She took his hand and led him into the living room. When they were settled on the large sofa facing the window, she turned toward him.
'I'm not really hungry,' she said. 'I thought we could skip dinner. There are a couple of things I need to-'
'We can't skip dinner,' Alex said, his face tight in an expression she couldn't read. 'Dinner is important. I talked to the chef. There's going to be a special dessert. You don't want to miss this. It will be great.'
'Alex, I'm serious.'
'We have to go to dinner.'
'I can't. I…'
He frowned. 'Are you sick? Do you need to go back to the hospital?'
'No. I…I'm leaving.'
'What?'
'I'm leaving Seattle. I've already given notice at Bella Roma and I haven't started at Buchanan's, so the timing is good. I need to do this. Go somewhere different. A place where I'm just a stranger. I want my life back. I want to live in my own house and not have the press bother me. I want to stop hurting the people I care about.'
He stood and stared down at her. 'What the hell are you talking about? You can't leave Seattle.'
'I have to. It's for the best.'
'It's running away.'
She was disappointed. She'd thought he would at least understand. Although it was gratifying that he was so upset. Maybe her feelings weren't all one-sided.
'Sometimes a strategic retreat is the best thing for everyone.' she said as she stood and faced him. 'Please don't be angry with me.'
'Why the hell not? You didn't even discuss this with me. You announce you're leaving and that's it? What happens now? You walk away?'
She nodded slowly, then sucked in a breath as her head began to pound. 'Everyone's problems are solved. Katherine won't be hurt anymore. I know what I've done to her and I feel sick about it. Bailey's safe. It will help the campaign.'
He glared at her. 'Fuck the campaign. You think the press is going to forget you because you move away? They'll run with the story. As for Bailey, you don't know what would have happened. Those kids were wrong and they'll be punished, but you have no control over their actions or any way to predict them.' He moved toward her. 'You're giving up. I never thought you were a quitter.'
Okay, she'd been understanding for long enough. 'I'm doing the best thing for the greater good.'
'You 're not willing to fight for what you want.'
“I’m not willing to hurt people I care about. You should be grateful. You love Katherine and you know how much having me around has devastated her'
'Katherine is stronger than you think. What about the father you were so desperate to find? What about finishing what you started?'
'Mark doesn't need me. He needs to be president. He needs you at his side, working for that goal. Not fighting the press about me.'
Alex drew in a breath. 'I'm not with the campaign anymore. I haven't told Mark, but I'm leaving.'
Dani stared at him. 'You can't. He needs you.'
'He has a very skilled staff who will take care of business. It's not my world. I can't be like him.'
Obviously an announcement hadn't been made or Dani would have heard about it. When the press found out, it was going to be ugly.
'All the more reason for me to leave,' she breathed. 'That will disconnect us in the mind of the press.'
'And that's what matters, right?' he asked, sounding bitter. 'Good to know which side you fall on. You got political real fast. You really are your father's daughter.'
The unfair accusation hurt nearly as much as her head. 'That's not fair. Do you think this is easy for me? I love my new family. I don't want to leave them and I sure as hell don't want to leave my old family, either. I'm making a hard choice for the greater good.'
'It looks pretty easy from here.'
'Then you're not looking hard enough.' She wanted to grab him and shake him. She hadn't wanted them to fight. She thought he would be sad she was leaving. Not angry. So much for fantasies, she thought grimly.
He walked to the window and stared out at the view. Finally he looked back at her. 'And us?'
'I don't know how to make it work,' she admitted. 'It's too high a price. Even with you leaving the campaign.'
'So we're a casualty of war? It's over?'
'I feel very special.'
'Don't,' she said and sank back on the sofa. 'Don't get cold and sarcastic.'
'How should I act? I thought I mattered to you. I thought this relationship was significant. I thought you were the one I was supposed to be with.' He walked back to her. 'You're not the only one with a lousy track record when it comes to relationships. First I fall for a woman who lies about who she is and cheats on me, then I fall for one not strong enough to fight for what matters.'
Fall for one? As in… She looked up at him. 'Alex?'
'Are you going to tell Bailey you're moving on or do you want me to? She thinks you're friends, so this will come as a shock. But then she's always led with her feelings. That girl has the heart of a lion. I admire that about her. I thought you had that in common. Guess I was wrong.'
Tears filled Dani's eyes. Her vision blurred. She blinked to clear it and when she could see again, Alex was gone.
Just like that. He'd heard what she'd had to say and then he'd left.
She covered her face with her hands and gave in to the tears. She didn't want to go. That's what was killing her in all this. She didn't want to go, but she didn't see another way to stay out of trouble.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
'Katherine! I didn't expect to see you today.' Mark stood and walked around his desk at campaign headquarters. 'Is everything all right? Is Bailey…'
'She's fine,' Katherine said as her husband kissed her on the cheek.
He always looked so happy to see her, one more thing she loved about him.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her against him. 'I've been busy lately,' he said as he ran his hands up and down her back. 'Working here, flying back to D.C. I've missed you.'
His light touch was enough to ignite every nerve ending in her body.
'I've missed you, too,' she told him. 'But we knew it would be like this if you ran for president.'
'The price of glory.'
He bent down and kissed her again. The contact was tender, yet sexual and she melted against him.
Only Mark, she thought as she gave herself over to sensation. Only ever Mark. She loved him more than she'd thought possible. Her guilty secret was that she loved him more than she loved her children. But that didn't make her blind to his flaws.
She drew in a bream and pulled back. 'We need to talk,' she said.
He put his hand on her rear and squeezed. 'Can we talk naked?'
She laughed. 'At any moment, five of your staff members could burst through that door. Do you really want them to see you doing it with your wife?'
'Why not?' But he straightened as he spoke. Then he took her hand and put it on his erection. 'What do I tell this big guy?'
'That I'll see him tonight.'
'Fair enough.' He led her to the sofa by the wall. 'So what do you want to talk about?'
She stared at the man she loved, taking in the familiar features. She still remembered the first time they'd met-how she'd literally seen him across a crowded room and had known that nothing would ever be the same again.
