“I told you I would stay with you no matter what,” Sylvie said. “Sometimes you have to make a call. I think you made a spectacular one.”
“Even if I end up being a house husband? I’ve got to warn you. I do not know how to cook or clean.”
But he did know how to take care of her. “You can learn.”
He kissed her and she felt her whole body threaten to melt. “I’m sure there’s a YouTube video that will teach me how to clean a bathroom. I’ll be good at it. You’ll come home from work and I will be waiting to take care of your every need.”
There were perks to her husband losing his job, but somehow she didn’t think he would be at home for long. He was too good at what he did, but he was facing a kind of freedom he’d never known before, and she was going to let him explore it. “I think that would be marvelous. But where are we going to live?”
He seemed far more interested in kissing her than answering her questions. His lips caressed her forehead and nose and cheeks and chin. “Luckily my gorgeous wife has a highly underpaid job as a civil servant that includes a house as one of its perks. Though you should know we’re going to fight to get that place updated. That will be my first priority. I’ll get the city to fix your plumbing. It’s terrible.”
She let her head fall back, giving him access to her neckline. “You hid out at my place. Smart man. I did not even think to look there.”
“Rene!”
His head came up and he frowned. “We should go. I got distracted and forgot we were running from my family.”
“What the hell was that?” Charles was striding across the parking lot.
She found herself being lifted up again.
“I gave you what you wanted, and now I’m going home with my wife,” Rene explained simply. “Good luck with the company.”
“No one believes you married her for the company. That was our deal,” Charles insisted. “You blew it.”
“I didn’t really marry her for the company. She’s the one thing in my life I’ve been able to count on. I was fooling myself. I jumped at the first chance I had to get this woman in my life.”
“Not the first chance,” she pointed out.
He sighed. “I explained that, baby.”
She was going to let that day go. She probably hadn’t truly been ready for a relationship with him. It was always going to be intense, and she wouldn’t have been ready to deal with his family back then. “You did, and I forgive you for that, too. Now, Charles, go away. I don’t care what you have on me. Put it out there. You’re not going to blackmail my husband again. You’re getting everything you want. Leave us alone.”
“This isn’t over,” Charles declared as Rene settled Sylvie in her seat. “You have no idea what I want from you.”
She caught the look in Rene’s eyes and realized he was totally done. “Don’t kill him. And don’t get hurt. I’ve never had sex in the mayor’s house before, and I think that place needs some hot energy.”
But then again, she wasn’t going to deprive her husband of a well-deserved beat-down.
“How about we settle this, Charles?” Rene calmly started to roll up his shirtsleeves.
Damn, that was sexy. So was his slow drawl. He was calm, but there was no doubt that a threat of violence was in the air. She would not have considered herself a woman who got hot when a man fought, but Rene was so gentlemanly about it that it did something for her.
Charles took a step back. “I’m sure you would love that. You ready to lose everything, Sylvie? Is he worth it?”
She didn’t get out of her seat because she was serious. She wanted to get her husband in bed as soon as possible. “Absolutely. And if you get me run out of office, we’ll go to DC. I can get a job there.”
“With the married man you had an affair with?” Charles’s question was no doubt a challenge.
Oh, dear, was that what he’d used? She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She was not defending herself against this ridiculous accusation. She didn’t have to. “Sure. Bring that out and see what happens. You need to do your homework, Charles. Rene, if you’re going to beat him up, do it quick.”
All Rene had to do was take a single step toward his cousin and Charles turned and took off running.
There was a grim look on her husband’s face as he got in the car. “I was tempted to go after him. He promised he wouldn’t ever repeat that lie.”
“How do you know it’s a lie?” She did have a sterling reputation, but hearing Rene’s support warmed her heart. “Maybe I have some scandal in my past.”
He seemed to relax as he put the car in reverse and started the short drive into town. “I wouldn’t care if you did, but rumors could potentially hurt your election chances.”
“Then I can go back to running campaigns.” She actually enjoyed being mayor. She could see herself staying for a while. There was a lot she could do here to help her city. But if they didn’t want her help, she wouldn’t stop or go into hiding. She had a thick skin and a good sense of self-esteem. It was required to do her job. “I assure you no one in DC will pay any mind to that rumor. In fact, if Charles wants to put it out there, he’ll find out that the congressman’s affair was with another woman on the campaign who was a colleague of mine. The original oppo research listed me because the man who did the investigation couldn’t tell the difference between two black women. Charles has bad intel, and it will hurt him, not me. But I love that you had faith in me. Rene, it’s going to be all right. No matter what Charles does. No matter what happens to the company. We’re going to make it through together. We have to rely on each other from here on out.”
“I’ll get a job. You’ll see.” He turned toward the road that led to her house. “We don’t have to worry about a place to live, and I’ve got money in savings, but I would like to save that for a rainy day. We need to be able to take care of Lady.”
She loved that he thought of the dog. Had she worried about him becoming a father? He was going to be a great one.
He really needed to talk to his mom. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, and I sincerely doubt you need to go take Zep’s old job at Guidry’s. Your mother said things she regrets, too. We’ll sit down with her tomorrow and hash this all out as a family. I know you think you need to be perfect to have people love you, but it’s not true. You can make mistakes and we’ll still adore you.”
“I’m glad you think so because we’re about to face one of those mistakes,” he said as he pulled into the driveway. “We’re not alone in the house, but I’m going to let you handle it. He told me I should do that as often as possible. It’s probably time to take his advice.”