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Jessie, on the other hand, was stopping to greet every person, shaking hands and spilling answers to questions that weren't even asked. The entire thing was a show that made no sense, especially since every single reporter and photographer would be invited inside once this outdoor charade finished.
"Lucas!" Jessie grinned, twisting around to shake my hand. "You ready for tonight?"
I shook his hand and slapped his shoulder. "Oh, Jessie, I think it's you whose not ready for tonight."
Jessie's hesitation at my answer was subtle, and he quickly covered it with laughter before anyone could notice.
Of course, Jessie was talking to the paparazzi, Jake Hall. "Yeah, Mr. Wilson," Jake asked. "Ready for tonight?"
I gave Jake a firm smile. "Fuck off, Jake."
With that, I climbed the rest of the steps and entered the museum. Passing the exhibits, I made my way to the second floor, where Jessie had set up a podium in front of a blank projector screen.
The few guests that he had invited and weren't part of the press swarmed like mosquitos, eager for a bite. As expected, they were all wealthy donors, awaiting the arrival of who they suspected would be Jessie's VP candidate. I watched the relief wash over their faces as they registered my arrival.
It was an expression I'd become accustomed to after all this time. Since I had money—more than most of them—it meant they wouldn't have to donate as much to gain a positive standing with the future White House.
"Lucas, there you are!" One of Jessie's aides pulled me aside. "So good to see you. Isn't this great. Are you ready?"
"Beyond ready," I smiled.
The people in the room started to clap, and I turned just as Jessie and his wife appeared at the top of the stairs, reporters and paparazzi trailing him like a shadow. Behind them were Senator Carter and his wife, Rachel Carlyle. Perfect. My plan couldn't have been set up better.
"Thank you all so much for coming," he said. "Let's all get a drink and get comfortable, shall we?"
By comfortable, he meant that the press should get their cameras ready.
Jessie pulled me aside, his smile twitching. "Lucas, where are Olive and Claire?"
I tried to keep my face even. "She said they'd be here soon."
He blinked, his lips pressing together. "Listen, I went above and beyond for you last time. And I've made multiple exceptions for this woman of yours."
"That woman is the mother of my child," I snapped.
Jessie blinked at the harshness of my tone. "Of course, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant…."
"What did you mean, then?" I retorted, cutting him short.
The directness of my question seemed to take him aback. Before he could respond, his gaze slipped past me to the stairs. "Well, never mind. Olive's here. Crisis averted."
The mention of her name made my heart leap. Had she actually arrived? For a brief second, I feared I was wrong. I'd assumed the worst. Projected my past relationships onto her. Assumed that what we'd experienced wasn't mutual. But then I twisted around and saw her.
Olive was making her way up the stairs, holding Claire's hand. She normally stood out, her beauty a separate thing on its own. But today, this was different. Olive wasn't dressed up. At first, I thought maybe I had forgotten to give her the memo that Jessie had upgraded this to a black tie event.
Except she wasn't wearing any of the new clothes she'd gotten. She was dressed in a pair of jean shorts, sandals, and a loose button-up, and Claire was still in her school uniform.
Jessie noticed this as well. "I guess we can make do with this. Let me see if my stylist brought an extra gown."
As he wandered off, Claire spotted me and darted toward me. "Dad!"
It was the first time she'd ever called me this in public, and my new nickname—one I was still getting used to—turned more than one head in the gallery. The cameras moved to follow Claire as she ran to me, and I scooped her off the ground, spinning her around.
How was it possible that one hug from her made everything in the world feel better?
"Hey, baby. Did you have a good day?"
She nodded, and then scratched her cheek. "But mom says we can't stay."
