Excerpt : " Now , please , we know what 's going on but the fact that neither of you will admit it worries us and makes us think that the two of you are so ashamed about what you 're doing because you know how my parents feel about it . But I 'm not my parents . I can 't tell you how many time Karen and I met secretly . Please just admit it . I 'm telling you it 'll be a lot easier for everyone . " I stared at him , taking in everything that he had said . I was surprised that he had said it but not surprised that he knew it . " I love him Isaac . " He nodded and said " Well , that 's good . I think he loves you too . But Zac is not an easy person to love . In fact he makes it very hard to love him sometimes . I just don 't want either of you to end up hurt . " Zac was gone when I woke up the next morning . Somewhat disappointed but not surprised , I got out of bed and walked into the bathroom . I nearly fell backwards when I saw that he had not left without leaving a note . Written in lipstick , in the top right corner of my bathroom mirror was : I didn 't want to wake you . I 'll see you later . Love , Zac . I just smiled and climbed into the shower . I washed my hair and took in the steam and smell of the shampoo . After taking more time than really needed , I climbed out and stood in the bathroom rubbing lotion on and drying my hair . I straightened my hair with the flatiron and used gel to hold it in place . My hair was to the middle of my back , naturally curly and somewhat thick ; meaning that if I wanted any kind of tameness to it , I had to put time into the process of styling . I put on some lip gloss and a bit of perfume after brushing my teeth . I threw on a pair of cut off jeans and a tank top . Then began the hated task of cleaning . God , my room was a wreck ! Afterwards , as I drank a cup of coffee , Isaac came over . I opened the door and moved over , motioning for him to come in . He smiled and walked over to the couch where he sat with a flop . " Everything ok ? " I asked raising an eyebrow at him . He smiled and said " Yep , just really crazy at home . Hey , I wanna ask you something . " I walked over and sat in the chair and looked at him . Had I known what he wanted to ask I would 've changed the subject . " What is it that you and Zac do while he 's here ? " I glared at him suddenly realizing that the seriousness of our relationship was not a secret to every member of the Hanson family . " Isaac , what has he told you ? " He squinted at me and replied " What he has told us doesn 't matter . I 'm asking you . " Oh No ! Did he just say ' us … ' yes he did . I felt a slight hitch in my chest . " Well , we … ya know , talk and we really like spending time together , that 's all . " " That 's all ? " he asked raising his eyebrows in disbelief . I nodded . When our eyes met , I knew that he knew everything and was waiting for me to tell him the truth . " Melissa , " he sighed before continuing , " We all really like you . I 'm not stupid and neither are my parents . You just completely repeated Zac 's answer to the same question word for word . Now , please , we know what 's going on but the fact that neither of you will admit it worries us and makes us think that the two of you are so ashamed about what you 're doing because you know how my parents feel about it . But I 'm not my parents . I can 't tell you how many time Karen and I met secretly . Please just admit it . I 'm telling you it 'll be a lot easier for everyone . " I stared at him , taking in everything that he had said . I was surprised that he had said it but not surprised that he knew it . " I love him Isaac . " He nodded and said " Well , that 's good . I think he loves you too . But Zac is not an easy person to love . In fact he makes it very hard to love him sometimes . I just don 't want either of you to end up hurt . " I smiled as he leaned forward and put his hand on my shoulder . He smiled back and then got up and walked out . I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees and my forehead in my hands . God , why was this so hard . It should be easy . I felt guilty and terrible for hiding from everyone . I knew Zac and I needed to talk . I was very nervous about bringing up the fact that maybe we needed to slow down . I realized we hadn 't thought about everything and were moving too fast . That night , I sat on the couch , sipping wine and waiting in silence . My stomach turned and fluttered . When he knocked on the door , I simply took a deep breath and said " Come on in . " He opened it and slowly and closed it quickly not taking his hand away until it was locked . " Hey sexy lady . " he said with a wink as he walked over and sit next to me . " Hi . Want some wine or something else to drink ? " I asked as I stood up . He shook his head and followed me into the kitchen . As I stood pouring another glass for myself , I felt his hands on my hips and his breath on my neck . " Zac please not tonight , ok ? " I said moving away from him and downing half the glass in one gulp . He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter . I heard him sigh and turned to face him . " What 's wrong baby ? " he asked with worry on his face and in his voice . I took another drink and rubbed my forehead . Yep , I was in for a hangover . It never took much . " Mel , sweetheart tell me what 's wrong . " he said as he walked toward me and put his hands on my arms , pulling me into a hug . I hugged him just for a second and then walked back into the living room with my glass in one hand and the half empty wine bottle in the other . When I sat on the couch I poured yet another full glass and took a drink before noticing him standing by the chair looking down at me . " Zac do you love me ? " I asked . He ran a hand through his hair and sit down beside me . " I do . Very much . " he said without looking at me . I took another drink and asked " Why don 't we stop for a while and spend more time with each other during the day and less time together at night . " I looked over to see mixed emotions on his face as he glared at me . " What ? ! Where is this coming from ? ! " he raised his voice in anger and shock . " Well , I just thought … " I was interrupted when he suddenly blurted out " What the hell did Isaac say to you ? ! " I watched with surprise as he stood up and began pacing back and forth in front of me . " Nothing really . He just said that they were not stupid and that he didn 't want either of us to get hurt and that … " I was interrupted again by an anger display that I had never seen before . Zac 's eyes glazed over as he ran his hands franticly through his hair . He paced and began yelling " That stupid jackass ! Dammit , why the hell can 't he stay the fuck out of my life ! It 's nobody 's god damn business what I do or what we do . I 'm so sick of this shit , it never stops . If it 's not him and Taylor , it 's my parents ! God dammit ! Why can 't they understand that I 'm grown and just stay out of my business ? They never can just accept that I 'm happy and let it go without trying to fuck everything up ! " I suddenly felt my headache get worse . " Zac , please don 't yell . I 'm sure he didn 't understand . He wasn 't trying to do any harm . " Zac stopped and glared at me . His arms crossed over his chest , a fire in his eyes that I knew was not like I 'd ever seen before . He was angry beyond reasoning . He turned and walked to the door . Opening it , he looked back at me and said calmly " No one will ever take you away from me . " He turned and walked out slamming the door . I sit for awhile in silence , shocked , and in fear of what was going to happen . I could only imagine the explosion taking place at the Hanson 's . After finishing the last bit of wine in my glass , I went and laid on my bed . God knows I was not a graceful drunk and needed to get in bed before I went over to try and help calm Zac down . I wanted to do that , no doubt all hell had broken loose when he walked through his front door , but had quickly realized that walking in their house drunk would only add to the surprise and would not be in our best interest knowing that everything was about to be put in the open for the family . As I laid there in my bed , the room spinning and a powerful headache now going full blast , I thought of Isaac 's words about Zac not making it easy to love him . I wondered if that temper was something I could live with . I found myself drifting father and father until my mind was blank . I rubbed my eyes as I stumbled to the front door . " Diana , Avery , hi . " I said sleepily as I opened the door wider for them to step inside . Once they did Diana asked " Melissa , have you seen Zac ? " There was a worry in her face and a tone in her voice that told me something was very wrong . " Umm , no . Not since last night . He left here in a hurry and went home I guess . I fell asleep . Why ? " She looked at me and I saw tears in her eyes . " He came home last night and laid into all of us . He was so angry and I 've never heard him do so much screaming . He was going on about us not wanting him to be happy and that we needed to mind our own business . " She took a deep breath , then continued " He was acting like he was on something . He was pacing around , swearing , and telling us that he was grown and could do what he wanted . Of course he was talking in a different language but that 's what he said without me using his words . Then he just told us to stay out of his life and walked out . We heard him leave in his car and thought we 'd let him cool off . We waited for him but at around two in the morning , we figured he 'd just come here and we could talk to him today . " I sighed deeply . " Jessica came in this morning from getting the paper and said his car wasn 't here . Ike and Taylor are driving around looking for him and Walker is calling his friends . Avery and I are going to the hospital to see if he had an accident and was brought in . Please call me if you hear from him . " I nodded as she handed me the paper with her cell number written on it . She walked out and they got in her car and sped off . I closed the door and went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee . After my second cup , I walked over to the Hanson 's and sit with the younger kids so that Walker could make some phone calls to some local hotels . The family was worried and stressed and the kids were anxious and their curiosity was doing more harm than good . After the day was at an end with no word from Zac , the family was more worried than anything . I promised to call if I heard from him and I walked back over to my house . It was getting dark and I wondered how long he would be gone . I knew he was upset but it had to have passed by now . I 'd spent the day babysitting while everyone tried to think of places he could be . Tori and Karen had gone to a friend 's house to see her new baby and had said they 'd call if they heard from him . Ike and Taylor were beyond exhausted . Diana was thankful that no hospital had any record of him being brought in but it also seemed to worry her more . Walker had also called three different police stations , none of which had any reports of an accident . Zoe had fallen asleep after her supper and Mac was slowly drifting off . Jessica was staying with a friend and Avery was watching a movie on the couch . Diana and Walker were in the kitchen talking in low voices when I had gone in there and told them I was going to go home . Walker had patted my back and Diana gave me hug , both of them thanking me . As I sit in the living room of my house , I wondered where he could have gone . It seemed as though we 'd called and been everywhere . We 'd talked to police stations , hospitals , hotels , all of his friends , neighbors , people at local clubs and even the pastors at two churches . " Oh Zac , where are you ? " I asked out loud as I leaned back on the couch . I rubbed my face and walked into the kitchen . I heated a TV dinner and grabbed a coke . Then sit on the couch watching the news and the clock . At around ten thirty , I decided to go take a bath . I was sweaty and had been in the same clothes for two days . I walked into the bathroom closing the door and started the water . I poured in my favorite bath beads and bubbles . Then I brushed my hair and turned the water off . I stepped into the bath , breathing in the steam and enjoying the warm water around me . I washed my hair and used my favorite body wash . I took time to shave my legs with a new razor and a thick shaving cream that smelled like coconut . After rinsing my body and pulling the plug , I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me , stepping out and wiping my hand over the mirror to clear the fog away . I sat on the side of the tub and rubbed lotion all over . Then dried my hair and pulled it up in a ponytail . I brushed my teeth and walked out . " Oh shit ! " I exclaimed with a jump as I walked into my bedroom . " Nice to see you too . " Zac smiled as he laid on my bed with a bottle of beer in his hand . He slowly got up and walked toward me . " What are you doing here ? " I asked still holding my hand over my heart . He took my hand and led me to the bed saying " I 've been drinking , I need a ride . " I looked at him as an evil grin crept over his face . " No Zac , not tonight . Where have you been ? " He pushed me down on the side of the bed and knelt in front of me . He didn 't have a shirt on and his breath smelt like strong beer . He was somewhat unsteady and I knew right away that he was drunk . He started rubbing my leg and smiling an almost disturbing smile . " Mmmm damn baby , you are so sexy . I love the fell of freshly shaved legs . " I pushed his hands away and said " I promised I 'd call your parents when I heard from you . " I reached for the phone but was stopped by a very deep , hard kiss . When he pulled away he grabbed the phone and dialed a number . Walking over and shutting my bedroom door he turned and leaned with his back on the door facing me as I sat on the bed . " Mom … ? Yeah mom I 'm fine … no … no I 'm ok , I promise … no I 'm fine , I just needed to get away for a bit … I promise mom . I 'm sorry about what happened . Tell everyone I 'm sorry . I 'm here at Melissa 's and I 'll be home soon , Ok … yeah … uh - huh , I know we have to … I will … Love you too , bye . " He hung up and laid the phone on the chair . He looked up and smiled at me . Then he walked over to me and pulled me to my feet . He began kissing me , hard and hungry . " Zac , " I tried pushing him away but it was useless . He held me and kissed my neck and face as hard as he had my lips . " Zac please don 't . " I whined . He didn 't stop but held me tighter . He threw me on the bed and tore his jeans off . As I moved to get up he grabbed me and came down on top of me . I tried to fight him off , nearly in tears . " Zac please . Don 't . Please Zac stop ! " I screamed at him but it was like he didn 't even hear me . He raised up on his knees and ripped the towel open . He took my wrist and pinned one on each side of my face as he leaned down and kissed me with a frantic desire and desperation . I felt his breath hot on my body as he licked my breasts and bit at my neck and ear . I began to cry a little as I continued to scream over and over " Zac stop ! Please don 't . " But it didn 't do any good . He took his boxers off and pinned me down again . He was strong and heavy . As I felt him push into me I screamed out " NO ZAC ! STOP ! " This caused him to let go of one of my hands and put his free hand over my mouth . He still held me down with his other hand on my wrist . I continued to scream but his hand pressed harder over my mouth . I tried to move but he was too strong and no doubt the drunken state he was in gave him more strength . I cried out as he thrust into me harder and harder . I was in pain from his uneasy pushing into me with more force each time . His hand was pressed so hard over my mouth that I couldn 't even move my lips anymore . I felt his fingers dig into my wrist . I tried to scream but hardly any sound was coming anymore . I felt tears roll down out of my eyes and the pain was intense . Harder and harder he pushed into me . His breathing was heavy and he was sweating . I could smell the alcohol on his breath and taste the sweat on his hand . His fingers dug into my wrist harder and more forceful as the sweat caused them to slip . Because of the fight I 'd already put up and the pain and crying , I couldn 't even move let alone try to get him off of me . I just laid there crying silently . The screaming and crying had caused my throat to become sore and raw and my vision was blurred through the tears as they seemed to come faster than they could fall . I winced in pain and closed my eyes , willing it to be over , as his final and hardest thrusts brought on a climax and he collapsed onto me . He eased the grip on my wrist and slid my hand above my head as he laced our fingers together . As his hand slid off of my mouth I felt the tingling around it but I still could not speak . His fingers slid down before they rested on my neck . He was breathless and sweating a lot as he lay on top of me . I was sore and hurting all over from his forcefulness and energy . He slowly moved up and kissed my neck then my lips , easy this time , like he 'd always done . He then rolled off of me and laid next to me on the bed . His hand began rubbing my stomach as I laid there silent and shaking . He ran his fingers through my hair a few times and then leaned over and kissed me again . He got up and dressed quickly . After getting dressed he took the bottle of beer he had sit on the nightstand and took a drink . He then bent down and kissed me . As he stood up again I asked through my tears with a shaky voice just above a whisper , " Why ? " He walked toward the door and I turned onto my side to face him . I pulled the towel out from under me and wrapped it around my body . I watched him for a moment and as another tear fell I asked " Zac , why did you hurt me ? " He turned and looked at me smiling , a drunk and satisfied smile , and said " Don 't be so dramatic . You enjoyed it as much as I did . " Then without another word he walked out and closed the door . I heard the front door open and then closed with a slam . When I knew he was gone , I slowly got up , barely able to move and wrapped the towel around me . I slowly walked to the front door and locked it then went back to my room and crawled into bed . I pulled the blanket up around me and cried myself to sleep . I had willed myself up and into the shower later that morning . I was sore and hurting all over . I had a bruises on my wrist and all around my mouth was a deep red and my throat was still sore . I washed off and let the hot water relax my muscles . I got out and pulled on some jeans and a t - shirt . I sat on my couch , drinking water and thinking about everything that had happened in the days before . I loved Zac and yet he had hurt me in a way that seemed unforgivable . I wondered if I would ever be able to be around him again . I could barely walk to the door when I heard a knock . I prayed it wasn 't Zac . I sighed relieved when I saw Ike and Diana standing there . I stepped back and without a word , they stepped inside and sat side by side on the couch . I closed the door and asked " You guys want something to drink ? " They both shook their heads . I noticed a small , white square envelope in Diana 's hands that was packed full of something but didn 't ask about it . I walked over and sat in the chair next to the couch . " Mel , honey , " Diana said leaning forward , she sat the envelope down on the small coffee table , " I was wondering if you were ok . " I sighed and nodded " Yeah , I 'm fine . Why ? " I glanced at him and asked " What ? " Diana grabbed my fingers making me jerk . When she gently pulled my hand toward her she said " Your wrist . These bruises here . What happened ? " Ike looked at me and asked " And your mouth ? What happened last night Melissa ? " He and Diana sit and stared at me as I tried to come up with an answer . God how could I tell them what really happened ? I quickly came up with something that was somewhere between the truth and a lie . " Oh , well , Zac and me … we just got a bit rough last night . " I tried to smile shyly but the looks of concern on their faces told me that they didn 't buy a word of it . " Melissa , Zac was drunk when he came home . He passed out and when we finally did get to talk to him all he could do was say he was sorry . " Diana looked down as Ike continued for her . " We know something happened here . Please , you don 't have to protect anybody . You can tell us please . " He reached over Diana and took my hand she had been holding . They both almost had tears in their eyes and I felt tears in mine as well . " Zac hurt you didn 't he ? " Diana asked quietly . " He was drunk and he hurt you ? " I couldn 't hold the tears back anymore . I cried and nodded . When I looked up , Diana had tears coming down her face and Isaac just stared straight ahead with his hands folded and the back of his fingers on his mouth . I told them everything . It all came pouring out and I told them about everything . " Melissa , you can 't see him anymore . He 's gonna hurt you worse next time . This isn 't the first time he 's done this . " Ike said . " But I love him . He didn 't mean to . If he hadn 't been drunk he would have never … " Ike shook his head and said " But he gets drunk a lot . He 's gonna hurt you worse next time and you have to get away from him while you can . " I just shook my head as I looked down . " Melissa , look . Read these and look at the pictures . " Diana said handing my the envelope . I slowly wiped away the tears and took the heavy envelope from her . I opened it and pulled out what seemed to be about twenty photos and a stack of writings on note paper . The writing seemed to be notes taken on different days . They told of abuse , rape , harsh words I couldn 't imagine someone saying to another human , drunken lash outs and details of times spent locked in rooms and closets . I read them quietly and then asked " What are these ? Who wrote them ? " Diana took the glass of water Ike had offered her and took a sip . He took his seat next to her with his own half full glass . They both looked away . I slowly began thumbing through the pictures . They were of a young girl that appeared to be in her late teens . Two photos were of her … happy . One of her in a bathing suit with her legs hanging over a chair arm and another was a close - up showing just her shoulders and head with her hair pulled up and she was smiling . She had green eyes and tanned skin . Her hair was dark and long . The other photos showed her with no smile but on the verge of tears , pain in her dark , heavy eyes . They were photos of a busted lip , a bruised jaw and cheek , legs covered in bruises and what seemed to be red rashes as though tape had been around her ankles . Her wrist were bruised and deep red and she had black eyes and blue and purple finger marks on her arms . She had a cut above her eyebrow and deep red marks on her neck . I felt tears in my eyes as I looked at Isaac and Diana . " Who is this ? " I asked . Ike looked up at me and sighed . " That 's the girl Zac loved so much . That 's the girl he swore to never hurt . That 's the girl everyone tried to protect from him . " Diana took my hands and said " Taylor said he mentioned her to you . Her name is Courtney . She was Zac 's girlfriend . They were together for a long time . " Ike stood up and took my hands saying , " Yes he did . He hurt her . He almost killed her . She was lucky enough to have gotten away from him . " I jerked away and yelled " NO ! What are you trying to do . Zac said no one will ever take me away from him . He loves me . If he hadn 't been drunk , nothing would have happened . So he made a mistake and now you are trying to make me break up with him ? ! " Diana stood up and yelled " No we 're not . We just don 't want you getting hurt . Please , stay away from him . " I opened the door and yelled " GET OUT ! Zac and I will always be together ! " They stood for a moment and with tears in their eyes slowly walked out . I slammed the door and fell onto the floor and cried . About twenty minutes later , I got up and walked over to the table and put the pictures and notes back into the envelope and carried them into the kitchen and got a glass of water . I left the envelope on the counter and went into the bedroom . I laid in bed and alternated between crying and watching TV . I laid across the bed and tried to think about what to do . I had become almost convinced that they were trying to keep me and Zac apart . I wasn 't thinking clearly and had not yet come to the conclusion that what Zac had done , though drunk , was wrong . I was using him being drunk to justify what his actions . I kept telling myself he was angry , he felt that his family was trying to ruin his happiness . I had at some point fell asleep and wasn 't sure for how long . I also wasn 't sure what had woken me up . I had wet drops on my t shirt from the tears and my face was red and puffy . I walked into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face . As I brought the towel lower when I was drying off , I noticed the redness and swelling was almost completely gone from my mouth and the bruise on my wrist was fading . My throat was no longer sore and I wasn 't in as much pain . I was able to walk better . I slowly opened the bedroom door and walked into the living room . I stopped in my steps when I heard his voice say " Hi sleeping beauty . " I looked up and Zac was walking toward me with his arms out . He embraced me in a gentle hug and immediately started crying . I put my arms around him and he slid to the floor on his knees , his arms wrapped tightly around my waist . I held onto the back of his neck and softly ran my fingers through his hair . I felt tears falling down my face . His words were strained through his sobs . " Baby , oh God baby . I love you . I love you , don 't leave me . Oh God , I 'm sorry ! I 'm so sorry ! I 'll never hurt you again I swear ! I love you baby . I 'm so , so sorry ! " I just held him and waited for him to compose himself . When he finally let go of me , he took my hands and looked up . Both of us had tears falling and I didn 't know what I was supposed to say . " Zac , I know you didn 't mean to . I love you and I 'm not gonna leave . " He got to his feet and hugged me tightly , then pulled away and kissed my lips softly . He kissed my eyes , my nose , my forehead and cheeks then my lips again and finally pulled me into another hug . He was gentle and his eyes filled with regret and sadness . He softly whispered into my ear " I need you . I need you to want me again . " He began softly kissing my neck . I tilted my head back as my hands rested on the back of his shoulders . He took full advantage of the unlimited access he now had to my neck . He kissed softly all over both sides and I felt his tongue lick slowly across my throat . His hands went up and down my back with a passionate pressure . As he began kissing my lips again , I dug into his back with my fingernails . A light groan came from his lips and he suddenly and gently took me to the floor . His hands touched me as though they 'd never touched anyone . He kissed me and began to take my shirt up and over my head . Once it was off he began kissing my stomach and chest . He slowly slid his finger tips under my bra straps and as he pulled them off , his lips followed them . I began kissing his neck and face . He raised up on his knees and slowly pulled off his shirt . He came closer and kissed me and then pulled me to my feet as he too stood up . " C ' mere baby . Oh my sweet , sexy angel , I 've missed you ! " he said as he smiled and picked me up . He carried me to the bedroom where he easily kicked the cracked door open the rest of the way and then leaned on it to shut it again . He carried me over to the bed and laid me down . He took my bra off and then climbed on top of me and began to tug at my jeans while kissing me . His tongue and mouth was so warm and he smelled of my favorite men 's cologne and coffee . He unzipped my jeans and slowly pulled them off . His hands slowly went up and down my legs and as he pulled my panties off he stood up . " God , you 're beautiful . " he said . He smiled as he took off his jeans and socks . He pulled the blanket back on the unmade bed and ushered me under it then climbed in next to me . He put his arms around me and pulled me close as we kissed each other and I slowly rolled on top of him and pulled his boxers off . I giggled playfully as I threw them on the floor . He smiled and ran his hand threw my hair as he shifted on his back . I took him into my mouth and a sound almost like a scream escaped him as his closed his eyes and tilted his head back . He grabbed my face and pulled me up on top of him and we both let out deep moans as he slid into me . I whined a bit and he reached up and took my face in his hands . " Does it hurt ? We can stop if it hurts . " he said breathless . I looked into his eyes and saw the new concern and the gentleness that had always been there . " No , it 's ok . " I said barely able to breathe . God I just wanted him so bad . I slowly began to move as his hands gripped my back and then my thighs as we became desperate . The movements faster and the sweat appearing on both of us . Suddenly a release that brought pure and deep satisfaction to us both . I fell onto him and was immediately turned over to have him on top and kissing me again . He lifted his head and I had a hand on each side of his neck . He looked at me for a moment then kissed my forehead . Before either of us caught our breath he asked " Are you sure it didn 't hurt you ? " I just shook my head and whispered " It didn 't . " He then gave me a long , deep kiss . " I love you . " he said as he laid his head on my shoulder . " I love you too . " I whispered . " Mmmm , I think we need a shower . " he said as he rolled off of me and onto the bed . " Ok . I 'll go take one first , then you can take one . " I giggled as I walked into the bathroom . I was about two minutes into my shower when I felt arms slid around me . " Oh dammit ! " I shouted as I turned and was met with a deep , passionate kiss . " Now , I don 't remember saying anything about you getting in first . " he said seriously . We spent the next hour washing each other and kissing under the warm water . When we did get out , I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me then walked to the mirror but before I could wipe it off he spun me around to face him . " Uh - uh . " he said shaking his head , " We gotta get rid of this thing . " he smiled as he jerked the towel off of me and sit me on the edge of the sink . He dropped to his knees and spread my legs apart , putting one over his shoulder and taking my ankle to lift my foot upon the sink . He mouth took hold of me . I felt his lips move over me with a hunger . His tongue licked up and down and in every crease as his lips covered me . I began to scream and whine with excitement and desperate desire . He suddenly stopped and pulled me onto the floor . He gently slid into me and moved with ease and passion then a release took him and he fell onto me . " Oh God Zac ! " I nearly screamed as I dug my nails into his flesh and slowly scratched along the back of his shoulders . His fingers found me and slid inside as I sucked in a breath . I reached a pleasurable climax and I felt myself tighten around his fingers . We lay on the floor breathless until finally moving to the bed where we kissed and touched for another hour . " I want to stay here forever . " he whispered as we lay facing each other . " Then stay . Don 't ever leave . " I said lacing our fingers together . He ran his finger down my face and onto my neck . " My family will be moving into the new house soon . I really want to stay here with you . They 'll only be moving 12 miles away . You and I could just live here . Maybe we should go over there and tell them that . " I sighed and nodded . He pulled me in close and I once again felt the comfort and safety of his arms . Just before drifting off though , I once again glanced at the fading bruise on my wrist . I thought about Isaac 's words : It 'll be worse next time . No , I wouldn 't let myself think that way . I settled into Zac 's embrace and fell into a deep sleep . The next two weeks were fairly uneventful . Zac and I began to slow down a bit and spent only two nights in bed . He still came over and spent the night with me , but we 'd fall asleep watching TV or movies . He was a perfect gentleman and I felt as though I was in paradise . True to his word , he hadn 't hurt me anymore . He was the kind , sweet , and gentle person he 'd been before that night . He hadn 't had any violent outburst or been drunk since and his rare anger was always controlled and disappeared quickly . Things were busy around their home though . Soon , they would be moving into the larger house they 'd been having built for almost a year . Zac took me to see it once . It was in another , more private area of Tulsa , in a subdivision that was behind a huge , black , iron gate and a security station . The only way to gain entrance was to have a card that was only given by one of the residents and a photo ID of some sort . The house sat on almost 80 acres behind a white fence . It was brick with white trim and a huge in ground pool out back . The porch was twice the size of the one they had at their current house and the rooms were enormous . They had a studio that was equipped with an enclosed sound booth and wall to wall sound boards . The home had been beautifully decorated and had a guest unit with bedroom , sitting area , bathroom and full kitchen , there was also another guest room downstairs . Everyone would have their own rooms and they had a huge sun porch , sunken living room and gigantic kitchen . " Are you sure you wouldn 't rather live here ? " I had asked Zac on our way back . " No , I told you I wanted to stay with you . " September came quickly and with it , helping Diana prepare the children to begin their school lessons again . It was hard getting them out of the summer break and back into studying . They fell into it fairly fast though . The Hanson 's had finally gotten their things packed to move . No one had been thrilled with idea of Zac staying and we had sat in the living room , exchanging reasons , for almost two hours before all of us had settled on a decision … Zac would go live at the new house but could come and see me regularly and I was an " always welcome guest . " They all agreed it would be easier for him to be on time for writing and recording sessions if he lived with his brothers . " It 's only a few miles to drive . " I whispered in his ear . I had helped them move into their home and Zac and I were hugging in the driveway when it was time for me to leave them . " I feel like we 're breaking up , " he said letting go of me as he began to rub my arms . " Oh Zac , we 're not breaking up . There 's no reason for you to feel that way . " After our good - byes , I started the 40 minute drive home . My mind raced with the events that had taken place over the last three weeks . Zac and I had spent everyday together ; swimming , walks and picnics in the park , movies , museums , amusement parks , shopping trips , even a day at a drag race . We had so much fun . We knew everything about each other from how old we were when we got our first kiss to the stories of scars . As I walked into my house I was hit by the cool air and the sounds of the TV . I had a message on my answering machine from Zac saying that he missed me and a message from Lacey , saying that her boyfriend , Ricky , had proposed . I quickly called her back . " Melissa , it was wonderful , " she said . " He took me to the movies and lunch and then to the lake where we met and had our first date the next week … " I smiled listening to her story . Lacey and Ricky had been together for a year in May and were more in love than any couple I 'd ever seen . Ricky was somewhat of a ladies man around his hometown . He was tall with deep brown eyes and short dark hair . He worked for a building supply company as an assistant manager . His reputation changed quickly though following that day last May . Lacey and I had been at the lake and a strong gust of wind came by . When she flipped her head to get her long , red hair out of her face , their eyes had met as he was walking by . He commented on the weather and then on Lacey 's blue eyes and she had commented on his abs . ( He didn 't have a shirt on , he was cooling down from a jog ) and they 've been together ever since . " … and I said that you would be my Maid of Honor . " Lacey 's last words shook me from my thoughts . " So , " she continued " You grab that Zac by the hair and y ' all get your butts on a plane ! We want to meet him and Ricky is going nuts wanting to see you again . " I sighed and promised we 'd come for a visit as soon as Zac had some time off . He 'd been wanting to meet Lacey and Ricky and had already mentioned he and I going to spend a few days with them . " Really ? That 's cool . I 'd love to go . " Zac and I were on the phone the next day and I was telling him of Lacey 's news . " Great . Lacey said the date is December fifth and she wants us there a few days before , like right after Thanksgiving , to help with final arrangements and for me to be at the bridal shower . " Zac was quiet while someone talked in the background . " Ok , be right there . " was his reply , then he said " Yeah Mel , that sounds good . Umm , we 'll talk some more and figure out the plane tickets and stuff . But I have to go right now , ok . " I answered " Ok . Talk to you tomorrow . " Zac laughed a bit and replied " Of course . I 'll call you tomorrow night . I love you . " I sighed as I heard those words . He always said them close to the phone and almost a seductive whisper . " I love you too . Talk to you tomorrow . Bye . " I could tell he was smiling when he said " Bye . "