Page 50 of Reunion at Mistletoe Lodge
“Barb…” Zac said, putting the bauble and paintbrush down.
“I don’t even know who your family is because you never bothered to tell me anything.” He heard the wobble in her voice. “I was your wife, Zac. I’m supposed to know who your family is.” She swallowed, and he could see her fighting for control. “I don’t even know who you are.”
Zac reached out, but Barb pulled back, creating a distance that felt like a chasm between them. "Barb, you know me better than anyone. It’s not about my life or the things I didn’t tell you.” His eyes searched her. “Barb, you know better than anyone because you know my heart.”
Tears welled up in Barb’s eyes as she looked at Zac, her voice breaking. "And you broke mine. You shattered it, Zac. I loved you, I trusted you, and you left me when I needed you the most.” She sniffed. “But even worse for me is that you broke my son’s heart and that I will never forgiveyou for.”
Zac’s face was a mask of regret as he whispered, "Barb, I…” He felt a lump that felt like barbed wire lodged in his throat. His voice grew hoarse. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think there was another way. I was miles from you and Oscar. If what happened to Liam was connected to your uncle and they found the two of you…”
Barb shook her head, standing up from the table, her voice thick with tears. "If you cared, you would have found a way to let me know, Zac. But you didn’t. You just let us think you’d disappeared.” She stared at him for a few minutes. “How did you think this was all going to end?” She glanced around. “When your brother got his memories back, and you found what you were looking for. What then?” She tilted her head slightly. “You just come back to us and expect everything to be okay?”
“Barb,” Zac started to say but slumped back in his chair. In truth, he hadn’t thought it through.
As soon as Liam got shot and his most trusted man killed, Zac’s first thought was that it was Jason Pook sending a message to Zac. He couldn’t let anyone know where Barb and Oscar were, so when Courtney suggested he become Liam… he’d doneit without hesitation.
“I’m so sorry,” Zac’s voice dropped. “I was so afraid when Liam got shot. The only way I could see how to protect you, Oscar, and my brother was to assume the role of Liam.” He ran a hand through his hair. “All I wanted to do was protect my family.”
“No matter the cost.” Barb’s voice was low and filled with bitterness. “And what a heck of a cost it was.” She rubbed her temple, and her cheeks looked more flushed than before. “I have a headache. I think I’m going to call it a night.”
“Barb,” Zac said, grabbing her hand. “Please, can we talk? I know what I did may sound crazy to you, but to me…”
Barb snatched her hand away and stood. His eyes widened in alarm as she swayed and gripped the table before stabilizing.
“Are you okay?” Zac sprung to his feet.
“I’m fine,” Barb snapped. “I just got up too quickly.”
“You look a little flushed,” Zac commented.
“Do you blame me?” Her eyes blazed at him.
Zac and Barb stared at each other for a few moments. Then, without another word, Barb turned and walked away, leaving Zac standing alone at the table, the weight of her words pressing down on him like a thousand stones. He watched her go, feeling helpless to stop her as she walked away with his splintering heart in her hands.
CHAPTER 14
Barb
Barb’s head was killing her by the time she got to the bungalow. As she let herself in, Jackie greeted her with a warm smile.
“Hi.” Jackie got up from where she was studying by the dining table. “You’re back early.”
“I had enough for one day,” Barb told her, taking off her coat, hat, and gloves to hang on the coat hooks by the door. “How did everything go?”
“Perfect.” Jackie started gathering her books. “Charlotte is a little angel.”
“Her temperature and infection?” Barb asked, walking into the kitchen to make some ginger tea.
“My brother checked her out earlier when he dropped off Max and said she was coming along well,” Jackie told her. “I’ve taken Charlotte’s vitals, and she’s recovering fast.”
“Thank you, Jackie,” Barb said, feeling a pang of guilt at having left her daughter for three hours while helping at the lodge. “Have you had dinner?”
“Yes, I ordered from the lodge,” Jackie told her, frowning. “Barb, are you feeling okay?”
“I have a headache,” Barb admitted with a weak smile. “Probably all the stress and aggravation from my soon-to-be ex, who happens to be staying across the way in one of the new chalets.”
“Ah, Oscar told me all about his dad, Zac,” Jackie told her. “Sorry, I wasn’t prying. Oscar was so excited to tellme his father was here.”
“It’s okay,” Barb told her. “Would you like some tea? I’m making some ginger and honey tea.”
