Chapter Twenty: Engagement Party

When they pulled up, the Murtaughs were already there. Charlie, still playing the escort, got out and opened the door for her before taking her arm – with Lorraine on the other side – and leading her through the door. Jimmy, who had been standing at the door immediately caught Liz. "No one has seen you or Calvin yet, and I want to present you both at the same time." He ushered her into a side room to wait until Calvin arrived.

Too impatient to sit down, Liz stood at the window, looking at the guests arriving. To her dismay, she saw Braddock and Rachel come to the door, accompanied by their two other siblings and two stuffy-looking adults that could only be their parents. Then, a voice reached her ears that she now recognized better than her own: Calvin's. "Dad, I'm here. Where's Liz?"

"Through there," came Jimmy's reply.

Half a second later, the door swung open, admitting Calvin – dressed in a full tuxedo for the occasion. He stopped short as Liz turned to face him, his eyes traveling up and down her ensemble. For a full minute, he said nothing, only stared. Feeling immensely flattered and a little amused, she spread her arms and shrugged. "Well?" she prodded, smiling, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Calvin seemed to shake himself out of his reverie. "Yeah," he said eloquently, "Would you… um… can I…?" Then, giving up on trying to speak, he offered her his arm, which she took. As they walked out into the foyer of the lodge, he finally managed to whisper, "You look absolutely beautiful, Liz."

"Thank you," she murmured, adding, "Cal." The use of his nickname forced them both to chuckle slightly, thus easing the tension they were feeling.

The first thing they saw when they entered the main room of the lodge was a large banner reading, "CONGRATULATIONS, CALVIN AND LIZ!" and they were almost instantly greeted by a roar of congratulations. Jimmy and Sarina stepped forward to hug and kiss the couple, followed by Tom and Kate, after which, they were congratulated by countless people, shaking hands and smiling until their cheeks hurt. Then came the part Liz had been secretly been dreading. Braddock and Rachel approached with their family to congratulate her and Calvin.

"Congratulations, Lizzie," Braddock said pompously, obviously putting on a show of politeness for the sake of his parents. "I'm happy for you." Then he turned to Calvin with a smile that did not reach his eyes. "You're a lucky guy, Calvin," he said loudly before leaning in and growling in a low voice, "Lucky that I didn't get to her first." With that, he winked slyly at Liz and walked away. As he left, Liz felt her stomach twist into a knot. Calvin, sensing her discomfort, slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

Next came Rachel. "Hello," she simpered as she took Liz's hand in a weak handshake. "You two just look so darling together. I hope you can get a honeymoon away from your big families." Liz blinked at her in shock, feeling as though she'd been slapped. Rachel ignored Liz's reaction, however, and turned to Calvin. To Liz's surprise and irritation, the younger girl reached up and touched Calvin's cheek. Then she went up on tiptoe and whispered, "If you ever change your mind, don't forget that I'm still available." She kissed his cheek and smirked slightly at Liz before strutting away.

Liz could feel her blood boiling and barely managed to remain civil to the rest of the Zimmerman family as they extended their congratulations. When they passed, Calvin leaned closer to her, his arm tightening around her waist. "Forget them, Lizzie," he murmured gently. "This night is for us and they'll only ruin it if we let them. Here," he said, turning her to face him, "Will this make you feel better?" Placing two fingers under her chin, he tilted her face toward his and placed a tender, lingering kiss on her lips. When he finished, he kept his head close to hers, his eyes closed. "I love you with all my heart, Elizabeth Baker."

The party continued and the band struck up a slow song. Liz and Calvin returned their attention to the party as couples began to fill the dance floor. Among them, they could see Jimmy and Sarina dancing to one side, while Tom was leading Kate to the center of the floor. Off to the side, Liz saw Daniel stop in front of Lorraine and bow slightly, extending his hand for her to take. Smiling shyly, she accepted his hand and allowed him to lead onto the floor. Feeling a movement beside her, Liz turned back to look at her fiancé. Calvin stepped back and bowed deeply, extending one hand to her. "I would be honored if you would dance with me," he murmured, his lips curving upward in a loving smile.

Smiling demurely, Liz placed her hand in his. In one smooth movement, he pulled her onto the floor and into his arms, spinning her expertly out and bringing her back in before settling into the flow of the music. As he guided her in and out of the other dancers, Liz found that she could not remember ever feeling lighter and happier. His ready smile greeted her every time he spun her back toward him and his eyes, so filled with love, stayed on her face as she twirled and spun in his arms. When the song ended, he spun her out one last time and pulled her in close enough to plant a light kiss on her mouth. Hearing applause, they broke apart and saw that all eyes were on them. Liz felt herself blush, and Calvin smiled affectionately down at her.

"Any requests from the couple?" the disc jockey asked over the microphone.

Calvin straightened in surprise, then laughed as he met Liz's eyes. "Any preference?"

In the end, they requested the song This I Swear. The DJ thought for a moment before saying, "Can do."

The floor cleared and Calvin and Liz were left in the center for their solo dance. At first, Liz felt so nervous that she almost couldn't think, but then Calvin whispered, "Forget about everybody else. Right now, for these next few minutes, you and I are the only people that exist." He pulled her close as the song started and as he led her around and around the floor, Liz began to forget that anyone else was watching. She had eyes only for Calvin.

How had she gotten so lucky? She wondered as she followed his lead. Here she was, dancing with the man who not only wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but had chased her down and risked her utter refusal to confess his love to her. He had rejected a far wealthier, more persuasive girl, gone against his father's initial wishes, and braved her own father's disdain to get to where they were now. And now, with the approval of both sets of parents and the pleasure of all their siblings, Liz could not imagine ever feeling happier. What had started out as youthful crush had grown into something far deeper and more wonderful right before her eyes and she still reeled from the suddenness of it all.

The music faded away, and Calvin slowly stopped rotating and they stared into each other's eyes until the next song – a lively swing dance – started. As bodies filled the floor again, he took Liz's hand and led her out onto the balcony. They both sighed as the cool breeze caressed their faces. "So," Calvin turned back to Liz. "Do you have preferences on where we go for our honeymoon?"

"Just somewhere where we can –" Liz was cut off by a shriek.

"Let me go!" cried a female voice around the corner.

A deeper voice joined the first. "Let her go, Zimmerman, before I bloody your nose."

Liz inhaled sharply. "That's Charlie!"

"And Anne," Calvin added. Without waiting for any further discussion, he grabbed Liz's hand and took off running down the balcony.

They came around the corner to find Anne struggling against Braddock's grip on her wrist. However, upon seeing Liz and Calvin, he let her go so suddenly that she lost balance and fell. Charlie managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Before they could so much as blink, Braddock caught Liz and pulled her against him, wrenching her arms behind her back. She cried out in sudden pain. "You'd better think very carefully about what you're going to do next, Murtaugh," Braddock growled as Calvin started forward. "You wouldn't want me to hurt her any more, would you?" To emphasize his point, he jerked up a little on Liz's arms, causing her to whimper involuntarily. Calvin stopped short, his eyes smoldering with fury. Braddock smiled grimly. "Good. Now, I think I have a few objections to this marriage."

Charlie, holding Anne against him, narrowed his eyes. "It's not your affair," he snapped.

Giving a tiny shake of Liz's arms, Braddock responded, "No, it's very much my affair. For one thing, pretty-boy here rejected my sister and broke her heart. For another, I was very interested in Lizzie baby here and he had the gall to court her right under my nose. Last, I think you all have quite enough members in your families alone without putting them together. I mean, seriously, how many family members can a person handle? We don't want the Murtaughs and the Bakers populating the world single-handedly."

"Excuse me?" Liz choked out incredulously. She felt her fury building up and suddenly, she lifted her feet off the ground and allowed all of her weight to rest on Braddock's hold on her arms. Surprised by the sudden addition of weight on his arms, Braddock dropped her to the ground and Calvin took one step forward, catching Braddock's collar and lifting him slightly off his feet.

"Touch my fiancée again, and I swear I'll kill you, City Boy," he growled dangerously. "I don't care what objections you have to my marriage. If you come near her or anyone else of my family – that includes the Bakers, Zimmerman – I'll make sure you never see life the same way again."

Liz, who had rolled out of the way and was now sitting on the pavement at Charlie's feet, could visibly note Braddock's trembling and read the fear in his eyes. Calvin was far stronger than the New Yorker and his strength was added to by anger at this particular moment. Braddock raised his hands submissively and whimpered, "Please, put me down, Murtaugh."

Calvin's lip curled in disgust as he released his hold on the other boy. "Tell Rachel," he said, his voice silky smooth and dangerous, "that I have a message for her, on behalf of my fiancée." He deftly slapped Braddock across his left cheek. "Could you give that to her for me?"

Still reeling from being slapped, Braddock stumbled off out of sight. Calvin watched him go before bending down to lift Liz to her feet. "Thank you, Calvin," she murmured, tucking her head against his shoulder and feeling his arms wrap her up in a safe cocoon.

"You're welcome, my Lizzie," Calvin replied.

Yay! That was a long chapter! How'd you like it? I think that's the end of the Zimmermans for the rest of the story now. Anyway, probably just one or two chapters left! Just be patient. They're coming.