Rachel's P.O.V.
"You really should be nicer to him." I whispered to my husband as we watched Zach fight Cammie for her bag.
"He knocked her up." He stated bluntly.
"And he's taking the responsibility and trying to do right by her." I defended,
"Rachel, he's just a kid. She's stuck with the baby, he can leave and he will once the going gets tough."
"I don't think he will, Matt." I watched Zach finally succeed in prying my daughter's suitcase from her hands. He lifted the bag up into the helicopter where the pilot took it into the back before turning back to Cammie.
"I could have done that." I heard her complain, her hands on her hips.
"I know." Zach stepped towards her.
"You should've let me do it." His hands went to her hips, pulling her in closer.
"No, I shouldn't have Gallagher Girl." He kissed her forehead and pulled her in closer, enveloping her in his arms. I could see him whisper something against her temple, but I couldn't tell what.
"I truly think he loves her, Matt."
"And I truly think he's a teenage boy who only wants one thing."
"Well he already got that, so what's keeping him around now?" I glanced at my husband out of the corner of my eye. I could see he was toying with the idea in his head while Zach spun Cammie around in place, the two of them laughing happily.
"I'm still not convinced."
Cammie's P.O.V.
"Zach?" I giggled as he twirled me in a fashion that Madame Dabney would be proud of.
"Yes Gallagher Girl?" He pulled me against his chest, keeping one of my hands in his and another on my lower back. I rested my head against his hard chest.
"My parents are watching us." I whispered.
"Oh, are they?" He nuzzled his nose against my neck, "Should that matter?"
"Nope." I smiled, turning to face him, "I could get used to this, just you and me in some safe house somewhere."
"You're going to have to, Gallagher Girl, because I'm here to stay." He kissed me lightly on the lips, "If you'll have me, at least." I pecked him on the lips lightly.
"I guess I could live with that..." He twirled me in yet another circle.
"Time to leave kiddos." Zach's mom called, emerging from the helicopter.
I broke away from Zach, earning a pout from him. I walked to my mom first and wrapped her in a hug.
"Be safe sweetheart." She kissed above my ear, "I love you, baby."
"I love you too, Mom." I moved on to my dad, "Bye daddy."
"Be careful." He kissed my forehead before releasing me.
I walked over to the helicopter. "Ready Gallagher Girl?" Zach smiled at me.
"Ready." He helped me into the helicopter before following me in, "Do you know where we're going?" I asked him.
He smiled that I-know-something-you-don't smile, "Don't you?"
Zach's P.O.V.
"Take care of her. Don't give Morgan more reasons to hate you." My mother had whispered in my ear, "I figured you'd need this eventually." She had slipped something in my pocket, "Go, Cammie is waiting."
My mothers words echoed in my ears as I stared at the delicate ring I was turning in my hand. Cammie was asleep, curled up against me in our seats. I looked from the ring to her. I knew I wanted her to wear it, I loved Cammie, but I didn't know how to ask. After all, I might be fluent in fourteen different languages, but there was no class on this.
Cammie's P.O.V.
I didn't want to wake up, but I knew I'd have to. I felt the morning sun streaming through a window and falling on me. I felt the warm arms around me, holding me tight against Zach. I turned around to face him, smiling at the sleeping boy beside me. I slid my hand up his bare chest and rested it on his cheek. I could feel a hint of stubble running down his cheek and around his chin.
Stretching up, I planted a series of kisses along the path my hand took. I kissed his chin before his lips, lingering there longer. I felt his eyelashes flicker upward against my closed lids. His hands came to rest on my hips, he pressed against me pushing me onto my back. He followed me, pressing his body on top of me.
"I'm actually pretty happy they found out." I spoke into the kisses.
"And why is that Gallagher Girl?"
I managed to flip us over, leaving me on top, "If we were still at school, I wouldn't get to wake up next to you."
"Too bad we're out here in the middle of no where." Zach smiled "With no one around."
"Where are we anyway?" I pulled back for breath and Zach moved down to my neck, "You know, you kinda already left your mark, there's no need to leave another." I spoke when I felt him biting down on my lower neck.
"Come on Gallagher Girl," He muttered against my neck, still demonstrating his affections, " We are alone, on an island."
"We have our own island?"
"Basically. It's one of those tourist traps. Since it's back to school time, no one's really here except for a few year rounders." His mouth left my collarbone, "So we have the beach," He kissed the top of my shoulder, "And a golf course," He kissed the hollow of my neck, "A pool," The underside of my jaw, "Country clubs," Just below my ear, "An in-house wet bar," My temple, "You." My forehead, "Me." My nose, "And a bunch of retirees," My chin with a smile, "With an island all to ourselves." He let his lips hover over mine, "And five months." He let his lips meet mine again.
"You really can't do this to me, Zach." I could feel my heart pumping a mile a minute.
"But it's so much fun Gallagher Girl." He flipped us over and smirked up at me, "But if you insist."
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. I curled myself into a ball on his chest. Right now, life was pretty close to perfect. I had Zach, I had our baby and we had a world to ourselves. I smiled into his chest, planting a light kiss on his hard pec, "What was that for?" I saw him watching me.
"This is just perfect." I smiled up at him and went on to voice my previous thoughts.
"I'm glad you like it." Zach smiled at me, "My mom arranged for it. It's her house."
"So this is where Mama Goode used to live?" I looked around the room. It was a bedroom you would expect to see in a beach cottage. Bluish walls, a grey carpet, with wicker furniture. There were pictures of beach scenes and trinkets from the beach, sand dollars, star fish molds, little dolphin figurines, "It's awfully quaint."
"And we all know how Mama Goode likes her quaintness." Zach chuckled. And he was right. Maybe it was because she had been under cover, surrounded by evil, for so long, everything needs to look bright, cheery and straight out of a Martha Stewart catalog.
"So what's on the agenda for today?" I sat up on his chest.
"Well, I figured I could give you a tour of the island and then the beach?" He smiled up at me, "After all, soon, you won't fit into your bikinis."
Bex's P.O.V.
"Headmistress!" I yelled running down the Hall of History, Macey and Liz hot on my heels. "Headmistress!"
"Yes Bex?" Ms. Morgan opened the door to her office.
We halted right in front of her, "Cammie! She's gone!"
"Yes she and Zach left last night," She nodded, "They will be back in a few months."
"Where did they go?" Macey asked.
"Classified." The woman answered.
Cammie's P.O.V.
"You know, you never did show me the rest of the house." I spoke as Zach parked the golf cart, the equivalent of cars on the island, in front of the house.
"Then let's go."
The house was big, far bigger than what we needed, but it was beautiful all the same. After traipsing through the five bedroom, six bathroom house for over two hours (we might have gotten a bit distracted a couple times), we ended up in the porch swing on the upper floor facing the ocean. I was lying with my legs on the swinging bench, my head resting on Zach's thigh. My shirt was pulled up, exposing my stomach. Zach had his hand on my bare skin, his fingers splayed out, his thumb against my bunched up shirt and his pinky just inside my jean shorts.
"Our baby is in there." I whispered to Zach.
"Yes he is." Zach smiled down at me, "And in a few months he'll be out here with us."
"You're excited, aren't you?" I looked up at Zach to see his smile grow.
"Cammie, I love you and this baby more than anyone or anything else in the world. So of course I'm excited."
"What happened to the cocky Zachary Goode I remember from that exchange?" I sat up so my face was level with his neck.
"He's still here, don't you worry, Gallagher Girl." He smirked into the kiss he pressed against my lips, "Fatherhood changes your outlook on life."
"I'm going to be a mom." I whispered, "I never really put that together." Zach was quiet. "Zach? What if I'm no good at it? What if he doesn't like me? What if-"
Zach pressed his lips to mine, silencing me. He began to pull away after a few seconds, but I wouldn't have it. I leaned up even farther, pulling myself onto his lap, straddling him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in close, mashing my chest against his. Zach's hands were cupping my face, as if he thought he needed to hold me in place. Eventually, ten minutes later, we finished our make-out escapade, but we stayed close. Our foreheads were touching; he kept his hands where they were, his thumbs slowly stroking my cheeks. I pulled my hands back from where they were tangled in his hair, laying them over his hands.
"This baby will love you, Cam, and you will be a wonderful mother. I will be with you every step of the way." He turned his hand, capturing mine, holding them between his. He brought my hands to his lips and placed a series of light kisses on my knuckles. He let go of my hands, setting them on his shoulders. He snaked his hands around me and pulled me closer by slipping his thumbs into my back pockets, "Can you believe in a few weeks I won't be able to hold you this close anymore?"
I laughed, "The little guy will be in the way." I slid one arm around his neck and rested my head on his chest, "I love you."
"I love you too."
Sleep, it seems like that's all I ever do anymore. Nine times out of ten I end up asleep on top of Zach in one position or another. He says he doesn't mind me pining him down for hours at a time, but I always feel guilty about it.
After waking up from my three hour nap, I decided to leave Zach to his homework while I took a shower. I entered the master bath and started the shower. I pulled off my shirt and unbuttoned my shorts, letting them fall to the ground. I stood perpendicular to the mirror, admiring the small baby bump that was slowly but surely replacing my flat stomach. I turned and angled myself different ways, watching as the mirror fogged up.
I stripped off my bra and panties and stepped into the shower. It took me eighteen minutes to finish my shower. I pulled a towel around my dripping body. I found it when I was ensuring my pockets were empty before throwing them into the washing machine. It was a good thing I checked too, because I didn't think I'd be able to live with myself if I had let it go through the wash.
I didn't get dressed; I just walked out of the bedroom. I found Zach in the living room, reclined on the couch. He was supposedly doing homework, but instead he was cheering on some football team. He must have heard my bare feet padding across the hardwood floor, because he looked up at me.
"You found it?" He asked, that smirk on his face. I nodded, "And..."
"Yes." He smiled and stood, crossing the length of the room in four steps and pulled him into a kiss. When we broke apart, he took the ring he had dropped into my pocket and slipped it onto my finger, "Cameron Goode." I mused, "Has a nice ring to it." I took the little peice of evapo-paper and slipped it between my lips, feeling it dissolve on my tongue.
The little note attached to the ring might be gone, but I the message was simple enough to commit to memory: "Marry me? -Z." Just like the note he had slipped me back during the exchange.
Zach Goode was a lot of things, and now he was my fiancée.