nigh?”
“Don’t jinx yourself, baby.” He makes a sound. “Now to figure out how to handle Olivia.”
“I think I know how to do that.”
“How?”
I can’t believe I’m saying this. “I’m going to tell her I want a divorce in two weeks.”
“You…are?”
“Yeah. I want to have it filed before she finds out about Dad.”
“Okay, but why two weeks and not now?”
“After she returns from visiting her family.” Believe me, all three of us have her visit to Georgia marked as a red-letter long weekend on our calendars. I plan on spending an overnight with Daniel and Liam while she’s gone, and I don’t have to return to Georgia for business here in the office while she’s there.
“Um…okay? I’m still not following.”
“I have a feeling she’s going to come back and pick a fight with me. That’s been her pattern the past four years. If the divorce isn’t filed before she finds out about Dad, she’ll dig in her heels about filing until after he’s dead. She’ll think it’ll make her look like shit.”
“Ah. I can’t fault your logic boy.”
When hope surges inside me, I viciously stomp it down. I’m afraid to get my hopes up.
If I do, I’m sure to get my heart shattered.
“Guess you won’t have to frame your father after all.” He laughs. “We just need to wait him out. And it gets you out of running again.”
“I need to time that announcement right, too.”
“Until after you file for divorce?”
“Exactly. Then it looks like I have the perfect double-whammy excuse to drop out. Managing the optics.”
“See? You’re learning.”
“Thank you, senpai.”
He laughs. “Hey, you have to do the heavy lifting, buddy.”
I close my eyes, picturing his blue gaze. I deeply love him and while I’ve told him that many times, he hasn’t exactly said it back to me yet.
Although Liam insists Daniel loves me. Everything Daniel does seems to point in that direction, too.
Would he have welcomed me into their lives the way he has—rocky start not withstanding—if he didn’t love me?
“Let me get back to work, Sir. I just wanted to let you know what’s going on.”
“Good boy. Have a good day. Text or call me later.” And before I can utter the words I love you, he’s ended the call.
I stare out my office window for a long moment. You know what? At this point, I don’t care if he never outright says it to me. I really, really don’t.
Liam says it. And, aside from sadistic tortures I actually don’t mind, I believe Daniel feels it.
I feel loved by him a hell of a lot more than by my father.
Doesn’t that tell me all I need to know?
Chapter Six
Monday afternoon, as I’m flying back to DC after my father’s doctor appointment, two things strike me.
My father is completely in denial about his condition, and I’m literally within a couple of years of getting exactly what I’ve prayed for.
My father is adamant no one know he’s sick. While the doctor makes it clear that there isn’t any cure or treatment available to my father because of the advanced stage of his cancer, my dad acts like he doesn’t believe a word the doctor says, and that it’s an overreaction.
Which is…fine with me.
When my father leaves to use the bathroom, I take the opportunity to talk to the doctor alone.
“We’re basically going to be managing end of life care, is what you’re telling me?”
He grimly nods. “Yes, Senator. That’s exactly what I’m saying. I’m so sorry.”
Thankfully, the doctor isn’t a psychic, or he’d spot the celebration currently going on in my brain.
Complete with party streamers, a piñata, a cold keg, and hot wings.
After landing in DC, I stop by the office on the way home to take care of a couple of items. While I’m there, Stan Jergens drops by to leave a casserole dish Elsbeth is returning to Olivia after she forgot it at one of their prayer circle potlucks over the weekend.
He pauses when he sees me. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just…tired.”
“When are you going to file for reelection?”
“There’s still plenty of time for that.”
“I’ve got people asking me about it. I know you’re not as active as Olivia is, but—”
“There’s still plenty of time.” I can’t tell him about my father.
“Okay, fine. But you’re losing out on dollars by waiting. They’ll get snatched up by other PACs if you wait too long.”
I wave his words away and he finally leaves.
But I know it’s a portent of conversations to come, until I announce my intentions one way