Page 126 of Power
Chapter twenty-five
Reece
Clutchingatmychest, I watch as Bennett walks out of the room. The reporters are going crazy, hurling a barrage of questions about us to him. “Huh,” May grumbles.
“I know,” I say.
“He even mentioned me,” Emily says.
“How could he not? You’re the most wonderful little girl in the entire world.” I drape my arm over her shoulders and bring her closer for a hug.
“It’s clear he disregarded his speech writers’ speech, because he didn’t use impossible words even I don’t understand.” May turns her head toward me and glances at Emily. “He seems like a good man.”
“He is,” Emily chirps as she snuggles into me.
I stare down at the floor as my breath catches in my chest. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Emily, don’t you have a book to read?” May asks.
“Can I go?” Emily looks to me for approval. I try to give her a smile as I nod. “Thanks, Mom.” She gives me a small kiss on the cheek before taking off toward May’s guest room.
My mind is racing as a flustered feeling overtakes me. “I don’t know, May.” Wringing my hands together, I look over to her. “What do I do?”
May slowly shrugs. “I’m not the best person to talk to about this. Why don’t you call your friend Tash?”
It takes me a moment to wrap my head around this. Standing, I walk back into the kitchen and retrieve my phone from the kitchen counter. Tash has tried calling me over ten times. I hit dial and bring the phone to my ear. “You saw it?”
“The entire country saw it,” Tash lovingly responds. “You have to call him.”
“Am I setting myself up for disaster? It’s not fair to lead me on. And what about Emily?” I lean against the island counter and absentmindedly pick at the quick around my nail. “This is all happening in a blur, Tash.”
“Are you worried he’ll hurt you? Or are you worried he’s the first man who’s ready to fight for you and Emily?”
“What if we...”
“You’re talking out of your ass, Reece.” She takes a breath. “Look, I’m sorry, but you have to stop fighting this.”
“He betrayed me, Tash.”
“Yeah, he did. And he not only made an apology, he did it in front of the whole country.”
Blowing out my cheeks I keep looking down at the floor. “I’m terrified. I’ve been on my own since the day my mom threw me out of the house. I never thought I’d ever let someone in, not someone like him.”
“I think you have a fear of abandonment.”
“Of course, I do. It’s easier to stay on my own than get into this relationship and eventually find out he doesn’t want me anymore. Not only a relationship though, but a public one that’ll be scrutinized by everyone.”
“I never took you to be so soft.”
“Soft? I’m not soft, I’m fucking scared.”
“Good. You should be. Since when has that stopped you?”
I shake my head as a brow arches. “What do I do, Tash? Do I pretend I never saw this or do I call him?”
“I’m going to support you regardless of the outcome. You know that, right?”
“I know you’ll support me, but, what do I do?”
