âOur marriage of convenience ended at six oâclock this morning.â
Gabe continued. âA limo will be by for you in two hours. Youâve got your tickets? Everything?â
Stefanie smiled. âYou donât have to worry about me anymore. I took care of myself before we met, and can do so again.â
Gabe sobered. âI realize that. But after a year of being your husband, I find Iâm still in the habit.â He paused. âThen I guess this is goodbye. Thank you for everything, Stefanie. Iâll never forget you.â
After giving her a kiss on her petal-smooth cheek, Gabe left the study, aware of a haunting sense of loss. That was something he hadnât expectedâ¦.
GABE stared at the serenely beautiful woman seated across the desk from him. For as long as heâd known her, people had commented that she was a new version of the legendary blond princess, Grace Kelly. He agreed there was a superficial likeness in looks and style.
Women envied her and always would.
Men envied him for having exclusive rights to her company. One day the whole world would admire her.
âStefanie? As youâre well aware, our marriage of convenience ended at six oâclock this morning. There must have been times when you thought March 28 would never come around.â
She crossed one long, elegant leg over the other in a totally feminine gesture. âLetâs agree that both of us have been anxious for this day to arrive.â
He nodded. âOur annulment means you can go back to being Stefanie Dawson, this stateâs most attractive and sought-after young socialite. Now that youâre free to get on with the rest of your life, men, young and old, will line up to win your heart. Some very lucky man is going to succeed.â
Her china-blue eyes smiled. âYou think?â
His lips twitched. âI know. Youâll probably meet him before the year is out. Maybe even on your trip around the world. Are you packed and ready to go?â
âYes.â
âA limo will be by for you in two hours. Youâve got your tickets? Everything?â
She smiled. âYou donât have to worry about me anymore. I took care of myself before we met, and shall do so again.â
He sobered. âI realize that. But after a year of being your husband, I find Iâm still in the habit.â
âOnce out of sight, out of mind.â Her glib response was oddly disturbing.
Shifting his weight he said, âFor the record, youâve fulfilled your end of the bargain far beyond my expectations. Your reward is in this envelope, but no financial compensation could ever be enough to express the depth of my gratitude for your sacrifice. Iâll always be indebted to you. If you want, we can go over the settlement now.â
âI donât. When you give your word, Iâve learned you keep it.â
There was fire in her remark. Fire he hadnât expected.
âThen I guess this is goodbye.â Pushing the leather chair away from the desk, he got to his feet and walked around to her. The enticing floral fragrance he associated with her filled his nostrils.
âThank you for everything, Stefanie. Youâre a remarkable woman who deserves all that life has to offer. Thereâs no one like you. Iâll never forget.â
After giving her a kiss on her petal-smooth cheek, he left the study, aware of a haunting sense of loss. That, too, was something he hadnât expectedâ¦
Stefanie waited until she heard the front door close before running over to the window. The driver put Gabeâs suitcase in the trunk, but she kept her eyes on the tall, dark-haired male who was taking her heart with him. Exquisite pain smote her when he levered himself in the back seat without once turning his head for a final look of farewell.
A year ago today Gabeâs father, the powerful Senator Hershal Wainwright of Rhode Island, had gotten what he wantedâa new daughter-in-lawâthe one heâd handpicked to be Gabeâs wife. Two months after their marriage, the senator had gotten something else he wantedâreelection to a fifth term in the U.S. Senate.
Today, Gabriel Wainwright, the senatorâs fourth and youngest son, the handsome, hands-down public favorite of all the Wainwright sons, the one with the most promise, brilliance, charisma and charm, the one whom people, including the senator, insisted would end up in the White House one day, got what he wantedâfreedom from a temporary marriage which had served its purposeâfreedom to leave the past behind and live according to the dictates of his own conscience.