13. Alex

Chapter 13

Alex

A s I step into my brother's room, Jaclyn is outwardly trying her hardest to keep her emotions at bay, but her eyes betray her. I shouldn't want to reach for her…

I shouldn't want to keep her for myself.

None of this makes sense, and I'm no longer confident I'll be able to walk away from this unscathed. Sure, I'm attracted to her, but it doesn't excuse my inexplicable need to protect her from all of this. We cannot and will not ever be more than acquaintances.

"Alex, you'll be going on a short, two-week vacation with Jaclyn," my father says a bit too cheerfully, clapping me on the back.

I choke on my own air, sputtering, "I'm sorry… What? "

"He isn't taking my wife to Hawaii," Chris insists, wincing as he attempts to adjust his position .

"Are you sure this is the best idea?" Jaclyn says with a nervous laugh. There's an unmistakable glimmer of mischief in her eyes, and I can't help but wonder if she planned this. At the very least, she's amused by it.

" Chris married Jaclyn. Chris has to go on his honeymoon. Chris can't go. If you want to fuck this up for all of us, now is your chance," Dad warns.

"I can't stay with her for two weeks," I bite back, but the pain on Jaclyn's face has my heart at a standstill. As much as I'd love to spend a couple of weeks basking in the Hawaiian sun with her, all it would take is one too many Mai Tais for me to take things too far. It's quite possibly the worst idea I've ever heard. Though I am speaking to my father, I can't take my eyes off her when I correct, "Jaclyn is Chris' wife. I can't do that to them."

"It's a fucking vacation! What choice do we have?" my father groans. "You're going with her." I can feel his eyes narrowed on me without even looking at him. "Unless we are doing some sort of sharing hour, and it's your turn to tell us a secret of yours ."

My gaze snaps to him. "There are no secrets to tell. As long as my constituents are taken care of, I can go. Will you ensure we'll have two rooms?"

"Two?" He barks a laugh. "You're supposed to be Chris on his honeymoon. The reservations will remain intact; no reason to raise suspicion. You'll sleep on the damn floor for all I care, but you'll be on that plane later today and sharing a room with her. "

"Don't you think he's done enough?" Jaclyn asks, treading carefully.

"You're going to let the fox into the hen house? What the fuck is happening?" Chris exclaims, and for the first time in nearly a decade, I want to agree with him.

"Jaclyn deserves a real honeymoon," I offer, and her molten eyes soften. I only hope Chris or my father don't notice.

"And she'll have it," Chris promises. "As soon as I'm out of here, I'm taking my wife on a cruise for an extended vacation."

"You don't have time off until October," Jaclyn reminds Chris. She's right. We won't for at least another month or two. Chris' accident is costing us all weeks of lost time, and now I have to worry about my father possibly fucking over my chances of reelection.

"I'm supposed to be campaigning," I insist. My father is a mastermind when it comes to political strategy. He understands how crucial it is that I'm in Texas as much as possible before next year's election; there's no way I can take two weeks off.

"If I can assure that you keep your seat, will you consider it?" The desperation in my father's voice makes my heart lurch. Granted, he's more concerned about Chris than me, but he's willing to pull strings for me and keep the sharks at bay. At least a dozen men and women would jump at a chance to take my seat if this blows up in my face; I'm tempted to take the deal .

Why not ask for the moon? I have nothing to lose.

"Pass the Livestock Bill. If all of this falls apart, make sure that I'm replaced with a moderate in Texas… And take care of Florida. Fuck knows if I see another ‘Florida man' post on social media." I shake my head. "They need all the help they can get. I know it might flip the Senate, but this is all risky." I refuse to let Texas end up with someone in office who believes that people are expendable. Or worse, strip their rights away and only be there to line their wallet.

"That's a tall order," Dad laughs. "You know that between Jaclyn's father and I, we can do our best. Ultimately… it's up to the people."

"I know," I concede. " Fuck! " Raking my hand through my hair, I snap at Chris, "Why the hell did you have to do it? On your wedding day, of all days?"

"You're the asshole who married my fiancée! What all did you tell her?"

"Why was your aide with you on our wedding day?" Jaclyn steps between us, her back to me. "Alex only told me that you were in an accident. It's because of him that you even have a wife. You should be thanking him." She's keeping her composure, even if it's eating at her. Out of the four of us, she's the only one who has remained collected through all of this.

With a small chuckle, Dad leans in to whisper, "He's out of his league with her." For a man who wears a scowl ninety percent of the time, I'm pleased to see he's almost smiling, even at the expense of my brother. I'm unsure how much was divulged when I wasn't in the room, but it was enough to set off the hibernating lioness. Guilt creeps in—I never should've suggested marrying her. She'll be tied to Chris forever.

"You're not going on my… our honeymoon with him ," Chris grits out.

"She is," our father demands. "Or would you rather lose your shot at the executive branch?" Chris deflates against the bed. "That's what I thought. So, he's going to pretend to be you. We'll make sure Texas is in the right hands in Alex's absence. And when you're healed, you'll have your wife, two-point-five kids, a picket fence, and a damn puppy if you want." He sighs. "It's the only way this works."

His emphasis on Texas being in the right hands stings. I won by a slim margin, and I've fought like hell to represent my state to give the people what they want. In the blink of an eye, it could be taken from me—from the people who elected me. One false move and my career is over, and everything I've worked so hard for with it.

As much as I ache for Jaclyn, I can't risk this whole thing falling apart. Unfortunately, I also have to play by my father's rules. My only choice is to put on a show and avoid her as much as possible. Hopefully, everything will be as I left it when I return in two weeks.

"Fine," I agree, though my teeth are clenched so tightly that my dentist will be putting in molar caps .

"No," Jaclyn breathes, though I can't tell why she would be upset. In the end, she gets everything she's ever wanted. I can't figure out what her endgame is.

"You have a plane to catch," my father reminds us, leaving no room to argue.

Jaclyn's eyes fall to the floor. "Of course."

Fuck , I hate that she feels the need to be subservient to our fathers. A flash of a memory of waking up to her in my arms dances before me. That's the Jaclyn I want—the one who gives herself because she wants to, not because she has to.

My father ushers Jaclyn and me out of the room. The moment the door shuts, he glances in either direction, keeping an even tone. "Keep your hands to yourselves in private, but you have to sell this in public, just like at the wedding. I'll send a few friendly media contacts to stumble upon you two. If you see a camera, you need to pretend you're in love."

"Are you sure about this?" Jaclyn tries to contest, but she sees the same beast in front of us that I do. We're both fucked if this goes south.

"Make sure you're not followed from here. Enjoy your flight, Mr. and Mrs. Blake." He brushes past me toward the exit, leaving Jaclyn and me in the worst possible predicament.

Two weeks with Jaclyn Taylor… Screw driving the bus, I'm already in hell.