Chapter 1
Miranda sat at her desk staring at
the ring that had graced her finger for a little over a week. A solitaire
princess-cut diamond stood sheathed in prongs with rows of diamonds chips
rising to meet it on either side.
Zach had presented this ring to her
when he proposed at Emily’s wedding reception. At the time, she had willingly
accepted, but as she stared at the token, fear gripped its claws in her heart.
Her first marriage had ended only a
little over a year ago, and she still felt the sting of her ex-husband’s words.
Even more powerful was the sting of his fingers on her face when he had
kidnapped her and her daughter. Thankfully, she had escaped, but the wounds
were still open, and every so often, she felt herself picking at the emotional
scars.
She grabbed her coffee cup and
drank deeply, fending off the stinging in her eyes, willing her throat to not
to close. Refusing to head down the same old path, she glanced at the clock,
gathered her things, and rose to leave. She reached up and pulled the pencil
that had been holding her long auburn tresses off of her neck, and ran her
fingers through her hair.
As she passed through her office,
she noticed that all of her employees had already left for the day. Emily’s
desk sat empty waiting for her to return from her two week honeymoon. If
Miranda had ever wondered about Emily’s position in the company, she didn’t
anymore. The entire office had been crazy without their secretary keeping
everyone in line.
As the elevator doors opened to
take her down, Miranda smiled to herself. It had been a long day, but she was
heading to pick up her daughter, Elizabeth, from the in-house daycare on the
first floor. Elizabeth
was her world, and even a moment away from her seemed like a year. In just a
moment, Elizabeth
would be in her arms, and the rest of the world would melt away.
Miranda tapped her foot anxiously
as the elevator slowly came to a stop. The doors slid open and she gasped.
Directly in front of her was a scene filled with love and devotion unlike
anything she had ever seen.
Zach sprawled on a decorative
wooden bench with his legs crossed. On his lap, Elizabeth sat facing him, chatting happily.
One of his arms was wrapped loosely around her, giving her freedom to move
while protecting her from a fall. His other arm draped across the back of the
bench making him look completely at ease.
The ring of the elevator caught their
attention, and they raised their eyes to meet Miranda’s. She caught her breath
again as she felt the warmth radiating from his eyes. Elizabeth’s face brightened as she struggled
to leap from Zach’s lap. He stood to steady Elizabeth on the floor as Miranda met them
both in a strong embrace.
His warm breath tickled her neck as
he whispered, “I missed you.”
She grasped his hand and sighed, “I
missed you too.”
“I thought we would grab something
to eat. Shall we eat out or pick up something to take home?”
Without hesitation, Miranda
answered, “I would so much rather be at home, if that is okay with you.”
“Anywhere you are is where I want
to be,” he squeezed her hand, reached down to pick up Elizabeth. They walked out into the brisk
October breeze.
Open cartons of Chinese food
littered the coffee table in front of the muted television set. Discarded
jackets sprawled over the backs of chairs, and kicked off shoes scattered the
floor.
Zach pulled Miranda's feet onto his
lap and began to massage them gently. She lay back on the couch and exhaled.
She still didn't feel comfortable
in this apartment. After she had been attacked by Geena and watched her die,
she had to move out of her old apartment. Although she stayed in the same
building, and the room had the same layout, she remained uncomfortable. When
her eyes were closed, images of Geena's lifeless body flashed through her mind.
"You are sighing. What's going
on in that beautiful brain of yours?" Zachary asked as he continued to
knead her aching feet.
She frowned, annoyed that he could
read her expressions so easily. "I was thinking about Geena."
Zachary nodded slowly, "I know
that the situation still bothers you." He paused for a moment, unsure of
whether to broach the subject of her living arrangement again. "I know
we've talked about this before, but I think you need to get out of this
apartment."
"There's no reason to move
again. It didn't happen here, and I'm no longer in danger."
Zachary searched her eyes for a
moment before continuing. "Miranda, the police haven't caught Corbin,
yet."
Leaning her head against the arm of
the couch, she covered her eyes with her arm. "I know that, but I'm
convinced he only wanted the money. He kidnapped us and delivered us to Ethan.
Ethan paid him. Corbin disappeared. That's the end of that."
Zach eased out from under her feet
and placed them on the couch before crawling to her head. "I'm more
concerned about Ethan. We thought he was dead. With the amount of loratab that
you put in his beer, he should have been dead."
"I know he should have died,
but he didn't. Now he is in prison and that's where he is going to be for quite
a while," her voice quavered as she reiterated the facts as she did almost
every day.
He reached up and pulled her arm
away from her eyes. Running his fingers through hair, he tried to help her
relax. She could feel the tension slowly leave her shoulders and her neck,
replaced by the tingles than ran through her body with his touch.
"I want you to move in with
me."
She groaned and turned away from
him, "You know I'm not ready for that."
"Miranda, we are going to be
married. I know that you are afraid to stay here by yourself. I have plenty of
room at my house. We can stay there or we can buy something else."
Her face remained turned to the
back of the couch as she refused to answer him.
"Look at me." His voice
was strong and firm, irresistible. Slowly she turned to face him, but adamantly
refused to speak. "I have worried about you every night."
There was no response that would
make sense. Sleep had been difficult over the last six months as she tossed and
tumbled, filled with dread, unable to avoid the nightmares that haunted her
every night.
"I have a room already set up
for Elizabeth.
I left the decorating for you, but I stocked the room with everything she might
need." He took a deep breath before he continued, "I also set up a
room for you because I know how you feel about sleeping with me."
She sat up straight on the couch to
face him. Her heart began to race. She could feel the flush of her cheeks as
anger pulsed through her veins. "You did what?" Heaving with emotion,
she continued, "What in the world made you think that was a good idea? Did
I give any indication that I wanted you to do that?"
Zachary squeezed his eyes shut and
took a deep breath, "I want you near me. If I can't have you in my arms
each night, at least you can be near me in the next room. It's the only way I
can keep you safe! Ethan won't be in jail forever, and Corbin is still out
there somewhere."
Miranda rubbed her fists against
her eyes, frustrated by her mixed emotions. Thoughts whirled through her mind. I am so mad that he made this decision
without consulting me, and yet his protectiveness is endearing. I know that I
would sleep better with him being near. I haven't slept in months. Still, am I
really ready to take this step?
"I just don't know, Zach. I
don't want to talk about this anymore tonight."
Resigned to waiting, he sat back on
his heels and took her hand, "I've told you before that I will wait as long
as it takes." He raised her hand to meet his lips, "I just ask that
you make a decision before it's too late." He kissed her palm and wrist
before making his way up her arm. "Just the hope of being near you makes
it worth the wait," He softly grazed her lips, "but your safety is
most important to me. I am dreaming of the moment I can call you mine, and I
can take care of you every moment of every day."
****
No matter which way she looked,
construction signs surrounded her. She didn't know the destination. She only
knew that she had to complete her mission. She continued to climb through road
blocks, over dirt piles, and around piles of discarded rail. Rocks dug into her
knees, and blood streaked her jeans as she wiped away the shards of glass that
pierced her hands. As she looked down, she realized that the piles of dirt had
turned to decaying bodies. She wretched violently as the stench filled her
nostrils.
A blood curdling shriek woke her
from her nightmare. Jumping from her bed, she flew to Elizabeth's room and flipped on the light. Elizabeth stood in her
crib, screaming wildly with white knuckles clenching the rail. Her red face
shimmered from tears streaking down her cheeks. Sweat matted her thin hair to
her head.
Miranda swept her from the crib and
sat down in the rocking chair. She placed the baby in her lap and cuddled her
head to her chest. As she rocked and hummed, the baby calmed down, but her own
heart continued to race wildly. Her hands trembled as she stroked the child's
back, feeling her relax in her arms and return to sleep.
Miranda considered calling Zach to
ask if he would come get them. She knew he would be there in a heartbeat, but
what would that mean? Would he expect her to stay with him forever? Would she
want to stay with him?
Guilt ripped through her body as
she realized that her fear of Zach was just as real as her fear of the
nightmares. She had agreed to be his wife, but she had never said she loved
him. She had not truly come to terms with everything that marriage entails.
As she looked down at her daughter,
she realized that she was becoming the woman that she never wanted to be. She
never wanted to live in fear. Deep down, strength flowed through her, but she
needed to find it again. Elizabeth deserves a strong mother. Zach deserves a
wife that comes willingly, because she loves him, not because she is scared of
being alone.
