Done Being Friends (21 page)

Zac held her hand and pulled her back, putting himself between Faith and the couch where Miller was sitting.
 

“Don’t worry about it dear, I let him in. I can handle it.”

Faith took in a deep breath and looked at her father. Of course her father would be upset about her letting a senior employee go. She sighed, ready to receive the chiding from her father. Miller must have sensed the same thing as a look of triumphant came over his face.

“Wilson was just telling me about what happened in the meeting, the little disagreement,” her father said with a small smile on his face.
 

A snort came from Miller and Faith felt Zac’s hand tighten around hers.
 

“And Wilson, although I let you in, I’m sorry if you think that I will be on your side.”
 

Faith broke into a smile, and she could feel Zac relax his hand a little.
 

“What? Mr. Preston —”
 

Jonathan Preston raised his hand to stop Miller from speaking. “You were a treasured employee of our company. But now, Faith is in charge. And with the attitude that you are showing, even right now before my face, I can see this change in authority will not be suitable for you. Faith is right in letting you go.”

Wilson Miller jumped out from his seat and barked, “Are you going senile?” He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything else, Zac had grabbed the man and was dragging him out of the door.
 

“Leave, or we’re calling the police,” Zac ordered.

Again, Miller raised his fist, but he was way too slow. Zac had swung his arm and his fist landed right on the cheek of Miller’s face, slamming him to the ground. “If you ever try to hurt Faith again, you will be receiving more than a punch. Get lost!”

Zac stepped back and slammed the door close. Faith wrapped one of her hands around Zac’s while she stroked the length of his arm gently, trying to ease the tension as they strolled back to where her father was sitting.

“Thank you Zac,” Jonathan Preston said. “And what is about him hurting Faith?”

Faith related the whole incident at the meeting to her father. “Remind me to give Chelsea a huge bonus during Christmas!” her father announced in his booming voice as he beamed a smile at them.

After chatting for awhile, Faith’s father looked at their intertwined hands. When Zac and Faith noticed him staring, they just smiled.
 

“Zac, as much as I like you, my daughter is my everything. If you hurt her...”

“I won’t.” Zac squeezed Faith’s hand. “I will never hurt her. I love her.”
 

Faith’s father smiled. “Yes, well, still had to say it.”

“Darling, ready for your walk?” Faith’s mother asked as she walked in. “My dear! Why didn’t anyone inform me that you were here?”
 

Her mother gave both Faith and Zac a quick hug. Once Mrs. Preston released Zac from her hug, he wrapped his hand around Faith’s waist and pulled her close. Noticing the way they were behaving, she winked at Faith and smiled at Zac. “All right, I’m taking your dad out for a walk. Doctor Leran says that he should get some light exercise. Go entertain your grandmother in the garden. She will love to see both of you.”

Zac held Faith’s hand tightly. He was determined to let the whole family know about them, but he could feel a little tension from Faith as they walked toward the garden at the back of the house. “Faith, is everything all right?”
 

“Zac, my grandmother has been harping on finding someone to marry for the longest time. She will probably go on and on about it later.” She stopped and glance at Zac. “Just giving you a heads up. Don’t worry about it, you can just laugh it off.”

Zac bent down to kiss her forehead. “Don’t worry love, I promise I won’t go running out of the door.”

Faith scowled at him before continuing the walk into the garden where she found her grandmother reading a book and sipping tea. “Hi grandma!”
 

“Oh, my dearest granddaughter and Zac!” Her grandmother got up and hugged them both before giving instructions for tea to be brought and settling back down into her chair.
 

“Have you kids had your lunch?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t dare to starve your princess,” Zac chimed.
 

Faith’s grandmother chuckled. “Came to visit your father?”

“Yes,” Faith answered.

“And to inform you of something vital,” Zac added.

“Oh?” Faith’s grandmother raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
 

Faith giggled at the curiosity in her grandmother’s voice.

“We’re here to inform you that the hunt for Faith’s husband is over. You will stop trying to set her up with new guys. Otherwise, I will get insanely jealous.” Zac smiled proudly at her grandmother.

“Finally! I was starting to wonder if it would ever happen! So when is the happy date?” her grandmother asked as her face lit up like a Christmas tree.
 

“Grandma, you got it wrong. We just —”

“When she agrees.” Zac looked at Faith and had the pleasure of seeing her mouth fall open.

“Close your mouth darling, it’s rude,” her grandmother chided Faith as she kept silent.
 

“Zac...”

“Well, looks like you guys have some things to talk through and I’m not senile, so I’m going to make myself scarce.” Faith’s grandmother got up from her chair, and looked at Zac. “I’m on your side!”

When Zac was sure that her grandmother was out of earshot, he turned back to Faith. “I’m serious Faith. I’m serious about us, and I’m serious about wanting to be with you forever.”

Faith sighed. “But Zac, we just got together. How do you know that six months from now, you will not be sick and tired of me?”

Zac rolled his eyes. “My angel, you seem to be under this ridiculous notion that I will get sick of you in no time. I have known you since we were children. I know everything about you and throughout the years, I have always been here for you, and I have always loved you. If I have not stopped loving you for this long, what makes you think that I’m going to stop loving you in six months’ time? I’m not sick of you; I love everything about you.”

Faith kept quiet, but Zac could still see the uncertainty in her eyes. It was frustrating Zac that she didn’t seem to understand or believe how much he loved her.
 

“I know you think I have been with every woman that came on to me, and I know that my family does not have the best love history, but —”

Faith cut in at that point, “Zac, you are not your dad. I never thought that about you.”

Zac smiled. “All right, since you are convinced that six months from now I will want nothing to do with you, then let’s do this. Six months from now, if I’m still here and telling you that I’m crazy in love with you, will you marry me?”

“Six months?”

“Is that too long for you? Cos’ I know it is for me.” Zac flashed her a brilliant smile, coaxing Faith into a smile too.
 

“Six months.” This time, it was a statement rather than a question.

“Yes. Six very long months. Then happily ever after.” Zac looked at Faith, trying to see her reaction.

She looked down, but he caught the smile on her lips. Yes, she would be happy, she just needed some convincing.

“So,
fiancée
, shall we go now?”

Faith chuckled. “Zac, I said I will agree to marry you in six months, if you are still here.”

“I will be.”

“Point is, I won’t be your fiancé till then.”

“But I will be here, so I might as well get use to it.” Zac flashed a broad child-like smile at Faith. Faith just shook her head and laughed.

When they were leaving, Faith’s grandmother shouted from the second floor. “Did she say yes?”

“She will!” Zac shouted back.

“Why does it seem as if the whole world is on your side?” Faith complained softly; she didn’t want her grandmother hearing such a statement.

“Because my love, the whole world can see that we are meant to be together except for you,” he playfully ruffled her hair and pulled her beside him. “Angel, can we drop by my house first? There is a load of clothes that I need Margaret to wash, and I need to pick up some more clothes.”

“Why didn’t you just give it to George?” Faith continued without giving Zac a chance to answer her question, “Zac, if it is troubling you, you can stay stop staying at my house.”

“I love being near you, just in case you need anything.” Zac smiled before continuing, “Just a few more days, when I’m sure that your father is getting better and when you don’t need help with your office work.”

Faith didn’t argue; she liked having Zac around too.

Chapter Twelve

“Hi Margaret,” Faith chimed when Margaret opened the door.
 

“Hi Margaret, have you met my fiancée?”
 

Faith smiled indulgently. The idea of being Zac’s fiancée was sinking in, and it was warming up to her.
 

“Really? When did that happen?” Margaret’s eyes lit up with pleasure. “Will you guys be staying here or at your place after your marriage?”

“Six months from now,” Faith answered, before Zac came up with some silly answers.
 

“The wedding is in six months time? Have you started planning yet?”
 

Both Faith and Zac laughed. Zac filled Margaret in on the situation as he passed her the duffle bag of dirty clothes before trotting upstairs to fetch some fresh clothes.

“Miss Preston, I know you haven’t agreed yet, but I just want to tell you how happy I am that you two are finally getting together. I’m sure that Mr. Hayden had been in love with you since he was a young boy. He used to wear the biggest smile whenever he was going to meet you. And now, he can’t seem to get that goofy smile off his face,” Margaret said as she set down the glass of water before her. Then smiling warmly, she disappeared back into the kitchen.

Faith smiled; her own heart swelled with joy.
 
This whole fiancé thing was really growing on her, and somewhere in the corner of her heart, she was beginning to regret the six-month deal she had made with him.
 

Upstairs, as Zac packed his clothes, he was already thinking of ways to cheat on the six-month deal he had made with Faith. He was sure that she was more acceptable about being his fiancée from the reaction that she had given to Margaret. Perhaps there would be no need to wait for six whole months. He could simply find a better timing and propose to her seriously.
 

When they got back to her house, Zac again announced the to-be-engagement to everyone in her house. George had laughed in disbelief when he heard about the whole story, but still, everyone said their congratulations and went back to their work.

“I just realized that of all the things we talked about, you have never told me what your dream wedding was,” Zac stated as they settled before the television.

Faith knew what Zac was trying to do, so she ignored him and focused on scanning each channel to check out what was being aired.

Not deterred, Zac pressed on. “I would suppose you want a small wedding. Then it would be preferable if we have it somewhere further away, so we can use that as an excuse to invite only our close friends and family.”

Though she continued to ignore him, Zac could see the smile she was unconsciously displaying. “Hmmm…How about your wedding dress? I heard there’s this really popular wedding dress tailor. You want her? Since she’s so popular, maybe we should think about making an appointment now.”

“I know what you’re doing. It’s not going to work.”

“I think you’ll like a simple dress, but it doesn’t really matter to me. You look great no matter what you wear.”

“Really? I was thinking bright pink, something puffy and...”

“So, you
were
thinking about it.”

She scowled at him. “You’re irritating.”

“I love you too.”

The next day, Zac drove her to the office like what he had been doing the past week. What they didn’t expect was the horde of reporters crowding the entrance.

“Why are they here?” Faith spat out the question.
 

“I don’t know love, but just be careful and stay close to me.”

As they got out of their car, Zac tucked Faith safely in his arm, and they made their way to the office building.
 

“Mr. Hayden, are you dating Miss Preston?”

“Miss Preston, is it true that you are together with your childhood sweetheart?”

A variation of the questions fell, and Faith just shut them out. How did the gossip magazine get wind of their relationship so quickly? Once in the lift, Faith couldn’t contain her curiosity. “How did they find out?”

“Maybe they’re just guessing, they have been speculating for the whole week.”

That was true. Over the past week, they had appeared in a couple of magazines and papers over rumors of them getting together.

“But they haven’t turned up like this for some time.”

“Don’t worry love, there will be another story soon, and they will be out of here before you know it.” Then he leaned in and kissed Faith. His kiss was hot and passionate, his tongue exploring hers as his hands pulled her close, kneading her neck. The kiss continued with neither of them stepping back until the lift door was about to open.
 

“I think the security room can see us in here,” Faith said as she used her fingers to clean the edge of her lips, she didn’t wear lip stick but she did have a layer of her lip balm on.

Zac laughed. “Let them.” Zac winked at her and gave her another quick peck on her lips as the door opened.

“Drive safe,” she said softly as she stepped out.
 

“Jessica?” Faith stopped right at the entrance of her office. “Is something wrong? No. Of course something is wrong. I should be asking what is wrong.”

Jessica sighed.
Bad sign, usually she would at least try to laugh at my stupid comments.

Picking up a remote control on the desk, she switched on the 50-inch plasma TV that hung on the wall.