4. Four

Four

Three months later, Zack’s last day at work was imminent, and it coincided with my last birthday in my twenties.

“Happy birthday, perfect girl,” Zack said as soon as my eyes began to open. I drowsily focused on him, he was sat up, an eager grin on his face, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

I wrapped my arms around him, all sleepy and warm. “It’s Saturday, let’s stay here,” I said as I kissed his chest.

“But I’ve got surprises. Get up.” He placed a delicious and soft kiss to my lips; he’d already brushed his teeth.

“Your hair looks sexy,” I said as I cuddled up closer.

“You’re going to leave me if I go bald, aren’t you?” he teased with one of his mischievous smiles .

“No comment.” I ran my hands down his side.

“Twenty-nine, hey? Getting on a bit.” He poked me in the side.

I sighed and rolled over, my back turned to him now. “So rude, Zachary.”

He cuddled up close to me and kissed my neck. “Come on, don’t you want to get up and do nice things?”

“Can we do nice things here instead?” I snuggled further under the covers, still sleepy. “Twenty-nine isn’t a big deal, I mean, if it was thirty, then that would be a whole other ball game. That’s really, really old.”

“I wouldn’t know.” He bit my neck and made me gasp. “Good job I’m not there yet, hey? Might not have the stamina for this…”

An hour later, we sat at the breakfast bar, dopey loved-up grins in place. “What shall we do today?” I asked. “Or are we just gonna repeat that? Because I’m good with that as a plan.”

The doorbell rang and Zack jumped up from the bar stool. “I’ll get it!” He was off before I could speak. Thank goodness he’d put shorts and a t-shirt on before we came downstairs.

I swiped through my phone and laughed at a daft birthday picture Cassie had sent me. Something smelled delicious, like caramel and coffee and?—

“Ta-da!” announced Zack with a huge grin. “Birthday breakfast for my special girl.” He placed a venti-sized coffee cup in front of me, along with a breakfast sandwich, a croissant and a blueberry muffin. “Wasn’t sure what you’d be in the mood for, so I got them all.”

I leant across and kissed him. “Did I mention that I love you? Thank you.” I took the lid off the coffee and let the glorious, rich scent waft into my nose. “That smells amazing; that’s the sexiest present you could’ve given me.”

He took a sip of his own coffee and stroked my hand. “Just want you to have a perfect day. Erm… sorry, the coffee is the sexiest present I could give you?” he said with mock hurt on his face.

I grinned and took far too large a bite of the sandwich; the morning activities had made me ravenous. There were loads of birthday cards to open. I wasn’t used to this; it was exciting. Some had been delivered by the postman, some given to me earlier and saved for this morning. I laughed as I read a cheeky, dirty joke from Cassie. Zack’s mum and dad had written a beautiful message. There was even a hand-drawn one from Zack’s nephews, which was the cutest.

Zack smiled as the doorbell went once again. “You can answer this time. ”

I put the cards down and inched the door open, trying to stay to the side as I was only in short pyjamas myself. As it turned out, the man who had rung the bell couldn’t even see me through the massive bouquet he held.

The beauty of those flowers was hard to describe. They were long-stemmed roses, but not like any bloom I’d held before. The heads were large with a few pointed buds yet to open. Their colour was the prettiest I’d seen, a cross between lavender, grey and blue. They smelled like lazy sunshine as you lay in a field of crops, the scent of pollen carried by the bees - one more smell… nutmeg! It reminded me of a being a little girl baking cakes with my mum.

I opened up the card as I headed back towards Zack.

My perfect girl needs perfect flowers

Happy Birthday

Zack xxx

I placed them down on the table and wrapped my arms around Zack’s waist, my head fell onto his chest.

“I love you. I’ve never even seen roses like these, they’re gorgeous.”

“They’re nothing compared to you.” He tilted my face and kissed me; his mouth tasted like coffee, and it was delicious. I slid closer. I wanted more .

“Is it too early to go back to bed?” I asked. “I would slide onto your knee now, but I’m not sure how strong the bar stools are.”

“Nope. No bed yet. You haven’t opened presents.”

“I’ve had sex and coffee and flowers, there’s more?”

“There’s so much more.” Zack grinned, a devilish look of excitement on his face. “I couldn’t decide what to buy you; I decided instead to work my way through the alphabet.”

I continued to press kisses to his face. “I’m a long way from S then?”

“A long way.” He stood up and took my hand. “A is in the living room.”

I skipped through, giddy, and saw a present wrapped in beautiful dusky pink paper on the couch. “Aww, I love that colour!”

“I know you do. I pay attention.”

I threw myself down on the couch, Zack snuggled up close. The present was wrapped haphazardly but I didn’t care. I opened it up and pulled out a pair of gorgeous skinny jeans and a slinky off-the-shoulder top.

“A is for Abercrombie my mouth instantly sought out the smooth skin of his neck.

“This is what the rest of our lives are going to be like.” My moan was muffled against him as he held us together, and we moved in perfect synchronisation. The rest of the world simply faded away.

We cuddled up in the bed once more afterwards. This was the best Saturday ever, regardless of birthdays .

“That wasn’t the D present by the way,” Zack said as he took a deep breath; his heart thumped away against me. “I was going to take you out for lunch too, if you can keep your hands off me?”

“Sounds perfect!”

Zack pulled me tight against him and ran a finger down my cheek as he smiled, his face soft and full of wonder. “I never get over how beautiful you are,” he said. “Oh, and you are definitely not baking your own birthday cake this year. Time you got spoiled.”

“I wonder what I did to deserve you,” I said as I placed a soft kiss to his lips. “Everything you’ve done today is beyond romantic.”

“I hope you still think that by the end of the day,” he laughed; a slight tremor in his voice.

“S isn’t for stripper is it?” I asked.

Zack laughed. “Nope! But I think it’s time for the actual D.”

I giggled like a silly girl.

“Stop it! Did you take something? Insatiable woman!” He pulled me up and slapped me hard on the arse. It just made me happier as he twisted me around to face the dressing table.

I noticed a present on it that hadn’t been there earlier. I sat down on the plush cream coloured stool. “Can I?”

Zack nodded. “Of course.”

The present was chunky and heavy as I unwrapped it. Underneath the paper – it was like Dior heaven. An eyeshadow palette, a lipstick selection, perfume, skin care. If Dior made it, it was in there.

“Zack! You spent way too much. We’re meant to be saving for the house. This on top of the shoes and everything else?”

He kissed the top of my head. “I might have negotiated the signing bonus higher. And there is nothing in the world I’d rather spend it on than you.”

I sighed deeply. “Zack…” I was lost for words as he pulled me to him, his mouth sweet and tender on mine.

“Get dressed, I’m taking you somewhere fancy.”

“Are you sure you want to go straight home?” Zack asked later that afternoon.

“Yep. Lunch was beautiful, but I ate too much, I’m tired. Let’s just go home. I want to spend the rest of my birthday snuggled up with you.”

“Give me two minutes, work issue.”

I sat on a bench in the street, happy as I watched the world go by. I was tipsy, content, and full of fresh pasta. This was the best day ever. I didn’t mind that Zack had to deal with a ‘work issue’, he’d been busy finalising everything since he handed his notice in. He was so excited about the new job; our lives were taking off. Just like Luke had wanted …

I shook my head, forcing the thought away.

“Tram or Uber?” Zack asked as he slipped his phone into his pocket.

“Can we Uber?” I asked as my mouth brushed his neck. “Really want to get home and slob.”

Zack pulled his phone back out and opened the app. I casually rubbed at his shoulders as he seemed to have raised them up, a certain sign he was stressed.

A short time later, we walked up our gravel driveway, holding hands as we wobbled slightly, thanks to the lunchtime wine. Zack unlocked the door and pulled me to him, before pressing me up against it as he kissed me. “You have no idea how much I love you.”

“I think I do because I love you just the same.” I slid my hand inside the back of his well fitted jeans, but he stopped me.

“Shh. Don’t.” He smiled as he pressed a quick kiss to the tip of my nose. “You want your next present?”

I nodded. “You’ve set quite a precedent today, you know, Zachary.”

He pushed me against the door once more and kissed me with rough, fierce passion; I could feel how much he wanted me. “You’re going to ruin the next present.” He took my hand and led me into the living room.

I gasped and did a double take. The heavy curtains were drawn, casting the room into darkness even though it was only late afternoon. My beautiful roses were center stage on the coffee table, and the candles lit around the room created a soft, flickering glow as they spread the aroma of vanilla pods and caramel. Next to the roses stood a bottle of champagne; condensation dripped seductively down onto the two crystal glasses at its side.

“How did you do this?” I asked.

Zack smiled and sat me down on the couch, facing him. “I’m going to ruin the alphabet now, Lily.”

I smiled and ran my hand through his mane of sexy hair. “Nothing could ruin today, it’s incredible.”

He placed a single kiss to my lips. “I struggled with E. I thought about earrings. Eggplant, maybe, if I felt American, I know you and Cassie use that emoji a lot.”

A laugh burst from my mouth, but Zack didn’t join in, instead he sucked in a deep breath.

“In the end, though, there was only one E it could be.” He reached into his pocket, a definite tremble in his hand. “It means ending the birthday alphabet here because this… this is everything, and I hope that no amount of gifts or shoes or cakes could ever compare.” Zack held a small velvet box in front of me. My hand flew to my chest, my breath caught up within.

He pressed his finger onto the lid and the box sprang open in what seemed like slow motion. My eyes focused in on a stunning, perfect ring. A large, halo-cut diamond sparkled atop a platinum band. My eyes met Zack’s, lost in the moment .

“Lily… from the first day I met you, that magical coffee, I knew you’d be the only woman I ever wanted, the last woman I ever loved. I think that most days I tell you that you’re my everything, I mean it. I mean every word. The words ‘I love you’ don’t even come close to what I feel for you.” He gulped with emotion, and my eyes began to sting and blur. “Lily Forshaw… will you marry me?” He pulled the ring out of the box and held it against the tip of my finger. Only then did I realise he was down on one knee.

“Yes.” I said it too quietly. I nodded and moved in to kiss him, wanting to affirm it. “Yes, Zack. Yes.”

He pushed the ring down my finger and smiled as he wiped a tear from my cheek. I touched the sparkling diamond, involuntarily taking a deep, shuddering breath. “You don’t have to stay on your knee,” I pulled him up next to me on the couch. “This ring is perfect.”

He shook his head as he pulled me close, our faces pressed into each other’s necks. “No, you’re perfect.”

“Your hand is still trembling…” I took them both in mine, watching the diamond sparkle in the candlelight.

“You don’t mind that there isn’t an F, G…”

“I love that you stopped the alphabet at E.”

“Does it fit?” Zack asked. He held my hand up towards his eyes.

“Perfectly. How did you arrange all this?” I gestured around the romantic room.

Zack nodded with a smile. “Samantha from next door came and did it. That’s why I was on the phone after lunch.”

“I can’t believe this….” We lay back on the couch together, both looking at my hand (which seemed a hundred times prettier with a huge diamond on it).

“It’s not too soon, is it?” Zack asked, his eyebrows scrunched up.

I shook my head, “It’s absolutely right.”

“Fiancée.” Zack grinned.

“How mad does that sound?! You’ll be a great Mr. Forshaw,” I teased as I threw my arms around him.

“Yeah, we’ll talk about that one later.” He checked his watch. “So, you look perfect. But if, hypothetically, people were going to turn up here later, would you want a bit of notice to get ready?”

“You know I would.” I raised my eyebrow at him.

“Sixty-minute warning then, gorgeous.”

I tried to jump up, but Zack pulled me back down and covered me in kisses. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you’d said no.”

“There wasn’t a chance I was going to say no.” I held my face against his and sighed - tired, tipsy, blissful. “What’s the sixty-minute warning then? What have you arranged?”

“Well, thinking about it now, I would’ve looked a right idiot if you’d turned me down. I invited a few people for your birthday and thought we could announce it when they’re all here? ”

“Sounds perfect. Just give me fifty-nine minutes to get ready.” I wriggled out of his arms and headed upstairs, a ginormous smile on my face.

I changed into a gorgeous, floaty dress and kept my pretty new shoes on. Perched on the side of the bath I took a deep breath as I surveyed my reflection in the mirror.

Today had been a lot to take in. I twisted the ring around on my finger. There was no denying it was stunning. I dreaded to think what it had cost, but I adored it. There was, however, one thing unsettling me, and I didn’t want to let it in my mind, but it was inching the door open, and no way was it going to leave me alone. How would Luke feel when he found out?

He’d told me to go be happy, he’d let me go. I was doing what he wanted. I rubbed my hands over my face and felt the cool metal of the ring against my skin. My ring, my fiancé.

I jumped a mile as Zack knocked on the bathroom door. “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” I stood, my fingers still stroking over the stone.

“Were you crying?” I hadn’t realised I had been, but, yes, there were tears on my face.

I held my hand up again. “Was just checking it out from every angle. It’s been the best day.”

Zack wrapped his arms around me as we swayed together. “It’s not over yet. ”

The doorbell rang and Zack placed one of his softest, sweetest kisses to my lips, before he bounded down the stairs to answer.

Within seconds the sound of Cassie’s laugh travelled up the stairs. Music began to play followed by the ring of the doorbell once again. For some reason I felt stuck to the side of the bath, not quite ready to make this real.

“What are you doing in there, birthday girl? If you’ve got drugs, I want in on that.” Cassie opened the door slowly, then burst inside, wrapping me in a tight hug. “Why are you up here when it’s your party?”

“It’s not my birthday party.”

“It is… I’m pretty sure. How much drink have you had? I was only joking about the drugs.”

I held my left hand out to her, unable to stop the smile that blossomed on my face.

She screamed in my face, causing me to wince.

“Oh my god! That’s incredible, mine looks like plastic next to it.” She held my hands and did her little excited jig up and down. “Are you happy?”

“Ecstatic, it just hasn’t quite sunk in. I’ll tell you later about today, it’s been the best day, that man excels at birthdays. It just struck me that when everyone finds out… you know, everyone finds out.”

Cassie smiled, that kindness I knew so well flowing over me as she tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Listen, you’re doing great, he’s doing great. It’s all fine. Jesus, Lily, there’s a ridiculously hot man who just got an obscene pay rise and buys you mahoosive diamonds waiting to show you off downstairs. Just enjoy it. Or… do one right now, and I’ll have him.”

We headed downstairs together with our arms linked, Zack pulled me into the kitchen, pressing his lips to mine in a deep kiss. His mouth was cold and tasted like beer. “You good?”

I nodded and wrapped my arms around Zack’s middle.

“We don’t have to tell people if you don’t want to yet?”

“Erm… of course I want to. Not hiding this baby!” I grinned as I waved my hand in front of him.

“I did already ask your dad’s permission.” Zack blushed.

“Aww, you! That’s sweet. How do you do cute and devastatingly sexy at the same time?”

Zack pulled me towards the dining table, which, I noticed, was full of presents and cards. He tapped a knife against a champagne flute to get everyone’s attention before he passed the drink to me. I gladly gulped at it as Cassie turned the music down.

“Thank you all for coming to celebrate Lily’s birthday.” There were cheers, and I knew I was as red as a beetroot. I wasn’t used to being the center of attention. “There is more than one celebration today, however.” Zack sounded authoritative and confident when he spoke; I didn’t like public speaking at all. “You all know I’ve been besotted with this amazing girl since the day I met her…”

“You’re welcome!” sang Cassie, in full on Disney mode. Everyone laughed, and I saw Guy roll his eyes at her, fondly.

“Cheers, Cass,” Zack chuckled and raised his own champagne glass towards her. “So, today, I asked Lily to marry me.” His beautiful eyes were on me now, and I couldn’t stop smiling. “I’m thrilled to say that she said yes. The future Mrs. Beaumont.” He pulled me into a beautiful kiss, which I was glad hid my burning hot cheeks.

Then everyone was hugging and kissing us, taking pictures, looking at the ring. I took deep breaths to try and ground myself as I felt Zack squeeze my fingers in reassurance. Cassie asked for my phone and took more beautiful pictures of us. As she handed the phone back, she topped my glass up with more champagne.

“You want some fresh air for a minute? You look hot.”

I fanned myself with a magazine from the bookshelf. “Yep, I’ll just be a minute. Zack’s gone off with Adam. I won’t be long.”

I sat on the bench in the back garden and rubbed my arms in the cold November evening. Some stray fireworks fizzled into life down the street, Bonfire Night seemed to spread further and further out each year.

I swiped through the pictures that Cassie had just taken and smiled, they were gorgeous. I sent the best one to my mum and dad with a message.

I have a sneaky suspicion you knew anyway! Will come and show the ring off xx

It could easily have all been different. Yet, if it had have been, I might have been perched on a wall somewhere else, thinking about Zack. I held my hand up in front of my face again, the ring sparkled even out here in the dark. It was beyond beautiful.

I heard Zack’s laughter from inside and as I looked through the kitchen window, I could see so many happy faces, there to celebrate with us. I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms again.

I shivered one last time in the cold air before I headed inside, back to my fiancé.