“I’ll book it shortly. I need to…make arrangements.”
He harshly laughs. “You mean set up your alibi.”
“Fuck you, Benchley.” For over twenty years I’ve wanted to say that to him. I knew I had him by the balls, but I didn’t want to press my luck.
This is as good a time as any to finally be able to say it.
I know he won’t expose his daughter over this. Not now, not this close to her goal. Plus, my level of bastardism is far more advanced than his. Early on, I was willing to sacrifice Susa’s political career for Owen’s, but now that she’s so close to finally getting elected, Benchley will do anything to protect her chances.
He smirks. “You have balls, I’ll give you that.” His smile fades. “Don’t think I don’t know those boys are his. Question is, didyouknow it, or did you plan it?”
I wasn’t expecting that left-field question. He’s expecting to rattle me, take advantage of his brief advantage over me, but it won’t work.
“Does it really matter?” I ask.
“It does to me.”
“I’m listed as their father on their birth certificates.”
“No one in my family or yours has eyes that shade of green.” He’s trying to stare me down now.
I take a slow, deep breath and don’t blink. “Making allegations like that is beneath you, Benchley. Ask me to my face what you’ve been dying to know and get it over with. You’ve still got balls, don’t you?”
“I believe I just asked.” He smirks. “She did well marrying you.”
“Thank you.”
He relaxes in his chair. “Owen doesn’t make a move without you telling him first. At events, he’s always glancing around, looking for you if you aren’t there at his side.” He studies me. “When I chewed her out over marrying you, she made a comment about not worrying about her getting pregnant accidentally, because it wasn’t an option. I remember her saying it again that day in the car, after we met with Rebecca. I didn’t pay much attention to that, back then. I thought she was being young and stupid. You had a vasectomy before you met her, though, didn’t you?”
“Yep.”
“What happened to the doctor records about your vasectomy?”
“Only one other person knows about that besides Susa and Owen.” Technically two, but like hell will I fucking give him that much info. As far as he knows, Eddie is one of the three, just like Dray’s brother.
“Who?” he asks. I lift an eyebrow and he groans. “Fuck me. Does she have proof?”
“No. I had it done there under a fake name and paid cash.”
He grumbles, unhappy, but knows there’s nothing left to play on that particular line. “So was it IVF? Do I have to hunt down a doctor’s office to pay off people to delete records? Or did it happen the old-fashioned way?”
I meet his gaze head-on. “Like you said, my boy doesn’t doanythingwithout me telling him to.” I let that rest for a beat. “Neither does my girl.” Hopefully that shuts him down.
His eyebrows lift. “Ah.” He slowly nods. “That explains a lot. So it’s that way, then?”
“Yep. Is that a problem? Because it seems like I’ve proven myself and my love for both of them over the years.”
“Nope. Just been wanting to know.” He levels a finger at me as a smile creases his face. “You’re good, though.Damngood. I give you every bit of credit for that. Not so much as asqueakfrom anyone in the capitol. You run a tight ship.”
“Of course I do.” I pick at a crease on my slacks, tug it back into place.
“Until now.”
Rage I haven’t felt in years is simmering over this hiccup. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Awfully careless of you.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be. I can assure you, there isn’t anything else like this out there, either.”
