Page 30 of Senator

Veer’s parents had immigrated to the US from South India before he was born and had taught their son their native language of Tamil. Then as he grew, they added English, Hindi, and Gujarati into the mix.

“I love that you guys are fluent in a million languages, but the non-Indian folk in the room can’t understand you,” I said, trying to break the tension.

Tara pulled her hand free of Ashur’s hold. “She’s only telling both of these overgrown apes that they are more than welcome to assist us, but if they even think to take over, then she is going to shove her foot so far up their asses that they won’t be able to walk straight.”

Tyler winced and then laughed as he saw the determined look on all of our faces. “Okay, Okay. I hear you.”

“Ty, you may be the only one that does,” I said, taking a seat between Sam and Tara.

“That’s because I’m your twin. I know when you’re going to kick my ass if I say anything else that you deem is stupid.” He glanced at his phone, read the message, and then looked at me and lifted a brow.

He must have gotten the text I’d asked Trisha to forward to him, detailing the plan. Tyler had a handful of close friends who worked the White House and his connections would be the best bet to get the information we needed passed to Mrs. Edgar.

“Jaci.” Tyler approached me and pulled me from my seat, hugging me tightly. “You’re brilliant. Devious, but brilliant.”

I relaxed into the comfort of his hold. “I am the genius in our family,” I joked. “Will you help us and forgo the idiot plan you guys concocted?”

“I’ll not only help you, but I’ll play the middleman. I’ve just been asked to join the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.”

I kissed his cheek. “I can always count on you.”

“Someone want to fill the rest of us in?” Devin asked. “I know you have that twin thing going, but the rest of us need complete sentences to understand each other.”

I looked at Devin, then Ashur, and then Veer and Kevin. “My fabulous brother is going to help me put the president, and his cronies who’ve gone after Sam, Tara, and me in check.”

Chapter Nine

I dangledmy legs off the dock, kicking my feet back and forth and gazing at the river. The weather wasn’t too hot or cold, and there was always a slight breeze coming off the water. God, I loved springtime in Austin.

I released a deep breath and sighed. My mind and body ached from the stress of the latter half of the day. It had taken a good two hours to get the rest of the guys to abandon their harebrained idea of outing the Deckers.

What they couldn’t grasp was that the real enemy was the president. I was in a political chess game with him, and he thought he’d back me into a corner by supporting Decker’s view on my outing with my friends. Eventually, everyone had agreed my plan had the most merit and would have the most impact. Thankfully, I’d gotten a discreet call from the first lady’s assistant confirming a private meeting to bolster my stance.

What honestly sucked the most was filling Kevin in on the real reason Decker and I hated each other. Reliving any telling of the incident hurt, but this time around, it wasn’t as awful. I felt as if I’d worked through the demons and could view it more as a survivor than a victim. Maybe it was because I’d had years to work through the trauma, or maybe it was the fact that the closest people to me were in the room giving me strength.

Kevin’s response had been similar to Veer’s when he’d found out right before my election. He was ready to drive the four hours to Decker’s estate and beat the living shit out of father and son. Once he calmed down, Kevin gave me his “we will talk later” look and shot back two fingers of cognac. I dreaded that conversation. It was another thing to add to my long list of keeping secrets from my unofficial/official boyfriend.

I shook my head. I had an incredible knack for hurting the two men who meant so much to me.

Sadness enveloped my heart. I’d leave for DC tomorrow, and things were unresolved between Veer and me. We’d barely had a moment alone since I’d arrived home and even then, it felt as if he was keeping his distance. Besides voicing his opinion here and there during our discussion of my plan, he’d said little to me. It was as if he was letting Kevin be the one who was supporting me.

Ashur was right about me having two men in love with me. But how could I explain that the love Kevin had for me was nothing like how it was with Veer without outing him?

Kevin came from a family and world where homosexuality wasn’t accepted. His own mother would go into mini sermons condemning anyone who lived as an openly gay person. She’d tout the Bible and its teachings, constantly forgetting “to love your neighbor as you love yourself.” I couldn’t imagine how it must have felt growing up in a home where your parents believed sexual orientation was a choice.

A lump formed in my throat. Veer and I had to end. I made a promise to Kevin years before my relationship with Veer started. It was on this very dock that we’d set the arrangement that would benefit both of us. He would gain his inheritance and the family business, and I would have the husband and image needed to secure the nomination.

I knew deep down Kevin would never fault me for choosing Veer, but I refused to let the Deckers of the world win. Decker thought I was too weak to stand up to the pressures of politics. I couldn’t believe the bastard had turned my outing with Samina and Tara as consorting with the liberal enemy. To top it off, the fucking jackass President Edgar hitting the social media circuit to voice his opinion.

This sucked.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. A migraine was flaring, and there was nothing I could do about it. Stress brought them on. My life was overflowing with it, and it wouldn’t calm anytime soon.

Laughter sounded in the distance, and I knew the tension in the house had eased. Even Ashur and Tara had come to some truce. They weren’t acknowledging each other or talking, but it was better than Tara threatening bodily harm.

A smile touched my lips, remembering how Tara had stormed into the room. When she said she’d knock Ashur on his ass, I had no doubt she could do it. Tara had secrets like the rest of us, but something about her said not to underestimate her abilities. If Ashur convinced Tara to do whatever it was he wanted her to do, Tara would make him regret ever asking her.

They still loved each other, even after over a decade since their breakup. However, the hurt caused by Ashur’s father lingered like a chain anchoring them together.

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