Chapter 29 #2
By the time dinner arrived, it felt like we were friends again, slipping back into those old skins like neither of us had changed at all.
We kept talking, laughing, and reminiscing while we ate, and at one point, when she tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at me, I was feeling like we genuinely might be able to make this work.
As the sun dipped lower over the golf course, Adeline watched it set for a beat before looking back at me. “I’m glad we came here.”
“So am I.” Even if only because this didn’t feel like a disaster waiting to happen anymore. “We’ve got a deal, then? We’ll make a point of doing this every so often?”
“Definitely.”
“I can’t actually remember the last time I went on a date,” Adeline admitted.
“Seriously?” I frowned. “Wait. That can’t be true. Didn’t you and Louis only separate last year?”
She shrugged one shoulder, but it didn’t look as light or as easy as she was obviously aiming for. “We never really went on dates. Mostly, we just attended events together. Work dinners. Charity fundraisers. That was about it.”
Bitterness twisted into a writhing, hot mess in the pit of my stomach. “What about before that?”
Her eyes flicked to the window. “Probably you.”
Holy fuck. That wasn’t what I meant.
“Did he honestly never take you out?” I asked incredulously. “What about in the early days, just after you were married?”
She shook her head slowly. “He was busy. His dad had just signed over the brokerage to him and there was a lot of pressure to prove he was ready for the transition.”
I leaned back in my chair, suddenly understanding why she’d looked like a shadow of her former self those first few times I’d seen her again. It had been a product of years of being lonely despite technically sharing a house with another person.
She suddenly laughed. “Well, this is a cheerful topic.”
“You deserved better than that,” I said quietly. “Seriously, Adeline. I’m sorry you had to go through it.”
My heart was breaking for her all over again, but I would never say that out loud. Truth be told, I’d spent eight years angry and hurt, convinced she’d chosen another life over me, and the only thing that had stopped me from going after her had been the fact that I thought she was happy.
Eventually, when I’d heard she was pregnant, I’d convinced myself that it was time to start moving on. It had been little consolation, but I’d thought that despite how shitty the arrangement had been for both of us, at least she’d found happiness.
So I’d chased it too. I’d never found it.
Not even for long enough to date the same woman for more than a few weeks, but all along, I’d thought the arrangement was working out for her.
But now, hearing what those years had actually looked like, all I could think about was how alone she must have been.
How she’d been married to someone who was supposed to have taken care of her and obviously never had.
After dessert, we headed home, but I was still stuck in my head and she seemed to be feeling the same. Once we were in the foyer, I suddenly became very aware of how empty the house was and how it would be only the two of us here tonight.
I opened my mouth to ask if she’d like another drink, but she beat me to the punch. “Thank you for dinner. I should head to bed, but I had a great time.”
“I’ll walk up with you,” I said. “I had a good time too.”
We headed upstairs side by side, all that tension from earlier rushing back, but stronger now after hours spent laughing and talking like we hadn’t once loved each other so much that losing her had ruined me.
She paused outside the master bedroom and I slid my hands into my pockets to keep from doing something stupid. Especially when she turned to smile at me. “Good night, Zach. Thanks again. I’m sorry I dumped my trauma right over our amazing burgers.”
My chest tightened with pain, but I shook my head. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”
She hesitated like she wanted to say something else, but then she seemed to decide against it, simply stepping closer and pressing a gentle kiss against my cheek. I should’ve left it at that, but as soon as she pulled away, I caved in completely.
“Adeline.”
She turned back and I crossed the space between us, circled my hands around her waist, and pulled her into me, immediately dipping my head to claim her lips for a kiss I’d been fantasizing about for years.
She froze in shock, but it was only for a moment before she melted into me, the kiss turning desperate almost right off the bat. It was messy and emotional but so long overdue that it knocked the air right out of my lungs.
A soft sound came out of her, a breathy moan that nearly made me lose it right there on the spot. Without even thinking about it, I backed her toward the master. Her fingers twisted into the front of my shirt like she was making sure I would follow.
Maybe it was immature not to stop and check if she was sure about this, but I didn’t care.
We stumbled into the bedroom together, tripping over each other like teenagers.
I nearly walked us directly into the wall.
She laughed against my mouth and I suddenly remembered every single thing I’d spent the better part of the last decade trying to forget.
Kissing her was like coming home after being lost in a blizzard for eight long years.
We finally fell into bed together, her legs wrapping around my waist and the heat of her radiating into me despite all the layers of fabric still between us. I’d dreamed about this so many fucking times. I just hoped I didn’t lose control before I got to make any of those dirty dreams come true.