“Oh, thank you. And, Corrine, is she prepping as well?”
“Not now,” Nathan answered. “Her staff is tweaking her remarks about her environmental standings.”
Victor nodded and turned to Kena, “Where’s my wife?”
Kena looked down and fidgeted with her phone. “I believe she’s giving a speech at the Police Union in Ohio, but I’ll tell you for sure in a minute.”
Victor looked around the suite and realized the buzz of activity would not come to an end any time soon. So he headed to the bedroom. Since the campaign had begun, his life had been a marathon of shit to do. A twenty-minute power nap was what got him through most days.
Victor nodded toward the bedroom and told Renee and Kena, “I’ll be in there.”
“Okay,” Kena responded but froze. “Umm, you have a visitor.”
Victor frowned. “What?” He was irritated by the possibility of someone fucking up his twenty-minute nap. “With my integrity in question, who on earth besides my wife would be waiting for me in the bedroom. Now, you’ve told me that Taylor was in Ohio, so it can’t be her. Were you wrong, Kena? Is my wife in that bedroom?”
Kena shrugged. “She’s not your wife, but she may be the next best thing.” Kena headed down a short hall.
Victor sighed and took off behind her. When she opened the door to the bedroom, Victor walked over and discovered his mother-in-law lying across the bed with a coat covering her like a blanket.
“Close the door,” Victor ordered, hoping the noise wouldn’t wake her. He peeled the blanket from the other side of the bed and pulled it over his mother-in-law. When she startled, Victor shooshed and held her shoulder. “Get some rest, Mama,” he whispered. Victor saw pure exhaustion when her lids fluttered open. “Go back to sleep, Ma. I’ll get you some more blankets.”
“No!” Martha Montgomery pushed herself upright and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She patted for Victor to sit on the edge of the bed.
He did as he’d been instructed and rubbed his mother-in-law's shoulders. “What are you doing here, Mom?”
Martha cleared her throat and looked up at Victor with guilt in her pretty brown eyes. “I don’t know where I went wrong with Nicole. Me and her daddy loved on that girl to no end. I can’t tell you how she turned out to be so jealous and spiteful.”
“Oh, Ma, it’s not your fault. It’s nothing you did. Nicole was just running with the wrong man.”
Martha shook her head in vehement protest. “Nah, baby, Nicole was already like that even as child. I suppose that’s whatdrew her to that criminal she was trying to marry.” Martha got close and caressed Victor’s hand, “I’m so sorry, baby.”
Victor cupped his mother-in-law’s jaw and smiled. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ma get through this. Apparently, I’m still ahead in the polls.”
Martha smiled and reached under the pillow. “Let’s hope this helps.” She pulled a Ziplock baggie from under the pillow and handed it to Victor.
“What’s this?” he asked, looking through the bag at a white package nearly a foot long.”
Martha looked up at Victor with a raised brow. “That’s that boy's DNA.”
Victor’s mouth flew open. “How did you--”
“Honey, as soon as Nicole pulled the little rabbit out of her hat, she couldn’t wait to dump him on me.” Martha grinned. “He’s my grandbaby and he will be loved, but I will not let him be used as a tool to hurt my you and Taylor.”
She pointed at the Ziplock bag. “Is that gonna be enough to clear ya name?”
Victor was at a loss for words. He simply nodded and pulled his mother-in-law into a tight hug.
“All right, now,” she protested wiggling out of his arms. “Don’t you be rewarding me for doing what’s right.”
Victor smiled. “Well, thank you. And to show my appreciation, I’m taking you out for a night on the town.”
Martha’s eyes lit up. “Where we going?”
“I’m gonna take you to the Bay and get you some of the best seafood you’ve ever had.”
Martha reached up like an excited child and cupped Victor’s cheek. “You know I love me some seafood.”
Victor nodded. “I know. So, go on and get yourself pretty.”
