Free Always You (A Magnolia Falls Novel) by Ruth Roberts Page B

Diana. I never should have married Hannah. She deserved someone with a whole heart to give to her.”
    “Zack. You are wrong. Hannah told me you made her deliriously happy. She said she never thought she would find a man like you, and she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life with you. She got her wish, even though her life was cut short. She spent that little bit of time happy and secure in the knowledge you loved her, and you would have been an amazing father to the child she carried.”
    Zack sucked in a breath. Every time he thought about losing Hannah and their unborn baby he felt his lungs constrict. He had lost his family in one night, at the hands of a drunk driver who would never understand the pain he caused because he died as well on the same night. Some would say it was justice. Zack would have preferred to see him rot in prison for the rest of his very long life.
    Jillian’s hand on his back pulled him out of his painful memories. “You deserve to be happy, too, Zack. So does Diana. Without one another, neither of you will ever be happy. Don’t deprive her or yourself of that happiness.”
    ***
    Later that night, Zack lay in bed thinking about his sister’s words. She was right, Diana was the only woman who could make him happy. He had known since he was a teenager. Now knowing he had managed to make Hannah feel loved helped a little, but the guilt still lingered. She would want him to find someone else and be happy. That was her nature. She wanted everyone to find happiness. Maybe, eventually, he could vanquish the guilt completely and finally step into the life he was meant to live, with Diana.
    ***
    The following morning Liz was gone by the time Diana got up, and she didn’t bother putting in an appearance the rest of the day. In a town this small it wouldn’t have been difficult to locate her, but Logan suggested she be left alone. She had to go home at some point.
    She spent Saturday morning getting him settled in since he would be staying in the house for the duration of the treatment. He went over the types of treatment plans he used on his clients and explained after he got to know Liz a little better, he would decide which plan would be best for her.
    Now it was evening. Zack and Cassidy would be there any minute to pick them up, and she felt as nervous as a teenager on her first date, which was silly because this was not a date. They were just taking the girls to the movie in the town square.
    “Did you find my ‘Shrek’ ® blanket?” Jessica asked.
    “Yes, it’s right here.” Diana gestured to the green, rolled-up blanket under her arm.
    Jessica nodded. “Good. I can’t watch ‘Shrek’ ® without my blanket,” she said and bounded down the stairs. She was halfway down when the doorbell rang. “They’re here!” she called back to Diana.
    “Do not open that door, young lady,” Diana said. She had discovered Jessica had the scary habit of opening the door when the doorbell rang, not bothering to see who it was.
    “But it’s Cassidy and her uncle,” Jessica said, crossing her little arms across her chest. She reminded Diana of the young Liz.
    “Have you checked to see if it’s them?”
    Jessica shook her head, setting her curls to bouncing.
    “Do not open the door if you haven’t checked to see who it is. Do you understand?”
    “Yes,” she replied quietly. Diana hugged her to take the sting out of her words. Then she opened the door. There stood Zack, looking sinfully handsome in a pair of jeans and a black polo shirt. Cassidy wore jeans and a t-shirt with Shrek and Fiona on it.
    “Hey, you two. We are all ready to go,” she said, ushering Jessica out the door.
    ***
    A soft floral and fruity scent tickled Zack’s nose and flooded his senses. The familiar smell rekindled memories he’d thought were buried. Desires and dreams he’d fought to vanquish were still there. It was a fight he had apparently lost.
    Diana represented everything he’d ever wanted in life,