“I don’t want calls. I want to do this on my own. I thought about starting a consulting company. If I can give Elaina a risk assessment that helps her make a good decision, then other people may hire me for the same thing.”
The hope in her voice killed any arguments he may have had. She’d lost her job and her home. If working with Elaina could help her get her bearings again, who was he to stop her? “Fine. I’ll stay out of it. But work at your own risk. If my dad and Elaina get into it, then he won’t care that you just did a risk assessment.”
Zoe lifted her hands. “I’m willing to deal with your father for this opportunity.”
“Then I wish you well.” He’d pray the company Elaina wanted wasn’t one his dad would care about losing. “Now, can we get Lilah and I can show you my town?”
Zoe’s grin made his heart flip. “Sure, let’s pretend we’re tourists.” Zoe put her phone down and stood.
“Great.” He walked over and kissed her softly. “I promise it’ll be more fun than it sounds.”
* * *
AN HOUR LATER they’d dressed, picked up Lilah and were back in downtown Jackson Falls. Byron took them to his cousin Ashiya’s high-end consignment store, Piece Together. Ashiya’s hazel eyes widened when the three of them walked through the doors.
“This is a pleasant surprise. What brings you in this morning?”
“Well, Zoe’s been attending a lot of my campaign events and I thought why not buy a dress from one of the best stores in town.” Byron hugged his cousin.
Ashiya laughed and squeezed him. “Thank you for thinking of my place.” Ashiya grinned at Zoe. “All right, Zoe, what are you looking for?”
Considering Zoe hadn’t realized she needed a new dress for Byron’s campaign events, she wasn’t looking for anything. Instead of saying that, she smiled at Ashiya.
“A suit, maybe,” she said. “Do you have anything?”
“I’ve got a great selection.” She grinned at Lilah. “I even have a section for teens. Come on, let’s check that out.”
Lilah practically bounced on her feet with excitement. Zoe glanced a Byron but he waved her on.
“Go ahead. I’ll wait.”
Zoe and Lilah followed Ashiya through the store. They picked out several outfits to try on. Ashiya made suggestions for what would work based on Zoe’s and Lilah’s body types and style comfort level. Before long, Zoe and Lilah were in the dressing rooms trying on clothes while Byron answered phone calls.
“You and Byron make such a cute couple,” Ashiya said. She was in Zoe’s dressing room helping her into a suit. “I’m so glad you two were able to get back together.”
Zoe glanced around, even though they were alone in the dressing area. Lilah had insisted on having her own room. “It’s not official. We’re keeping that information just in the family.”
“I understand, but it is true, right? You two are back together?” Ashiya asked with the pointed Robidoux stare.
“We’re seeing how things work out during the election.”
“And after the election? I mean, it’s obvious the two of you love each other.”
“It’s not obvious,” Zoe said defensively.
Ashiya laughed and helped Zoe zip up the back of the emerald green dress she’d tried on. “I spend most of my time observing what’s going on with the family. I’ve seen Byron date a lot of women, and I’ve never seen him look at someone the way he looks at you. Plus, the fact that he was willing to put his campaign in jeopardy is further proof. He’s in love with you.”
“I wish he weren’t,” Zoe blurted out.
Ashiya froze in the middle of sliding the jacket that matched the dress off the hanger. “Seriously? Why?”
Zoe focused on her reflection in the mirror. She smoothed out the material for the dress. “I just mean Byron would be so much further in his campaign if he didn’t think he was in love with me. He’d be better off. He and Yolanda would be together, and he would be higher in the polls.”
Ashiya sucked her teeth and waved a hand. “Girl, please. He wouldn’t be happy, and he would have married someone he didn’t love. Not to mention she walked away just when things heated up.” Ashiya chuckled. “You’ve got to be stronger than that to survive in this family.”
“She wouldn’t have left him if it wasn’t for me.”
Ashiya grunted. “Believe me, she might have left him eventually. Regardless of what you say, I think Byron being in love with you is good. Love isn’t easy and he’s proving he’s willing to go the distance to be with you. What could possibly be wrong with that?”
I’m afraid to love him back.
Loving Byron back meant being his perfect match. Always having to think about the optics of whatever decision she made. Being under constant scrutiny. She’d hate every minute of it, but she’d do it anyway because Byron would want her to. The person she’d finally found and grown into would disappear because she wanted Byron to succeed and she would do whatever she needed to in order to help him succeed. She’d lose herself to be what he needed.
“I still think he’d have it easier without me,” Zoe said, avoiding Ashiya’s gaze.
“I promise you, Byron doesn’t think that.”
“Ashiya, I’m having a problem ringing up this customer’s discount. Can you help me?” one of the ladies working with Ashiya called on the other side the door to the dressing room.
Ashiya squeezed Zoe’s shoulders. “I’ll be right back.”
Zoe smiled and nodded. After Ashiya left, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t recognize the sophisticated woman looking back. The woman who looked like a senator’s wife. No one would look at her and see the single mother who’d escaped an abusive relationship and rebuilt her life. No one would ever know her story.
There was a knock on the door. “Let me see,” Lilah said.
Zoe opened the door and held out her arms. “What do you think?”
Lilah tilted her head to the side and rested a finger on her chin as she studied Zoe. “I like it. You look the part.”
“The part?”
“Senator’s wife,” Lilah said with a grin.
Zoe narrowed her eyes and pointed at the door. “Not now, Lilah. Grab what you want and let’s go.”
Lilah sighed. “Fine, but I can pretend.”
Lilah walked out. Zoe looked back at the reflection of the senator’s wife in the mirror. She was willing to stand next to Byron for now. She’d have to keep her heart out of the line of fire. She couldn’t lose herself again. Not even for Byron. That was the only way she would be sure to come out of this unscathed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
AFTER HIS COUSIN gave them discounts on whatever they wanted in the store, they ate lunch at Frank’s Fish and Chicken. The owners still treated him as if he were family after he’d chosen them to cater one of his earlier campaign events. Afterward, Byron took Zoe and Lilah to the museum of art where India performed once a quarter and some of Travis’s paintings were featured.
“You really do a lot to support local businesses,” Zoe said after they finished lunch and were on their way back to his place. Since he lived downtown, they’d walked to the museum instead of driving.
“Small businesses are just as important as large ones. Plus, many of these people I’ve known all my life. It’s great to see them take their dream and make it thrive.”
Lilah walked to Byron’s left, and she looked at him. “Is that why you’re running for Senate? So you can help local businesses?”
“It’s part of the reason. My family’s success started because of the tobacco farming. I still want to protect the interests of the agricultural industry. Running for Senate, and hopefully winning, will give me a better opportunity to do that.”
“My social studies teacher said if you want to have the biggest impact on your hometown then you have
to work locally,” Lilah said. “She said most people ignore local politics and only listen to the talking heads on cable news instead of listening to the local politicians who slowly chip away at their rights right under their noses.”
Byron’s brows rose. “Sounds like your social studies teacher is smart.”
“She made us read some of the council minutes and watch video of a meeting. She’s right. So much stuff happens there.”
Byron wrapped an arm around Lilah’s shoulder. “Maybe you should run for local politics one day.”
“Maybe I will. I think I’d like it better than national stuff. You’re getting hammered, and the press really doesn’t like me or Momma,” Lilah said.
Byron glanced at Zoe, who wore a worried expression. He stopped in the street and turned Lilah to face him. “The media doesn’t like your momma because they don’t know the truth behind her story. Your mom is strong, smart and brave. She did what she had to in order to protect you.”
Lilah smiled at him. “I know that. Everyone knows the media will go for juicy stories.” Her eyes grew serious. “As long as you like me and my mom. That’s all that matters to me.”
“Lilah, I—” He broke off.
He’d been about to say he loved her and her mom. The realization was like a kick to the chest by someone wearing six-inch stilettos. A sharp truth he wasn’t ready to admit or even acknowledge. Loving Zoe was not in the cards for now. Falling in love could turn into a disaster. She might wake up one day and realize she didn’t want any of this.
He went with the politically correct answer. “You have nothing to worry about. I know the truth. I have nothing but respect and admiration for your mom and what she continues to do to protect you.”
Lilah beamed, which he guessed meant she was satisfied with what he said. He glanced at Zoe. She smiled at him but looked away quickly. Maybe she was okay with the answer, too. She had insisted on his not getting Lilah’s hopes up about them.
“Let’s get back to my place, put down some of the stuff we bought and finish our debate on what movie to see later today.”
Lilah laughed. “Sorry, you’re outvoted. We’re going to see the new Keanu Reeves movie, right, Mom?”
Zoe nodded. “Keanu in a romantic comedy? Uh...yeah!”
The mother and daughter high-fived and Byron knew he was outvoted. He didn’t care. As long as he got to spend more time with the two of them. Today had been good. Just what he needed. Time away from the campaign. Time to relax and just enjoy. Tomorrow all his responsibilities would still be waiting for him. He’d pick up right where he left off last night, but today he was going to pretend as if he and Zoe were in a relationship with no questions about the future, Lilah was his wonderful daughter and he was enjoying a day with his family. Tomorrow he’d worry about how to make this fantasy day into a reality.
* * *
“THANK YOU FOR today. It was fun.”
Byron looked over his shoulder at Zoe lounging next to the pool at his family’s estate. They’d gone to the movie and ended the day at the pool. Lilah had gone inside to update her friend on all the fun she’d had. In her absence, Byron asked Zoe if she’d cared for a margarita and he’d used the outdoor wet bar to make their drinks.
She opted against wearing a bathing suit and sat next to the pool in a tank top and shorts. Byron and Lilah had changed into swimwear and had done a few laps in the pool.
“I want to take you and Lilah places,” he said. “Show you both all of the things you’ve dreamed of seeing.”
He poured the frozen drink into two glasses and took one over to Zoe. She accepted her drink with a grateful smile.
“I don’t need all of that. I enjoyed seeing your hometown through your eyes.”
Byron sat on the edge of her lounge chair. He pulled her feet into his lap and gently massaged one. “You used to dream of traveling. You talked so much about seeing different places and visiting every corner of the world. I’d love to be the one to take you there.”
Zoe ran a finger around the rim of her glass. “I dreamed of that when I wanted to escape my family. That was back when I thought getting away to some new location would be the answer to all of my problems.”
“You wanted to escape?” He’d viewed her dreams of traveling and visiting new places as an example of her free spirit.
“My family. My life,” she said. “My parents weren’t the best role models and did the best they could with us, but I hated going home. I’d have to worry about who was the latest woman my dad cheated with. Watch my mom get angry and throw all of his stuff out. They’d argue, then fight. If it wasn’t cheating it was something else. Every day my sister and I had no idea what we’d be walking into.”
“I can understand why you would want to escape.”
“College was my first escape plan,” she said. “I started without declaring a major and not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I just wanted to be away from home.” She looked over her shoulder at the pool house where Lilah was safe inside talking to her friend. “Lilah was my second. One time my mom said when you have a child your thoughts about life change. Things you never thought you’d say or do aren’t even a question. I think that’s why she put up with Dad for so long. As soon as we were out of the house she left him. I thought she would do better, but her new guy...” She wrinkled her nose and sipped her drink.
“Not much better.”
“The only good thing I can say about him is at least he doesn’t hit her.”
“My parents often used the excuse of doing what’s right for us for the things they’ve done.” Byron considered the way Grant coerced the marriage between Elaina and Travis, separating him from India. How his mom convinced Zoe that leaving was the best. Who knows what else they’d done for the sake of the family.
He glanced at Zoe and thought about how he was keeping the emails a secret from her. He didn’t agree with the decisions his parents made, but he understood their reasoning. “No one wants to see the person they love suffer.”
“No, you don’t.” Zoe stared at the still water of the pool. “Kendell’s control kept getting worse. He’d have people show up at the places I volunteered to make sure I was really there, take my car keys to try and keep me from leaving my place and giving me less money so even if I did go somewhere I couldn’t do much.”
Byron remembered times Zoe asked him to pick her up somewhere because her car was broken down, or her not eating when they went places because she was dieting. He felt stupid for not recognizing what was going on.
“I hated that guy,” Byron said in a tight voice.
Zoe let out a soft laugh. “Tell me something I didn’t know. It’s why I thought part of the reason you wanted me was because you didn’t like him.”
Byron tickled the bottom of her foot. “That was only a small part.”
Zoe giggled and pulled her foot back. She lightly kicked him. “But it was a part.”
Byron took hold of her foot again. He squeezed gently. “I’ll admit my male ego couldn’t understand why you would choose that guy over me. I wanted to treat you better than he did.”
“Did you pine for me like the guys in the throwback R and B songs?” Her eyes were teasing and her dimple was out.
“Oh, you like the idea of that, huh?” He tickled her ankle. She jerked her leg back but he didn’t let go. He watched her and tilted his head to the side. “It didn’t start like that. You were my rival when we first met. I grew to respect you and couldn’t believe we became friends. Later, I feel in love with you.” His voice became serious. “It was never just about the physical attraction or trying to steal you from him. You seduced my mind and once you took up residence there you never moved out.”
Zoe slowly sat up. “Never?” She tried to sound teasing, but there was a breathless quality to her voice.
Admitting to feelings he’d ignored for years was
n’t easy. After everything they’d shared, his stomach still clenched. A part of him wanted to tease and deflect. Except the look in her eyes and the emotion reflected there pushed him. Byron’s gaze didn’t waver. “Never.”
She licked her lips and stared down into her melting drink. “Sometimes I’d wonder what would have happened if I’d married you. I want safety. I want Lilah to have stability, and you would have given that to us, but...”
“But what?” Had that been the only reason she’d wondered?
Her eyes met his. “But I also missed you. I always felt safe when I was with you. Sometimes I’d let myself fantasize about what it would be like if I’d married you. I’d picture us happy. You being awesome with Lilah. Seeing the love in your eyes again and knowing it was just for me.” Her voice trembled as if it was just as frightening to admit her feelings.
“I can be all of that if you’ll let me.”
“What if you change your mind?” she asked hesitantly.
He tugged lightly on her foot. “What if you change your mind?” When she frowned he softened his words with a half smile. “Zoe, I offered you my heart and you walked away once. It’s scary as hell, but I want to believe we’re older and wiser. I can’t promise you anything more than you can promise me. But what I will promise is to always be truthful. To always let you know how I feel. To always make sure you’re never in the dark about my feelings. Can you promise the same?”
The uncertainty left her eyes. “I promise to try.”
The words were quick, but the conviction in her voice felt real. “Then that’s what we’ll have to trust right now.”
She took a long breath before leaning in and kissing him. “That sounds good to me.”
A flood of memories of the night before, and her body tight against his, rushed him. He pulled her over onto his lap. “Come home with me tonight.” He murmured the words against her lips.
She moaned softly. “I can’t leave Lilah again.”
“Then I’ll stay at the estate. You can find me when she’s asleep,” he said between kisses. He’d do whatever he needed to get another night in her arms.
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