Page 307 of The Christmas Wife

The men shake hands.

"Cade also happens to be Zara’s brother," I interject.

The men glance at him, then at me.

"Ah." JJ lights up his cigar. "I can see the resemblance. Why do the two of you have different surnames though?"

"I took my mother’s surname. Zara took my father’s." He raises a shoulder. "Family dynamics can be complex."

"Tell me about it," JJ says in a self-deprecating tone. I have no doubt he’s referring to the relationship between him and Lena, and his son. "These things have a way of working themselves out though," he offers.

"You haven’t met my family." Cade shakes his head. "Speaking of...how’s Zara?" He turns to me.

"She seemed fine, last I saw her." Which was through the camera app on my phone, which showed she was back at work in her office. She seemed fine, on the face of it, at least. Checking in on her, making sure she’s okay, now that I could see her with the swipe of the screen, is getting to be a dangerous addiction. At least, I’ve managed to curb myself from doing so since arriving at the Club.

"And the fallout from the V&A Ball?"

"Seems to have been minimal." I also authorized Axel’s team to track down anyone who got a hold of clips from the event and pay them to take them down. He’ll be the front for all of the proceedings; my name will be kept out of it completely. Not that I don’t trust Zara and her team to handle it, but if I can spare her the stress of finding any reference to the bout between Cade and me, then it could only be helpful for her, right?

"I assume that’s where the shiner is from?" Sinclair jerks his chin in Cade’s direction. I filled them in on what went down at the ball but left out the fact that Cade is Zara’s brother. Now, all three men dart me knowing looks. Yeah, so it was stupid of me to swing without thinking, and I’m loathe to apologize for it. Except, he’s Zara’s brother. So…

I square my shoulders, "If it’s any consolation, you got in a few good ones, too." I move my jaw from side to side.

"I should hope so." He flexes his fingers. The skin over his knuckles is raw.

"I owe you an apology." I hold out my hand.

He stares down at it, then at me. "This doesn’t change anything. Zara may come across as strong, but she’s fragile inside. She’s one hell of a survivor, and you don’t deserve her."

"In this, I am with you." I tilt my head.

His scowl deepens. "Hurt her, and I’ll break your jaw next time."

"If I hurt her, I won’t stop you," I concur.

He finally takes my hand. "For Zara’s sake," he mutters.

We shake, then both of us pull our hands back. That’s when my phone vibrates. I glance at the camera app, then rise to my feet.

"Good meeting you." I manage to infuse a note of sincerity in my voice, then turn to the others. "Later ol’ chaps."

I head out of the club, then direct my chauffeur to take me to her place. Twenty minutes later, I’m pressing the doorbell to her apartment.

I hear movement behind the door before it swings open. "You?"

46

Zara

"Expecting someone else?" Hunter smirks from his position against my door frame.

"A grocery delivery, actually." I tip up my chin.

"Lying, Fire?" His smirk widens.

"You’re the politician, not me, remember?"

He chuckles. "Touché, Councillor."

---