Page 64 of Reunion at Mistletoe Lodge
“Mark?” Barb breathed. “But he was always so supportive and helpful.”
Zac’s eyes filled with compassion, and his voice dropped. “Barb, he was the one that leaked the information to Jason about where to find you that day your parents werekilled.”
Barb’s mind reeled at the information. “No!” She stared at Zac in disbelief. “Trevor was suspicious of him. I said it couldn’t be, but after that, Trevor told me to cut all ties with the FBI because we no longer knew who we could trust.”
“Your uncle, Professor Jackson, put Trevor in touch with the U.S. Marshal they’ve been working with,” Zac told him. “You’ll never guess who it is.”
“Liam!” Barb guessed.
“No!” Zac shook his head. “Herschel. My sister's driver and bodyguard.”
“Herschel, who drove us here?” Barb’s eyes widened.
“Yes,” Zac nodded. “My brother’s bodyguard who was killed, Eric, was also a U.S. Marshal, but he’d retired to work for my brother.”
“So David and Sally were tying up loose ends that they thought could identify them,” Barb said, going overthe details. “What was on the disk in my ornamental teddy bear?”
“Hard evidence that Sally, David, and Mark were working with Jason Pook,” Zac answered. “They’ve now been arrested. Liam and Courtney went to Montana, where we grew up on a ranch, to tell my parents and my other brother the truth of what happened.”
“They didn’t know that you’d assumed Liam’s identity?” Barb asked in disbelief.
“No.” Zac shook his head. “Courtney and I thought the fewer people who knew, the better and less likely our ruse would fail.”
“I can see the logic and reasoning behind what you did,” Barb said. “But Zac, not telling us could’ve put our lives in more danger. What if I’d have decided to come back here with the kids to look for you and inadvertently walked into the hands of the killers?”
“I thought I had that under control with Priscilla,” Zac admitted. “She was supposed to keep meinformed about your movements.” He swallowed. “But I now see she failed to mention alotof things to me.”
“I asked Priscilla not to tell anyone about Charlotte,” Barb told him. “She mentioned that she was your brother’s attorney, and I told her not to say anything.”
“I understand,” Zac said, but Barb’s heart squeezed when he saw the pain in his eyes.
“Zac, you broke my heart, and the worst part, you nearly broke Oscar’s, too.” Barb swallowed the fresh tears stinging the back of her eyes. “But he wouldn’t give up hope, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him my fears and suspicions.”
“I’m so sorry, Barb.” Zac’s voice dropped to a husky whisper. “It was never my intention to hurt you. I was trying to protect you and Oscar. I would do that with my life and at any cost. And I’m sorry to say, but I don’t think I’d do anything different if I had to make the choice again.” His eyes held hers. “Barb, I didn’t know who I could trust. I immediately had all our phones taken away and locked up in case they’d been compromised.”
“I understand,” Barb said, and she really did, but it didn’t fix how she felt or the pain it had caused. That was still going to take time.
“I love you, Barb,” Zac told her. “You and the kids are my world, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get you to trust me and love me again.”
“Zac, I never stopped loving you,” Barb admitted. “I just don’t trust you anymore even though I know in your heart you did what you did to protect us. You made all the decisions and took all my choices away from me," Barb finished, her voice trembling with the weight of her emotions. “We’re supposed to be a team, Zac.”
Zac winced at her words as if each one was a physical blow. He reached out, gently taking her hand in his. "I know, Barb. I made a rash decision that I deeply regret. I thought I was doing what was best, but I can see now that I was wrong. I should have found a way to tell you and include you in what was happening. But I was terrified that even a small slip could endangeryou and Oscar."
Barb sighed, her heart conflicted. She wanted to be angry, wanted to lash out at him for the fear and loneliness she had endured, but she could also see the torment in his eyes. She knew he had suffered, too, carrying the burden of protecting his family while deceiving them.
"Zac, you were put in an impossible situation, and I can see that. But trust is something that, once broken, takes time to rebuild." Barb left her hand in his warm one. She’d missed his touch.
Zac nodded, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand. "I don’t expect you to forgive me right away or to trust me completely again overnight. But I promise you, Barb, I will do whatever it takes to earn that trust back. I’ve even resigned from the FBI, and I’ve taken the job of Giles’s head of security."
Barb felt a tiny flicker of hope, but it was faint, overshadowed by the hurt that still lingered. "I want to get back to where we were, but it’s going to take time."
"I understand," Zac said softly. "And I’m willing to wait as long as it takes. Just know that I’m here for you, and I’m not going anywhere."
Barb nodded, squeezing his hand gently. "I guess that’s all we can do for now. Take it one day at a time."
Zac leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to her hand. "One day at a time," he echoed. "And I’ll spend every one of those days proving to you that you and the kids are my priority."
Barb closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, allowing herself a moment of vulnerability. Despite everything, she still loved him deeply. But love alone wasn’t enough. They needed to rebuild what had been broken.
