Grant didn’t look a bit chastised. His chin lifted a little and he studied her. Measured her up. She was here to do Byron a favor, not to get in good with his father.
Byron rocked back in his chair. He ran a hand over his beard and glared at his father. “You convinced her to leave? You and Mom?”
When Grant didn’t immediately answer, only stared at Zoe in challenge, she guessed that even though she’d alluded to this when she talked to Byron, he hadn’t brought it up with his dad yet.
Zoe turned from Grant and gently touched Byron’s forearm to get his attention. Confusion swirled in the light brown depths of his eyes. She nodded. “They convinced me to leave. They weren’t wrong, Byron. We both agreed to that the other day.”
“We knew you’d get over her quickly,” Grant said. “And we were right. You did.”
The triumphant words punched Zoe’s heart a little. She hadn’t expected Byron to cry and pine over her after she left. Sure, he’d said he loved her, but he’d never lacked female companionship and hadn’t admitted his feelings until after she’d come to him for help. She’d assumed he was feeling an abundance of affection and protectiveness after she ran to him for help. The tiny, romantic part of her heart she tried to ignore had wondered if Byron’s love had been real. Grant’s words snuffed out the last little bit of nostalgia she’d had about the true meaning behind Byron’s promises.
Byron drummed his fingers on the smooth surface of the table. He looked from Grant to Dominic and Roy then finally at Zoe. Tension radiating off his body. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out through his nose. “Get out,” he said in a low, controlled voice.
Zoe’s eyes widened. “You’re kicking me out?”
Byron shook his head. “Not you.” He opened his eyes and pointed at his father and the other two men on the other side of the table. “Everyone else. Out. Now.”
Roy sat up straight. “Hold up, Byron, I know your dad may have upset you, but we’ve got to figure this stuff out.”
“We will figure this out. I’m sure you’ve got a dozen ideas and are ready to tell me exactly what to do, but right now I need a moment alone with Zoe.” His eyes never left his father’s. “Everyone. Out.”
Grant’s eyes narrowed. Zoe didn’t move as the two men stared at each other. Dominic stood first. He motioned with his head toward Roy and then toward the door. The campaign manager huffed and shook his head before standing and following Dominic out of the room. The room was silent after the two men left. Byron and Grant glared at each other. Zoe sat still, her body tight and her breathing ragged. She didn’t like being alone in a room with not one, but two, angry men.
“Son—”
“Dad,” Byron said, his voice sharp. He held up a hand and took another long breath. “Not now. Right now I need you to go.” His voice lost some of its edge but was still firm.
Grant rose stiffly to his feet. He ran a hand down the front of his blood-red button-up shirt then straightened the collar. After one last irritated glance in Zoe’s direction he left the room.
Silence filled the space and sucked all the air out of the room. Zoe had removed her hand from Byron’s arm. He sat still, eyes closed, nostrils flaring with his deep, heavy breaths. Zoe licked her lips and tried to ignore the frantic beating of her heart. Was he mad at her? Byron had never lashed out or hurt her, but he was clearly furious. She hadn’t been in a room with a furious man in over thirteen years. Her stomach quaked and her palms sweated. She eased her chair slightly away from his.
Byron’s head snapped her way. She didn’t know what he saw in her face, but his eyes widened. He slowly backed his chair away from her, got to his feet and walked to the windows overlooking the terrace. As soon as the distance was between them, Zoe breathed easier.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Byron said, his voice apologetic.
Zoe hadn’t meant to show how much they’d affected her. She hadn’t expected to be frightened so easily. She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her temple. Embarrassment heated her face. Years of self-defense and therapy were supposed to have shown her how to channel her fear. Figure out how to assess and escape potential volatile situations. Not immediately turn back into the frozen, scared rabbit she’d been all those years ago.
“I didn’t realize I would react that way,” she said, instead of denying her fear. That was the other thing she wouldn’t do anymore. Hide her own discomfort to make someone else feel better.
He turned his head to the side and glanced at her over his shoulder. “I’ll be mindful of that in the future.”
She didn’t want him to treat her as if she would run scared if he ever raised his voice, but she appreciated that he understood and wasn’t telling her she overreacted or needed to calm down. They were both getting to know the other person again. “Thank you.”
Byron looked back out the window. “Why didn’t you tell me what my parents said before you left?” His voice wasn’t accusatory, just curious.
She’d considered telling him because she’d known exactly what he would say and do. He’d get angry with his parents for trying to protect him. Insist they were wrong and that the two of them getting married was the right thing to do. He would have convinced her to stay, and she never would have learned to stand up on her own.
“Some of what they said was hard to hear, but when they were done, I couldn’t disagree with them.” She sighed and sat back in her chair. “I think the entire thing was your mom’s idea. Grant had already told me he was willing to go along with what you wanted, but he didn’t contradict her when she said my leaving was for the best.”
Byron turned away from the window and watched her. “I’d like to disagree on that, but if I’m honest with myself I know it was her idea. Dad was confused and frustrated when I called and told him, but he understood when I finished explaining. Mom, on the other hand...” Byron ran a hand over his face and let out a humorless laugh. “She wasn’t happy at all.”
“I didn’t think you’d care,” she admitted. “I thought a part of you would be relieved.”
His eyes sharpened. “Relieved?”
“I came to you with a bruised face and a bunch of drama. Kendell’s gang ties ran deep. So deep I think even his mom was involved. You were this awesome, confident, cocky guy who wanted to do something great with his life and possibly save the world. You deserved better than hiding my secret.”
She hadn’t believed she deserved Byron’s help. That she wasn’t worth his sacrificing future happiness. Though she never regretted telling the lie and escaping Kendell, she couldn’t bring herself to accept anything else from him.
“I deserved better? You say that as if you didn’t deserve to be loved by me.” His reply held a hint of frustration.
“Honestly, back then, I didn’t think I deserved that.” She couldn’t sit as memories of how low her self-confidence had been came rushing back. How she’d believed love only came with pain, embarrassment and subjugation. She got up from her seat and walked to the other side of the table. Her hands clenched the back of one of the soft leather chairs.
“I grew up in a pretty fucked-up household. My mom always said if a man didn’t hit you occasionally, then it wasn’t love. I needed time to deprogram that stuff from my brain. I needed to stand on my own two feet, love myself enough to accept real love when it finally came along.”
His brows drew together. “Finally came along? There you go again pretending as if my feelings weren’t real.”
She scoffed instead of acknowledging the stirring in her stomach from the echo of disbelief in his voice. An echo of something she’d heard the first time he’d confessed he loved her and she’d laughed because she’d found the idea unbelievable. “Come on, Byron. We know you didn’t really love me. We were friends. It was a little bit of attraction, tossed in with my hero worship and some affection.”
He ran a hand over his face
and looked skyward before letting out a dry chuckle and shaking his head. When he looked at her again, his eyes were hot with determination. He slowly stalked toward her. Zoe’s breathing stuttered, but not from fear. Sparks crackled across her skin as he drew closer. He didn’t crowd her, but he stopped close enough for her to see hunger in the depths of his light brown eyes. A hunger that tightened her nipples and sent slick heat pooling between her thighs.
“What I felt for you wasn’t hero worship, a small bit of affection, or a little bit of attraction.” His voice was low and resonated with emotion. “Neither was the pain I felt when you walked away.”
Everything stopped as the truth of his words sank into her, settled around her nerve endings and scattered foolish yearning through her veins. Not once in the time they’d known each other had Byron ever embraced her as anything more than a friend. Once he’d brushed a brief kiss across her forehead after they’d won a grant for one of their projects. She’d stayed up late into the night swearing she could still feel his lips on her forehead and dreamed about his lips on her mouth, neck, back and other places. The next time she’d seen him she’d had to fight the urge to find out if reality was anything like her dreams. The same urge pushed her now. She wanted to step closer to him, press against the strength of his body and be encircled by the warmth of his arms.
She took a small step toward him. Byron slid just a little bit closer. Their breathing resonated in the quietness of the room. Her gaze dipped to his full lower lip. One more step. If she took that last step, if she closed the distance, would he pull her into his arms?
Only one way to know for sure.
The door opened. “There you are,” a woman’s voice cooed. “Your daddy told me you were in here meeting with the latest fire we need to put out.”
As if doused in ice water Zoe nearly jumped back from Byron. He blinked as if waking from a trance before looking over her shoulder. For a second she saw disappointment flash across his features, before the confident smile he always wore lifted his full lips.
“Don’t talk like that, Yolanda.” His smile remained but his voice was serious.
Yolanda sidled up next to Byron, slid her arm through his and rested her hand on his forearm just enough for the diamond on her ring finger to catch the light.
The fiancée.
Could she be any more foolish? She was no better than Lilah. Getting caught up in romantic ideas of second chances and happily-ever-afters. Byron was engaged. She’d do well to remember that and not get swept away by declarations made long ago.
“I’m sorry. You know I’m only teasing. You must be Zoe.” Yolanda’s voice was warm, her eyes smiling, her lips lifted in a beautiful smile.
Zoe felt sick to her stomach. She would not be that woman. The woman who came into an ex’s life and fucked everything up just because of a wild thought that she deserved a second chance. Besides, Byron had never been her ex.
“I am.” Zoe’s voice was husky, and she cleared her throat before holding out her hand. “It’s great to meet you. Byron has told me so much about you. It’s great to see my old friend so happy.”
He was happy. He was in love. He was getting married.
Yolanda’s head tilted. “I’m the lucky one.” She grinned up at Byron. Her eyes bright with adoration. “So have we come up with a plan? As soon as Byron told me about the blackmail, I immediately said we needed to contact you and find a way to make it work. Neither of us wants you to come into any trouble. We will find a way.”
Zoe glanced at Byron, but he stood stiffly next to Yolanda. He avoided eye contact with Zoe and placed a hand over Yolanda’s, which still rested on his forearm.
“Thank you.” Zoe’s stomach soured even more. She couldn’t believe she’d almost threw herself into his arms. He couldn’t even look at her. He had to think she was ridiculous, sliding close to him and probably begging him with her eyes for a kiss. Now he couldn’t even look her way. This is why she hadn’t had a relationship in years. She didn’t know jack about having a healthy one.
“Good,” Yolanda beamed. “Let’s call the rest of the team in here and get to work.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
IT ONLY TOOK two hours to come up with a story. Byron could thank Yolanda for that. She kept them on task and cut short any potential nuclear meltdowns between Zoe and his father. He had to give her credit. She was great when it came to figuring out a plan and avoiding distractions. That was one of the reasons he’d known they’d be great together. She took his abstract ideas and helped form them into a coherent plan. He should be bursting with pride and confidence about the future they’d build.
Except you almost kissed Zoe.
He hadn’t been able to get that thought out of his mind. Not only had he almost kissed her, he’d spilled his feelings like he’d swallowed some truth serum, too. He couldn’t believe he’d done that! He could barely look Zoe in the eye. The last thing he needed on top of everything else was for Zoe to think he wanted to sleep with her. Doing anything with Zoe would complicate the situation. He’d promised Yolanda there was nothing to worry about between him and Zoe. His life already a jumble of complications, he didn’t need to add anything more.
“Why don’t we take a break,” Yolanda said. “I’m getting hungry, and I’m sure Zoe is tired after driving all the way to Jackson Falls this morning.”
They’d just come to a truce of sorts. The story they told would be a version of the truth. Zoe and Byron had been young and in love. Byron asked Zoe to marry him, but she’d believed they were too young. After she’d left, she found out she was pregnant and chose not to tell Byron so he wouldn’t feel obligated to marry her. Now someone had found out the truth and tried to blackmail Byron for something he didn’t know. Close enough so they didn’t have to remember too many parts and not bad enough to make everyone hate Zoe. They just had to wait for Zoe to talk things over with Lilah and agree to the plan.
“I could get out of here for a few minutes,” Zoe said, her voice tired.
Guilt ran through Byron. This meeting could have waited. He shouldn’t have gone immediately from her arrival to this. “I’ll order food. Zoe, Feel free to walk the grounds. If you want to rest, I can have one of the guest bedrooms ready for you.”
She shook her head. “Walking the grounds for a few minutes will do me some good.”
Yolanda stood. “I’ll go with you, so you won’t get lost.”
Byron stiffened, but stopped himself from disagreeing. He’d been about to offer to show Zoe around. Yolanda taking her was better. He’d already proven being alone with Zoe wasn’t the smartest thing for him to do. Yolanda, as intuitive as she was, may have picked up on that.
Dominic agreed to pick up whatever food Byron ordered. Roy cut out to handle phone calls. Byron asked Grant to stay behind. Their earlier conversation wasn’t over.
“I suppose you asked me to stick around so you can tell me how horrible of a father I am for sending Zoe away all those years ago,” Grant said, sounding bored.
Grant walked over to the drink tray and poured whiskey into two glasses. He held up one glass in Byron’s direction. Byron walked over and took the glass.
“I don’t think you’re a terrible father,” Byron said, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “I do believe you’re so busy thinking you know what’s best for everyone in the family that you don’t stop to think all the consequences through.”
Grant took a sip of his drink. “I thought through the consequences. I figured one day if you found out I’d tell you the same thing I would have told you back then. Zoe is a nice girl—”
“Woman.”
Grant sighed. “Nice woman, but she isn’t the woman for you. I get the appeal. You’ve always wanted to do what’s right and she was in a bad situation. That can cloud your judgment and make you overlook a lot of other things.”
“Other things like what?” Byron asked in
a tight voice.
Grant shifted his stance and stood straight. “Things like the fact that she never chose you. She was with someone else. Got pregnant by someone else. Was in love with someone else. It didn’t matter how much of an asshole that man might be. She chose him. Not you.”
Byron’s jaw stiffened. Grant was good at using the truth to gut someone like a fish. A truth Byron couldn’t deny.
Grant continued in his direct tone. “If she would have wanted you, then she would have left him for you or accepted your foolish proposal instead of letting me and your mom convince her to leave. Get mad at me all you want, but that doesn’t make anything I said less true. It’s why I never thought she was good enough for you.” He grabbed Byron’s shoulder. “You’re a Robidoux. My son. You didn’t have to settle for being her second best.”
Byron pulled away and downed the whiskey in the glass. The smooth alcohol masked the burn of bitterness caused by his father’s words. As much as he might want to argue or bring up all the things that made the situation between him and Zoe different—the way they used to talk late in the night, how they paired well together on projects, the many times they flirted with just enough truth in their voices to hint of what could be—none of that changed the fact that after each of those encounters she went back to Kendell.
“You should have trusted me.” Byron searched for lingering anger with his parents’ intervention, but only found resentment for the foolish kid he’d been.
“We trusted you to act like a young man who thought he was in love would act.”
“Whose idea was it to send Zoe away? Yours or Mom’s?”
Grant lifted the glass to his lips. He took a small sip, his brows knitting together, his eyes avoiding Byron’s. “Mine.”
Byron closed his eyes and shook his head. “You’re lying.”
“I don’t have a reason to lie to you.”
“If you weren’t lying, you’d look me in the eye with your admission. It was Mom’s idea, wasn’t it?”
Scandalous Secrets Page 7