Page 77 of Three's a Crowd
He was well supported by Suzie, who approved of his rejection of Zach at first, but who came to see how much Adamwas affected by the loss of his friendship with his two oldest and closest friends.
It was her that had finally persuaded him to listen to what Zach had to say and begin the long, hard road to forgiveness.
He’d chipped away at him slowly, gently offering sincere regrets, until Adam’s attitude began to soften.
Finally, he admitted to Zach that he could see how right he and Daisy were for each other and that his years of loving them from the time they were children was just too strong to ignore.
Then, when three years ago, Daisy had fallen pregnant with their son, Max, and Suzie had also found herself pregnant with her and Adam’s daughter, Rosie, they’d all become good friends again, even going so far as to take holidays together.
Daisy gazed at their children, chasing each other around the trees. Her son and Adam’s daughter were as thick as thieves, being a very similar age, and her younger daughter, Felicity, who had come along just a year after Max, was desperately trying to break into the close friendship that had formed between the older children.
‘Look well if those two end up getting together when they’re older,’ Zach murmured into her ear. She chuckled at the thought. ‘I wouldn’t mind, as long as they don’t have to go through all the angst that we did,’ she said.
Later that evening, all the adults went out for a meal to a local restaurant, leaving the children in the capable hands of a babysitter they’d found through a well-reputed agency.
Zach still drew excited looks from other restaurant-goers whenever they went out, but the attention was now less fierce since he’d stopped appearing in Hollywood films and had optedinstead to take roles mostly in plays running in the UK, as well as the odd UK-set movie or show. He was happier now than he’d ever been, he told Daisy on a regular basis. He’d always wanted his own family – had been desperate for it since he was young – and the comfort it brought him now was like a dream come true.
The place they’d chosen to eat in was rowdy, but the atmosphere was friendly and they all soon settled in and ordered their food and drinks.
As soon as the waitress moved away, a young, bright-eyed woman approached their table, her gaze firmly trained on Zach.
‘Excuse me, Zach?’ she said, with a tremble in her voice.
Zach turned to look at her.
‘Sorry to ask while you’re out with friends, but could I have a selfie with you? It would mean so much to me. I’m a huge fan. I’ve seen all your films.’
‘Sure,’ Zach said, magnanimously, even though Daisy could see he was a little uncomfortable to be singled out like this in front of Adam and Suzie.
‘Thanks!’ the woman said, holding out her phone in front of them and scooching down so her head was next to his. She took quite a few photos, obviously determined to walk away with at least one useable one.
‘When’s the next film coming out?’ she asked excitedly.
‘Ah. I’m taking a break from films. My wife’s not keen on me swanning off to the States all the time.’ He nudged Daisy gently, flashing her a teasing grin.
‘Oh. What a shame,’ the fan said, her face dropping.
Daisy wasn’t sure whether this was from the lack of new Zach-fronted films or the fact he’d told her he was married.
‘But you’re not giving up acting altogether? Please tell me you’re not!’
‘No. No. I’ve got a play touring in a few months.’
The woman beamed at him. ‘That’s great. I can’t believe I’ve met you here! I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you’re just as gorgeous in real life,’ she added, her cheeks colouring.
‘Thanks,’ Zach said, a little stiffly.
Daisy had to stifle a giggle and when she looked over at Adam and Suzie, they seemed to be trying to squash their grins too.
‘So great to meet you,’ the woman said, backing away now and nearly falling over a table behind her.
As soon as she’d gone, the three of them finally let out chortles at his obvious discomfort.
‘What! I have to be nice to the fans. They effectively pay my wages.’ He looked cross now, but Daisy knew he wasn’t really. He loved the adoration. In small doses, at least.
She was only too aware of how much he’d given up for her to keep his career based in the UK too. Shehadbeen uncomfortable about him travelling to the States all the time, especially when the children had come along – what with all the social media nonsense that came with it.
She’d attended red carpet events with him if he’d asked her to, but he’d always been swamped with interviews and work obligations when they were there, so it ended up not being a lot of fun after a while. He soon realised how much she disliked them and took the decision to change the trajectory his career was taking. He did a lot of voiceover work now too, which his gloriously gravelly voice suited so well, and, even better, he was able to do it from a small studio they’d set up at home.
