'll be waiting downstairs. Let's go and find her, and I'll introduce you.'

Together they made their way down the impressive staircase. Ellie practiced walking like a bride and not falling off her high heels. In twenty minutes the wedding was scheduled to begin. Tony, her beloved former father-in-law, would escort her into the oak-paneled drawing room where the ceremony was being held, and give her away.

But before that happened, there was one other small thing she had to do.

One other small
exciting
thing, hopefully.

She led Tony through the door on the left and there was Martha waiting for them, thinner but still beautiful, wearing a flowing Cadbury-purple dress and jacket, and nervously clutching a tray-sized silver gift bag with curly silver and white ribbons trailing from the handles.

Tony stopped dead when he saw her. Ellie let go of his arm and moved discreetly to one side. Martha did her level best to smile over at her but her attention was being dragged towards Tony, who in turn couldn't tear his gaze away.

‘Martha… my God, you're
here
.'

‘Ellie invited me. We've been talking things through.' The lilt and the warmth in her voice was unchanged. ‘She made me see that it was OK. I couldn't have done it before. Now I can. It's been a nightmare year.' Martha paused, her smile hesitant. ‘But I'm on the mend.'

Tony took a tentative step towards her. ‘I can't believe this is happening.'

‘She was worried you might have moved on,' Ellie put in helpfully. ‘Met someone else.'

‘No. Never.' He shook his head. ‘I'm so sorry about Henry.'

‘Thank you.' The necklace of handmade pink pebbles bobbed against Martha's throat.

‘And Eunice? Is she well?'

‘Very well. She's living in Carlisle now, close to her daughter.' The twinkle in her eye signaled that whether Eunice's daughter was thrilled with this development was debatable. ‘And my son has met a wonderful girl, so fingers crossed there. I keep embarrassing him, dropping hints about how I can't wait to become a granny.' The next moment, remembering the ribbon-strewn silver gift bag in her hand, Martha held it out to Ellie and said, ‘Sorry, this is for you.'

‘That's so kind. You didn't have to.' They exchanged a hug.

‘Oh, darling, I'm just glad I was able to.'

‘Right, I'll leave you in peace for five minutes.' Ellie pointed to Tony. ‘Then you have a bride to give away.'

The expression on his face told Ellie she'd done the right thing. ‘Thank you.'

‘You're sure you don't mind looking after her?'

Tony squeezed her hand. ‘I'll give it my very best shot.'

Ellie closed the door behind her. Out in the hallway, she lifted the painting out of the gift bag.

There it was, a sunny summer's day in Little Venice. Martha had returned to the exact spot where they'd first met, in order to demonstrate that her ability to paint had returned. Along with her enthusiasm for life.

The next moment another door opened and she heard Zack's voice a split second before he emerged from the drawing room where the ceremony was being held.

‘Close your eyes,' Ellie blurted out.

Zack appeared, dark hair slicked back, tanned jaw stubble-free. His eyes were closed.

‘It's unlucky to see the bride before the wedding,' Ellie reminded him.

‘So move away,' said Zack. ‘You'll have to, I can't see where I'm going.'

Well, sometimes a situation arose that was just too good to pass up. Crossing the hallway, Ellie planted a kiss on his beautiful un-suspecting mouth.

‘How do I know it's you?' Zack kept his eyes closed. ‘It could be anyone.'

‘It's me.'

‘I'm not sure I believe you.' The beautiful mouth was twitching.

‘Put it this way.' She pressed herself against him and pinched his bottom. ‘It had better be me.'

Zack touched her face, exploring the various curves and angles, before kissing her again. ‘OK, it's you. I recognize you now.' He broke into a slow smile. ‘Ellie Kendall, you have no idea how much I love you. Will you marry me?'

Was it possible to feel happier than this? ‘Play your cards right,' she ran a playful finger down the front of his cream waistcoat, ‘and I just might.'