Always (Always & Forever 1)

"Avery, you don't have to thank me. What you want is what I want. You just caught me off guard, that's all," Kane said, following along behind him. Avery reached back and wrapped an arm around Kane.

"That's enough serious talk for tonight. Someone's going to notice we're gone and you'll get flustered. I'll think it's sweet that after all this time you still get embarrassed over sneaking away, and then I'll have to work you back in here to have my way with you again, thereby proving I am still a young man in this old man's body!"

"Come on, birthday boy. You're clearly in a mood tonight." Kane chuckled, hoping to hide the apprehension about Avery's political future still lurking in his thoughts.

Chapter 21

Avery sat, kicked back in his home office desk recliner, his gaze focused on a birdfeeder Kane had placed in a tree right outside his window. He had to admit, he'd spent hours in this chair, staring out at the birds, contemplating whatever case he currently worked. He'd found solace here in this spot. Today, there wasn't a bird to be seen. Something about the dead of winter and inches of newly fallen snow had a way of keeping the birds at bay.

His office door, which was also his bedroom door, stood open—as it generally did. He listened to the activity going on in his house. He craved the noise, loving the sounds of his family. If he took a guess now, he would say Robert was teasing Autumn about something in just the manner she was growing to greatly dislike. Her voice was rising, and Robert laughed. An argument was certain to break out soon. As expected, Kane's voice intervened, trying to stop the impending brawl before it took root.

The almost silent beep of his direct telephone line caught his attention. He'd been waiting for this call. She was late, but traveling the world had a way of messing with your time. He picked up the phone as he started to rise from his chair.

"Mother, hang on a moment." Avery crossed the bedroom and shoved the door closed. "I'm back."

"Hello¸ my darling son. Before you tell me to hang on again, please remember this is costing us a fortune," Kennedy scolded, amusement in her voice.

"What's costing us a fortune? Your trip to Greece?" Avery teased.

"No, this phone call. I'm assuming the children and Kane are fine. If there was an emergency, I'm certain the call wouldn't have been scheduled. How are you, my son?" Kennedy's voice turned warm and loving. She usually reserved that tone of voice for Kane and the children, only on occasion was he on the receiving end.

"I've been approached," Avery said, not beating around the bush.

"I wondered when they would pull their heads out of their self-righteous asses and do the right thing," Kennedy said.

"You saw this coming? I didn't. I truly believed I'd lost my chance," Avery's eyes gravitated back to the brightly-colored bird feeder.

"You regularly underestimate yourself," she said.

"So you think I should go for it? I'm nervous for Kane and the kids." Avery lowered his voice several octaves. He didn't want Kane to hear his concern. He never let Kane know he worried about their situation.

"Son, you hold the power to make it a non-issue. You run on your own merit. Your personal life is never to be discussed. It's truly as simple as that," Kennedy said, with her usual air of confidence.

"Is it worth upsetting the balance of my life?" Avery asked.

"Only you can decide that, but I've seen the change in you. Kane's helped settle you. You're a force and I believe in you and I will support you with whatever path you choose. If you decide your answer is yes, you should speak to Sophia. Even with you not discussing your life, she will be approached," Kennedy said.

"Thomas is going to talk to her this weekend. We'll all get on the same page before any announcement's made," Avery assured her.

"Then let me know what you decide."

"Of course I will. Mother, at the time, I think I took this for granted, but you were always so accepting of me. After knowing Kane and being a father myself, I can only imagine the concern you had for my life," Avery said, his voice going even lower.

"I've always believed in you. Since I first held you in my arms, I knew you were destined to do great things. You make me proud, Avery. I love you, Son," Kennedy stated.

"Thanks, Mom," Avery began and stopped mid-sentence when he realized he was talking to dead air. She'd disconnected the call which was something his mom would totally do. She had said what she needed to, so the call was done. As he laid the phone back in the cradle, he heard the doorbell ring downstairs.

* * * *

Kane knew right from the beginning that he had very little chance of resisting when their home was overrun by the team known as the Democratic Party. They brought out the masses, even the big names, all there to talk Kane into letting Avery run in this year's senate race. Standing flow charts littered the living room. Men and women, all dressed in severely tailored business suits, stood ready to jump in and throw numbers at Kane whenever a point needed validation. They'd clearly left nothing to chance and were quite skilled in the power of persuasion.

Kane's only defense didn't seem to matter. He was a staunch Republican with no plans to change. But they beat him down in that area too. Kane slipped up when he said he'd vote for Avery no matter what platform he ran on. That sealed the deal. They wanted Avery, wanted him badly, and were prepared to do whatever it took to get Kane to agree.

They were back to the future, back to where they began. The whole reason Avery had even moved to Minnesota in the first place. Avery had inadvertently done everything required to get him in the running, and Kane wondered if perhaps those steps might have been done in meticulous order. La Bella Luna was still the place to be seen. Avery was a regular there, so regular he had built a significant social foundation. When you looked for Avery Adams, it was a sure bet you'd find him in the restaurant. Avery had also designed his law firm to specialize in two major areas: helping the indigent and going after big business that took advantage of the ever-increasing labor laws. Union leaders throughout the district were already hinting they would back Avery in a possible run, as Avery had backed them time and time again.