I’ll Be There (13 page)

When her plate was nearly full, she stopped and looked at him. “Aren't you going to have anything?”

He snapped out of his reverie and immediately began piling food on his plate. They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes and Zach bit back a smile at the look of pure pleasure on Gabriella's face. It was true she normally only ate a salad for lunch, and most of the time he noticed she didn't even finish it. For all he knew, she didn't eat breakfast and probably did very little for herself for dinner. He used to enjoy feeding her when they worked late, just like he was enjoying it now.

“So how is my sister?” he asked, searching for a fairly neutral topic of conversation. “She and Ethan were flying out tonight, weren't they?”

She nodded. “There was a slight change of plans—they were originally going to go to Seattle to meet with a client, but Ethan's going to Skype with them tomorrow morning, so he and Summer are flying directly to North Carolina tonight.”

“I'm sure Summer's champing at the bit to get a look at the progress on the house.”

Gabriella nodded again. “I think if it had walls, windows, doors, and nothing else, she'd be willing to sleep there all weekend.”

“Hopefully Ethan will put his foot down.” Zach chuckled. While he knew Ethan was no stranger to roughing it, he had a feeling it didn't include sleeping in the middle of a construction zone.

At least he hoped it didn't.

“She's just super excited about it. I'm sure once she sees it and gets to walk around and touch things and talk with the builder, she'll be fine staying with your parents or at hotel or wherever it is they're planning on spending their time.”

“I'm sure my mother guilted them into staying with her and my dad and she'll have everyone over for a big family dinner before Summer and Ethan have to fly back on Monday.” He stopped and paused. “Or are they coming back Sunday night?”

“I think Sunday night. Ethan wanted to be in the office Monday morning. He's called a staff meeting.”

Zach had to grit his teeth and keep himself from making a snarky comment. Baby steps. He knew this was the way things had to be for the time being. Ethan wasn't going to do anything crazy with the company, and now that Zach had made a commitment to himself to actively participate in life again, he was confident he was going to be getting more and more hands-on very soon.

Gabriella was staring at him as if reading his mind. “You'll be back at the reins before you know it,” she said. “Ethan's planning on talking to everyone so they know this is a temporary situation. I think the team deserves to be in the know—especially since Ethan will be assuming all of your responsibilities.”

“Well, not all of them. I fully intend to start pulling my weight again.” Dammit. He did
not
want to talk about work! “Anyway, back to my sister. Has she talked about any wedding plans yet?”

Now she eyed him suspiciously. “What's up with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you're being awfully agreeable and doing a whole heck of a lot of changing the subject when we start talking about the office. I thought that was why I was here—to get those files and to talk about work.”

Zach pushed his plate away, leaned back in his chair, and sighed. “It's scary how well you know me.” He wasn't sure if it pleased him or pissed him off. “What do you want me to say?”

“How about the truth?” she said mildly as she finished off her last dumpling.

The truth? Hell, Zach wasn't even sure
he
was able to handle the truth. What if he laid it all out there and she walked away? What if he told her exactly what he was feeling and she laughed at him? And
then
walked away? He shook his head and remembered his earlier pep talk about not shying away from any challenges.

It was now or never.

Shifting again so he had his arms resting on the table, he looked at Gabriella and studied her face. “The truth?” he asked and waited until she nodded. “Okay, Gabs. But remember, you asked. I invited you here tonight because I need you to realize how sorry I am for the way I've treated you. I've done some serious soul-searching these last few days and I don't like the man I've become. I'm committed to my therapy with Alex and I'm committed to getting back to being the head of Montgomerys. I didn't want you to come in here on the defensive. I wanted us to just have some time to talk and…get to know each other again.”

She leaned back in her chair and let out a shaky breath. “Wow. Okay.”

That was it? That was all she had to say? “But more than that, Gabriella, I don't want to do any of it without you. I need you. You are the reason I've been able to accomplish all I have with the company. You're the reason I've been successful in just about every aspect of my life for the last five years.”

Reaching across the table, Zach took one of Gabriella's hands in his and just marveled at how soft it was. He'd always wondered what her skin felt like and now that he knew, he wanted to feel more. “Don't leave me. Please.”

Her blue eyes filled with tears, and she used her free hand to quickly wipe them away before they fell, and then studied their hands on the table. “Zach,” she said softly, “we've been over this.”

“I know, I know,” he replied just as softly. “I need another chance, Gabriella. I need a chance to make things right.” He looked up, his gaze meeting hers. “I need you.”

Deciding to be bold, he turned her hand over and twined their fingers together and gently squeezed. He was surprised she didn't pull away and thought maybe—just maybe—they were making progress. “I know I can't erase the things I've said and done, but if you'll give me one more chance, Gabs, I promise not to screw up. If I do anything to upset you, you can walk away. Hell, you can slap me in the face, kick me in the shin, or throw something heavy at me and I'll take it. I just… I can't do this without you.”

Her eyes never left their joined hands.

“I don't want to do this without you,” he said quietly.

“I'm afraid to…believe you.” He barely heard her words, they were uttered so softly.

Everything inside of him clenched with pain. His always confident, ever-efficient assistant was now distrusting and uncertain—because of him. “I don't know what to say to make you believe me. Tell me. Tell me what I need to do. Anything. Anything you need from me to gain your confidence, and I'll do it.”

She looked up at him. “It's not that easy. Every day I walked into the office, I gave you another chance. Every time you berated me or made me feel like I screwed up and I came back, I gave you another chance. From my standpoint, you've had two years' worth of second chances. I think I've been more than generous.”

His other hand reached out to cup her hand in both of his. “I know you have, and you have no idea how much I appreciated it.” She looked at him with disbelief. “It's true! I know I never said it but every morning you were there, I was thankful. Every time you walked into my office, I was thankful. Please. I'm begging here, Gabs.”

“I…I've already talked with Ethan. I'm supposed to start working with him on Monday. I can't do this, Zach.”

He was losing her. He always knew it was a possibility and yet he felt like he was drowning. “Ethan knows I planned on talking to you tonight. If you tell him you've changed your mind, he'll be fine. You can still go in on Monday and help him through the meeting and with getting things set up, but then you can come here and we'll work out a plan on what tasks and responsibilities I can take on to ease Ethan's burden a little bit. I'm hoping I'll start feeling the effects of the therapy soon and I'll be a little more mobile. I'm confident I can be back in the office—at least part time—by early November.” He was desperate and there was no room for pride. “With your help, Gabriella, I know I can do it.”

Slowly, Gabriella removed her hand from his. “That was low, Zach.”

“Do you think I'm enjoying begging? Groveling? Do you think I feel good about myself as I sit here and watch how you're reacting to me? At one time, we were close. And I pissed that all away. I don't know what else to do here. I've pretty much thrown myself at your mercy.”

Slowly, Gabriella stood and began clearing the table. Zach had no choice but to sit in silence and watch. This was it. He had nothing else. He'd told her how he felt, shared his feelings with her, and it hadn't mattered. He'd well and truly lost her.

To Ethan.

Well, not
technically
to Ethan, but the end result was the same. Gabriella would be working for Ethan—not for him. And then by the time he was ready to go back to the office, she would leave permanently.

His heart squeezed. It shouldn't have ended like this. He'd been arrogant and self-absorbed for so long he'd lost touch with what was most important. It wasn't about money and power, it was about relationships. It was about the people in his life who mattered most. He'd regain the love and respect of his family. But clearly he wasn't able to make it happen with Gabriella.

The kitchen was spotless and he watched as she stood by the sink and dried her hands. He knew she was leaving. And he knew he wouldn't stop her. What would be the point? He'd laid out his case and begged more than he ever had in his life, and it wasn't enough. It wasn't about coming out the winner here, but he also didn't want to lose. He had hoped they'd come to some sort of compromise and maybe things wouldn't go back to the way they once were, but maybe they'd be better.

One look at the sad expression on her face and he knew it would never be. “You didn't need to clean up,” he finally said when he was able to find his voice.

“It wasn't a big deal.” She looked around. “Um…I really should be going. Can I get those files?”

Nodding, Zach reached for his crutches and stood. He walked slowly back toward the living room and gathered the folders. When he turned, Gabriella was standing only a few feet away. He smiled sadly and handed them to her. “Thank you for being willing to come by and get them.”

“Thank you for dinner. It's been a long time since I had Lin's dumplings. I'd forgotten how much I like them.”

They were polite strangers and it made him want to scream. With nothing left to say, he watched Gabriella turn toward the door, where she placed the files in her purse before hooking it over her shoulder. Zach walked over to her and moved in a little closer than was considered polite. His eyes scanned her face.

Gabriella was tall, not as tall as Zach—especially without the stilettos—but he was still able to look down into her face. Her eyes were a little wide as she looked at him and she took a small step back. He followed. When her back hit the wall, Zach knew she'd have to stand still for at least a minute. “If you change your mind…” he began.

“I don't think I will,” she said and fidgeted with her purse strap.

Zach's mind rioted with more arguments to convince her to stay and decided he had nothing else to lose. “I understand.” He released one crutch and leaned it against the wall. “I guess there's some good coming out of you no longer working for me.”

Those wide blue eyes narrowed, and a smile tugged at his lips at the look. She thought he was going to insult her. Hell, she was probably bracing herself for one last verbal onslaught.

Not. Gonna. Happen.

Reaching up, he cupped her cheek in his hand and marveled at how much softer it felt than her hand had earlier. “If you no longer work for me, then it's totally not inappropriate for me to do this.”

And he lowered his lips to hers.

Shock.

Then more shock.

And then…
aah
… Gabriella melted into Zach. After all they had been through together, after everything they had talked about tonight, this was so not the way she'd envisioned their time together ending.

But she was completely on board with it.

For years she had dreamed about what it would be like for Zach Montgomery to kiss her, and now that he was, she needed to stop talking to herself and start enjoying it!

Zach must have realized she was on board because his second crutch fell to the floor as his arms banded around her waist. Everything inside Gabriella melted at the heated contact. He was hard where she was soft and they just…fit. Her hands tentatively stroked their way up his muscular arms and then paused on his shoulders. It felt…naughty…to be touching her boss like this.

Wait…not her boss. Zach. She was touching Zach.
Get your head out of the office, girl!

A low hum emanated from Zach and she let her hands slowly glide up the strong column of his throat—lingering on his now clean-shaven jaw—and up into his hair. It was longer than he'd ever worn it but it was thick and silky and her fingers just sort of gently grasped and tugged to hold him to her.

If possible, Zach moved in even closer and Gabriella was thoroughly pressed from head to toe between him and the wall. His lips were devouring her but his arms stayed as they were—tightly banded and holding her close as if he was afraid she'd get away.

Not likely.

Right now, there wasn't another place on the planet she wanted to be. Which was a bit ironic considering that less than a minute ago she wanted to be anyplace but here! Funny how fast things could change.

She struggled between needing to take a breath and never letting Zach's lips leave hers again. As if reading her mind, he began to trail kisses along her cheek and her jaw. He nipped at her earlobe and then stopped to simply inhale her scent.

“Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do this?” he growled low against her ear.

“Hopefully as long as I've wanted you to,” she openly admitted as she rubbed herself against him.

He chuckled softly. “The first time you walked through my door, I wanted to touch you. Kiss you.” His tongue lightly traveled down the side of her neck to her collarbone. “Make love to you.”

Gabriella trembled at his words. How was it possible she hadn't noticed that? How had he kept it a secret for so long? And why? It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him, but he raised his head and gave her a very sexy grin before reclaiming her lips. There was no shock this time, just anticipation. Zach's admission had pretty much done it all for her. She was putty in his hands.

She wanted to move, to get to a place where her back wasn't pressed against a wall. But again, she didn't want to stop what Zach was doing long enough to even say anything. Her nails raked his scalp and she felt the growl vibrate through him. She pushed her breasts more firmly against him, and felt his erection nudge her belly.

The wall was just fine.

Now it was his turn to rub against her and Gabriella was shocked to hear herself purr. It had been so long since a man had touched her like this—and never had one made her purr. Slowly, she lifted one denim-clad leg and let it move up the back of Zach's calf. If all went as planned, she'd hook it around him and pull him closer—if it was even possible. But just as she started to move, Zach pulled back and cursed.

“What? What is it?” she asked nervously. “Are you all right?”

Zach's eyes were squeezed shut as he blindly reached for one of the crutches. “I need…I need to sit down.”

Gabriella sprang into action as she quickly thrust both of his crutches into his hands before guiding him over to the sofa. Awkwardly, they got him seated and she took a step back, uncertain of what she should do. Zach was rubbing his thigh and his knee, and his face was twisted in pain.

She kneeled down in front of him. “What can I do?” she asked softly. “What can I get you?”

Zach looked up at her. “Nothing,” he said darkly. “Just…you should go.”

Rising, Gabriella stood, hands on hips, and stared down at him. “No.”

His head snapped up. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I said no.”

“Gabs, this really isn't the time—”

She held up a hand to stop him. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save it. We've been here before. You've spent the entire night trying to convince me to stay and come back to work for you, then you kiss me senseless by the door, and now you're throwing me out? Make up your mind, Zach, because if that's what you're doing, I'm staying gone.”

He looked like he was about to say something, but nothing came out.

“If you want me to come back and work for you here in your house, you're going to have to deal with the fact that I'm going to see you in pain. You're going to have to face the fact that these things are going to happen and you aren't going to be able to hide it. Now you can either accept my help, or I'm leaving. For good.”

She could see the indecision on his face for a split second before resignation set in. “Fine.” He leaned back against the cushions, eyes closed, and continued to rub at his thigh.

“Okay,” she said softly and knelt back down in front of him. “Tell me what's going on.”

“Sometimes…my leg just gives out. One minute it's fine, and then it starts to twitch and tingle and then it goes numb.”

Because she had known Zach for so long, she knew how much it cost him to share that information with her. She nodded and placed her hand over his. “All right. What do we need to do? Heating pad? Ice? Massage? What does Alex suggest?”

“It's part of the healing process—or so he tells me. There's still some swelling, and the fact that I haven't been consistent in my therapy has kind of worked against me. He hasn't been here when this has happened.”

“Do you want me to call him? Ask him to come over right now so he can see what you're dealing with?” It was the first thing that came to her mind, but she wouldn't make the call unless Zach agreed. They had made great strides tonight in mending their relationship. She didn't want to do anything to ruin it right now.

“No,” he said quietly, opening his eyes and meeting Gabriella's gaze. “It's not so bad this time. But…would you…stay? Stay with me for a little while longer?”

“Of course.” Rising, Gabriella sat beside him on the sofa. “Can I get you something?”

In a surprising move, Zach took one of her hands in his and tugged her close. They were shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh. Gabriella sighed and rested her head on his shoulder and smiled when Zach rested his head close to hers.

It was a good feeling.

* * *

Zach was more than a little unnerved.

To the casual onlooker, this should be no big deal. He'd been in an accident, he was recovering and was still having some setbacks. The only problem was the fact that, for the better part of three months, he hadn't allowed anyone to simply sit with him while he rode the wave of pain and disappointment.

Until now.

As if knowing he simply needed the silence, Gabriella sat beside him, her soft, delicate hand in his, and let him be. It almost made him chuckle. He knew if she had her way, she'd be bustling around the house getting the heating pad, ice pack, and ibuprofen while propping him up on pillows and calling Alex at the same time. Zach took a minute to evaluate how he was feeling and found…he was feeling. The tingling and the twitching had simply gone away. Slowly, he tested his leg—bending it, stretching it—and found it felt…normal.

What the…?

Without conscious thought, he turned his head and placed a gentle kiss on top of Gabriella's head. “Thank you.”

She didn't move or do anything to disrupt their position. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” he replied. “It…it just sort of fixed itself.”

“Has it ever done that before?”

Zach shook his head. “Remember the first day you came here? It lasted hours.”

She chuckled. “I knew something was wrong. I wish you would have just told me. I know there isn't anything I can do about it, but I would have felt better just knowing what you were going through.” She paused. “Why didn't you?”

He gave a slight shrug. “This whole thing—the accident, the recovery—it's been…hard.”

“Well…yeah,” she said. “You fell off a mountain, Zach. What did you think it was going to be like?”

“It's not just the physical aspect of it.” Releasing her hand, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, careful to keep her head close to his. “The mental part has been brutal. It's amazing what happens when you're forced to spend so much time in your head. I spent so many weeks hardly being able to move and there was nothing to do but think. There were times when the pain was so bad it made me want to cry out, but it was my mind that was really doing a number on me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Every fear, every form of self-doubt I ever had seemed to plant itself firmly in the forefront of my mind. And I couldn't get around it. Whenever I made progress, there was a dark inner voice telling me how I'd probably never walk again or I'd never be a real man again.”

Holy crap. Was he really sitting here spilling his guts to her? Ethan, his father, his brothers…hell, even the doctors and therapists had been after him for months to open up, and he decided to let it all come tumbling out now? Not the most romantic follow-up to the kiss they'd shared. The old Zach would have maneuvered them so Gabriella was lying underneath him on the sofa, picking up where they'd left off at the door.

Clearly the new Zach needed to get in touch with his feelings first.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

“It's amazing what our subconscious can do to us,” she said quietly. “But you've come so far, Zach. You have to realize you've made great strides. I know it hasn't happened as fast as you'd probably like, but you're doing really well.”

“I thought I'd be back at work by now. I thought I'd be walking without using crutches,” he said. “I know I did a lot of things to hinder my recovery, but I'm over it now. I know what I want and it's not being stuck in this house cut off from the rest of the world. I want to get up and get out.”

“So what's stopping you?”

Zach raised his head and waited until Gabriella did the same and met his gaze. “Other than the obvious?”

“Zach, people with worse disabilities than yours leave their houses and go out into the world every day.” Her eyes lit up. “Let's go someplace!”

“Now?” he asked incredulously. “It's late. Where would we even go?”

She rolled her eyes. “How about tomorrow? I'll come by and pick you up and we'll go someplace.”

And just like that, Zach felt himself shut down.
What if you fall? What if your leg gives out? What if people take pity on you?
“I don't think so. But thanks.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You're doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

She stood and walked over to the front door. “You say you're in, that you're committed, but you're not. Not really. You're committed as long as things go according to your plan with no surprises. Well, news flash, things don't always go according to plan!”

“You think I don't know that?” he yelled, grabbing a crutch and standing. “Look at me! This is the result of things not going according to plan!”

“I get it,” she countered, calming down. “I really do. But you've talked all night about all this soul-searching and wanting to reengage in your life, but as soon as an opportunity presents itself, you're still choosing to sit out.”

He raked a hand through his hair. “It's not as easy as you think.”

Slowly, Gabriella walked over to him. “I'm sorry.” Reaching out, she placed a hand on his forearm. “I really am just trying to help.”

And he knew she was telling the truth. She wasn't pushing or trying to manipulate him. Gabriella was honestly and truly trying to help him do what he claimed he wanted to do. “Where would we even go?”

Taking a minute to think, she tapped one perfectly manicured finger against her lips and then it came to her. “We'll start small. And private. I know you're not going to want an audience around you—even if they're complete strangers.”

“You've got that right. So? What are you thinking?”

“We'll go out to eat.”

He looked at her like she was crazy. “Too many people.”

“Okay, how about we go to a movie?”

The idea actually didn't sound so bad to him. “It's a lot of sitting. I don't see where it's going to help.”

“It's not really about getting you to walk,” she began diplomatically. “It's about getting you out of the house and out into the world again.” Taking a step away, she walked around the room. “We won't go to the multiplex by the mall. We'll hit one of the smaller theaters on the outskirts of town. We'll grab lunch someplace small and then see a matinee. By the time the movie's over, I'm sure you'll be ready to come back home, and you'll have the rest of the night to relax and think about how it felt to be out and where you'd like to go next.”

“What if I like it and want to go out again on Sunday? Would you go with me?”

“Absolutely.” Her answer was immediate. It was a no-brainer.

Zach studied her. “What if…what if while we're out, something happens? What if something like what just happened here happens at the theater?”

“We'll be sitting in a dark theater with a very loud movie playing. No one will be paying any attention to you.”

“Not even you?” he asked quietly.

A small smile crossed Gabriella's face. “Only me. I'll be right there with you. If you want to leave, we'll leave. If you want to stay, we'll stay. If you're committed to doing this, Zach, then I'm committed to being there with you. What do you say?”