by Lucia Black
Chapter 11
I stood just off to the side of a stage near a heavy red curtain. It was becoming a very familiar spot for me, off in the wings, and it was only going to get more familiar. But I supposed the spotlight wasn’t too far off either.
It was all brand new for Jolene, though. She stood by my side and fidgeted with her blouse.
“You’re not going on stage, Jolene,” I said. “Just try to relax.”
It had only been a few days, but it almost felt like the five of us had been together for much longer. Things were bound to be difficult and messy along the way, but for now, I was enjoying the harmony that we were all on the same team, only wanting what was best for Libby.
“I know that.” She tucked a few strands of her long brown hair behind her ears. “It’s just until now Libby has been in this little bubble and I’ve been able to protect her from this kind of thing. Now I’m throwing her to the wolves.”
“I suppose that’s better than throwing her in with the sharks?”
“What?” Jolene shook her head. “How? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I don’t know. I’m just trying to distract you.”
She chuckled and shook her head, blowing out a long breath and shaking out her hands. “Okay. You’re right. We can do this.”
I glanced at Libby sitting off to the side with a Secret Service member right next to her. She had noise-canceling headphones plugged into her iPad and was laughing along with whatever game she was playing.
“You know we’ll all do whatever we can to protect her.”
Jolene nodded as she watched Libby carefully. “I know. One day she’ll know the truth. The whole truth. I just want it to be on her terms.”
I frowned and Cal caught my eye. He stood a few feet away from Jolene and me, talking in a low voice to Preston.
“You okay?” Cal mouthed, his eyebrows drawn.
I nodded and shrugged. I was fine for the most part, just worried. It wasn’t anything he could help, and either way, it looked like Preston needed all his attention. He was visibly nervous. I wasn’t the only one that could tell. It would have been obvious to anyone. All they had to do was look at him and they could see it.
Perspiration dotted his forehead and he kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He kneaded his hands together and those beautiful blue eyes kept darting all over the place. Preston needed to relax more than Jolene did.
“Focus,” Cal said. “Just say what needs to be said. We’ve rehearsed this.”
Preston nodded decidedly. “I’m focused.”
Cal clapped him on the back and stood next to him in a silent support.
It was interesting. They knew just what the other needed. That’s how close they were. Preston was rattled, but he didn’t need to be coddled. His nerves were getting the better of him. And Cal knew how to ground him again. Cal never fell to pieces, but he was known to fly off the handle, and Preston was the best at talking him down. They were a team through and through.
“I’m ready.” With those two words, Preston transformed into his calm and collected self and took the stage.
The distinct clicking of all the cameras was immediately recognizable. The three of us moved closer to the stage to get a better view of Preston. The press showed up in full force for this bombshell. They were crammed into the small seating area with folding chairs bunched together. Phones and recording devices were held high in the air as everyone waited to hear Preston’s every word.
I did not envy him.
His dark suit fit him perfectly and his hair laid just right. He was ready.
He approached the microphone cautiously yet confidently at the same time. I knew how much hesitation he felt about thrusting Libby into the limelight. He and Jolene shared those same fears, but I personally knew just how easy it was to separate yourself from what your family did. Not that it would be the same for Libby, but she would have the opportunity if she wanted it.
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the press. Thank you for coming out today on such short notice. I’m going to keep this short and to the point, and I will allow some questions when I’ve finished.
My personal life will soon be a topic of discussion and I am here to address some of those inquires. I have a young daughter the public was not aware of until this time. Her mother passed away recently, and I have sole custody. She and her au pair will be living with me permanently. This will not affect my role as your elected Vice President. We ask that the media respect her privacy at this very personal and difficult time in her life.” Preston broke character a bit to add, “She’s just a young girl who lost her mother and her whole life is changing. I really need you all to respect that.” He took a deep breath. “Questions?”
An older gentleman with a bald head and wearing a tweed jacket spoke up first. “Jim McVey, here. Why did the future First Lady go with you to Tennessee and no one else?”
Preston reacted to the question with a furrowed brow for just a fraction of a second before he reeled it in. Even Cal seemed to be at least a little surprised he was being asked. He moved closer to me and rested his hand on the small of my back almost as if to claim me for himself. Or maybe that was just how I was interrupting it. Guilt had a way of doing just that.
“She was there for moral support. As you all know, President James and I have been friends for a very long time, so naturally I have grown close to his wife as well. I consider her a very good friend, and in this particular situation, her knowledge, kind nature, and ability to plan were invaluable. Mrs. James has worked extensively with the children’s hospitals in New York City and knows exactly how to relate to my daughter on the subject. I couldn’t have asked for someone better to help her through this transition.”
I wanted to squirm at his words. Just hearing him talk about me in front of everyone like that made me feel as though I had a blazing red A across my chest. The rational side of me knew that our secret was our secret, but another part of me insisted that wasn’t the case.
“Where will she attend school?” A younger woman in the back asked.
“We have not yet decided that at this time.”
At least that was an easy one with an honest answer.
A sweaty man wearing a green suit jacket and mostly undone tie shouted over everyone. “What kind of cancer did her mother die of?”
Jolene, Cal, and I weren’t the only people in the crowded room to shoot the man a look.
“That’s none of your business,” Preston answered to nearly everyone’s surprise.
Jolene and I glanced back to that precious little girl. She looked precious in the fancy pale purple dress Jolene put her in, and she was still engrossed in her iPad.
The reporter bristled at the answer and let out an aggravated grunt.
“Asshole,” Cal muttered.
But that reporter wasn’t finished with Preston. Another reporter was asking a question when he shouted, “Are you a deadbeat dad?
I seethed. I worried about what Preston would say. If I were him, I would have lost my cool.
“No. Next question.” Preston’s voice remained calm and unruffled. I was more than impressed with his ability to pull that off when he undoubtedly wanted to snap.
“Then why didn’t we know about her? Why are you just now part of her life?” a woman from the far left yelled.
One out of the bunch giving him a hard was to be expected, but this follow up question was even worse. Of course, I understood it was the reporter’s job to get the answers. America wanted to know, but he was a person, a person I cared very much for who just lost a woman he once loved. I couldn’t help the feeling of wanting to protect him from all of it.
“Her mother and I had made arrangements,” Preston said. The room grew silent as I, and everyone else for that matter, waited for the answer to that question. This was the meat of the matter; the very reason that everyone in the room showed up. Maybe I was being dramatic, but the way Preston answered could very well hav
e set the tone for the next four years. “And simply put, her mother didn’t want her to grow up in the limelight. Let’s face it. It’s a brutal place to be most of the time. With her mother passing, that is no longer an option.”
I blew out a breath and Cal patted my back. He was just as pleased with that answer as I was. It was real and honest. Composed, but relatable.
“He’s good,” Jolene whispered.
“Very good,” I agreed.
The room erupted into shouts after that. Either they found Preston more relatable, or they all wanted a good sound bite for their question or some other reason, everyone wanted Preston’s attention.
“So, you willingly abandoned your child?”
“Did she know you were her father?”
“Is this the first time she’s met you?”
“She doesn’t have the Fitzgerald name. What about your family's legacy?”
Preston glanced off stage and looked right at Cal. He gave him a subtle shake of the head.
“No more questions. Thank you again for coming out today,” Preston said into the mic. He turned and walked off the stage even though the reporters continued to shout questions at him.
He visibly relaxed with each step off stage he took. The air around us settled and the tension that used to buzz now flowed freely.
“Fucking prick,” he barked.
“Don’t worry about him,” I said. “You did fine. You held your head high and said what needed to be said.”
Preston smiled, but kept it low key. He turned his gaze to Cal.“Cal? What did you think?”
“I agree with, Tessa,” he cleared his throat. “You handled it smoothly. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Preston kept his cool, nodded once and then looked back at Libby before turning to Jolene. “What about you? How do you feel about all of this?”
“I—uh—” She made it a point to study each of our faces. Then she sighed. “That was a shit show. They asked all those personal questions that were none of their business and got mad when you wouldn’t answer. She’s a little girl, fuck’s sake. No one needs to know anything about her.”
Jolene wasn’t used to this life, but she’d have to get used to it quickly. And I had a feeling she would. She wouldn’t have a choice.
“That was just the opening act,” Cal said. “The worst is yet to come.”
Chapter 12
After the press conference, I got to spend a very infrequent though highly needed evening to myself. I took a long bath, painted my nails, and curled up with a book.
Life had been busy.
Preston and Cal had meetings at the White House, and Jolene and Libby were spending the evening setting up the house. They wouldn’t be staying there long, but it gave them something to do. As much as I would’ve liked to help them, I sensed Jolene need alone time with Libby to regroup after the stress of the day.
I couldn’t say I blamed her.
But I was very much looking forward to a night alone with my husband, and not for the typical reasons. Yes, it had been days since we were intimate, and I craved his touch almost as much as I craved oxygen. And yes, there was something I was keeping from him that would need to come out sooner or later, but I had a feeling there was something Cal had been keeping from me too. Too many moments had been replaying in my mind, and the more I thought about them, the more they said I was in the dark about something.
Just before Cal got back to the apartment, I set the mood exactly right for us to have a talk. I poured us both a drink, bourbon for him and a glass of white wine for me, and dimmed the lights, but not so low that he’d think it was time for bed. I put on some light jazz for background noise and changed into pajamas that said ‘comfortable and cozy’, not something sexy that said ‘you should take me off.’
It was a balancing act, but I felt it was necessary.
Eventually, Cal came home. I heard him talking to someone as he came through the door and I wasn’t sure if he were on the phone or talking to Secret Service, but I hoped he’d be done soon. I sat on the hunter green chaise lounge and waited for him in the bedroom, my nerves making me come across as anything but casual.
“There you are,” he said as he came into the room. “I didn’t think you’d be in here yet. Did you eat already?”
“I did. A while ago,” I said. “I thought you would have eaten already too. Did you want me to heat something up for you?”
He glanced at his watch. “It’s later than I expected. No, don’t worry about it. I’ll grab a ham sandwich.”
“Cal?”
“Yeah?” He started to pull off his silver tie.
“Can we talk?” I didn’t mean for it to sound so ominous, but it came out that way.
“Sure.” Hesitation colored his voice. He sat on the end of the bed just across from me but remained expressionless. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I shifted to the edge of the lounge to be closer to him. “I just—I mean, we just—I want to talk to you about something. But nothing is wrong, so yes, I’m okay.”
Cal half smiled and shook his head at me. “Okay, Tessa. Talk.”
Cal flung his tie aside and slowly unbuttoned the top couple buttons on his shirt. I wanted to run my fingers over the rigid muscles of his chest, kiss him deeply, and prove to him that I was his, but I couldn’t do that. I was keeping something from him that he needed to know. And I had questions that needed to be answered.
“What is it?” he asked as he took his white button-down completely off.
I couldn’t back out, I’d already told him we needed to talk and with all my hesitation and stuttering, he knew it was a big deal. I had to say something, the problem was what? Where to start?
I had to choose my words carefully, so I picked at a loose thread on the arm of the chair and thought. “Why did Libby call you her uncle?”
“I don’t know.” He held my gaze, but something passed over his face. He kept his expressions closely guarded, and I didn’t catch what the look was, but it was enough to spur me on. I was on to something. “I suppose that’s what Annabelle told her to call me.”
“Yeah, but why? I know it makes sense now, in this particular moment and setting, and I’m happy she calls you that because I want you to be an uncle to her, but what made Annabelle think you two would be in this position together all those years ago?”
“Tessa”—he leaned forward and cupped my chin in his hand—“Preston and I have been friends for a long time. She probably knew we’d still be this close.”
His gaze was reeling me in. I leaned into his warm touch and wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and enjoy the massive, soft bed in the middle of the room. But that was exactly what he wanted me to do. He was luring me in to keep me from talking about it.
I couldn’t let that happen.
I pushed back and out of his grasp. Of course, Cal didn’t react. Instead, he kicked off his shoes and socks and stood to unbutton his black slacks. He wasn’t playing fair, but I was undeterred. I stood from the lounge to face him head-on and not get distracted by the sexy man standing in front of me in his underwear.
“I saw the way you looked at Libby when you first met her. Like she was someone else. Like she was the miniature version of her mother. I’ve seen the pictures. I know how much they resemble each other. Annabelle meant something to you, but you won’t tell me why.”
“It’s nothing I really care to talk about.”
And there was my answer. If it was nothing, he would’ve said so, but since it was something, he didn’t want to talk about it. It didn’t matter that I had my own secret. At that moment, I needed to know exactly what his was. Even if I had a feeling I didn't really want to know, but it wasn't like me to sweep things under the rug and I wasn't about to start now.
“I thought we weren’t keeping secrets,” I snapped.
“You want to talk about not keeping secrets? What happened with you and Preston in Tennessee?”
“I—I—” I stuttered. I wasn’t ex
pecting that. He knew. There was no point in lying. I didn’t even want to lie to him. It was almost a relief to let it come out. “I was going to tell you. I just didn’t know when.” I could feel the tears threatening from just below the surface.
“Tessa,” he said in a low and non-angry voice.
That was when my anger set it. If Preston told him without giving me the chance to, I was going to kill him.
I balled my hands into fists at my sides, those tears now hot and angry, cresting over my lids. “Did Preston tell you?”
“No, he didn’t.” Cal sat down on the bed. “I could tell by the way you looked at each other. I know you better than you think, Tessa. Never forget that. But I also knew it would happen when I sent you with him. I figured he’d need you.”
“What?” I asked, my voice filled with confusion.
Did he want me to have sex with Preston? Of course, it wasn’t news to him that we’d had sex before. He was there for some of it. And the incredibly dirty talk we had at times, fulfilling some weird fantasy for the both of us. But this was different.
“I said I knew I would happen.”
“Did you . . . want me to fuck him behind your back?”
“Don’t be absurd” he answered. “You’re my wife.” He reached for the drink I’d poured him and finished it all in one gulp.
“But you just said you knew it would happen. And I’m sorry, but I’m confused as hell right now. Not only did you know it was going to happen, you’re not angry about it, are you?” I sat down on the chaise, looking at him on the bed as we talked.
“I’m not thrilled you didn’t tell me,” he said. “I know you’re attracted to each other. I’ve seen your chemistry up close and personal. But it needs to stop. All of it.”
“Then why did you let it happen to begin with?” I asked, emotion clogging my voice. “Why did we have that night together if it needs to stop? Why did you send me with him knowing something would happen?”
“I sent you because he needed you. And I trusted you would be discreet. By all accounts, you were. I know Preston threw a lamp. There were no reports of anything else that occurred.”
