Taken Home (Lone Star Burn) (19 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Chelle had changed her mind at least three times by the time she finished showering and doing her hair. She reached for a pair of jeans, then stopped.
If I’m doing this, I need to look the part.
She dug through her closet for a simple dress and matching shoes. Conservative, yet attractive. When she met her eyes in the mirror, she thought about what her mother had said the night before.
I am not afraid to love with my whole heart, because no matter what happens in California, it won’t change me.

Before heading downstairs to talk to her parents, she reached for her cell phone to make a call. It rang three times, then Charles answered. “Chelle? Is everything all right?”

Chelle took a deep breath before saying, “At four o’clock Mason is making a statement to the press regarding the photo with Ruby Skye. I want to be there to support him. I know you have a private plane. Will you fly me out there? There isn’t much time to decide, so I need your decision now.”

“Did you speak to him?”

Chelle closed her eyes, bit her bottom lip, then said firmly, “I didn’t need to. I trust him, and if he went to see Ruby, there was a reason. I’m not going to embarrass him. If I get there and he doesn’t want me at his side, I’ll come home. No one will know I was even there. But he’s under attack right now, and he needs all the support he can get. I want to show him he’s not alone.” She paused before plowing on. “You should come with me. He could use a friend by his side right about now.”

“We’ll fly out of the small airfield south of town in an hour,” Charles said, then asked abruptly, “Do you need me to send a car for you?”

“No, I can get a ride. One more thing.”

“Yes?”

“How many people can fit in your plane?”

About five hours later at a small private airport, Chelle met Mrs. “Please, call me Millie” Capri for the first time. Chelle introduced her to her parents, Sarah, Tony, Charles, and Melanie.

“How much time do we have?” Charles asked in a demanding tone that made most people jump nervously. “Can you guarantee Chelle won’t be seen?”

Millie didn’t flinch. “I could move the president of the United States in and out of the building without the press being aware; I’m confident we can sneak all of you in without being detected.”

Chelle’s father had agreed to come, but he wasn’t yet sold on the endeavor. “I don’t understand why we couldn’t call him to tell him we were coming.”

“Senator Thorne would have said it’s not necessary,” answered Millie.

“Are we sure it is?” Roger growled the question.

His wife took his hand in hers. “It is to Chelle.”

Chelle went to stand in front of her father. The closer they came to seeing Mason, the more anxious she became. It was too easy to start worrying about what his response would be to seeing her. What if he turned her away? What if he actually had chosen Ruby over her? She refused to let her fears win. “Remember what I said, Dad. This is about showing him we care, not pushing our way up there with him. He may not want us next to him when he gives his statement.”

“If I came all this way and he doesn’t want us here, I’ll give the press something else to write about.”

Chelle shook her head frantically. “Don’t, Dad. Please don’t make things worse.”

With a frustrated sigh, her father agreed.

Millie led them to a line of cars with tinted windows.

Sarah said, “This is kind of exciting, isn’t it?” When no one agreed with her, she added, “Say what you want, but when we all look back at this later, this is going to be one of the coolest things we’ve done.”

Melanie winked at Sarah’s husband. “If you can, you should probably keep her quiet in front of the cameras.”

Tony shrugged and smiled at his wife. Chelle wasn’t sure if that meant that he wouldn’t or that he would try, but Sarah would do what she pleased anyway.

The ride to the statehouse felt endless. Chelle knew she was doing the right thing, but her nerves were frayed, and her emotions were all over the place. She was pretty sure her parents had agreed to come simply because they didn’t want her to be alone if this went wrong.

Charles’s support seemed genuine. Melanie was there both for her fiancé and as moral support for Chelle. Sarah was thrilled to have been invited to watch what she was positive would be the day her brother’s best friend realized how much he loved Chelle.

When they arrived at the statehouse, Millie had the cars pull down a back alley that led to an entrance blocked off from the press. Plainclothes security men were scattered about, watching for anyone who shouldn’t have been in that area.

One of them opened the door to the building. Chelle hesitated before walking through it. She turned to Millie. “I’m not wrong, am I?”

“We’ll soon find out,” Millie answered and ushered her inside. She gave them all instructions to stay in the hallway she led them to. She pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. “Senator Thorne will enter through that door in about ten minutes.” She pointed to a second door on the other end of the hall. “The press is on the other side of that door. I’ll be in the back of the conference room. If I don’t see you walk out with him, I’ll have the cars readied to take you back to your plane. Remember, this is a press statement. You’re not to answer anyone’s questions. Let Senator Thorne say what he needs to say, and that’s it.”

Barely able to breathe, Chelle said, “Thank you, Mrs. Capri.”

Millie smiled. “I told you, call me Millie. I hope this works out. Mason needs someone like you in his life. You did good, Chelle.” She looked at Charles, then back at Chelle. “You did real good.” She looked down at her watch and said, “Five minutes. Good luck.” Then she left the hall through a door that led to the back of the conference room.

Mason adjusted his tie in the mirror and practiced his winning smile. He looked and felt like shit.
That’s what three days without sleep will do.

He gave himself a mental shake and focused on rehearsing his statement. Rather than read a speech, he had points he intended to address. First, he would make it clear he wasn’t taking questions. Second, he would announce his breakup with Chelle and claim responsibility. He’d make a quick joke about discovering he wasn’t marriage material, then lead into how little relevance that had when it came to the current drought in California or unemployment numbers. If he handled it correctly, he’d sway the press back to his side. He’d done it before.

His biggest regret was that Chelle would hear about their breakup via his public statement. He took out his phone and called her. He hadn’t rehearsed what he would say to her, but he knew he had to say something. She picked up on the first ring. “Chelle, it’s Mason.”

“I know,” she said softly.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Mason, whatever you have to say to me, you should say in person.”

She’s right, but there’s no time now.
“I would if there were time. I was wrong to avoid having this conversation, but I’m just about to speak to the press, and I want you to be prepared for what I’ll say.”

“Mason, I’m at the statehouse. I’m in the hallway leading to the conference room. If you want to tell me something, you know where to find me.” With that, she hung up.

Mason tore out of his office. He wouldn’t believe she was there until he saw her with his own eyes. He hadn’t given her any reason to believe in him. In fact, he wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d refused to even speak to him. The photo of him with Ruby had been damning enough to sway public opinion against him. Why would she come to him now?

He didn’t wait for the elevator. He sprinted down the stairs and ripped open the door to the hallway where she’d said she was. He couldn’t breathe as he searched the hall for her. He recognized the other people there, but during that first moment, they didn’t matter. There she was, exactly as she’d said she would be. Waiting for him.

Every disappointment he’d ever endured, every wall he’d constructed around his heart fell away as he walked toward her. In that moment, he felt lighter, freer and was tempted to run to her. She met him in the middle of the hallway. Before they said a word to each other, they kissed passionately.

Emotions that had long been locked within Mason burst out and temporarily overwhelmed him. He broke off the kiss and simply held her to his chest. “What are you doing here, Chelle?” he asked huskily.

She tipped her head back and touched the wetness on one of his cheeks in awe. “Are you crying?”

He hid his face in her hair, hugged her tighter, and blinked a few times quickly. He didn’t care what others might think of his emotional display. All that mattered was that she had come to him and how good it felt to hold her again. “I should have called you. I wanted to. I don’t know why I didn’t.”

She gave him a smile full of such love his eyes misted up again. “We can talk about that later. Right now, all that matters is that we’re here for you. All of us.”

Mason raised his head and looked around the hall. Chelle’s parents were there, along with Charles, Melanie, Sarah, and Tony. “You’re all here for the press statement?”

Chelle nodded and stepped back. “More would have come if Charles’s plane had been bigger. We’re here to stand beside you while you defend yourself, or cheer you on from the back of the room, or wait for you here. Tell us what you need.”

Mason looked around again and ran a hand through his hair. He gazed down at Chelle. “You’re not angry with me?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, I’m furious. You hurt me, Mason. You really did. We are far from okay right now. But where I come from, even when we have our differences, if trouble comes for one of us, it’s handled by all of us. You’re not alone, Mason. Not unless you want to be.”

Charles nodded his agreement from behind Chelle. Chelle’s mother wiped tears from her eyes. Sarah and Melanie were in similar states. Tony watched without saying anything, which from Mason’s experience was a sign of support in itself. Chelle’s father appeared less than happy about being there, but Mason couldn’t blame him for that. Mason had hurt his daughter.

Millie reentered the hallway and approached Mason and Chelle. “Senator Thorne, the press is getting antsy out there. Are you ready?”

Mason frowned at his assistant and asked, “Did you arrange this?”

Without batting an eyelash, Millie answered, “I told your fiancée if she cared about you, she’d better get her ass on a plane and get here. I didn’t say more than that.”

Mason stepped away from Chelle and gave Millie a hug so tight it had her laughing and gasping for air. “You are amazing.”

Millie backed away, adjusted her hair, and returned to her usual unflappable self. “How would you like to do this?”

Mason addressed the group as a whole. “I don’t know what to say. None of you should have to be here today. The press can be unpredictably ugly. I didn’t mean for any of you to get caught up in this.”

Chelle slid under his arm and hugged his side. “The only question you need to answer is if you want us here.”

He met her eyes, and for a moment the world disappeared around them. “More than anything I’ve ever wanted in my whole life.” He kissed her gently, then turned back to everyone else. “I can’t control how the press will spin this, but if you’d like to stand behind me while I make my statement, I’d be grateful to have you there.”

One by one everyone showed their agreement by either a nod or a word or two. With his heart thudding loudly in his chest, Mason said, “Then let’s do this.”

Mason walked out to the podium holding Chelle’s hand and waving for the others to follow. Chelle stood beside him while the others stayed behind, off to one side but in view of the reporters. Mason crumpled up his initial speaking points and said, “I am not a perfect man. You don’t have to dig deeply if you want to find dirt on me. Hold your questions today. I am not here to defend or explain myself. My opposition can try to muddy the waters with photos and lies, but voters are smart enough to see through that. I am here to respectfully request that we turn our attention away from my personal life and back to the very real issues facing our state. We need to ensure that our coastlines are protected, that we have enough water to support our population, and that we don’t allow corporations to bully us into legislature that lines their pockets instead of ensuring our future. Let’s work together to solve these issues.” He flashed the press his most charming smile and added, “And if you’re real nice, some of you may get invited to our wedding.”

Just like that, the tide turned again. Several of the reporters called out questions about when the wedding would be. One called out, “Is that the Takedown Cowgirl? Can we get a photo of her with Mr. Dery?” Mason guided Chelle away from the podium without responding to the questions.

Once outside the conference room, Chelle shook her head in amazement. “That’s it? That’s all it took to get them to forget about the photo?”

Mason cupped her face with his hand. “You have to understand the nature of the beast. They need a story. They don’t care what it is.”

Millie was beside the group again and said, “I’ve taken the liberty of securing a few suites for the night at the Grand City Hotel. If you’re ready, the cars are outside and will take you there now.”

As they walked toward the cars together, Mason pulled Chelle close to his side. He lagged behind the rest so he and Chelle could have a moment alone. “We need to talk.”

She spun around to face him. “What you need to do is apologize. And then I need to somehow believe you’ll never do it again. I don’t know what happened out here, but there was no reason you couldn’t have called me, even if it was just to say you had nothing to say. That’s not the way to treat someone you say you care about.”

Her reprimand rocked him back onto his heels. “You’re right.”

His quick agreement seemed to confuse her. “I know I am.”

“Would it help if I said when I saw you in the hallway, I knew I’d been a fool? I love you. I was afraid to let myself see it, but I can’t imagine a day of my life without you in it. I’ve been considering running for governor, but I can make my life wherever you are. I’ve never had anyone stand with me the way you and your family did. I don’t know how to thank you except to promise that I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you.”