“Listen to me,” I say as I remove my arm from around her and face her. I hold both of her hands in mine as I stare intently into her green eyes. “You are the perfect version of yourself. The real you—the you I’ve had the privilege of loving—is way better than any fake persona you could come up with.” I lean in and give her a kiss.

“Thank you for that,” she says quietly. I just nod in response. She doesn’t need to thank me since I’m only speaking the truth, but I let it go figuring it’s a foreign feeling for her to hear these things. “What about your family?”

“I’ve told you a little about my family before.”

“Yeah, but how were they when you were growing up?”

My family was the exact opposite. They were supportive almost to a fault. I could go home and tell them I wanted to be a stripper, and if that’s what made me happy, they’d be all for it. Hell, my mom would probably come to a show. I laugh to myself at the image of my mother sitting in a room full of horny, middle-aged women getting dry humped on stage. She would probably die of embarrassment, but she’d be there. I can’t tell Elizabeth that though.

“My sister and I fought like cats and dogs when we were little, but as we got older we became best buds. She’s two years younger than me so I always felt this need to protect her, especially from the jackasses at school.” She smiles warmly at me, so I continue. “My dad was my hero, the greatest man I’ve ever known. Family was always his priority and he made sure he was at all my games and my sister’s recitals. He could do no wrong in my eyes and I always wanted to do things that would make him proud. I still do.”

“That’s amazing, Alex. I envy you.”

“I can’t wait for you to meet them. They’re going to love you.” She stiffens at the mention of introducing her to my family, and that automatically worries me. “What? You just got all tense.”

She shakes her head. “I just haven’t had much luck with the boyfriend’s parents in the past. And I think I’m slightly traumatized from my evil mother-in-law,” she says with a laugh, but I know not all of it is a joke. There’s some truth to her words. I’ve seen how vile that woman is with my own two eyes. I don’t blame her for being hesitant to meet mine. “Plus, I don’t want them to get the wrong idea about me from what’s portrayed in the media. From what I’ve portrayed to the public. That’s not the real me.”

“You don’t have to worry about any of that with my family. If I love you, and I do, they’ll love you.” I bring her hand up to my mouth and kiss it.

She bites her lip nervously before she says, “Do you mind if we wait awhile before we do all of that?”

“Sure.” I’m not trying to scare her by making her think I’m going to propose to her tomorrow or anything, but I also want her to know that I’m serious about us. That I want my family to meet the only woman to really capture my heart. As much as I try to hide my disappointment at her dismissal, she must pick up on it.

“It’s not that I don’t want to, I just want to make sure we do all of this with a clean slate. I’m still legally married to Cal and I don’t want my past to taint our future.”

“Whatever you need, sweetheart. We’ll do whatever you want.” I close the distant between us and seal our lips together, pouring every bit of emotion I feel for her into this one kiss, but the moment is overshadowed with the thought that there’s a possibility she’ll never meet my family. When she finds out everything I’ve been keeping from her, she could very well not want a damn thing to do with me. And there won’t be a fucking thing I can do about it.

“MY MOM WON’T answer her phone,” Elizabeth says as she hands me back the phone.

“Does she have a cell? What about your dad?”

“Yeah, they both go straight to voicemail. They usually only turns their phones off when they’re at home because they have the home line, but no one’s picking that up either so I left a message.”

I might be paranoid, but alarm instantly sets in when she tells me she left a voicemail. If I say anything, I’ll have to tell her about her mom, and I can’t do that. So I keep my mouth shut and pretend I have no clue what’s going on. “It’s probably nothing, so I wouldn’t worry. You can always try her again later.”

I’m such an asshole.

“You’re probably right.”

“I’m going to run to the convenience store to get some snacks. Want anything specific?” I put on a baseball cap, grab my wallet and phone and put it in my pocket.

“Can you get me some of those sour worms?”

“Okay, I’ll be back in a few.” I walk over to her, grab her by the towel that’s wrapped around her body, and pull her into me. Her gasp is cut short when my lips gently seal over hers. All too soon, I pull away before I’m unable to stop myself and leave.

I used to be content being alone. A relationship was never something I specifically looked for. In fact, I usually avoided it since it served as nothing but a distraction. I’d have a casual hook up here and there and be on my way. With Elizabeth, it was different. As soon as her green eyes locked with mine, I was a goner. I knew she was as affected by that first glance when she started stumbling all over herself. At first, I thought my draw to her was solely out of curiosity. Who was this girl and why was she pretending to be something she’s not? What was she trying to prove? When I had her laid out beneath me on that kitchen island, I knew I couldn’t deny my feelings for her anymore. The more I dug and pushed her, the more I fell for her. She filled holes in me I didn’t even know I had. The possibility of all of that being stripped away is terrifying.

I walk up to the checkout counter with the items in hand. Something catches my eye as I lay them down. It’s a newspaper with Elizabeth’s face front and center. Shit.

SENATOR’S WIFE KIDNAPPED; VANISHES INTO THIN AIR

I grab a copy and hand it to the clerk. “This too,” I mutter, keeping my head low. Once I pay, I rush back to the car and read the article.

AUTHORITIES BELIEVE ELIZABETH FITZGERALD, WIFE OF SENATOR CALLAHAN FITZGERALD, MAY HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY THE MAN IN THE PICTURE BELOW. HIS NAME IS ALEX MATTHEWS AND AUTHORITIES SAY HE COULD BE ARMED AND DANGEROUS. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION THAT COULD LEAD TO THE LOCATION OF MRS. FITZGERALD OR ALEX MATTHEWS, YOU ARE TO CALL THE LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT AT 555–0329.

“WE’RE ALL VERY SHAKEN UP BY THIS MATTER,” SENATOR FITZGERALD SAID TO OUR REPORTER. “TO HAVE A MAN THAT WAS HIRED TO PROTECT HER PUT HER IN DANGER IS BEYOND UPSETTING. WE JUST ASK THAT HE NOT HURT HER AND RETURN HER TO US. WE LOVE AND MISS YOU VERY MUCH, ELIZABETH.” THE SENATOR WAS VISIBLY UPSET DURING THE INTERVIEW AND PAUSED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE HE GATHERED HIMSELF.

ALL CAMPAIGNING HAS BEEN SUSPENDED FOR SENATOR FITZGERALD WHILE HE GOES THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT SITUATION. IT IS UNCLEAR AS OF NOW WHEN IT’LL COMMENCE AS HE’S GIVEN NO OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON IF HE’LL RETURN TO THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL ONCE THIS IS OVER.

“Son of a bitch!” I yell as my fist collides with the steering wheel. That lying sack of shit! He doesn’t give a fuck about Elizabeth! With both of our pictures being blasted now, neither one of us can be seen in public. My hand rakes roughly through my hair. I need to call Turner and find out what he wants me to do.

I dial his number and wait, my foot tapping a mile a minute. “This is Turner,” he answers gruffly.

“Turner, it’s Matthews.”

“Where the fuck are you?” The urgency in his voice is clear as day, making me feel uneasy.

“What do you mean? I’m at a convenience store getting some food. What’s with the—”