Page 5 of Heartbroken Husband
It had been eight years since I’d last seen him in person, and suddenly, my hands didn’t know what to do with themselves, soI folded them tightly in my lap. The stranger who was seated beside Zach stood and extended his hand elegantly toward me.
“I’m Roark Wright,” he said. “It’s great to finally meet you.”
Finally?
I didn’t understand that at all, but I took his offered hand and shook it on instinct, still reeling from the fact that Zach was here. At my uncle’s table. “It’s lovely to meet you as well,” I said. “Adeline.”
Zach hesitated for half a second before standing and extending his hand in turn. “Zach.”
Not Zachary. Just Zach.
Even though he looked like the sort of man who would be going by Zachary now.Still, I guess it’s nice to know noteverythinghas changed.
Instead of saying any of that, I lifted my hand and slowly slid my palm against his, trying not to feel the electricity sparking through me as soon as my skin made contact with his. So many memories raced through me even just at this one simple touch. My entire body suddenly yearned to melt into him, but I managed to rein in that instinct. Hard.
“Nice to meet you,” I managed. “Adeline Morris.”
We let go at the same time, both of us too careful, like we’d never been closer to one another than strangers passing in a hallway. Which was ridiculous. But it looked like that was what we were doing. My uncle had to know about my history with him, though.
Our breakup and my subsequent marriage had been all over the gossip rags at the time, but I supposed it had been eight years. Perhaps my current predicament was too consuming for my uncle to remember my previous relationship. Or maybe he was just ignoring it.
Who knows?
As a US senator, he certainly did have a good poker face. I could never tell what he was thinking unless he wanted me to.
Uncle Clark sat down again, still smiling at me as he settled back. “If you don’t mind giving us a second just to wrap up, darling. I had to squeeze in this meeting with Roark before I head back to DC or it would’ve been months before we could get together again.”
“Of course,” I said quietly. “It’s no problem at all.”
Uncle Clark grinned. “Thanks, sweetheart. Roark and I go back years. We’re old friends. Zach here works with him.”
Zach didn’t correct him or add anything. He just sat there with his face arranged into a stoic mask and his gaze aimed straight at Roark, who was talking now, explaining to me how he and Zach were connected. My heartbeat was too loud and too fast to pay any attention to what he was saying.
Dizzy and less steady than I’d felt in a long time, I glanced at Uncle Clark, who was listening attentively to Roark and nodding along. I’d meant to catch his eye to signal that I was just going to pop to the ladies’ room—any excuse to get away from the table right now—but instead, I knocked my elbow right into the glass of water that had been sitting beside me.
It tipped faster than I could process what had happened, hitting the table and then the floor. The water inside sloshed out in a sudden, humiliating arc.
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry,” I murmured, my voice hushed with shock. I pushed back my chair and stood as fast as I could.
Zach moved at the exact same time, clumsily launching himself out of his seat and suddenly appearing beside me. He dropped to his haunches, reaching for napkins just as I did the same.
“I’ve got it,” he said at the same time I said, “I can?—”
We both stopped talking, and for half a second, neither of us moved so much as a muscle, my gaze once again locked on thosegreen eyes that had haunted my dreams for so many years. A waiter appeared a moment later, breaking our silent stare off.
“Is everything all right here?” he asked, hovering over us with polite concern etched into his features.
“Yes,” I said, even though it was a lie. “No. I mean, yes. I’m so sorry. I just?—”
“It’s fine,” Zach cut in, his voice steady and too calm.
“I knocked it over,” I admitted. “I’m so sorry. I’m… this is completely my fault.”
“Adeline, it’s a glass of water,” Zach said, crouched and not looking at me but still addressing me directly. “It’ll be dry in a minute.”
“I know. I just need more napkins.”
“It’s fine,” he repeated.
