“Thank you. I’d like you to set up a press conference for next Friday. I’ll have my decision by then.”

“You got it, boss. Tell her I’m very sorry she’s going through all of this.”

“I will. Thank you.”

I sat back in the tall leather chair and swiveled to look out the window. Jack’s property was vast and professionally manicured. The leaves on the trees were still, and I just hoped it wasn’t the calm before the storm.

But I knew how to stop it. Yes, my decision was made.

I found everyone sitting at the table having lunch when I walked into the kitchen. I took a seat and grabbed a sandwich from the platter in the center of the table.

“Did you finish your phone calls, son?”

I nodded to acknowledge my father, and then scanned the room as all eyes focused on me. “I’ve decided to pull out of the race. It’s the best thing to do.”

“No! It isn’t.”

Lucy’s voice echoed through the room. Startled, I gaped at her as she came into the kitchen.

She walked up to the table and stood by me. “You can’t do that. I won’t let you.”

I got up and took her face in my hands. The color in her cheeks was back, and she looked better. “You’re more important to me.”

“That doesn’t matter,” she insisted. “You’re important to our country. You can’t pull out of the race because of me, Drake. This is my problem, and if we aren’t together, it won’t be yours.”

“Absolutely not. I’m not losing you, not when it took my entire life to find you. No, and I don’t want you to ever say that again.”

Jack spoke up. “Lucy, why don’t you stay here until things die down? The press won’t get past my gate. You’ll be safe here.”

Lucy shot him a grateful smile. “Thank you, Jack. But I don’t have any of my things, and I can’t hide forever.”

Gretchen shook her head. “I brought all the necessities you need, plus some clothes. I’ll go to your place tomorrow with Josh and grab whatever else you’ll need. And I already called Mason because he was worried about you.”

“Is he okay?” Lucy looked at my sister, concern for her best friend pinching her face.

“Yes, he’s fine. He said no one from the press had contacted him, and if they did, he’d deal with it. He also said that he put in a call to the school administrator, but he wasn’t there.”

Lucy considered what she said, and then nodded. “Okay. Thank you.” She looked at Jack. “I’ll stay here for a couple of days, but then I’m going home.”

Gretchen batted her eyes at Jack. “Can I move in too? I’ve never had a sister, and it’d be cool to hang out in your fancy digs for a while.”

“Yes, of course you can, Gretch,” Jack said with a grin. “You know my house is your house.”

“Thanks!” She leaped out of her chair and hugged him. “I have the best big brother ever.”

“Hey!” Josh and I said in unison.

Gretchen winked at us over his shoulder, and Lucy started to laugh. My heart lightened, because at this moment, I had my girl back.

I was relieved when Lucy sat at the table with us and had something to eat. She’d been so pale before, and had been shaking. Getting something in her stomach was a good start toward getting her back to normal.

As I watched her eat, I couldn’t think of anything but what she’d suggested. How could she think I’d even consider not being with her? That wasn’t going to happen, but she didn’t need to know I’d already made up my mind. Right now she was smiling, and I wasn’t about to do anything to wipe that smile off her face.

After we ate, Dad had to go to the hospital to check on a patient. Josh and Gretchen went to Lucy’s to pick up some clothes for her, and Jack took Lucy out back to show her the grounds.

That left my mom and me in the house alone. We sat in silence for about five minutes before she started in on me.

“Drake, I think you really need to consider what you’re going to do. But my motherly instincts tell me you’ve already made up your mind.”

“I have. Yes, it would be a dream come true to one day be president, but at what cost? There’s no way I could forge ahead without putting Lucy through more scrutiny. All of this wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t in the public eye like I am. But there’s no reason I can’t still make an impact in the private sector.”

I stood and gave my mom a kiss, trying to ignore the sadness I saw in her eyes. “Thank you for always being there for me.”

CHAPTER 21

~ Lucy ~

I’d been holed up in Jack’s house for three days and was going stir crazy. The only good thing was no one knew where I was. I had turned my cell phone off, but it was time I returned Mr. McMillan’s call.

Yes, I loved my job, but right now I had bigger things on my mind—like how I was going to handle Drake wanting to renounce his candidacy.

Rather than stress any longer, I picked up my phone and placed the call. When he spoke to me, Mr. McMillan’s voice was condescending, at best. In a way, I understood his concerns, but that didn’t make them right. Before I knew it, I told him I’d be sending him my resignation, but he accepted it verbally over the phone.

There wasn’t much left for me to do but to figure out where to go from here. I could find another job. It might not be teaching, but it wasn’t as if I wasn’t a smart woman. I’d minored in law, and even though that wasn’t my concentration, I could go back to school and become a paralegal, or maybe even a counselor.

One thing I realized as I looked at myself in the mirror was that I wasn’t a scared, pissed-off teenager anymore. I was a woman who knew who she was and what she wanted, and that was to love and be loved by the most wonderful man in the world.

People’s opinions were just that, their opinions. They would have them no matter what choice I made. But to think their opinion of Drake would change because of me? No. There was no way I could let that happen.

All my life, others thought they knew what was best for me, and that was what started this nightmare. Granted, those people were my parents, but I realized long ago that they truly didn’t love me. I’d been a mistake, wasn’t exactly a planned pregnancy, and I was sure my mother had never forgiven me for the stretch marks on her body.

I got in the shower and let the steam caress my skin. How I wished the streams of water falling over me were Drake’s hands, but he’d left earlier to meet with Ben. Rather than dwelling on what had happened, it was time for me to take control of my own life.

After I got dressed and applied a little makeup to hide the dark circles that lingered under my eyes, I headed downstairs. Jack was sitting at the kitchen table, dressed in a suit and reading the Wall Street Journal while he sipped at a cup of coffee.

“Good morning, Jack.” I smiled as I poured myself a cup of much-needed caffeine. “Are we the only ones here?”

“Yes, Gretchen left shortly after Drake did. Something about a straightening iron. When I told her I had an iron in the laundry room, she laughed at me and left.”

I couldn’t help laughing at him. Men.

I was starting to feel more like myself, but my nerves were still shot. So much had happened in such a short time. It seemed as if all of my hard work to keep my anonymity was blown to smithereens in a few days.

Jack smiled as I took a seat next to him at the table. “You look better this morning.”

“I feel a bit better. I just talked to my boss and resigned.” I took a sip of coffee and smiled.

He dropped his newspaper. “Did you just say you quit? Does Drake know?”

“No, but I’ll tell him when he comes back.”

I hoped Drake would understand. Oddly, quitting didn’t make me sad, like I expected it to. I just felt numb to it all, as if it weren’t actually happening to me. When I spoke to McMillan, I knew I was saying the words, but in my ears they sounded like someone else’s voice.