She shook her head and groaned. “If ever there was a time I wished I hadn’t quit smoking this definitely ranks among the top ones.”
“I was going to tell you.”
Her head lifted. She frowned at him. “When? Right before you had a press conference revealing a baby that isn’t really yours?”
He deserved that, even if he wouldn’t have waited that long to tell her. “I was going to tell you tomorrow. First, I had to figure out what was going on.”
“You don’t have to do this. Just tell the truth. Let everyone know the kid isn’t yours and we can move on.”
Byron shook his head. “You don’t know her ex. He was involved in organized crime, and he’s scheduled to get out soon. If I tell the truth, it’s going to make headlines and possibly put her in danger.”
“So our campaign has to suffer just to protect her?” Yolanda asked incredulously. “I didn’t sign up for this, Byron.”
He took her hand in his before she could get up and start pacing. “You knew the type of person I was when we agreed to do this. You know I can’t just leave someone out in the cold like this. I made a promise to Zoe. Besides, you of all people should understand the type of risk she’d take by backtracking her story now. You’ve volunteered at the women’s shelter. You’ve seen the way some guys never let go of a perceived wrong. If I tell the truth now and something happens to her... I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”
Yolanda slipped her hand away from his. “Byron, how can we possibly spin this to make it sound better?”
“We’ll figure out something, but I can’t do it without you.” He was a Robidoux. If his family was good at anything it was making things go the way they wanted. He realized doing this was going to make his campaign harder, but he also knew he could make this work. He’d find a way to protect Zoe and Lilah, win the Senate seat and keep Yolanda happy. He’d maneuvered his way out of tough situations before. None as tough as this, but he didn’t doubt his abilities completely.
The can’t-do-it-without-you must have worked because Yolanda’s shoulders relaxed and the frost in her eyes melted into the calculating gleam that had drawn him to her in the first place. “You can’t keep secrets like this from me. The promises you made to her were over a decade ago. You recently promised me that we would be a team. We’d work together to make this campaign a success. Hiding things like this is not a partnership.”
Byron slid closer to Yolanda. “You’re right. There’s nothing I can say to make keeping you in the dark better.”
He met her eyes and tried his best to look chastised. He was tired, and wanted to go to bed, but he made the effort in order to get Yolanda to go along with this. She blinked prettily and leaned forward until her lips nearly touched his.
“Do you still love her?”
Byron jerked back. Love? Where had that come from? Byron Robidoux didn’t play the love game. “What? No. Of course not. I didn’t love her then. We were friends. That’s all.”
The lie slid easily off his lips. He’d told himself that enough over the years that saying the words no longer felt like a kick to the gut. He didn’t want to think about Zoe being the first and only woman to work her way into his heart. The first and only woman to break it.
Yolanda raised a brow. “Just friends wouldn’t do all that you did for her.”
He met Yolanda’s gaze dead on. “There is nothing for you to worry about. I have to get ahead of this story before Carlton comes out with something worse, and I’d prefer to do it without putting Zoe’s life in danger. Will you stick by me while I do this?”
She searched his face before nodding. “I will, but first you have to make another promise.”
“Anything.” Relief flooded his voice. He hadn’t been sure Yolanda would understand or agree. He should have known she wouldn’t give up the opportunity for the future they’d envisioned because someone like Carlton threatened them.
“Promise me that if at any moment you start to feel anything for this woman other than friendship, you’ll tell me straight up. I’m willing to accept an affair after we’ve made it to the Senate, but not before, and not one that’s going to make me look like an idiot.”
For a second he thought about what it would be like if he and Yolanda had chosen each other for love instead of mutual benefit. They had fondness, and obviously there was chemistry, but every time he expected her to show any signs her feelings were more than superficial, she displayed cold pragmatism. The realization sent another wave of relief. He didn’t want Yolanda falling in love and expecting more from him. Not when he knew he could never trust her with his heart. Yolanda was too calculating to see love from him as anything other than a weakness.
“Nothing is going to happen.” He articulated each word. His gaze and voice unwavering. He needed her, and the part of him that tried to spark to life after seeing Zoe would eventually understand that he couldn’t afford to fall for Zoe again.
“Promise me. The second you feel anything. Tell me,” she reiterated.
“I promise you.” When she nodded he took her hand in his. “And there will be no affairs. Not before or after.”
The risk of scandal was too great. He wouldn’t go this far and agree to do everything possible to win the Senate seat to give it up for a quick thrill. The attraction between him and Yolanda would have to be enough. If it faded, then hopefully she’d be willing to work with him to rekindle things.
She smiled at him. A small knowing smile right before she lifted her hand to his cheek. “Let’s just get through this campaign, okay?”
He chuckled softly at her patronizing tone before kissing the inside of her hand. He didn’t need to rethink his words. As much as he loved his father, Byron remembered the hurt his mother had tried to hide whenever Grant visited his mistress. His now fiancée. When Byron asked his mom why she allowed it, her only answer was that she couldn’t give their dad everything he needed. No matter how much she said she was okay with Grant’s infidelity, Byron never wanted to put that look in another woman’s eyes. If he married Yolanda, it would be with the goal of never humiliating her.
He leaned in and kissed her softly. As their lips brushed, a vision of Zoe from earlier filled his brain. That and a quiet whisper of uncertainty. Even if Byron forsook all temptation on his part, Yolanda never made the promise to do the same.
CHAPTER SIX
AFTER WORKING LATE all week to complete the items Miranda asked for after her presentation and rearranging schedules, Zoe was able to drop off Lilah at her best friend Julie’s house Saturday morning before making her way to Jackson Falls. The girls had met in fourth grade and had quickly become best friends. Zoe had gotten to know Julie’s mom, Victoria, and they developed a deep friendship. Victoria was also the survivor of an abusive relationship and understood how important is was to know and trust the people her kid was around. With little to no relationship with her mother and her sister living far away, Victoria and Julie were the family she and Lilah had created.
Byron had given her directions to his family’s estate in Jackson Falls instead of his campaign office. She was buzzed in through the gated drive and gasped as the house came into view down the long, tree-lined drive. She’d known Byron was rich, but damn. She hadn’t known his family lived in a modern castle. Did he live there by himself?
The home reminded her of one of those English countryside estates she’d seen in movies. The symmetrical multistory stone structure featured rows of tall windows along the front. Columns framed the door. What could only be described as possible additional wings with tall chimneys jutted out in perfect symmetry on the left and right side of the main part of the home.
She parked and prayed her SUV didn’t leak a drop of oil on the pristine white, circular drive. She’d left early enough to drop off Lilah and not feel rushed on the interstate, which had her arriving before midday. When she’d called Byron to let him know
she was coming, his reply had been pleasantly surprised and relieved, but not excited. Not that she blamed him. One lie she’d told was still affecting him years later. He’d texted her the address and said they’d meet this morning. She wasn’t sure if the rest of the family expected her or what she was about to walk into.
The door was answered by an older black woman who could be anywhere between forty and sixty. Her dark brown hair was closely cut in a stylish fashion, and a kind smile graced her face. She wore a light blue button-up shirt with the name Sandra stitched on the right side and a pair of khaki-colored slacks.
“You must be Zoe,” the woman said. “I’m Sandra, the head of housekeeping for the Robidoux family. Mr. Byron and the rest of his team are expecting you.”
Mr. Byron? Zoe’s stomach flipped and her hands became sweaty. He wasn’t just Byron or Pretty Ricky here. He was Mr. Byron. The owner of this estate. A potential future senator for the country. The other day he’d still reminded her of her old friend, and she’d been nervous but confident she could trust him in this process. Now...now she wondered if Future Senator Byron Robidoux was still the same guy she’d once trusted.
“Thank you, Sandra,” Zoe said. Her voice came out light and reedy. She cleared her throat. Do not let them intimidate or overrun you. “Where are we meeting?” Her voice was clear and stronger with the question.
“This way,” Sandra said. She led Zoe down the hallway to a thick wooden door. Sandra knocked two times before turning the handle and entering without waiting for a response. “Ms. Zoe Hammond is here.”
If butterflies weren’t having a disco party in her stomach, Zoe would have chuckled at the formality of being announced. Zoe thanked Sandra again and took what felt like the longest step of her life by crossing the threshold into the room. An honest-to-goodness conference room. Complete with gleaming dark wood table, bookshelves on the wall filled from top to bottom, a huge flat-panel television along another wall and a window that overlooked what Zoe assumed was the backyard terrace.
She did chuckle at this. A conference room in a house. Who did that?
Four men sat at the shining table. Three she recognized; one was a stranger. Mr. Robidoux hadn’t changed much in the thirteen years since she’d last seen him. He was still the spitting image of Byron twenty years in the future. His eyes were still sharp, calculating and clouded with distrust. He’d said she wasn’t right for Byron, but he would go along with his son’s wishes to make him happy. A few days later he’d sat next to his wife as she laid out all the reasons Zoe should walk out of Byron’s life. No word of Byron’s happiness had been mentioned during that meeting.
Byron stood along with Dominic, the private investigator she’d met a year before. The fourth guy glanced at her, his watch, then back to his computer.
Alrighty then. Apparently, she already had an enemy.
“Am I late? I didn’t realize you were meeting at a set time,” Zoe said unapologetically. Byron knew she was on her way and was driving several miles. If he wanted to meet at a certain time, he should have told her.
Byron shook his head. “You aren’t late. We’ve been in here since early morning. Come in and have a seat.”
Zoe nodded and went to the table. A silver tray filled with fresh fruit and pastries sat on the buffet beneath the television. Next to it was a tray covered with crystal goblets filled with a variety of liquids varying in shades from dark brown to amber and clear. A minibar in a conference room.
“Do you want something to drink?” Byron asked.
She most definitely wanted something to drink, but she wasn’t about to dull her senses with alcohol. Not when she felt like she’d just walked into an interview for a job she wasn’t sure she wanted. “Water if you have it.”
Byron immediately moved to the tray, opened a bottle of water, and poured it into a glass. He wore a short-sleeved blush-colored button-up tucked into navy slacks. The top few buttons were open, and a gold watch gleamed on his wrist. Even on the weekend he managed to look like he could be working in the office.
“You remember my dad,” Byron said, handing Zoe the glass.
Zoe nodded and took a sip of the water. “I do. Hello, Mr. Robidoux.” She couldn’t lie and say it was good to see him again. She’d thought her burden on the family was over the day she’d walked away from him and his wife. She’d never expected to or hoped to be in front of him, once again needing his family’s assistance.
“Zoe, welcome back,” he said formally.
Byron pointed to Dominic. “You know Dominic.” Byron pointed to the guy who’d given Zoe the evil eye. “This is my campaign manager, Roy Bouknight.”
“Nice to meet you, Roy.”
“Likewise,” he said, sounding as sincere as a telemarketer with a once-in-a-lifetime deal.
Zoe looked around the room then back at Byron. “I thought we were just going to talk.”
“We are, but I need the entire team here.”
The entire team. Her teeth clenched and her hand tightened around the straps of her purse. She glanced at the other men in the room. Men who were ready to plan her future. Her gaze shot back to Byron. “Have you also already come up with the plans for what’s next? Did you really ask me up here just to tell me how Lilah and I are going to be paraded around by your campaign and what rules I’ll need to follow?”
She’d forgotten how the entire team behind the Robidoux family had tried to intimidate her before after Byron asked her to marry him until this very moment when faced with the same thing.
Byron’s eyes widened. “Zoe, no, of course not. I’ve got an uphill battle even without the threat of blackmail. We’ve spent the morning talking about all the challenges I face. Now that you’re here, we’re ready to talk about what will work for you and Lilah.”
Zoe watched him for several seconds. She looked for but didn’t see any signs that he’d lied. His gaze didn’t waver. Tension started to seep out of her body. Slowly, she put her purse on the table and pulled out a chair.
“Okay, let’s talk.” She sat down.
Byron settled into the chair next to her. They didn’t touch, yet she was completely aware of him beside her. Could smell the hint of his cologne and a brush of the heat of his body. Zoe shifted her chair a little bit away from Byron and focused on his campaign manager.
Grant’s eyes were sharp and observant as he looked from her to Byron. “Well, since we are going to go with the story you...concocted back in college...” A huff accompanied the word concocted. “Of course you should be here for the discussion.”
Zoe’s spine stiffened. Grant spoke as if she’d made her decision for fun. Not because she’d been afraid. Or because the second she’d seen the plus sign on the pregnancy test she’d known Kendell’s promise that she’d never be able to leave him was true. Or that when Kendell found her crying over the test and his hand balled into a fist as he said It better be mine that she realized his suspicions were her way out.
Byron leaned forward and spoke before Zoe could. “The story we both agreed to,” he said in an unflinching voice.
She threw him a grateful look. Byron had been there that night. He’d seen the truth of her situation and understood her decision hadn’t been a plot to trap him. To hear his unwavering support even after everything that happened sent warmth through her chest.
Grant held up a hand. “Fine. The story you two concocted. We need to make sure we do a few things. Anyone who doesn’t currently know doesn’t need to. We’ll have to work on a plausible story that won’t make voters turn against Byron.” His eyes flicked to Zoe. “Or hate you.”
“Why do we care if they hate me?” Zoe asked. This was Byron’s campaign and she wasn’t the fiancée. What voters thought about her shouldn’t matter.
“Because if they hate you that dislike will spill over to Byron. We need something that will make them sympathetic to you both.” The last part c
ame out like a concession he didn’t quite agree with.
She hadn’t considered that. She wasn’t sure how any of this was supposed to work, but voters liking her hadn’t been something she’d considered. She took another sip of water to try and calm her fluttering stomach. She turned to Byron. His eyes were calm and reassuring. Zoe took a steady breath. That was why she was here, to find out all the ramifications of going forward.
“Then what do you suggest?” Zoe asked the question of Byron instead of his father.
Byron’s hand lifted as if to reach for her arm or shoulder and squeeze it the way he used to. A beat later he rested his hand on the table near hers. He leaned forward, his gaze steady. “That’s why I wanted to wait on you to discuss ideas. This affects you, too.”
“Do what I told you,” Grant’s booming voice interjected. Both Zoe and Byron jerked back and focused on him. Grant nodded before continuing. “Go with a version of the truth and tell everyone she ran off and disappeared. You found out years later that she had the baby.”
Zoe’s hand balled into a fist on the surface of the table. “I didn’t run off. I realized marrying Byron wasn’t the right thing to do.”
“No truer words were ever spoken,” Grant mumbled.
Roy coughed and looked through some papers. Dominic flinched and glanced out the window. Zoe’s teeth clenched. She couldn’t believe he would sit there and act as if her leaving Byron after everything he’d done for her had been another whim. Zoe swallowed and took a deep breath. Arguing with Grant and flying off the handle would play right into his hands.
“Of course you’d think those words were the truth. I got them from you and your wife the night before I left.” Zoe said the words clearly. Deliberately.
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