Page 68 of Senator

“Well, fuck.” He scratched agitated fingers through his hair, and then looked at me.

Indecision warred on his face. He was one of the best men I had ever encountered. I knew what he was truly worried about now: me. Somehow, I had to convince him that I’d be just fine.

“Jaci, what are we going to do? People are expecting a big white wedding a few weeks after the election.”

“You could always use the pictures Decker and Edgar released as the excuse you need to break things off. I can handle the backlash.”

In the grand scheme of things, most people had forgotten about the pictures. In the timeframe of pollical scandals, it was a small blip. Americans were more focused on the presidential election than some pictures of a past relationship between two Texas politicians. Hell, a romance movie channel had decided to write a “based on true events” script about two politicians who fell in love. I wouldn’t fool myself and think my colleagues had refrained from talking about me behind my back, but that was a small price to pay.

“I’m not going to put you through the wringer any more than you already have.”

I set my cup on the step and wrapped my arms around his waist. “You could always come out. Wasn’t the stress of hiding your relationship the reason you and Chris broke up? Now there is nothing to stop you from being together.”

“It could cost you, in the future. You know some dipshit will spin it that being with you turned me gay.” He shook his head. “We have to face it—some people are born assholes.”

“You do know I’ll support you no matter what you decide? I want you to be happy. You deserve it.”

He remained quiet, lost in his thoughts.

After a few moments, he kissed the top of my head and then threaded his fingers through mine. “I’ve never had a breakup where I knew without a doubt that my ex would be a genuine friend for the rest of my life.”

“Back at you.”

A light entered his eyes, something that hadn’t been there a few minutes ago.

“Now, we have to fix things with our significant others.”

“There is hope for you, love. Not me. I’ve accepted it. I can’t have the White House and the man. It’s not in the cards.”

“Who says? That man loves you. It’s in his eyes. Don’t let him go.”

“It’s too late for us, no matter what I want.”

“And people say I’m stubborn.”

“Whatever. I’m going to head to bed.” I released Kevin’s hand and stood.

“I think I’m going to sit out here for a little longer. Maybe make a call or two.”

I smiled. “Love you, Kev. Make sure Chris grovels a little before you give in.”

“You know I will.”

I turned, climbed the steps, and went inside to my cold, empty bed.

Chapter Twenty-One

“Senator Camden.We will start in ten minutes.”

I nodded and then looked at my reflection in the prep mirror as the makeup artist placed the finishing touches on my face.

It had been exactly thirty days since Kevin and I decided we couldn’t do the pretend-couple thing. What surprised me most was the relief I felt. Kevin deserved to live a life he chose instead of one orchestrated for him. Hell, both of us did. Thankfully, our breakup was drowned out by the chaos of election campaigning, nationally and in my state of Texas.

Neither Kevin nor Chris had officially come out, outside of telling their families. For Kevin, the discussion had gone better than expected but not as great as he’d hoped. Kevin was asked to step down from his family’s oil business due to him not sharing the company’s values. Thankfully, his parents hadn’t completely disowned him.

Chris on the other hand, was no longer considered a member of the Robinson family. His parents viewed him as an abomination and wanted nothing to do with him. It broke my heart to think of the pain he must have felt. At least, in the end Kevin and Chris were finally together.

They’d made a handful of public appearances, where a few old-school conservatives had raised their eyebrows, but no one had made any underhanded comments. Well, not to their faces anyway.

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