“Morning, Rita,” I pass her the paper cup of coffee I got to-go for her at the diner. “He’s with me.” I nod at my father-in-law. “So he can get on, this one time.”
Stan stalks over to the small booth that serves as a kitchen table and meeting place on the bus. There’s a stack of paperwork there, which I sweep aside.
“Afraid I’m out to get you?” Stan quips. “Here to steal all your campaign secrets?”
“What do you want?” I ask him again, ignoring his bait.
“What Iwantis to find out why you’re dragging my daughter through a sex scandal. It’s time you put her above your political aspirations for once, Jude. Unless the story I read this morning is right and she really has left you.”
Rita exits the bus in two seconds flat. She signed nondisclosure agreements and I trust her to be here during any conversation, but it doesn’t look like she wants to witness this one. Can’t say I blame her. I’d probably punch Stan Preston in his overly active jaw if he weren’t Reagan’s father.
“Wow.” I just stare at him for a few seconds. “I can’t believe you of all people are standing here right now saying this to me. I did nothing wrong. You know how dirty politics can get when a race is close. But you actually did betray your family fordecades.”
Stan’s face reddens with anger. “That’s night and day, Jude. What I did was consensual. I would never dream of touching a woman who didn’t want me to.”
“Neither would I. And if you think what you did was okay, you’re even more of a dirtbag than I already thought you were.”
“It wasn’t okay. But I’ve atoned for my mistakes.”
“Christ, Stan. Having a secret family isn’t amistake. And you only owned up when you got caught.”
“Looks like you aren’t going to own up at all.”
“I didn’t do it.” My muscles throb with the urge to shove him out the door of my bus. “I know it, and Reagan knows it. That’s all that matters.”
“Then why is she hiding out at her mother’s house? If she wanted to stand by you, wouldn’t she be here?” Stan’s practically smirking at me.
“Why don’t you ask your daughter why she’s not here?”
“I’ve reached out to her.”
I scoff. “Yeah, and no response, right? Because you fucked over your family. Ilivefor my wife. I’d die before I hurt her.”
“Don’t you see what you’re doing to her? Putting her through this humiliation? Photographers following her all over the place. If you really love her, drop out of the race.”
I laugh in a low tone. “Seriously? A spokesman for the Democratic machine is standing here asking me to drop out, but your reasons are strictly altruistic, right?”
“This is only about my daughter.”
I point at the bus door. “Get the fuck out of here, Stan. I love your daughter more than life itself, or I’d toss your ass out the door myself. I’ll give you three seconds since we’re technically related.”
He swallows hard and takes a step back. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
“I said what I needed to say. Reagan may not want me in her life anymore, but I still love her, and I want what’s best for her.”
“Well, wife of the next governor of our state ain’t bad. And I worship the ground that woman walks on. So don’t fucking come back, Stan.”
He nods once, then says, “You don’t want to admit it till your back’s against the wall, Jude. I get that. But if the allegations against you aren’t true, then why is Dominic Marino trying to buy that woman’s silence?”
19
Reagan
My toes sinkdeep into the mushy wet sand, and water laps at my calves. With my eyes closed, the smell and feel of the beach transport me back to the day Jude and I got married in Hawaii. It will always be one of the happiest days I’ve ever known.
Life is peaceful here. My mom and I have been walking on the beach several times a day, cooking simple meals, watching movies, and talking a lot.
