Page 26 of Accepted Precedent
Finn’s unable to hide his amusement as he adds, “But Ileah isn’t who I was referring to.”
“Spit it out.”
“She looked beautiful in powder blue—brought out her eyes.”
I close the distance and fist the front of his shirt. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not.” He covers my hand with his but doesn’t tug it away. His face falls as he admits, “We all know it’ll never work. She’ll need to be married for at least two election cycles. Andrew has the numbers this time, but it’s too unpredictable. Do you really want to wait to be with them for seven, maybe thirteen years? Let them go.”
“Would you wait for Ileah?” I counter, already knowing the answer. We’re putting love before politics, and our father would be ashamed.
He replies emphatically, “I’d burn it all down for her happiness.”
“Then you know I’d do the same for Andrew and Evie.” I release him and take a step back. “We need to look at the bigger picture. How can we secure Florida, Texas, Delaware, and Maryland over the next decade, while keeping the people we love?”
“We may not get to, brother. But we can try. I’ll take care of Maryland—you’re too close to it. If we back Alexander Blake in Texas, he’s a moderate who can be bought if we need him, while still keeping balance in the Senate. In a decade, we could easilyput him in the Oval. His brother has his eyes on Florida, but he’s a fuckin’ cunt.”
“Christopher? If we plant a few aides on his staff, we can keep him in line. He thinks with his cock, so a few pretty girls should do the trick. Under no circumstances is he to run for President.”
“Can you imagine?” he laughs. “Theeejitwould destroy the country. What about Delaware?”
“It isn’t an issue now that Tim’s married to Ileah, but in a few cycles it might be. In eight years, we’ll quietly fund his campaign in its entirety. Then, if Ileah wants to leave him, she can.”
“Do you think we can pull this off?”
A lazy smile tugs at my lips. “Remember what our father said:Love will always win over politics, if you let it.” I mime a cross on my forehead, chest, and shoulders, then kiss my fingers and glance up to where he’s likely cursing at us. “And I say we fuckin’ let it. We can carry out the legacy he left us without sacrificing the people we love.”
“Grandad would be proud.”
“Grandad would also kill Tim.”
Finn lets out a full laugh. “Don’t give me ideas.” I clamp a hand on his shoulder and he blows out a long breath, then admits, “I’m not going to murder him, but don’t expect me to be happy that I have to wait years to be withmo rúnsearc.”
His secret love…
My brows knit together. “What did you just say?”
“It’s what Grandad?—”
“I know what he called Mam.” I squeeze his shoulder. “She really means that much to you?”
He nods. “I love her, Mick.”
“Then, on Grandad’s grave, you’ll have her.”
Chapter 14
Andrew
SEVEN YEARS LATER
“It’s not even close, Andy!” Kristin insists in the same tone Mickey used to have with me. Unfortunately, it has my slacks feeling a little tight. “Stop checking the stupid ticker. You’re the new Senator of Maryland!”
“Don’t jinx it. They’re fuckin’ pundits who don’t know shite. The polls aren’t even closed yet,” Finn warns, not tearing his eyes away from his computer.
Last election, my marriage to Evie boosted me double digits. This time, I’m not so lucky. While Mickey and Finn have assured me they’ll take care of it, my nerves are shot. Patricia Yates is a ruthless candidate who spent years campaigning on a platform of unity and change. We disagree on very few topics, effectively making gender the only deciding factor. If it wasn’t my own Senate race, I would be voting for her myself.
“Don’t listen to him,” she whispers, sliding her hand into mine and squeezing once. But she quickly pulls away as if I burned her.
