Bride by Mistake (19 page)

“A little bird told me.”

“Oh, thank you, Liza. More than I can say.”

Meg smiled and swallowed hard as the tender moment pulled them together. Again she felt a connection between them—a connection that kept growing stronger. It felt like a family bond.

You’re being ridiculous
, Meg told herself. At times she forgot they were pretending.

As the evening drew to a close, Meg felt a sense of melancholy. She drew in a sharp breath as she realized she and Zach had pulled off the impossible. They’d made a pretend relationship seem real. But since Ian had told Zach Eloise wasn’t ill, the charade would end without a proposal. Now Meg understood how Cinderella felt when the clock struck twelve and the magic ended. The dull ache in her heart got worse by the second.

A man in a dark suit approached and gave Zach a handheld mike. Zach stood and moved closer to Eloise’s chair. “There’s one more gift for the lady of the hour. I’ve waited until now to present it to her.”

They’d already given Eloise the music box. Was there another gift Meg didn’t know about?

“Liza, will you please join me?”

Zach’s question knocked Meg from her melancholy state and almost off her chair.

“Liza?”

Meg realized she hadn’t responded. Hadn’t moved. She felt glued to her seat—unable to stand, let alone walk. “You want me to…” She faltered, not knowing what to say.

“To join me. Yes, please.”

Mustering all the strength she could gather, Meg stood. The room fell silent as anticipation built. When she joined Zach, he slipped his arm around her waist. And Meg’s knees, already wobbly, threatened to mutiny.

Zach grinned. “Gram, Liza and I want you to be the first to know. You and your fifty closest friends.”

Laughter rippled through the room before it again fell silent.

“I’ve asked Liza O’Malley to marry me, and I’m happy to tell you that she said yes.” Zach pulled the velvet box from his coat pocket. When he opened the lid, the diamond and emeralds shone brighter than a galaxy of stars.

Meg felt like a wrecking ball had been unleashed and landed in the pit of her stomach. Why was Zach doing this? Surely, Ian’s explanation made him realize a proposal wasn’t necessary?

Since speaking proved impossible, Meg watched in awe as Zach slipped the magnificent ring onto her finger.

“Oh, Zachary, oh, Liza,” Eloise declared. “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had!”

The crowd burst into applause, and the guests gave the couple a standing ovation. The roomful of mostly senior citizens clapped wildly—carrying on like teenagers at a football game.

Before Meg could stop the gathering momentum, before she could say, “There’s been a mistake,” Zach gripped her shoulders. And gently yet deliberately, he turned Meg to face him. Uh-oh. Another wrecking ball was heading her way!

He’s going to kiss you.
Suddenly, Meg couldn’t breathe or speak, much less move.

Zach pulled her close—into that broad expanse of chest, and the security of those muscular arms. As his body enveloped her, Meg forgot all about her conscience. And when Zach’s lips claimed hers, the clapping escalated.

But Meg no longer heard the commotion. All she heard, saw, smelled, tasted, and felt was Zach Addison. And that was quite enough.

Zach whistled as he escorted his two favorite women into Gram’s parlor. “You sound as happy as I feel,” Gram observed as she settled on the velvet settee.

“That’s because I am,” Zach said. He winked at Liza but didn’t receive the glowing smile he’d expected.

“Come, Liza dear, and sit by me. Ian will bring us some tea.”

Liza joined Gram on the settee. As Zach took a chair across from them, he realized that these were two extraordinary women. And he loved them very…

Loved them?
Where had that come from? While Zach felt strongly attracted to Liza and wanted to date her, love was another matter. But he knew what he felt for Liza went far past infatuation. And was impossible to ignore.

But Liza’s sparkle was conspicuously absent. Ever since Zach had announced their engagement at the party, she’d seemed shell-shocked. As if the news he’d shared had come as a surprise. An unpleasant one at that!

As the two women chatted together, Liza crossed and uncrossed her legs and looked…What was the word?

Miserable, Zach decided. Yep, the word was miserable.

Ian brought in the silver tea service and placed it on the buffet. “I’ll return shortly with the scones, madam. I’m warming them in the oven.”

“How thoughtful.” Gram sighed. “No one has a right to feel as happy as I do tonight.”

As Ian headed for the kitchen, Liza kept shifting on the settee. Zach wondered again what was stressing her. As a trial attorney, she usually disguised her emotions better than anyone he knew.

But not tonight.

Suddenly Liza shot off the settee like someone who had sat on a tack. “I’ll help Ian with the scones,” she chirped. Even her voice sounded unnatural—high-pitched and a little shaky.

“No need, my dear. Ian can manage on his own.”

“I know, Eloise. But I want to help.” With that, she scurried out of the parlor, taking those luscious legs along with her.

“Is Liza all right, Zachary?”

“I’m sure she’s fine.”

But a few minutes later, he stood. “Maybe I’ll check on her.”

“My kitchen’s getting downright crowded,” Gram observed.

Zach planted a kiss on her cheek and left the room. As he approached the kitchen, he heard a lively discussion between Liza and Ian. He stood outside the door, where he could observe without being seen.

“You specifically asked me if I thought you should tell him,” Liza said. “And I said you should.”

“I know, Miss Liza. I fully intended to, but…”

“You
intended
to tell him?” she snapped.

“I most certainly did.”

Liza tapped her foot impatiently and Zach thought he saw smoke puff out of her ears. “Then why didn’t you? Zach needed to know that information.”

So they were talking about him. Zach knew he should announce his presence, but he chose to wait.

“I understand that.” Ian stared at the kitchen floor. “I didn’t tell Mr. Zachary because I was afraid.”

“Afraid? What were you afraid of?”

The flush that colored Ian’s cheeks rivaled the cherries perched on top of the scones. “I was afraid you and Mr. Zachary would…” Ian bit his lip and paused. He hung his head and seemed hesitant to continue.

“Zachary and I would what?” Liza glared at him like a teacher disciplining the class bully.

Ian cleared his throat. “I was afraid that you and Mr. Zachary would break up.”

When Zach couldn’t stand it a moment longer, he stormed into the kitchen. “What’s going on in here? And what were you supposed to tell me, Ian?”

“Oh, dear. It’s you,” Liza declared. Her shoulders slumped and her authoritative manner vanished.

“Oh, sir. It’s you,” Ian parroted.

“Now that we’ve determined it’s me, may I ask what this feud is all about?”

No one spoke. Zach’s determined gaze took in both Liza and the butler who looked uncomfortable, embarrassed, and guilty. Ian ran his finger around the collar of his highly starched shirt. “You’d better tell him, Miss.”

“I will not. That’s your responsibility.”

They sounded like students arguing on the playground. “Looks like the ball’s in your court, Ian,” Zach said, hoping to finally learn what was going on.

The butler sighed. “I have something to confess. It concerns your grandmother’s health.”

A knot tightened in Zach’s stomach. If there was more bad news, he wasn’t sure he could handle it. “Go on,” he said.

“You need to know that Mrs. Addison is doing better. Much better.”

“She is? That’s great news. So what’s the problem?”

“The truth is, your grandmother’s health was never in jeopardy,” Liza declared, still glaring at Ian. “Her heart is perfectly fine. And it has been all along.” The attorney in Liza had stepped up and taken charge.

“But Ian told me…”

“Ian fabricated the story about Eloise’s heart. Not a word of it was true.”

This seemed so unlike Gram’s devoted butler. “But why, Ian? Why would you do that?”

“What I told you wasn’t entirely false, sir. You, see, your dear grandmother’s heart is in danger—in danger of being broken. Her greatest desire is that you marry again and start a family. I wanted to make her dream come true.”

Zach wanted to throttle the man for putting him through so much grief but his relief that Gram was healthy kept him from it. And part of him felt pleased Ian cared enough for Gram to want her happiness. That’s what Zach wanted too.

Why hadn’t Liza told him last night that Ian had confessed? There were moments when Liza reminded Zach of his ex-wife. Denise had manipulated him so carefully, he wasn’t aware of it. She’d used half-truths and even lies to get what she wanted.

He glanced at Liza, who was obviously stressed. She’d been evasive and impossible to predict for days now. While those traits might help in her profession, they had no place in a relationship. Maybe he should slow things down where Liza was concerned.

All the shenanigans had taken the luster off the evening, and Zach felt confused and disappointed. But he couldn’t let Gram know about any of this. The show must go on.

“I
APPRECIATE YOUR
loyalty to Gram, but I have the distinct impression I’ve been hoodwinked,” Zach told Ian.

Gram’s butler shook his head and sighed. “I’m very sorry, sir, for what I’ve done.”

Deep down, the news that Gram was healthy upstaged Zach’s anger. “So she’s really okay?” he asked, hardly able to believe it.

“Mrs. Addison is remarkably healthy,” Ian replied. “Her doctors say she could live to a hundred.”

“That’s wonderful.” Zach shook his head. “I must admit that you’re quite the actor, Ian.”

“You have every right to be angry with me, sir. When you tell Mrs. Addison what I’ve done, I’ll be dismissed. But I quite understand. I deserve it.” With bowed head, he turned to leave the room.

Zach grabbed his arm. “Slow down a minute. While this comes as a shock, I’m more relieved than angry.”

Ian fished a linen handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his brow. “I’m glad that you feel that way, sir.”

“However…”

Ian mopped again.

“If what you say is true, my engagement to Liza never needed to happen.”

Ian shrugged. “You could say that, I suppose.”

Zach struggled to process the new information and how he should respond. “Liza, how long have you known about Gram’s good health?”

“Since last night. When Ian came to the condo.”

“So he didn’t come to return your bracelet?”

She sighed. “No, he didn’t.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about Gram then?” he asked. “You know how worried I’ve been.”

“I should have told you. And I’m sorry.”

“But you see, sir,” Ian interjected, “I promised Miss Liza I would tell you myself. And she assumed I would follow through.”

“So why didn’t you?” Zach inquired.

“May I be honest?”

Zach nodded.

“As I told you earlier, I met a young woman and we fell in love. But because I put all my energy into my work, she grew tired of waiting and found someone else.” He paused a minute, then continued. “Since your divorce, Mr. Zach, you work harder than ever. And…” Ian stopped and shook his head. “I’ve already said too much.”

“Go on. I’d like to hear your opinion.”

He took a deep breath then continued. “You’ve changed since you and Miss Liza got together. You make a wonderful couple, and it’s obvious that you care for each other. While your romance wasn’t real at first, it became real. Whether you’ll admit that or not.”

“Zach and I only pretended for Eloise’s sake,” Liza told him.

A hush filled the kitchen as they tried to process the latest turn of events. Zach rubbed his forehead. A headache had kicked in when he’d first heard Liza and Ian arguing. It grew stronger by the second.

“Shall we tell Eloise tonight?” Liza asked. “And end this disaster?”

“That’s interesting,” Zach observed.

Liza’s eyes widened. “What is?”