The sweet words tore a low groan from his chest and he began to move within her. His wife moved with him, bathing his senses in extravagant pleasure until the wild beauty of what they were doing to each other drove them both to a shattering climax.

Wrapped in each other's arms, sated and spent, they floated slowly back to reality in the same bed where once they had not dared to think of the future. His hand drifting slowly over her back, Zack thought of the years that lay ahead with the woman who had loved and trusted him and taught him to forgive. Welcome home, she'd said.

For the first time in his life, he finally knew how it felt to have a home and a family. Julie was his home, his family.

Epilogue

Surrounded by lavish bouquets of long-stemmed roses in every color of the rainbow, Julie cuddled her newborn son to her breast in her private room at Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, but for the first time since the birth of their son two days ago, her attention was not on the tiny, perfect infant that she and Zack had created.

Until a few minutes ago, the nurses had been crowded into her room to watch the Academy Awards with her, but they'd left to carry babies around to mothers, and Julie was secretly relieved to be alone. The award for Best Actor in a Leading Role was coming up pretty soon, and although she was quite certain Zack was going to win it, she really didn't want an audience when the winner was announced.

"Look, Nicky!" she whispered, turning him slightly so he could see the television set, "There's your future godfather and godmother, Mr. and Mrs. Farrell. And your daddy's right beside them, even though the camera didn't show him this time."

Nicholas Alexander Benedict, who'd stopped nursing a few minutes before, took immediate exception to being deprived of his mother's breast, so Julie settled him back into place and helped him find what he was searching for, then she returned all her attention to the television set.

Zack's first movie after their marriage had not only broken box office records, Last Interlude had also garnered Academy Award nominations in a number of categories for the people who participated in it, and tonight it was cleaning up. Zack had won for Best Director, Sam Hudgins had won for Best Cinematography, and so had people involved in everything from visual effects to musical score.

Zack had wanted to stay here and watch the awards ceremony with her, and when Julie couldn't talk him out of it in any other way, she'd argued implacably that he should be there for the sake of the other people who'd worked on Interlude, including the supporting cast who were also up for Oscars.

In reality, Julie felt this was his night to shine, and she was adamantly determined that neither she nor the baby nor an act of God would interfere with that. This morning, the advance copy of the book that Zack had agreed to let her write to help raise support for women's literacy programs had finally arrived at the house. Although she was nervously eager to show it to him and get his opinion, she'd asked Sally to send it over, then made her promise not to show it to Zack or tell him it had arrived.

The nominees for Best Original Screenplay were being announced, and Julie anxiously bit her lip, then she laughed softly as Peter Listerman's name was called out and he strode swiftly up to the stage to accept it for his work on Interlude. "Nicky, look," she whispered happily, "there's Pete and he won! You should be very grateful to Pete," she teased. "Thanks to him you have the only high chair on earth that looks like a director's chair with your name across the back."

Pete was one of Julie's favorites. Part of it was because the studious-looking man had spent so much time at the house working with Zack on Interlude that she'd gotten to know him well, and part of it was because he seemed to be developing some sort of love—hate relationship with Debby Sue Cassidy, who'd quietly mentioned to Zack and him, while they were trying to figure out a better ending for the screenplay one day, that she'd thought of one. Pete's bland looks masked a fiery artistic temperament, and the only thing that had saved poor Debby Sue from his ire at her interference was that Zack instantly liked her idea. Really liked it. He made Pete work on it with Debby's input, and it was Interlude's new, touching climax that had helped make the film such a hit.

Pete's acceptance speech went along the usual route until the very end, when he looked up at the camera and added, "…And I'd also like to thank Miss Debby Cassidy, whose contribution to my work was invaluable."

"Pete, you darling!" Julie cried, hugging Nicky tightly to her. Debby's unquenchable desire to learn coupled with her tireless efforts and Pete's reluctant admiration and demanding tutelage were working miracles.

A few minutes later, Julie felt her heartbeat quicken and her entire body tense as Robert Duvall and Meryl Streep walked out on stage and began to read the nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role. "Cross your fingers, sweetheart," Julie said. She kissed his tiny fist, then she wrapped it around her finger and laid her forefinger over it for good luck.

"And the nominees are"—Robert Duvall looked up at the camera—"Kevin Costner, for End of the Rainbow."

"Tom Cruise, for The Way Home," Meryl Streep said.

"Kurt Russell, for Shot in the Night," Duvall added.

"Zachary Benedict, for Last Interlude," Streep put in.

"Jack Nicholson, for The Peacemaker," Duvall finished. He stretched his hand out for the envelope and Julie felt a strange, inexplicable prickling begin at the back of her neck.

"And the Oscar goes to"—he looked at the slip in the envelope and broke into a broad grin—"Zachary Benedict! For Last Interlude!"

Applause exploded and rose to a thundering crescendo as some of the attendees rose to their feet in a standing ovation; the camera aimed at a tall, dark man in a tuxedo striding swiftly down the aisle toward the stage, and Duvall leaned forward, and added, "Accepting the award for Zack is Matthew Farrell…"

And Julie suddenly knew the reason for the strange prickling at the back of her neck…

Leaning against the pillows with a helpless smile, she said without looking toward the doorway, "You're here, aren't you?"

"How'd you guess," Zack's voice teased.

Turning her head, she watched him stroll forward with his tuxedo jacket slung negligently over his shoulder and hooked on his thumb, the gleaming gold Oscar he'd won for Best Director dangling from his left hand.

"You're supposed to be there, accepting your award," Julie reminded him, but she wrapped her free arm tightly around his broad shoulders as he sat down beside her hip. "Congratulations, darling."