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“Because it will never work.You said it yourself.My father will have an aneurysm, the press will have a field day, and for fuck's sake—she’s twenty-one.What the hell would she want with an old guy and his kid.”
“First of all, leave Wyatt out of this.She loves that kid, and you know it.”I nodded my agreement.“Second, you’re a catch, Mason.I don’t know why you don’t see it, but you are.”
“Says the woman who divorced me.”
“We were always meant to be friends, and you know it.Mason, how long are you going to let what your father wants impede going after what you want?I know I told you he’d lose his shit, but there’s a compromise to be made here.The election is in a few months.Then what?Because he’s not going to suddenly approve of someone he didn’t hand pick for you, and you know it.”
“There have been a few candidates mentioned,” I grumbled.“I just ignore it.I won’t be letting him choose my second wife.”
“Really?Because it seems to me, you’re letting him veto this.Do you love her?”
I sighed and looked behind the phone, away from the camera.“Yes.Pushing her away was harder than divorcing you.I want to die inside, Ellie.”
“Then go get her!Fuck everything else.Don’t you remember anything you said to me?Live your own life, Mason.If you love her more than your job, fuck it and go get her.”
She was right, and I knew it.Suddenly, the thought of never seeing Candace again made it hard to breathe.“How?I fucked it all up.”
“Tell me what happened when you told her.”I relayed our conversation and the more words I said, the lower Elle’s jaw dropped.
“You called her immature?Jesus, Mason.That was a bold choice.”
“I know!I don’t know what to do.Clearly, I can’t manage my life without you doing it for me.”
She exhaled deeply.“Here’s what you’re going to do.”
Chapter29
Candace
Returning to life under my parents’ roof was a blow to my addled brain.My heart was broken and somehow, I had to pretend life was flowers and unicorns in front of my doting parents.
This is one of those times I really wished I hadn’t been an only child.
On the third morning home, I crawled out of bed after ten.I assumed both of my parents would be at work, but imagine my surprise when I went downstairs to find my mother working on her laptop at the dining room table.
“Morning, mom!”I tried to paste on a cheery look.“Wasn’t expecting to see you this morning.”
“Well, I’m headed back down DC in a few hours, and I was hoping to see my baby girl before I went.”
My heart clenched in my chest at the mention of DC.“Oh.Well, here I am.Let me grab some coffee and I’ll join you.”Now would be an awesome time for some kind of political distraction.
I prepared my coffee and sat down across from my mother.“You look like shit.”
“I just got up.”
“No.You were clearly crying all night again.Tell me what happened.”
“Mom…” I pleaded with her.I didn’t want to rehash this.
“Candace,” she parroted.“Were you and Mason involved?”I took a deep breath.“I won't tell anyone; I just want to know what happened so I can decide if I’m voting for his opponent next cycle.”
I rolled my eyes.“We weren’t dating or anything.”Ugh.How do I explain casual sex without telling my mother I was having casual sex?“But if the circumstances were different, I think we may have.”
“Which circumstances?”
“Our ages.His career.I think he cited being afraid dad would murder him.”
My mother chuckled.We both knew that if either of my parents were to kill him for being inappropriate with me, it would be her.She was the more violent of the two.“He is older, sweetie.And he has a child.”
