40 - Super powers

Zach had forgotten Jane was a distant relative to the Sumners. Still, she wasn't so close it warranted a trip to attend the wedding. She stood with her parents, so perhaps she combined it with a visit to see her family. When she smiled at him, he felt nothing. Not longing, not nostalgia, not the hurt. It was all gone. He didn't even know why he found her attractive. Compared to Lilli, she was plain. He smiled, plain Jane.

She waved at him and walked right over. "Hi Zach. You look fantastic."

She wasn't afraid of him. She never was at a loss for words or blushed when he was near, not even when they first started dating. He didn't remember her knocking over things or spilling her coffee. She was the bold one and he remembered being attracted to her boldness. At thirty, he liked a girl who liked him enough to be nervous. It worked for Oliver, who was happily married.

He wanted to turn away, but didn't want to be rude. "Jane. Enjoy the wedding. You might want to get a seat."

She furrowed her brow. If she expected him to fall at her feet, she was sorely mistaken. He was in love with another pair of feet. He looked around. Thank God he hadn't said that out loud. Zach was certain it was true. He was also certain, if Lilli knew she might run so far, he would never find her. Although he knew his way to Maine. She was as skittish as a stray kitten.

Finding safety in numbers, he joined the others. Oliver smiled at him and said, "Your girl is a knockout."

He wanted to glare at him, but he was a happily married man. "Did anyone think to warn me?" Zach pointed his head in Jane's direction. His friend should have told him they invited his ex.

JJ stood next to his brother. He put his hands up. "Talk to my mother. I gave a list of the names I wanted and she created the rest of the guest list. You know, these things are as much about business and connections as friends and family." Not my wedding. "I was just as surprised to see her. What did she say to you?"

"Nothing." Nothing he cared about.

The ceremony was nice. As he did his part by standing next to the other men, he kept looking at Lilli. He tried to ignore Jane two rows behind her. Zach was relieved when he took the arm of Violet's pregnant cousin. He hoped his job was done, but suspected he may be required to dance with her. He only wanted to dance with Lilli.

The wedding party reached the room with the cocktails before the guests who were filing out. The bride and groom had gone off to the greens for more photographs. He found Ainsley and stood next to her, as he scanned the crowd for Lilli and his brother. Instead, Jane walked right toward him.

Smiling, she said, "That was nice. Wasn't it, Zach?"

He turned to Ainsley. "This is an old friend. Jane, this is Ainsley, Violet's sister and my girlfriend's best friend."

Jane's back stiffened at the word girlfriend. Zach liked Ainsley more and more by the minute.

"Nice to meet you, Jan. Zach, let's go find Lill." She grabbed Zach's arm and pulled, then she hissed. "That woman is going to scare Lilli away. Did you warn her?"

"I didn't know she'd be here. I haven't seen her since before Lilli started working for Ann."

Max and Olivia flanked Lilli. He took Lilli's hand and leaned over to greet Olivia. As he kissed her cheek, he whispered, "Jane."

Olivia smiled and rubbed her hands together. "Come on, Max, you can help me have some fun."

Zach pulled Lilli back into the room where the ceremony had been held. They had to stand off to the side, because the large staff was setting up tables and moving the chairs. He leaned in and kissed her. It was a different kiss - soft and sensual. She sighed and smiled. She murmured. "Five."

He didn't ask. "Do you trust me?"

She looked at him and nodded, but her face showed uncertainty. "Why?"

He sighed. "I didn't know, but my ex is here." Her face instantly drooped, as if defeated. "Lill, look at me. I don't care about her. She wasn't right for me and did me a favor by moving away. You are right for me." He took her hand and placed it on his chest. "I feel it here." She gasped. "You can run away, but I will always find you. You're Jillian to my Jack."

She gasped again. "What? Why?"

He smiled. "Lill, I know. I also know how hard it would be for you to tell me. I get it. It took me a while to figure it out, but the clues were all there. The scar was the biggest. I should have known the minute you asked about mine."

"You don't hate me for lying to you."

He shook his head. "No wonder you were so jumpy. I'm lucky you didn't quit. I kept pushing and oh Lord, are you going to make me watch Twilight?"

She laughed. "I don't even like it that much anymore. I was just my way of dealing with Kendall's rejection. You are the only reason I wrote a book worth reading. That last one, I hated the whole time. I was never passionate about it."

"Lill, I know you will think I'm crazy, but the truth is I am... I'm crazy for you."

"Zach." She shook her head.

"Sweetheart, look at me. I don't need time to be sure. We've had two years and I know I love you. I am in love with you."

Zach's powerful arms caught her. He hadn't thought it would happen, but she fainted in his arms. He pulled a chair closer and sat her down, shoving her head between her legs. Max appeared.

"I wondered what happened to you two. What's happened to Lilli?"

"She fainted."

Max rushed over and grabbed her wrist. "What happened? Does she have a medical condition?"

Zach laughed. His brother's concern was admirable, but it was one more Lilli story. He shook his head. "I told her I loved her."

Max laughed. "Her pulse is a fine. I think she's with us."

Zach lifted Lilli's head. She looked alert. His guess was she came to when her head went between her knees and was hiding.

"Zachary Steele, are you trying to kill me again?"

Max said, "Again?"

Zach said, "The other time was Nancy and not me, but I am not trying to kill you. I plan to have you around until we're both old and gray and too blind to read and too old to..."

Max laughed. "She gets the picture. Lilli, you might as well tell him, because it is written all over your face."

"What?" She looked at Max.

"Tell my little brother you love him, too."

"Little? He's taller than you. Go away, Max."

After his brother walked away, chuckling. Zach asked, "Are you okay?"

"I think so. Did you mean it?"

Zach nodded. "I think I loved you from the moment I saw you. Ann called it a schoolboy crush."

"I did too. I turned around, and you were there. Your brother may be the superhero, but you have super powers. You steal my voice and make me spill and other things that I can't tell you about."

Zach knew what she did to him, so he could only imagine. "We wasted a lot of time, but we made it this far. Let's go to a wedding. I can introduce the woman I love to the one I never did. He helped her stand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm better than okay. Zach, I love you."

"Thank, God."

He kissed her. It was full of love. There was time for passion later.

Zach held onto her as they walked towards the other guests. "I think we need champagne."

Ainsley ran to her. "Where were you? Are you okay? Why is she so pale?"

Zach said, "She's fine. She fainted."

Ainsley's voice was laced with concern. "What? Why?"

"He loves me." Lilli felt lightheaded. No man had ever loved her before. She felt like a dream. Maybe Daphne was right, and she was a princess in a storybook.

Ainsley's hand covered up her laughter. "He told you and you fainted. Only you, Lill."

"Ainse, he knows about Jack."

Ainsley's eyes got wider. "You told him?"

"No, he told me."

Ainsley nodded. "Good, now you both know."

Lilli narrowed her eyes. "You're not surprised."

Ainsley took a deep breath. "I kind of told him, but I also convinced him to go after you."

"What?" Lilli looked from Ainsley to Zach and back to her friend.

"He reached out to you on Tumblr. Instead of convincing Ree to sign with him. He told Ree about his assistant, who he was in love with. You two both needed a push. Don't hate me."

Lilli's jaw dropped. "So all that time you were texting with Zach?"

"Yup, about you, but he didn't realize I wasn't Ree and knew you. Please don't hate me!"

Zach said, "Don't run away. I didn't know until Wednesday night."

"Lill, I have to say he was pretty quick. I told him he knew the answers, but just had to look for them. Seriously, not long after, he called you. He's a keeper. I'm going to text Rhys and Terry. We need dinner tomorrow night to indoctrinate him into the family."

Zach smiled. "Who's cooking?"

"Lilli, she's the only one who can."

Zach smiled. "Another reason to love you." He pulled her tight, and she felt like a princess in a fairy tale.

She smiled. "We need a picture. I have to send it to my friend Lily."

Ainsley grabbed the phone out of Lilli's hand and said, "Smile, gorgeous couple."

She handed the phone back. Zach said, "I want to meet this other Lily and go to your beach."

"That can be arranged." He kissed her in front of all the people, including his ex-girlfriend and his parents and Kurt Dwyer. When he pulled away, she said, "Zach, I think you lost your super powers. Get me a glass to see if I spill or choke."

"I hope I still have the one you couldn't mention." She turned red. He laughed. "Maybe I still have them all."

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