“I loved how you were able to get to know Zack, the real him, without all the other stuff getting in the way first. His singing is just what he happens to be really, really good at. But it’s not who he is.”
“Besides that,” she continues without taking a breath. She’s talking so fast, with a smile plastered on her face I almost wonder if I should grab a paper bag for when she finally decides to breathe. The girl is sure to hyperventilate. “I don’t know anyone who can beat him at pool. And that’s just fantastic. I’d love to watch you kick his butt after dinner.”
With a wink and a smile, she leaves the kitchen, carrying the salad to the dining room.
Once gone, Zack leans in for a chaste kiss. “She loves you. I told you she would.”
“She sure doesn’t let people get many words in though, does she?” We laugh.
“No, she really doesn’t, but it’s just too darn hard to get mad at her when she’s so cute.”
The four of us sit down to eat when the dinner is ready. I speculatively eye the three empty chairs but neither Melody nor Sammy say anything about the missing company. I wonder if they know of the surprise.
Zack does the honors carving the turkey after Melody takes a few moments to give thanks for her family and everything we have been blessed with. I know that I am thankful this year, most definitely. I fall completely in love with Zack’s little family over dinner. He was right when he told me that they were sometimes brutally honest with him. Sammy shares stories of how Zack had gotten started with singing and guitar playing and most likely embellishes the parts where he had sucked so horribly in the beginning. I don’t believe a single word she says. There is no way Zack doesn’t have a natural talent for singing with how beautiful he sounds now. Zack’s smile throughout dinner says everything to me. This is his home, and where he is more comfortable than anywhere else. I’m honored he loves me enough to invite me into his family.
The only difficult part of dinner comes when Melody asks me what my family usually does for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wipe away an escaped tear quickly before I can look across the table at Melody, whose eyes shine with regret at the very mention of my family. “I’m so sorry, Nicole. I shouldn’t have said anything. Zack told us about ….” Melody’s voice drops off without continuing.
“It’s okay, really.” Trying to keep the mood light, I respond as honestly as I can. “It was loud, and Andrew was always so excited at having my parents over he was like a bunny hopped up on caffeine. Constantly bouncing around from one room to the next, getting in everyone’s way, disrupting the football games, spilling the food. It was a chaotic mess. I’m guessing it was no different with my family than it was when Zack and Sammy were little.”
Melody laughs in understanding. “Tell me about it! I’ll never forget the year Zack and Sammy marched around the house banging on their toy drums, guitars and toy recorders pretending to be the marching band in the Macy’s Parade. I could barely hear myself think over the racket they caused.”
When we finish our meal, Sammy jumps up from the table and without a word, she and Melody clear the dishes and flutter out of the room while declining my offer to help them with the dessert.
“Thank you for inviting me here to meet your family Zack. I absolutely adore them.”
He rests his forehead against mine. “I had to have them meet the woman I want to spend my future with.” Future? This is the first time we’ve really talked about us, and what’s going to happen. My palms start sweating.
“A future?” I smile as I repeat his words back to me. I lean in close to his mouth, my heart rate already increasing, and ask again, “You want a future with me?”
Keeping my mouth just out of his reach, I let him lean slightly forward, our lips not quite brushing, as he murmurs, “Yes, a future. And I’m hoping a really long one.”
Both of his eyebrows rise just slightly as if wanting my agreement, but I don’t have to agree with words. I knew before I ever showed up at his place this week that I was in this with him, for the long haul.