8. Nash

CHAPTER 8

NASH

I'd tried not to get involved in the conversation between father and son, but hearing the story Spencer was telling about Vanessa struck something inside me unlike anything ever had. Hearing them discuss the kid's accident, and Spence trying to be as supportive as possible was amazing.

I could see the senator loved his son, and it seemed the kid loved him as well. I wished to hell I'd had that support at Jay's age.

I watched the two of them as they cleaned their mess and headed toward the cafeteria exit. When Spencer stopped, he said something to his son, who nodded before continuing out the door. Spencer strolled over to where I was seated at the table, dropping into the chair across from me.

He plopped a small yogurt onto the table and smiled. "You still hungry? Vani won't eat it because it's sugar-free."

I picked it up and looked at the label, seeing it was strawberry. "I'm allergic," I announced, not ready to be checked into the hospital for an epi shot.

It had been a dark day when I found out I was allergic to strawberries as a kid. I was at an adoption fair and had grabbed one of the homemade tarts the social worker offered, eager for any sort of treat.

I ended up in the emergency room because my throat closed due to an unknown allergy, which shot to hell any chance of meeting prospective parents that day. I didn't get adopted, but I never touched strawberry anything ever again.

"Oh, damn, I'm sorry. I, uh, I can get you something else," Spencer offered, looking seven kinds of guilt ridden.

I laughed. "I'm fine, Spencer. That was your son?"

"Yeah. He got T-boned at an intersection here in Blacksburg. I need to go find the goddamn police station because there are a lot of unanswered questions. Will you go with me? You might have to keep me out of jail." I wasn't sure if he was serious or not, but I was on board.

"Yeah, sure. Do you need to send Vani a text?" I wouldn't allow myself to forget he was a married man. I could have taken him to a hotel, motel, or a vacant field, and fucked him, but he wasn't mine. Neither was Vani, and I was still confused about their relationship.

Spencer dug his phone out of his jeans' pocket, pecking out a quick text. "Done. Let's go."

I pulled the large SUV into the parking lot of the Blacksburg Police Department. Spencer reached for the door handle, but I hit the locks to keep him inside. The anger I felt rolling off him would have the two of us sharing a cell in five minutes.

"Don't go in there half-cocked. You don't know what they know, and if it happens maybe your son ran a light and the accident was his fault, you don't want them to investigate it too much. Calm down, Senator. This isn't the Senate floor."

Spencer clenched his hands together and stared at me for a moment. Finally, he sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I need to be grateful he wasn't killed. God, if this has anything to do with me…" He trailed off, getting lost in his thoughts.

I put my hand on his forearm and gave a gentle squeeze of understanding. "Let's not jump to conclusions. Kids have accidents all the time. If they walk away from it unhurt, it's just a hunk of metal that can usually be fixed." When the fuck did I become Mr. Rogers with the advice?

My hand was suddenly warm, so I glanced down to see Spencer had covered my hand with his own. My heart sped. I was quickly becoming obsessed, and it wasn't good for either of us.

"Thanks. You're right." He patted my hand and offered a nod.

I hit the locks and turned off the motor, taking the keys from the tray on the console and dropping them into the pocket of my jeans. I got out and walked around the front of the vehicle as the passenger door slammed. We met in front of the SUV.

"Please, please, don't let me run my stupid mouth. The last thing Jay or Vani needs is me making an ass of myself, yet again."

I was sure the man was right. He was in protective mode of his family, and from what I knew about them, he had every reason to be—Vanessa Brady was unlike any woman I'd ever met. She deserved the world on a platter, and it was easy to see Spencer had done his best to give it to her.

Jay seemed like a good kid who was doing his best to adapt to college life while his parents were in the middle of a scandal, and it sounded like the young man had some secrets of his own he hadn't shared, based on the conversation I'd overheard in the hospital cafeteria. The family seemed kind and loving. They deserved a second chance.

We walked up to the door of the small police department and went inside, seeing a woman at the desk on the phone. She held up a finger and quickly scribbled something onto a pad before ending the call.

"Good evening. I'm Officer Frye. How can I help you?" Of course, Spencer took command of the room, just as I'd expected he would.

"I'm Senator Spencer Brady, and my son and his friend were in a car accident this morning. Jay Brady and Cole Glennon. The accident was at the intersection by Walmart. Is there any word on the other driver involved?"

The woman quickly pecked on the keyboard before she looked up. "The officer who answered the emergency call isn't on duty right now, but you can call or come by in the morning, if you'd like. His name is…" She jotted the name onto a piece of paper before she slid it over to Spencer.

"Was the other person injured?" Spencer picked up the paper.

The woman looked at the screen again and smiled. "I can't tell you that the other person involved in the accident is in our jail for being intoxicated and running the light. They'll likely be charged with a DWI and reckless driving.

"I also can't tell you it's the driver's third offense, and she'll likely lose her license this time. So, when you talk to Officer Lewis in the morning, you don't know any of this information. How are those young men? I heard about the accident over the scanner earlier today. I have a son attending UVA, myself." She was sympathetic, that much I could tell, and it seemed to calm Spencer.

"Jay has a broken arm, and his roommate has a broken arm, leg, and a concussion. Will Officer Lewis be able to give me the identity of the other driver so I can explore taking civil action?"

Officer Frye stood, scanned the police station, and leaned close. Spencer and I mirrored her actions. "Of course, you can seek legal recourse for the accident, but her kids have been taken away, and as they say, you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip."

Obviously, she was telling him it was a lost cause. That information, in and of itself, was quite sad.

"Talk to Nelson Lewis about it, but I'd say be grateful if we can keep her off the streets." Officer Frye was vehement in her statement, poking her finger on the desk to emphasize her words.

Spencer nodded, so we turned to head out of the police station when a woman in a pair of grey sweatpants and an orange T-shirt stopped us. "Senator? I don't believe any of it. I'd say those pictures were photoshopped." In typical politician fashion, Spencer turned to her and grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

I laughed. "How long you gonna ride falsehood?"

He looked at me with a smirk. "Until I don't have a reason to do it any longer."

That was a surprising response, and I had no idea what to do with it, but I was enjoying spending time with the senator from Virginia. He had a quick wit; he was compassionate and loving; and the man was hot as fire. Who wouldn't want to spend time with Spencer Brady?

We returned to the hospital to check on Vani and Jay. Visiting hours were nearly over, but Jay had somehow talked the staff into allowing him to stay with Cole, and I stood outside the door of the room to see Spencer and Vanessa tell the two of them goodbye.

Cole's father had left earlier, according to what I'd heard Jay tell his parents as I waited outside the room. When they came out, I could see they were both upset, so I shepherded them out to the SUV and put them in the back seat. "Uh, where… Do you want to drive back to Great Falls?"

Vani laughed. "No, Nash. We'll find a motel for the night. We'll stay until Cole's dad takes him back to Roanoke in the morning. Jay's not going to be happy about Cole leaving him, so maybe we should stay for a few days, Spence? There's no reason to rush back to Great Falls."

She was damn well right on that one, so I started the SUV and looked in the rearview mirror. "So, uh, which motel?"

Vanessa played with her phone before offering a smile. "There's a Hyatt. I got us two rooms," she responded. She showed the phone to Spencer, who nodded.

"It's on University Boulevard. Make a right up here," Spencer directed.

Apparently, the two of them had been to Blacksburg before and knew where they wanted to stay, so I drove them to their hotel of choice.

I grabbed their bags from the back of the SUV and headed toward the sliding doors of the hotel, waiting for them to catch up. Vani walked by, winking at me as she walked through the doors and headed toward the desk.

Spencer stopped next to me. "Thank you for all of this. I'm not sure how we'd have gotten through it without you."

His low voice tickled against my ear before he followed his wife to the desk. My feelings were all over the place, and I wasn't sure how to respond, so I nodded. There was nothing wrong with a nod, right?

Spencer returned to where I was standing, a handsome smile on his face. "This might be a little strange, but they only had two rooms. Do you mind sharing?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Sharing with?"

"With me," the senator responded with a sexy smile.

"And why won't you be sharing with Vani?" I asked.

Spencer smirked. "Vani and I have never shared a bedroom. You're stuck with me."

I wanted to protest that it wasn't appropriate, but he looked damn vulnerable, so I simply nodded. The poor bastard had been through so much already. I didn't want to add anything more to his plate. It seemed full already.