“I’d like to thank my sister too. Wait, she didn’t help you pick out the lingerie, did she?”
Blood rushed to my face, and I was sure my skin turned a dozen shades of crimson. “Let’s just say she led me in the right direction.”
Drake dropped a kiss on my nose and rolled out of bed. “Come on. Let’s shower, and then I’ll make you breakfast.”
When he stood up and extended his hand to me, I finally had time to take in and enjoy the glory of his naked body. He looked as if he was sculpted out of stone. His body was so defined, and yet when I was in his arms, I felt the softness of his skin. He was perfect.
After we showered and christened his shower stall, I decided to pass on breakfast so I could get home and work. My gown and lingerie were draped across a high-backed chair in Drake’s bedroom. I smiled, thinking he must have placed them there, but the thought of putting them on didn’t thrill me. Talk about a walk of shame.
Before he came out of the bathroom, I opened a drawer in his bureau and snagged a pair of black boxer briefs and put them on. They were a bit large, so I rolled the waistband over a couple of times and they were fine.
As if he’d read my mind, Drake walked in and handed me a pair of gray sweats and a navy T-shirt. “Damn, my boxers never looked so good.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said with a laugh, “but they’re comfortable.”
“I can’t help you out with the shoes, but here.” He smiled, exposing his beautiful dimple, and handed me the clothes.
“Thank you.” I slid the sweatpants on and bent over to roll the bottom of the legs to create a cuff around my ankles, and then tightened the drawstring around my waist. After sliding the shirt over my head, I announced, “I’m ready.”
“You’re adorable.” He kissed my forehead. “Let’s go.”
• • •
After I got home and showered again so I could dry my hair properly, I grabbed the newspaper. Of course my heart nearly burst when I saw a photo of Drake and me on the society page. Granted, we were in a group of people, but it was still disconcerting. This was something I would have to get used to if I wanted to be with Drake—which I did.
We spent the afternoon at his parents’ home, and today his father was there. Rick was a wonderful man, much like his sons. The only one missing was Dane. Gretchen was running late, but she should be arriving soon.
Tina walked up to me. “Sweetheart, we are so glad you could be here. My son has never looked this happy.” Both of us turned to look toward Drake, who was laughing and smiling with his dad and brothers. He caught my eye and winked at me.
“You raised a wonderful man,” I told her. “I’ve never met anyone like him. I just worry.”
Tina’s brows drew together. “Why, dear?”
“We come from very different worlds. Your home is filled with such love and acceptance, but I didn’t grow up that way. I’m just afraid that my past will ruin his future.” I could feel the sting and pressure of tears building behind my eyes, and blinked them back. “I couldn’t bear it if that happened.”
“Come, let’s sit down,” she said.
I followed her into the library, my favorite room, and we sat on the chairs overlooking the serene pond.
“Let me tell you something about my oldest.” Tina smiled, and I leaned forward, listening intently. “He is a very fair man. I think that’s why he’s progressed so far in politics. He doesn’t rush to judgment and gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. He’s a fact checker. I remember when he wrote a paper about the assassination of Kennedy. He wanted to go to Dallas to check things out for himself.”
I could totally understand that. It was a very weird shooting. My head tilted as to why she thought this was odd. “Did he go?”
“He was ten years old.” She laughed, and so did I. “So, whatever you think may hurt him, talk to him about it. Let him know what’s bothering you. One of his favorite presidents was Lincoln, because he was an honest man, and that’s who Drake is and wants to emulate.” Her warm smile comforted me. “I’m here for you too. So if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
I wished I could tell him everything, but knew he would look at me differently. What was worse was that I was truly falling for him. Not Drake Prescott, the US senator, but Drake Prescott, the man.
“Thank you, Tina.”
“There you are.” Drake’s voice boomed through the quiet room, and his mom stood up. “I didn’t know where you went.”
“You caught us having girl talk.” She patted his arm. “I’m going to go find your father.” Tina began to walk out of the room and turned back to me. “No matter what, sweetie, you’ll always be welcome in our home.”
After releasing a deep breath, I smiled.
“What was that all about?” Drake sat in the chair his mom just vacated.
“I was explaining to your mom how different our backgrounds are.” I shrugged. “I saw our picture again, and I’m so nervous that one day I’m going to say the wrong thing or embarrass you in some way. What if something I do hurts your campaign?”
But what I really wanted to say was, What if something I’ve already done hurts your campaign?
“You won’t,” he said with absolute certainty.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because you’re a good person. I knew it the first time I met you.”
“But you really don’t know me. There are things I’ve done in my past that I’m not proud of.”
“Did you rob a bank?”
My nose crinkled. “No, of course not.”
“Did you go to jail for anything?”
“No.”
“Did you disgrace our flag or country in any way?”
“No! I’d never do that.” The thought of any of those things made my stomach turn.
“Then you don’t have anything to worry about.” He took my hand in his. “If you’re ever worried about anything, please let me know. I’m here for you. I’m on your side. I even told Ben as much.”
“Ben?” My blood pressure must have spiked because I could hear and feel my pulse in my ears.
“Yes, he believes it’s important to run background checks on the women I date. And before you think he’s done this numerous times, he hasn’t. Actually, he’s never done it, because I don’t usually take women to public events or do anything that could link them to me.”
Holy shit. I might have stopped breathing at the thought of a background check. I really needed to figure some things out and stay out of Ben’s line of fire. I knew I didn’t like the beady-eyed little man. He seemed like a troublemaker, and I didn’t want that for Drake or for me.
“Let’s go into the dining room,” he said. “I’m sure the food is on the table by now.” As we stood, he said, “Oh, by the way, Gretchen arrived. I thanked her for her shopping expertise.”
I laughed and followed him to join his family for a wonderful meal.
• • •
Monday morning, Mason and I were sitting in my classroom, having our ritual morning coffee.
“Nice picture in the paper,” he said with a laugh. “That’s twice now.”
“It’s so weird, Mace. I’m nervous.” I tentatively took a sip of my coffee, which was steaming.
“Don’t be, Lucy. You can tell the man genuinely cares for you.”
“I know he does, and that’s what worries me.” I slumped back in my chair. “I’ve never felt this way about a man before. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, except the public figure part.”
“Then go for it. You deserve to be happy. I’ve known you for ten years, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile as much. Please don’t let your head get in the way of your heart.”
Mason stood when the bell rang. “Looks like another day of dealing with pubescent teens is upon us.” He strolled toward my door. “Have a good day, and I’ll catch you later.”
My day went by like all other weekdays, one class ended and another one started.
Students had begun to get antsy, ready for the school year to end, and I wished they were younger or that I taught elementary school so I could take them outside for recess. But we were stuck inside reviewing for the state tests that were quickly approaching.
After the last bell of the day, I was exhausted. I didn’t get much sleep this past weekend—although for very good reasons—and it was time for me to go home and chill out. Maybe I should take a bubble bath.
But first I needed to deal with the Metro. My car was low on gas, and I didn’t wake up early enough to stop and fill up, so I gladly took public transportation today.
As I was sitting on the train, my phone beeped.
DRAKE: Thinking of you.
I couldn’t help but smile when his text popped through.
LUCY: I’m thinking of you too. I’m on the M.
DRAKE: Wish I was with you. I’ve been in meetings and have dinner with Ben tonight.
LUCY: Okay. Have fun. Going to go home and relax.
DRAKE: If I don’t get home late, I’ll call.
LUCY: Okay.
When I got home, I turned on the faucets to start a nice hot bubble bath. As I waited for the tub to fill, I poured a glass of white wine and set it on the tile ledge surrounding the tub.
My thoughts plagued me. I’d never thought about my parents so much since I left Colorado ten years ago. I didn’t even know if they were dead or alive, and sadly, I didn’t care much either way. To me, they were already dead.
Ever since I found out that Ben wanted to investigate me, I’d been freaked out. It was so hard to explain what happened when I was younger, but it was harder for people to understand.
Mason was the only one who knew my entire story. When I’d shared it with him, I was at an all-time low and extremely depressed. If I didn’t confide in someone, I was sure to have a nervous breakdown. Mace had always been there for me, but once he heard my story and didn’t judge me for it, we became family. He was the only person I had in my life that I truly loved.
I’d never forget that day. Mason had wanted to hop a plane and go after my parents once he’d learned what they’d done, but naturally, that wasn’t an option. Maybe Tina was right; maybe I could confide in Drake.
Thoughts scurried through my mind as the bubbles in my bath started to dissipate. After I drained the now-cool water and wrapped myself in my terrycloth robe, I meandered into the kitchen to refill my wineglass and make a small sandwich, which I devoured while standing over the sink.
As I stared at what was left of my wine, I wondered if I could fall in love with Drake. What a stupid thought; of course I could. I felt as if I already loved his mom and sister. They were so kind to me, but all the Prescotts were. I supposed that was what a real family was like—a supportive, non-judgmental group of people who loved you unconditionally.
I went to my room, set the wineglass on the nightstand, and slipped into a pair of cotton pajamas. My body was totally relaxed, but it was still too early to go to bed. Deciding I might as well get some work done, I pulled my papers from my tote bag and sat on my bed as I began to grade them.
My eyes were starting to close. It was only nine o’clock, but between the bath and the wine, I was exhausted. It didn’t help that my brain was going a mile a minute.
I needed to talk to Mason. He’d know what I should do.
• • •
When I woke up, the sun was shining. I picked up my phone from my nightstand and saw I’d missed a call from Drake last night. I was disappointed I didn’t talk to him, but I must have been really out if I didn’t hear my phone go off.
I didn’t bother to call him back since I was already running late, especially if I wanted to catch Mason before classes started. After a quick shower, I towel-dried my hair and scooped it up into a damp ponytail, and then twisted it into a bun that I fastened to the top of my head with a clip. Once I was dressed, I grabbed my keys and was out the door in a flash. Luckily for me, today was Mason’s day to grab coffee, so I didn’t need to worry about that.
I found Mason alone in the teachers’ lounge, looking over some math equations that resembled hieroglyphics.
“Is that new math?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.
He chuckled. “No, it’s trigonometry.”
“I’m glad I had you to help me with my math homework in college, or I would have failed.” I took a sip of my coffee. “Thank you for this.”
“What’s up? You look frazzled.” He set his pencil down and pushed the papers aside.
“I overslept, but I wanted to talk to you about something.” Just as I was about to elaborate, a few other teachers strolled in, and it was almost time for the first bell to ring. “Want to go out for dinner with me?”
“Of course. I’ll pick you up around six. Will that work?” he asked as we got up and walked toward our classrooms.
“Great. Thanks, Mace.”
We parted ways and began our day, which dragged, of course, since I wanted it to end quickly. But it was standardized testing week, so we didn’t have full days after today. Thank God.
At six o’clock on the nose, Mason rolled up in front of my apartment in his Jeep. I was happy to see he had the top up since it looked as if it was going to rain.
“Hey, thanks for coming to get me,” I said as I hopped into the passenger seat.
“My pleasure.” He smiled at me and I began to relax. “I figured we’d go to the little French bistro we like near Reston. Is that okay?”
“Yes. That’s great.”
“You’re twirling your hair. You must be stressed.”
I dropped my hand. “Sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“What is it, Luce?”
His smooth tone calmed me, but I could tell he was concerned.
“I was going to wait until we got there, but I may as well start now.” After I cleared my throat, I said, “I’m thinking about telling Drake my story.”
Mason’s head snapped toward me and then back to the road. “Are you sure, Luce?”
“I’m falling for him, and he has a big election coming up. If I don’t tell him now and it comes out later, he could be screwed, and I could be . . . well, I’m not worried about me as much.”
We turned into the parking garage and walked into the restaurant. After we were seated and ordered our drinks, Mason had a troubled look on his face.
“You don’t think I should, do you?”
That conflicted look he wore said it all; he really couldn’t answer me or tell me what to do. He was struggling with this situation, just as I was.
“Mace.” I reached across the table and put my hand on his wrist. “I’m not asking you to tell me what to do; I’m just telling you what I’m thinking about doing.”
He nodded. “Drake is a great guy and if you trust him, then tell him. It’s just . . .” His hand raked through his floppy hair. “What happens if the wrong people find out? Are you prepared for that? You’ve worked so hard to protect yourself, but if it’s weighing on you, which I can see it is, you should tell him.”
“It just bothers me to keep it from him. I feel as if I’m being dishonest.” I took a sip of my iced tea and wished I’d ordered a cocktail.
Mason placed his hand on mine, which was still resting on his wrist. “No matter what you decide or what happens or doesn’t happen, I’ll always be here for you.”
“Thank you.”
I relaxed a little, feeling better already. We knew what we wanted to order, so I looked to my left to find our waiter, but instead my eyes caught Ben’s. I sucked in a quick breath of surprise as he looked at me and then to Mason.
“Shit,” I mumbled under my breath, but Mason heard me and looked up to see what had upset me.
Ben sauntered up to our table, looking a bit like the proverbial cat who ate the canary. “Hello, Ms. Washburn.” His tone was sarcastic and snarky.
Wonderful. Does he think I’m on a date?
He turned to Mason. “And you are?”
Mason stood and
towered over Ben’s short frame by at least six inches. “Mason. And who are you?”
“Ben. I’m Senator Prescott’s campaign manager. He’s going to love to meet you.” His lips twisted into a snide grin.
“Oh, is Drake coming tonight? It would be great to see him again.” When Ben’s face paled, Mason leaned a little closer to him, crowding his personal space. “We’re friends. Didn’t you know that?”
“Well, I need to go,” Ben said, frowning. “Nice to meet you, Mason.” He gave me a curt nod. “Ms. Washburn.” Then he hurried back to his table.
“What a tool that guy is.” Mason sat down and took a long pull of his beer.
“He’s another reason why I want to come clean. If that man digs enough, he can find out and tell Drake before I do. Ever since I met him, I’ve felt as if he’s had it out for me. It’s unnerving.”
Our waiter stopped by our table to take our food orders, but my appetite was gone, so I just ordered a salad.
When the waiter stepped away, Mason studied me for a moment. “You’re falling in love with him, aren’t you?”
I almost dropped my glass. Was I? No. It’s too soon; I’ve only known him for a couple of weeks. “What makes you say that?”
“We’ve known each other our entire adult lives, and never once have you mentioned your past, aside from the first time you told me. We don’t discuss it. Ever. Truth be told, I haven’t thought about it since that night.” Mason wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Just you thinking about it tells me you have deep feelings for him.”
Thoughts about that night in our past brought back such memories. We’d been hanging out in Mason’s dorm room, cramming for an exam I had the next day. We were beat, so we’d lain down in his bed. Nothing sexual happened, but he kissed me on the forehead and said, “I’ll always be here for you, and not just to help you with calculus. You’re important to me, Lucy.”
That was when the dam broke and the waterworks had started. I didn’t have anyone else but Mason. And when I started crying, he didn’t pull away from me, flustered like most guys would be. Instead, he’d pulled me closer and held me, and that was when I told him my secret. After I’d told him the whole story, Mason vowed never to share it or even mention it unless I did.
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