“Where is Pete?”
Todd smiled knowingly and sipped from his glass. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten his bedtime.”
I shook my head. “Has he been asking for me?”
“He has.”
“How are his fingers?”
“Stabilized. Desi fixed him up well. I want to apologize to you.”
I raised a brow. “Apologize for what?”
“I was irrational earlier. Hurting Pete like that? That was low, even for me. That’s not the kind of man I want to be.”
“You’ll do it again,” I whispered.
He pointed at the leather love seat across from him. Wordlessly, I sat and repeated the garage code in my head.
“Despite what you may believe, I love Pete.”
“Breaking your two-year-old’s fingers is not love.”
Todd swirled his drink and grinned. “You should know better than anyone that sometimes love and pain coexist. Sometimes you can’t have one without the other. This leads me to whyyou’re here. I think you finally understand the stakes. You will be the First Lady of Texas whether you like it or not.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little premature to name yourself the winner? The elections aren’t until November.”
He cocked a brow and asked, “Have you not been paying attention, Kiyah? I’m ahead in the polls—78% to my opponent’s 22%. I am the new governor of Texas; the public will catch up in November. You’ll stand beside me,” he said calmly. “You’ll attend events, fundraisers, and dinners—not as Pete’s nanny, but as my partner. We’ll be introduced as a couple. People won’t question the timeline because of who you are and what your family represents.” He lifted the glass and watched the liquid swirl. “I’ll propose the night of the election results.” My stomach turned, but I kept my face neutral. “We will have a December wedding—very tasteful and private, catering to the right people.” He paused and allowed his gaze to slide over me slowly. “We’ll live happily ever after. As long as you let us.”
“And my family?” I asked.
Todd smiled indulgently. “You’ll be just fine without them.” The words landed brutally. “Don’t make that face, Kiyah. You disappeared for seven years,” he went on. “You held no regard for their feelings and made no real effort to return. That tells me everything I need to know.”
“That’s not—”
“Pete and I are your family now,” Todd said, cutting me off. “This life is what you make it. It can be a peaceful one or a painful one. Your choice.”
Rage simmered inside me as I stared at his smirking face. He’d already determined that he won, but what Todd didn’t know was that I’d kill both of us to protect my family.
I tilted my chin toward his glass. “May I have one?”
“Are we enjoying a celebratory drink?”
“As long as you promise not to go after my family.”
“I promise not to go after your family as long as you are compliant.”
I exhaled a breath and nodded. “I’ll behave,” I replied, folding my hands in my lap.
“Good girl,” Todd said, reaching for another crystal tumbler. He poured two fingers and handed me the glass. I nearly frowned when our fingers grazed, but I quickly recovered when I remembered what was on the line.
Todd lifted his glass. I mirrored him.
“To new beginnings,” he declared.
Now.
Todd shouted when I threw the scotch in his face, temporarily blinding him. He dropped the glass, shattering it around our feet.