Page 31 of Relinquish

My heart skips a beat. “You aren’t planning to move back there for good?”

“No. Even if my father and I weren’t at an impasse over Trenton and me, I still wouldn’t be willing to go back. It’s time for me to be out on my own.”

The relief that her trip is only for a short time has my body feeling weak. “Do you think he’ll move off the Trenton thing?”

“You don’t know my father. He’s a Pit Bull when he gets an idea into his head. He believes Trenton is a perfect match for me. He’s from the right political party, had the proper upbringing with a family that dates to the Mayflower, and had an Ivy League education. But mostly, he’s doing it for Trenton’s father’s sake. Trenton fell for their maid’s daughter, and his parents were afraid he’d ruin his future over a silly emotion like love. Marriage should be about compiling resources.” Sadness fills her eyes, and she shakes her head. “I don’t think my father used to feel that way, but he’s been on his own so long now.”

Yeah, I don’t stand a chance. Her father would laugh in my face–The Congressman’s daughter and the foster care kid.

“We’ve both been threatened by disownment if we don’t start following orders. Trenton has told his father he no longer has feelings for Lacey, but even if they start to believe him or change their minds, I’m not ready to forgive and forget until my father respects my decisions.”

“I see your point. My childhood wasn’t like yours. I must admit, at first, I was a little envious of what I thought must have been an ideal childhood, but I guess there were some benefits to growing up being my own boss. My mother was too busy working to put food on the table, to watch my every move, so I did what I wanted.” I rub the hair at the back of my skull. Talking about my family isn’t something I do, but after everything she’s shared, it feels appropriate to divulge what I’ve been through. Well, at least the highlighted version.

She clicks her mouse to shut off the computer. “You never talk about your family.”

“There isn’t much to say. We didn’t have a lot, and I don’t like to dwell on the past.” Bullshit. That’s a lie. All you’ve done is be stuck in the past.

“Don’t think that growing up with money makes a perfect childhood because that’s far from the truth. I’d have given anything for my mother to still be alive and be there while growing up and for a father that wasn’t always on the campaign trail. Our most memorable family moments were photoshoots, but those were to boost his image as the model family man.”

My cell phone buzzes in my pocket. “Your father sounds like a tough man. I’m glad I’ve never met him.” I stretch my leg outward and shift my hips to the right, dragging my cell phone out of my front jeans pocket. Truman. “I’ve got to take this.”

Chapter Seventeen

Lola

‘I’m glad I never met him.’ Nice. He’s like all the other guys. Brad was the first. When he found out who my father was, he’d dumped me for a nice, uncomplicated girl whose parents were teachers.

Then there was Garrett, my last boyfriend. He’d been fascinated by the concept of dating a congressman’s daughter–until my dad and brothers showed up at my dorm. One of my roommates spilled the beans that I had a boyfriend, so they’d come as a team to interrogate him. He’d managed to make it through the first fifteen minutes, and then, he’d excused himself to use the restroom. I’m still not sure how he got down to the bottom floor. My dorm room was on the fourth level. That was the last time I saw him. The asshole even changed his entire class schedule around to avoid me.

It doesn’t matter. In a few days, I’ll adopt Sam and bring him home. I don’t need a man in my life. To keep from eavesdropping on Cade’s conversation, I stash my files in my cubicle file cabinet.

After a few moments, he walks back to my upstairs workspace with the phone still next to his ear. “Good. So, we can expect you to be back in the office tomorrow afternoon?” Several seconds pass before he says, “Sounds great. Glad everything worked out. I’ll see you then.”

He slides the phone back into his pocket. “That was Truman. They had a successful extraction, and he should be back in the office tomorrow afternoon.”

“Wonderful. I’m glad everything worked out.” With Mr. Truman back in the office, I’ll share my plans with him before returning home. I glance at my watch–7:00 p.m. Shit. “I need to get out of here. I’m meeting Rachel tonight. She’ll be relieved to hear her uncle is safe.”

“Do you need a ride home?”

“No. I got my car back. It’s as good as new.” I cringe. “Or as good as it gets with that vehicle.”

“I know you don’t need me to walk you to the parking garage, but I’ve already closed up for the night, so I’m headed that way.”

I grab my purse off the hook and sling it over my shoulder. I can think of a dozen reasons why I shouldn’t spend more time with him, but none of them seem to wander their way out of the haze in my brain. “Sure, why not.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

When we reach the door, he holds it open for me. “I know I haven’t said much about my family. It’s kind of hard to describe my childhood.”

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and walk beside him to the elevator. I’m too afraid to say anything and ruin the moment.

He pushes the ‘Down’ button. “My father walked out before I was born, so I never knew him. That left my mom on her own to provide for both of us. She’d gotten pregnant during her senior year of high school, so she wasn’t able to graduate.” The door opens, and we step inside. “My grandparents disapproved of the relationship and made her choose between them or my father. She obviously made the wrong decision. Later, I think they probably would have taken her back, but she was too proud. Being without family and no education, she was only able to find minimum wage positions as a housecleaner and a couple days a week as a waitress.” The elevator jerks into motion, and we descend toward the lobby.

Maybe that’s why I feel such a strong connection to him. We both grew up with single parents. “It sounds like she was determined to provide the best she could for you.”

He nods. “She was a hard worker, and I was alone a lot when I wasn’t in school. During that time, we didn’t have a lot, but we did okay. Then the bottom fell out of everything.”

The doors slide open, and we step into the lobby. I’m careful to keep enough distance between us that we don’t touch. I don’t trust myself around him. “What happened?”

“When I was in my early teens, my mom got sick and was only able to work as a waitress. Obviously, with the kind of work she was doing, she didn’t have health insurance.” He shoves his hands into his pockets, stops in the middle of the lobby, and stares at the floor. “She got weaker as the months passed until she couldn’t work at all.”

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