25. Jaclyn

Chapter 25

Jaclyn

Chris is here in Hawaii.

Mother Dearest

No, he's here, staying at Alex's apartment.

No, he's in Hawaii! Alex just left. What is going on?

Father of the Year

Where is Alex?

I don't know. He left when Chris showed up. What should I do?

Father of the Year

What you were always supposed to do, be his wife.

Mother Dearest

Be safe, sweetheart. I don't trust him.

Show him that everything is fine.

M y own parents don't know what's happening, but they're still right. While my heart left Hawaii with Alex, I'm a Taylor—I can play house with Chris until I'm back home.

Slipping on my mask, I offer Chris my trademark, sweet smile, and stow my phone. "So, dearest husband, why are you here?"

And ruining everything that Alex and our parents set into motion?

"I'm here for my wife," he affirms but doesn't meet my eyes.

"Where were you when you said you were at the cardiologist?"

Chris finally looks up. "I… I lied to you. I was with friends."

" Friends? " I shouldn't be upset, considering I slept with his brother. Worse, I fell for Alex. I don't know if I can say the same for Chris and the woman he killed. But I'm better than this, or at least Alex thinks I am. Time to play the part and see how much damage was done. "I'm sorry," I sigh, "I didn't mean to imply?—"

"No, you're right. I shouldn't have..." He shakes his head. "I shouldn't have lied to you about something like that."

I know in my soul he's hiding more than fucking his aide… but this is a game of chess, not checkers. "Your health is more important than a night with the boys." Cl osing the distance between us, I imagine he's Alex as I tell him, "You're my husband, now. We don't keep secrets." There's a small clench of his teeth, a simple tell—we'll be continuing the game. There is no love here, not that there ever was. He wraps his arms around me, and I do my best not to stiffen.

"You're right. No more secrets." Chris' hand slides down to my ass, and he pulls me flush against him. "I've missed you. Maybe it's time I show you how much."

"I've missed you, too." I step out of his hold, feeling as if I'm cheating on Alex by allowing Chris to touch me. "I'm sorry, you can't show me that way . I'm on my period, we shouldn't…" He flinches, and it's another reminder of how these brothers are so different; Alex didn't blink twice when I told him.

"I didn't know. When, uh, when would be a good time to…"

"Fuck me?" My hands fly to my mouth, and his eyes widen. "What I meant to say was for us to be intimate."

Chris lightly licks his lips and lets out a small, unamused laugh. "How was my brother? Was he as good as me?"

Don't say it. He's testing me…

"Your brother has been nothing but a gentleman since he stepped in for you for our wedding. We've become good friends. Sure, it was unexpected, and he has some misguided political opinions, but Alex is a good man. He loves you and your family." The lies roll off my tongue a little too easily. Is it my father's influence or Alex's? "If you don't want to be married to me, I under?—"

"No, I absolutely want to be married to you." He steps forward, and I bottle up my disgust. "You and me? We're going to take the White House."

It's all I'm good for.

A trophy.

A prop.

"You were born for it," I echo Alex's words to me. My palm itches to snatch my phone and call him. I should bide my time to be safe; Chris is already suspicious of me. "You've had quite the adventure. Why don't you take a shower, rest, and we'll work on strategy when you've adjusted to the time difference?"

"You're amazing, you know that?" Chris cups my cheek, and I begrudgingly cover his hand with my own and lean into his touch. He's nothing like Alex, who can command my body with a damn stroke of his thumb. Chris expects me to serve, and to be two steps behind, instead of alongside him.

Every moment since the wedding has opened my eyes wider to what's going on around me. While I don't agree with everyone on the other side of the aisle politically, they aren't the enemy I thought they were. The decades I've lost, fighting for causes I didn't fully believe in, supporting candidates that didn't represent me and my values… It's not Chris' fault, or my father's; it's mine. I al lowed myself to be swallowed up by one side of the political spectrum when Alex is right—it's not black and white.

Chris' indiscretions aren't black and white, either. I've faked orgasms, played the perfect part in public… but we are otherwise strangers. I've never let him in, never let him get to know the real me. While it doesn't excuse it, I can understand why he might need someone else, if only to feel something… anything . I'm not innocent in this, none of us are, and I have no room to judge his motives.

"I'm sorry," I breathe.

His brows furrow. "Why?"

He's still probing, trying to confirm that I slept with Alex, and I need to listen to my mother; she doesn't trust him. So, I opt for a safe answer that would appease Chris and my family. "For not being the fiancée you deserved when we were back home. We can do better than an arranged marriage. Your brother helped me see that you and I need to work together if you still want to run. Can we start over?"

Chris offers a genuine smile that meets his eyes. "I love you… There isn't anything to start over."

If you loved me, you wouldn't have missed our wedding because of a damn blowjob…

As much as it pains me, I have to make this work—at least for the time being. "I booked our honeymoon here so we could get to know each other better. It's so easy to get swept up in everything when we're in Washington—or even when we're in Miami. Here, it's just you and me. We can let our shields down and be ourselves." Chris leans in to kiss me, and I stop him with my hands braced on his chest. "But I think we need this time to figure it all out, especially since you missed one of the most monumental moments of my life. I'm still hurt that you weren't there and that you've been lying about your doctor appointments."

His eyes are earnest as he sighs a laugh. "You're absolutely right. I'll get cleaned up, and maybe we can take a walk on the beach together?"

I nod, grateful that he's not pushing for more. "I'd love that." I'm in hell.

Chris presses a kiss to my forehead, and I rein in all of my negative emotions as he pulls back. "Give me twenty minutes."