The MC President's Forsaken Wife (Zara and Knox) novel Chapter 76

<Chapter 51

Chapter 51-1

Zara

Three days later

By the afternoon of the third day after chemo, I’ve officially reached my limit.

Claim

I’ve slept. I’ve rested. I’ve read six chapters of a novel without remembering a single word. I’ve watched enough daytime television to develop entirely unreasonable opinions about a kitchen renovation in suburban Toronto.

I’ve eaten eight bowls of Jade’s homemade soup, six grilled cheese sandwiches, seven bananas, three tubs of yogurt, a whole package of crackers, toast thickly spread with peanut butter, and six blueberry muffins that Locke somehow persuaded the concierge to source from a bakery halfway across the city because I’d mentioned, in passing, that they remind me of my mother’s baking.

I’ve even gained three pounds, according to the scale in Locke’s ridiculously luxurious bathroom. Apparently my body has decided to cling to every calorie in preparation for whatever chemotherapy intends to throw at it next.

What I cannot do…

What I absolutely cannot do…

…is spend another goddamn hour sitting still.

I wander through the penthouse with a mug of tea in my hands, pausing in front of the enormous windows. The ocean sparkles beneath the late afternoon sun, férries carving white lines through the water while the mountains beyond sit calm and unmoving, entirely unconcerned with my growing restlessness.

Locke left just after breakfast on club business, which means Knox, accounts, warehouses, paper trails. All the things we were working on together before chemotherapy abruptly rearranged our priorities.

Goddammit, I miss working, I miss the garage, and Tucker pretending to complain every time I corrected him, and Brick’s terrible jokes, and Jade appearing out of nowhere with coffee and opinions. I even miss my Dad’s office with its mountains of files and Locke quietly muttering at spreadsheets that refuse to cooperate.

Most of all…

I miss Locke.

The realization arrives so simply that I laugh at myself. The man has been gone for barely eight hours.

Still, the penthouse feels different without him. Not empty exactly, just too quiet. His coffee mug sits beside the sink. His jean jacket hangs over the back of one of the dining chairs. One of his books lies open on the sofa. Little pieces of him are everywhere.

When the elevator finally dings at just after six, I don’t even pretend to be dignified. I abandon my tea on the kitchen island and practically run to meet him. He’s has barely stepped inside before I throw my arms around his waist.

13

Chapter 51

He laughs a warm, surprised sound and wraps me up automatically. “Well, hi.”

“You’re home.”

“So I am.”

“You’ve been gone forever.”

“I’ve been gone about nine hours.”

“Exactly. Forever.”

His chin rests lightly against the top of my head. “I see that I was missed.”

“Don’t let it go to your head.”,

“Too late.”

Clam

I smile against his chest. He smells like leather and fresh air and the faintest trace of the cedar soap that

he insists isn’t expensive, despite the bottle looking like it belongs in a museum.

“I was beginning to think you’d moved into the clubhouse,” I say.

“I considered it.”

I gasp dramatically. “Betrayal.”

“But then I remembered that somebody would probably come and drag me home.”

“That is correct.”

He pulls back just enough to study my face, and the smile fades into something softer. “How are you, baby?”

“Good.”

One eyebrow rises. “Is that so?”

“OK.” I sigh. “I’m better… much better.”

“Tired?”

“A little.”

“Were you sick?”

“Not today.”

He nods slowly, searching my face the way that he always does now, as though he’s become fluent in the tiny expressions that I don’t even realize I’m making. Apparently satisfied, he brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You’ve eaten?”

“I so have.”

“Properly?”

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Chapter 51

I’ve been supervised by approximately seventeen different people,” I say wryly.

“Dad called.”

“I know.”

“Jade texted.”

“I know that too.”

“Mayhem threatened to come over and watch me eat lunch.”

“I believe that one.”

I grin. “He wasn’t joking.”

“I know.” He laughs quietly before dropping a kiss onto my forehead. “I missed you, baby.”

Clam

The words are so matter-of-fact that they steal my breath for just a second. “I missed you too, handsome.”

He slips his cut off and drapes it over a chair before heading toward the kitchen. I follow him immediately, like an overly enthusiastic puppy.

“You’re hovering,” he says.

“I’m gathering intelligence.”

“Is that what we’re calling it?”

“Tell me everything you found out today about Knox.”

He laughs softly, opening the refrigerator. “I haven’t even taken my boots off.”

“I can wait.” A beat. “For approximately twelve seconds.”

He shakes his head fondly. “Sit.”

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