Page 62 of Shine For Me

“I want to have a life with you.”

He reaches for my hand but I pull it back. “You don’t have to keep doing this. You don’t have to keep lying to me. I understand that your career brings a lot of pressure. I understand that this relationship was beneficial to you. You don’t have to pretend it’s more than that.”

For the first time in a long time, the mask he wears around me falls away completely. Suddenly he looks about as tired as I feel.

“It doesn’t matter what we want, June. It’s never mattered. My father, your grandfather—they’re the ones who make the decisions and we both know it.”

It’s actually a relief to hear him admit to it so plainly. It’s also depressing as hell, because we accepted this bullshit for ourselves for so long.

“Only because we let them,” I tell him. “But I’m done with that. I’m done with letting someone else control my life. I want more.”

He gives me a disbelieving look. “And when Jimmy Cain hears about your newfound independence and gets on a plane to come lay down the law, you really think you’re going to be able to stick to this plan?”

I swallow hard, hating to even think about it. Because he’s right—that’s exactly what will happen. My grandfather gets way too much out of his arrangement with Adam’s father for him to let this go without a fight.

And I honestly have no idea if I’m strong enough to fight back.

But Fox will help you,I remind myself. He promised that we would work on my courage together. I just have to hang on to that. He seems to believe in me—why should it be so hard to believe in myself?

“He’s going to have to accept it,” I tell Adam, my voice stronger now. “Because I’m done.”

Maybe he can see how determined I am because he takes a step back, shaking his head. He sounds defeated when he responds. “I’m running for the open seat in the 28thdistrict next year.”

And there it is. The reason he showed up at my house in LA last month. Adam is running for a seat in the US House of Representatives.

“I wish you luck. But I won’t be campaigning with you.”

“But maybe—”

I hold up a hand. “No. You have more than a year, Adam. Plenty of time to find another nice, sweet girl to smile at the cameras.” I shrug. “Or don’t. Maybe you should try the dashing bachelor role this time around. Young public servant, too busy and devoted to his constituents to spend time on a relationship. I’m sure your PR people could work with that.”

He stares at me. “You’re actually serious.”

“I am.”

“It’s because of him, isn’t it?” He gestures to the door. “That Ransome guy.”

“It’s partially because of him,” I admit. There’s no point in lying now. “He made me realize that I want more than this game we’ve been settling for.”

Adam’s face grows hard. “That’s easy enough for him, isn’t it? He’s not the one who deals with the pressures you and I face. He has no idea what it’s like.”

Adam isn’t wrong. Fox doesn’t know what it’s like to be either of us—because Fox comes from a family who adore each other. They love and respect Fox for reasons that have nothing to do with his career. They’re interested in him for more than just what he can do for them.

Neither Adam nor I can say the same thing about our families. But that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve the same things Fox has.

“I think it’s time for you to go.”

He shakes his head, still looking disbelieving. “Jimmy isn’t going to be okay with this, June. You know that, right?”

“It might help if you stood by me,” I suggest, knowing there’s no way he’ll ever do it. “You could tell them that you agree—that you want out, too.”

For just one moment, I think he might be considering it. But then his face grows hard again. “What I want is to win my election. What I want is to accomplish my goals.”

“Then I hope you do,” I tell him honestly. Just because he was a shit fiancé doesn’t mean that he isn’t good at his job. “But I don’t want to be a means to an end. So I’m done.”

He stares at me for a long moment before turning on his heel and leaving without another word. And just like that, the man I once thought I was going to marry is out of my life.

And I feel absolutely nothing. I mourned the end of that relationship a long time ago. I just wish I’d been strong enough to walk away back then.