Missing You Again

Did Someone Say Engagement Party?

Cathy swore it wasn't an engagement party.

"Y'all I just want to make it clear this is not an engagement party," she reiterated as she and Steph stepped out on to the patio. I waggled my hands, all my fingers and both my thumbs extended, behind my back in Zacky's direction. I heard a choke of laughter from behind me as he got the message. Ten times, Cathy had told us ten times that it wasn't an engagement party.

Cathy and Steph dumped a massive board covered with dips, salami, crudites, grapes, crackers and cheeses into the middle of the dining table on her patio. I looked longingly at the cheese and glared at Zacky as he stepped forward and hacked off a chunk of brie.

"Jesus Cathy, if it's not an engagement party what the hell is it? You told me that you were having us all over to celebrate me locking Ace here down," Brian bitched as he slapped Johnny's hand away from the blue cheese. "Go find your own fucking cheese Johnny."

"We are but..." Cathy began.

"It's not an engagement party!" Matt, Jeff and Brooks chorused from where they were carefully inspecting the grill plate. Cathy lobbed a handful of ice at them. It landed in the coals with a hiss and a burst of steam.

"The coals seem good and hot," Brooks said approvingly.

"Okay, I'll bite and ask the question everyone is thinking," I said reaching for a slice of orange, thank god there was something I could eat, before I continued, "Why, if we're celebrating Steph and Brian's engagement is this not an engagement party?"

There was a general hum of approval at my question even though Cathy looked at me like I'd shed a few brain cells. She didn't even know I was pregnant so she couldn't be thinking I had baby brain. "It's not an engagement party because Steph's parents aren't here, Brian's parents aren't here, my parents aren't here and if you think that I'm going to incur the wrath of our families by holding an engagement party without them you are sorely mistaken!"

I felt a warm body press up against my back and I knew exactly who it was before he spoke. "Pretty sure Gates is stoked that Papa Gates isn't here taking all the attention away from him," Zacky murmured in my ear. I turned my head and smiled into his grinning face. I felt a little rush of pleasure at our connection. Zacky had always made me feel like I wanted to preen when he gave me his attention. Not because it was hard to get, it wasn't he was a friendly guy, but because it always felt like more. It always felt like he got me and I got him and even when we'd been keeping our distance and pretending that we didn't know each other well we'd had an invisible line of connection between us.

It was a week since Zacky had committed B and E on my house, although he swore it was only the E because Sean had given him a key, and we'd seen each other most days. Not that it was difficult for him to be there almost every time I turned around. When Sean and Wes had left for England they'd found themselves a house sitter. Zacky had moved in next door and although I'd been equally excited and terrified by the prospect he hadn't made a move on me the way he had the day I almost threw up on him. I wasn't sure if it was because he regretted what had almost happened or if he was wary of my out of control bodily functions. I hoped it was the second even though sensibly I should have hoped for the first. Although negotiations for his divorce were moving along apace he was still married and should have been out of bounds to me. The Spawn in my womb said that kind of thinking was akin to shutting the barn door after the horse had bolted.

It didn't seem to matter much what I thought though because every time I saw him Zacky lost no opportunity to touch me no matter how casually. Like the way he was currently standing just behind and to the side of me with his dominant left hand resting on my hip as we watched Brian and Steph debate with Cathy over the semantics of her 'it's not an engagement party' stance. Matt, Jeff and Brooks were very sensibly keeping their focus on the delicate task of spreading the meat out over the coals.