Her eyes scan my face as if she's looking for reinforcement behind my words. "Your parents are still together. It's hard for you to understand."
If anyone else spit those words at me, I'd take offence. I'd label them as jealous or envious, but I can't do that with Jessica. I was there when she met my parents and I saw the awestruck wonder in her eyes when they explained how they met more than thirty-five years ago. I watched her as she sat with my mother and looked at each and every picture in their wedding album. I know that she wishes her family would have traveled down the same path as mine. It kills me that it didn't work out that way for her. That's one of the reasons I want so desperately to marry her. I want to show her that she can have that life. I'll give her that life. Forever, with Jessica, is all that I want.
"I didn't mean that." She tosses me a weak apologetic glance. "I shouldn't have said that."
I stand in a single, fluid movement and pull her into my arms. "I know you didn't."
"It hurt that he wasn't there today, but…" her voice trails into the fabric of my shirt as she rests her face against my chest. "My sister didn’t invite him. I don't think he even knew she was getting married today."
Each tender confession she's sharing is helping her feel closer. I can tell by the way she's clinging to me. The only problem is that with each word she speaks, I'm no closer to finding out about the senator.
Chapter 6
"Do you think I should invite my father to come see us for a visit?" Her hand drapes lazily over my thigh as I drive.
I stare down at it, knowing that if she has her way, I'll be barreling down the interstate with a raging hard-on in about thirty seconds. "Sure," I say absentmindedly. After she confessed about her father not being invited to the wedding last night, she wanted to crawl into bed with me. I couldn't fuck her. After seeing the pain she was in, I knew that I couldn't take anything from her. I held her body next to mine until she fell asleep.
Her finger traces a faint path up my pant leg. "Are you going into the office when we get back?"
"I have to." I nod as I stare straight ahead at the congested roadway. "I'm dealing with a bitch of a case right now."
"The case is the bitch, or your client is the bitch?" She subtly tries to pull her hand free of mine. I know if I let it wander it's going to end up inside of my pants. I'd normally love that distraction, but not today. I need to get back to Manhattan and into the office.
I pull back on her hand, placing it in her own lap. "The client is a man. The case is a nightmare."
"Is there still something bothering you?" she asks in a hushed tone.
I glance back over my shoulder before changing lanes. I don't drive nearly enough. I pay a heavy ransom every month just to keep this car in a garage under my building. I miss being behind the wheel. When I lived in Boston, before moving to New York City, I drove almost everywhere. I still think about moving back sometimes, but with Jessica's career on the upswing, it's too much to ask. I refuse to bring it up again. I can live in Manhattan. Hell, I can live anywhere as long as Jessica is with me.
"Nathan?" She taps me lightly on the forearm. "What's bothering you? You've been quiet since we left Connecticut."
She's right. I have been quiet. I'm still reeling after hearing about the senator and now I've got to get my mind back into work mode. I'm grumpy and I'm frustrated with myself. I should have pushed through the unexpected discussion about her father last night and gotten to the bottom of what the senator meant to her. Christ, for all I know, Charity made up that bullshit so I'd take a ride with her in the backseat of her car. "I need to talk to you about something." I take the weak willed way out and keep my eyes glued to the road. We're finally nearing the city, which means that the traffic is only getting worse.
"About work?" There's hope in the question.
"No." I look quickly to my side. My eyes dart over her face but I don't allow them to linger long enough to gauge her reaction. "It's something else." I don't want to sound so mysterious and foreboding. That's not who I am.
"Is it about us?" She presses. I can sense movement beside me. She's fidgeting. She's uncomfortable emotionally and her inner instinct to run is trying to take over.
I can't have this conversation while I'm weaving through mid-morning traffic. I won't have it. I reach blindly for her hand and feel an instant sense of relief when she laces her slim fingers through mine.
"You can tell me, Nathan."
"Jessica." I pull her hand to my lips "I love you. It's minor. We can talk about it tonight."
I feel her hand go limp. She's clearly not convinced that it's nothing. I'm not either. Tonight I'm going to ask her point blank about the senator so we can put this behind us.
***
"Mr. Moore, I don't think you fully grasp what I'm telling you."
I stare across my desk at the grey haired man who is leaning as far forward as he can without tilting onto the floor. "I understand completely, Mr. Wilkinson. You hired me to represent you and I'm doing just that."
"I was here last week." He taps his wrinkled hand on his forearm just above the worn, leathered band of his watch. "What have you done since then? It's been six days now."
I pull my hand across my brow. "I've been making phone calls on a daily basis, sir. I've had several meetings related to your case." Going into minute details right now is just a waste of my time and his. I'm getting paid a percentage of what he walks away from if I win his case. All this extra talking and meeting is cutting into my bottom line.
"How much do you think you're going to get me back?" His voice cracks.