Page 27 of The Senator

I nodded, feeling the tears swelling again. “I miss him every day, Denver. I’m so glad he met you. You made him very happy.” I couldn’t help the sob.

Denver kissed my forehead and walked away without looking back. I hoped and prayed the man found peace, and maybe he could find another boy someday. He deserved the best.

I pulled into the driveway of 16 Sunnybrook Lane, parking in the driveway instead of sneaking through the woods like the last time. It was daylight, not midnight, and the trees had lost their leaves, redecorating the once-immaculate yard into colorful chaos. It was comforting to see that everything on Sunnybrook Lane wasn’t perfect.

I walked onto the porch and rang the bell, hearing the heavy Bong… Bong… Bong. It reminded me of an old television show I remembered watching in one of the better foster homes from my youth.

I was there temporarily because the house was full, and I had to sleep on a pallet on the floor of the bedroom the biological boys shared, but it was a glimpse of what a real home could be like.

The foster mom always had a snack ready for us when we got home from school, and we were allowed to watch The Adams Family, while we ate before it was homework time. The main house where the television show took place had a doorbell like the one at the Brady home.

When the door opened, I saw Vani with a welcoming smile. She stepped out and I folded her small frame into my arms. “Is everything okay?”

“He’s out for a run. He’s been worried about you, Nash.” Her tone was that of a chastising older sister, which I appreciated.

I pulled back and offered a smile. “There’s no need for anyone to worry about me, Vani. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”

“Yes, but it’s a whole different animal when someone loves you.” She stepped out of my arms and pulled me into the house. I saw some boxes in the grand dining room, and I was immediately on alert.

“What’s up with this?” I saw fancy dishes, squares of foam, and brown paper spread on the large dining table.

Vani offered a glowing smile—that I took as fake. “We’re going to paint, so I’m emptying out the hutch. This is the anniversary china that Spence bought me. I show—or used to show—these fancy houses, and they all had china on display.

“Spence never wanted me to feel like I didn’t have the same opportunities or options as others, so one year, he kept coming up with odd scenarios where a staffer was trying to pick out china patterns and asked for the group’s opinion. He’d come home with these pictures of patterns and ask me which one I liked the best, and I told him this one. Imagine how unsurprised I was when I got a beautiful china service for eight on our fifteenth wedding anniversary. He’s sweet, but he’s not very subtle.” She had a bright smile as she told the story.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. It was as though I’d lost something I never had in the first place, and the feeling settled low in my belly. How could I have been so fucking stupid to think someone as kind, loving, and classy as Spencer Brady could find a hood rat like me worth his time?

“Well, I just stopped by to see if you made it home okay, and ask if you’ve found out anything more about the pictures? Did Frank Turner send them?” I definitely wanted to talk to Caroline about her husband, but one step at a time.

“Oh, you haven’t heard the latest. Come sit and have some coffee, or…” she glanced at the grandfather clock near the door and turned back to me with a smile. “How about a cocktail? It’s five o’clock somewhere.” She giggled as she headed toward the kitchen.

“I wish I could, but I need to take the rental to the airport to turn it in so it doesn’t cost Denver another day. Call me sometime. If I hear anything from my friends, I’ll let you know.” I headed toward the door.

When I opened it, I was met with the sight and smell of Senator Spencer Brady. The combination nearly knocked me on my ass.

“Where are you going?” Spencer seemed excited to see me, and he asked a great question. All my plans for my life had flown out the window the night I took him and Vani up to a room at a swanky hotel so they could sleep it off without making more headlines. I didn’t know what the hell to say to him in response to his question because all I could think was that I wanted to go with him—anywhere.

“I need to go home, but first I gotta drop off the rental. I, uh, is Jay home from school for the break yet? How’s his arm?” I was trying to deflect his attention about what I was doing in hopes of giving myself some time to get my shit together.

“Okay. Let me shower, and I’ll take you to… Where do you need to turn in the car?”

“No, I mean, it’s just Crystal City, and then I can get the metro to my apartment in Foggy Bottom.” I was fighting like hell to keep from taking him into my arms and kissing him like he was giving me life.

Spencer stepped closer, and I could smell the sweaty, musky deliciousness of him, which made my heart pound faster. It was intoxicating, and I couldn’t stop myself from huffing at him.

“I’m going to shower, and then I’m going to take you to turn in your rental car. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but things have taken a turn for the worse in the Turner family. I have it in good authority that Caroline is lying low. She might be out of business for a while.”

That was news to me. Maybe it was the night I’d spent with Denver and how I felt after, but in that moment, I wanted the Senator to claim me and ask me to be his lover. It wasn’t anything I’d ever wanted before, but the power in his voice had my insides melting.

Spencer touched a hand to my cheek before he turned and ran upstairs, leaving me in a puddle at the bottom of the winding staircase. I felt a gentle touch on my back and turned to see Vanessa with a bright smile on her pretty face. “Come talk to me, Nash.”

I followed the petite woman into the kitchen and took a seat while she prepared drinks for us. “So, you’ve missed the town gossip, I guess? Senator Frank Turner is in the hospital for undisclosed reasons. I guess if a sixteen-year-old girl showed up at my door and called me Mommy, I’d probably have a medical episode.”

“Wait, the Senator has a daughter who’s not Caroline’s?” I had to wonder how Caroline was taking that news.

“That’s the story. I heard Caroline is moving out of their home and taking him for every penny he has. They had an agreement that if he ever cheated, she gets everything.” Vani had a smile on her face that was a little vindictive but under the circumstances, I loved seeing it there.

Not knowing Caroline’s husband was also a Senator, I’d have never suspected she mixed with society’s elite, but it certainly made more sense how she had access to all the power players.

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