“Zoe?” Kelly said. “Are you coming?”
Her pleasure was short-lived. If Byron was here, and using his nickname, it didn’t mean he was here for a social call. He’d sought her out previously to ensure she didn’t plan to use the secret he’d kept for her against him. At first, she couldn’t believe he’d think she would do that to him. Then she reminded herself who his family was and the world he lived in and felt foolish for thinking he would trust her all these years later. If he was there in person, it either meant he hadn’t believed her before or there was another threat to the promises they’d made.
“I’m coming now.”
CHAPTER THREE
THIRTEEN YEARS AGO Byron Robidoux had saved her life. He’d been her best friend and the only person she’d known who’d been nice to her without expecting something in return. Believing he was really a nice guy had taken a while, but as she’d worked beside him on various volunteer projects, she’d been pleasantly surprised. She’d never met anyone like Byron before. Stupid rich, suave, super likeable and serious about making a difference in the world. She’d been drawn to his optimism and believed the hype when he said everyone could do something to make society better.
In the years since accepting his help then running away, she’d wondered what her life would have been like if she’d been smarter and fallen in love with him. If she’d chosen Byron instead of believing the garbage example of a relationship her parents had shown her as the standard for “real” love.
Thoughts of what could have been didn’t matter now. Too much time had passed and they’d both moved on with their lives. That didn’t stop Zoe from hurrying down the hall with barely suppressed excitement at the idea of seeing Byron again.
She walked into the visitors’ waiting room at the front of the building. The room was decorated with stark gray walls, two plastic tables with chairs for visitors having lunch with an employee, and a few vending machines. The place wasn’t designed to encourage lounging or long visits. A man stood with his back to the door and faced the television mounted to the far wall with a game show playing on the screen.
Zoe stopped short. He was tall with broad shoulders and stood with his arms crossed and legs wide. He was dressed casually in a pair of loose jeans and navy T-shirt with a baseball cap on his head. In all the time she’d known Byron Robidoux he’d never worn jeans, T-shirt or a ball cap that didn’t look as if it had been put together by a personal stylist.
Her heartbeat kicked up a notch. She’d assumed the fake name was for Byron. That assumption could be dead wrong. The threatening email she’d asked Rose to check out could mean someone out there was really pissed at her. What if it had been a warm-up to this meeting?
She slid one foot back, panic and fear she hadn’t felt in a long time tightening her throat. She bumped into the trash can by the door. It toppled over, metal clanging against the concrete floor and spilling paper and aluminum cans everywhere.
“Shit!” she whispered. There she went, auditioning for the least graceful woman of the year award again.
The guy spun around. Whiskey-brown eyes met hers and widened. Zoe froze halfway down to pick up the items she’d spilled. Her mouth fell open.
“Byron?” No way. This man in front of her couldn’t be the Byron she’d been friends with in college. The few times she’d looked him up on the internet or saw a news clip of him did not accurately reflect how good he looked in person. Seriously, she knew some guys tended to age into sex gods, but this was something different.
Or maybe it’s just been that long.
Byron looked the same but more mature. The boyish features that had made him handsome in college had sharpened into a refined, grown and sexy look. His body was thicker, more filled out, and based on his biceps and forearms he’d filled out with muscle. The five o’clock shadow he used to always try to shave, which had given him charm, was now a full-on well-manicured beard that made it damn near impossible for her to not focus on his lips. Had his lower lip always been that full? That...kissable?
“Hey, Zoe, sorry to pop in on you like this.”
Even if her eyes didn’t want to accept that the fine-as-hell guy in front of her was her good friend from college, Byron’s voice got through to her brain. Deep, cultured and smooth enough to make a woman’s panties fly off.
The corner of his lip lifted in a half smile. One of his thick brows quirked up. Confusion clouded his eyes. Zoe snapped her mouth shut and straightened quickly. No need to stand there like a deer caught in headlights.
She forced out the fog of desire trying to cloud her brain and reminded herself this was Byron. Way-too-rich, I-easily-get-whatever-I-want Byron. I’m-running-for-Senate and, if she remembered correctly, am-engaged-to-someone-else Byron.
“It’s okay. A big surprise, but okay.”
When his shoulders relaxed and the easygoing smile she remembered crossed his features, Zoe’s earlier excitement about seeing an old friend returned. She crossed the room and automatically opened her arms to hug him.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said.
Byron hesitated a beat before his arms spread and he wrapped her up in a hug. Not only did he look different, but he felt different, too. Harder, stronger, way more you know you want to press all up into me good. Her skin tingled and her nipples tightened. Zoe pulled back quickly before he noticed, the faint smell of his cologne backing up with her.
Byron slid back, too. His eyes skated over her features before he ran a hand over his beard, and did the nervous nose scrunch she remembered that always reminded her of a rabbit. The movement made her smile and pushed away the lingering awkwardness of her reaction. This was Byron. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t looked at him in college and allowed a few what if thoughts to take over. That was all this was.
“Good to see you, too,” he said, finally meeting her gaze.
“Is everything all right? After I spoke with the detectives, I thought everything was settled.”
She’d been hurt when he’d sent a private detective to talk to her even if she’d understood. She’d run out on him without a backward glance after accepting his help. He’d sent someone to find her to make sure she wouldn’t try to come back and ruin his campaign. As much as she’d wanted to call Byron herself and curse him out for even considering she’d do something like that, could she really blame him for not trusting her?
“I thought everything was settled, too. Last night I was approached by someone and now they’re making demands.”
Zoe crossed her arms. She looked over her shoulder even though they were the only people in the room. Old habits were hard to break. “You know I won’t say anything.”
“That’s the thing.” He slid closer and lowered his voice. “I may need you to say something.”
“What?” A dozen thoughts raced through her brain. Say something? About the secret they kept? The idea was preposterous. It would make things worse after she’d spent years blending into the background. “No. I’m not about to draw attention to myself. Not now.” Not when Kendell was scheduled to get out of prison soon. “I can’t get caught up in a political campaign.”
“You’re going to get drawn in anyway.” He sounded sure of himself. Overly sure.
“I’ll deny it.” As soon as the words were out she realized denying anything would also put her in an awkward position.
“The birth certificate may not be an open record, but we both know if someone wants to see it bad enough, they can. Then what happens if they start asking if I’m really the father?”
Zoe clenched her teeth. A truth she never wanted revealed. She hadn’t filled out the line for the father. Telling Kendell Byron was her child’s father had gotten her out of the reach of the man she’d once believed loved her. Byron’s going along with her lie was all the proof Kendell had asked for. Leaving the father line blank seemed the best way to avoid bringing either of them int
o the equation after she had Lilah.
“Who knocked over the trash can?” A man’s irritated voice said from the door.
Byron pulled his ball cap lower over his eyes. Reminding Zoe he hadn’t given his complete name to the receptionist. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Things were about to get pretty bad if he’d taken the risk to come see her.
“I did.” Zoe turned to face Dave, one of the operators from the assembly line. “Sorry, I’m going to get it up.”
“I was about to say. I figured someone was about to get a write-up from you if they’d made a mess and left it like this,” Dave said. “My sister is dropping off my lunch. I left it at my place. Figured I’d wait for her up here.” Dave looked over Zoe’s shoulder with a questioning gaze.
Byron had turned back to the television. Zoe smiled at Dave and pointed at Byron. “We’ll get out of your way.” She turned to Byron. “You can’t come back to my office unless you sign in,” she said, lowering her voice so Dave couldn’t overhear. “Do you know where I live?”
He nodded. “What time does Lilah get out of school? I’d like to talk to you first.”
“She’s done at three, but she has afterschool activities.” Zoe checked her watch. She really needed to work on that report for Miranda, but this thing with Byron couldn’t wait. “Let me wrap up things here and meet you at my place in about an hour.”
Dave’s sister came into the visitors’ room and the two of them greeted each other excitedly. “You’d forget your damn head if it wasn’t attached to your body.” The siblings laughed and launched into a conversation about what their mother had packed for Dave’s lunch.
Byron placed his hand on her elbow. His voice raised enough for her to hear him over Dave’s conversation, but not loud enough so they’d overhear. “Zoe, I know you don’t want to do this, but there’s more at play than just the word getting out. The person who approached me was originally looking for you.”
Zoe clasped her hands together to stop herself from wringing them. Emails calling her a lying bitch were one thing. Emails coupled with someone looking for her sent cold chills across her spine. She shook her head. The urge to run a physical tug in her midsection.
Byron’s hand squeezed. His eyes hardened. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
He did. He would. Even after all these years she saw that truth in his eyes. The thought both warmed her heart and made her want to kick the overturned trash can. She was not the helpless young woman she’d once been. If Kendell was trying to push his way back into her life, he’d best be ready because she was ready to fight back.
She pulled her arm out of his grasp, the lingering heat of his touch like an electric shock to her system. “Thanks, but I can take care of myself now.” She didn’t bother to feel bad when she saw the flash of hurt in his eyes. Zoe lifted her chin. “My place. One hour.”
* * *
“WHERE ARE YOU? Don’t you know we’re in the middle of a crisis?”
Byron ran a hand over his beard and swallowed the sigh creeping up his throat. He’d been sitting in Zoe’s driveway for an hour waiting for her to arrive. Dominic had provided her address after Byron told him he had to talk to Zoe in person and was the only one Byron had told where he was going. Hence the reason his campaign manager, Roy, was now having a minor hissy fit at not knowing the whereabouts of his superstar client.
“Something came up that I had to take care of. I won’t be gone long,” Byron said, trying to keep his voice upbeat and unbothered.
His plan was to make this a quick trip that wouldn’t draw much attention. That was why he’d left home before the sun rose and tried to look as unpolitician-like as possible. He doubted Carlton thought Byron would go straight to Zoe instead of trying to find a way to deal with him directly, but in case he did have any ideas, Byron decided to leave the political entourage of security and advisers at home.
His plan to be inconspicuous had flown out the window with the insistent administrative assistant at Zoe’s job, who’d eyed him up and down. On top of that his visit would be documented by one of the various cameras installed around the exterior of Zoe’s home. That was if the very observant older woman living next door didn’t call the police on him for trespassing. The woman had come out and peered at Byron suspiciously three times since he’d parked in Zoe’s driveway.
He checked his watch for the tenth time, tried to remember he’d been the inconsiderate one who’d interrupted her workday and focused on the problem of calming down Roy.
“What could have possibly come up that you couldn’t tell me about?” Roy’s irritated voice came through the phone. “While you’re off chasing whatever unicorns you discovered last night, I’m here trying to prevent a crisis.”
That was the third time since Byron answered Roy’s call that he’d referred to a problem. Roy needed to know about Carlton’s blackmail attempt, but Byron needed time to think of a solution before Roy and his dad swooped in and tried to dictate his next move. Roy would have been all on Byron’s case if he had any idea of Byron’s location, which meant something else had come up.
“What are you talking about, Roy? What type of crisis?”
“Oh, now you want to show an interest in your campaign.”
“Roy,” Byron said between clenched teeth. He understood how important the next few days of his campaign were. He didn’t need the extra dose of sarcasm.
“India and Travis eloped.”
Byron’s body went still. He shook his head as the words sank in. Nah. They could not have run off like that. Sure, he’d given his blessing to their relationship, but the plan was to come up with the best way to roll things out to the media. Didn’t they understand eloping gave the appearance the family was against them? That people would think they’d had to sneak off and get married to avoid backlash?
Byron shifted forward and backward in his seat. He ran a hand over his beard and scowled at the front of Zoe’s home. What the hell were they thinking? He’d been the person to support them, and they run off and elope.
“What the hell, India?” Byron said in a disbelieving whisper. He jerked the steering wheel. The inside of the car was stifling. He turned off the car, jumped out and paced from the front to the back. “How did you find out?”
“India called your cousin Ashiya, who told your aunt Liz, who went to Grant, who came to me because no one knows where the hell you are,” Roy said as if Byron going out of town was the reason for the entire screwup.
Byron ran a hand over his face. The squeaking of Zoe’s neighbor’s screen door sounded again. He looked over at the woman. He smiled and waved. She scowled and ran back inside as if Lucifer had offered her a piece of candy. She was definitely calling the police now. Shit! If Zoe didn’t pull up in the next two minutes he would leave and circle back in half an hour.
“What do you want to do?” Roy asked.
Byron had no clue what to do. Yesterday had been so great. The joy of the primary win seemed like a century ago. He stopped pacing, took a deep breath and focused on one problem at a time. India’s elopement was ill-timed, but it wasn’t the worst thing he had to deal with right now.
“Look, I pay you and the rest of your staff enough money to come up with ways to fix this. Start brainstorming ideas. I’ll be back in Jackson Falls later tonight. I’ve got to take care of something and then be back.”
“What are you taking care of? Come on, Byron, we’ve already got an uphill battle with you going against a candidate with a history in national politics already. I don’t need you coming with some other new surprises.”
He couldn’t keep Roy completely in the dark. Not when he was already flipping out about one thing. “Talk to Dominic.”
There were several beats of silence. “That situation?” Roy knew about Byron’s promise to Zoe. He’d originally expressed concerns Zoe would try and come out with the information during their campaign. Ro
y recommended Dominic to help Byron find Zoe and discover if she planned to take advantage of Byron’s previous generosity during the campaign. “I thought things were taken care of.”
“They were. Until right after the results came in. So believe it or not, India and Travis’s inconvenient elopement is the least of our problems. Get with Dominic, come up with a plan. I’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with Zoe and we’ll get ahead of things.”
He hadn’t originally planned to bring Zoe back to Jackson Falls with him. He wasn’t even sure if she’d be able to get away for the weekend, but he wasn’t going to make a plan that affected her and her daughter without her input.
The garage door rose right as a large black SUV turned into her driveway. Zoe sat behind the wheel. She gave him an apologetic smile as she pulled the vehicle into the garage.
“Look, Roy, I’ve got to go.”
“Hold up, wait, we’re not done. I need to know what happened,” Roy said frantically.
“Remember the part about me paying you a lot of money to help solve my problems? I meant that. Talk to Dominic. I’ll call you later.”
“Yeah, I’m not a miracle worker,” Roy grumbled.
“That’s not what your invoices say.” Byron ended the call and slid the phone in his back pocket.
Zoe opened the driver’s-side door and stepped out as he approached. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “It took longer than I expected to wrap things up at the office.”
Byron was struck once again by how much she’d changed since he’d last seen her. Not so much her looks, but the spark of mischief that used to always be in her dazzling brown eyes wasn’t there. Her thick, curly hair was parted down the middle then braided back into a sleek bun. She used to always wear it out like a halo around her head. The ready smile she’d worn was now more hesitant and guarded. He would have expected the more demur demeanor to have dampened his attraction to her; instead, he only wanted to bring out the Zoe he remembered. To untwist her hair and gently tug on a tight coil the way he used to before saying something to make her full lips part with unabashed laughter.
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