Page 13 of Senator

Her high-profile career had been a liability for both Devin’s and my father’s careers. In the eyes of the world, Sam was a liberal attorney who took on celebrity clientele. It hadn’t mattered that she was well respected or that most of her cases focused on injustices done to her clients. Public knowledge of Devin and Samina’s relationship would have made it nearly impossible for Dad to win his reelection bid with his ultra-conservative constituents. Two years ago, right before she announced her candidacy for Senate, she’d decided she’d had enough of living behind the scenes and took the steps to separate from Devin.

It had been the kick in the pants my big brother needed to fix his marriage. Now, Devin and Sam’s marriage was stronger than ever, and they had my gorgeous nephew, who was the perfect combination of the two of them.

“I said sit.”

“You’re so damn bossy,” I muttered but followed her instructions by sliding onto the barstool.

I threaded my fingers together, setting them on the island, and stared at my hands, not knowing where to start. After a few minutes, Sam covered my hands with hers, and I sighed. It was time to admit out loud what I knew was the truth.

“For the last few months, every time we’re together, it’s like we’re bracing for it to end. There is so much tension between us. Veer’s career has taken off more than anyone could have imagined, and so has mine. I know it has to happen, but I’m not sure I can do it.”

“You have to decide what’s more important. Your career or your relationship with Veer. What you want for the future comes with a steep price. You and Veer aren’t the only ones affected by your decision. You have to think of Kevin too. As far as the public knows, he’s the man in your life.”

There was no judgment in her voice. She was one of those people who told me her opinions but would support any decision I made, even if it pissed her off.

She’d known Veer longer than I had. He was her older brother Ashur’s best friend. Veer was an only child and had become part of Sam’s family, spending any and all free time at Sam’s house. Veer was as much Sam’s brother as Ashur was. Even with this bond, Sam hadn’t taken sides. She was as loyal to me as she was to Veer.

Hell, from the sound of it, she’d taken Kevin into her fold as well.

My lips trembled. “Why did I let things go past that weekend in Vegas?”

“Because both of you have had the hots for each other since we were in law school. I’m surprised you guys waited as long as you did to jump each other’s bones.”

I couldn’t deny her observation. From the moment we’d first met, Veer and I shared an unspoken chemistry that was hard to ignore.

“I knew better. Hell, we both did. And still, we went down this rabbit hole. Any advice on how not to have my heart bleed out when the inevitable happens?”

“Besides what I’ve already said, I don’t have anything. If you recall, I’m the idiot who allowed my husband to keep me a secret for years. If I recall, you were the resident sage who advised me to leave your brother and take him for all he had.”

“Thank God the two of you got it together and figured your shit out. For the record, I would have gone with you in the divorce.” I gave her a mischievous grin. “No brother was going to get in the way of our sisterhood.”

“I second both your statements.”

The grandfather clock in the hallway leading out of the kitchen chimed.

“Let’s table this for now. Everyone will arrive soon, and I want this weekend to be fun.”

“I’m right there with you. I don’t think I could take another filibuster attempt like we had this past week,” Sam said. “Sometimes I ask myself why the hell I wanted to become a politician when all we do is listen to endless discussions that lead nowhere.”

“It comes with the territory. Think about it this way—you only have five years left and then can go back to representing shock jocks like Clint Bassett.”

Sam winced and then laughed. “Be nice. If it weren’t for him, that asshole Decker would never have been outed for all the crap he did to us.”

I pushed down the anger that surfaced whenever anyone mentioned Grey Decker Senior. I shouldn’t let the man affect me so much, but sometimes I couldn’t help it. He’d helped his son cover up his assault on me and then tried to make it look like I was a drunk whore.

The sad part was Decker would never get over his hatred of me, especially since I’d come out on top and ousted him from office. He’d probably be a thorn in my side until the day he died, obsessing with tactics to ruin my reputation.

“Jacinta.” Sam touched my arm. “I didn’t mean to bring up Decker.”

“It’s okay, Sam. It’s not like how it used to be. Even if the memories are still there, neither of the Deckers have power over me anymore.”

“That’s true. Senior and Junior are lucky if anyone takes them seriously after what came out in the election.”

Two years ago, Grey Decker Senior had hired a reporter to take compromising pictures of Sam. Decker thought to use the images to destroy Sam’s credibility, thinking that, since she was my sister-in-law and my best friend, hurting her would trickle down to me.

Too bad for Decker that Clint Bassett had exposed him for the douchebag he was. He’d released a recording where Decker discussed selling the pictures for the right price. Clint was the father of four daughters and took the possible attack on Sam as a personal insult to a woman he’d decided was as much a daughter to him as she was his attorney.

Samina had turned the horrible situation to her advantage, using the platform of getting rid of the establishment and anyone who’d support the destruction of people for political gain.

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