Page 87 of The Senator: Raphael

“Sorry to interrupt.” Dave’s voice comes from the living room.

We turn around to find him staring awkwardly at our feet. I smile and want to make a joke, but he seems embarrassed enough so I don’t.

“Sebastian is here for the update,” he explains.

“Let him in.”

I grab Silver’s hand and guide her to the couch while Dave lets Sebastian in. She seems tense, but I flag it as normal behavior considering the circumstances. The head of security walks in and casts a glance at Silver, a mixture of relief and wariness in his eyes.

“Do you have any news?” I ask when he sits down across from us.

“Not about the man following her. We have the guy under watch, but he hasn’t done much since he followed her here, and we expected that. We don’t want to scare him away, so we’re waiting for his next move.”

I nod. “We just wait?” I ask.

“Yes. You’re safe in here.” He gives Silver a meaningful look.

She lowers her gaze, blushing. “Sorry about that.”

He softens his tone. “It’s okay, but don’t do that again. We need all our resources on those sons of bitches. We can’t waste precious men searching for you. This is the safest place you can be.”

“I know, it won’t happen again. I apologize for what I did. I realize it was stupid.” She raises her head and owns her actions.

“Don’t worry, we know you’re smart, but I’d run away from him too sometimes. He’s a pain in the ass,” Sebastian jokes, and we all laugh. It breaks the tension looming over us.

“I briefed your staff about the changes I made to security, considering the other matter that we talked about,” Sebastian continues.

“What other matter?” Silver frowns and my stomach clenches in excitement.

“Are they here?” I ask.

Sebastian nods. “In the car.”

I turn toward Silver and grip her hands. She’s pale, clearly nervous about more bad news shaking her life, but I hope this is good news for her.

Suddenly, I’m more nervous than I’ve ever been. “Listen, I wanted to surprise you and wait until the wedding. It was going to be my gift to you…sort of. But I think you need it more now than in a few months, so I’ll stick with a more traditional gift for the bride.”

I’m used to dealing with every kind of problem, solving them head-on. But this time her happiness is at stake, and I feel the pressure to get it right.

“What’s going on? Seriously, I don’t need any more surprises right now. I’m good with what I already have,” she complains.

I chuckle and Sebastian does too. I take her face between my hands and kiss her on the nose. “This is not a bad thing, I promise,” I whisper.

She bites her lip but relaxes a bit. I nod at Sebastian who stands up and walks out the front door. He comes back a few minutes later with two women and a man following him.

Silver freezes on the spot. I’m not even sure she’s breathing. Her eyes widen, her mouth hangs open as she grabs my hand and squeezes it like she’s on the edge of a cliff, terrified she’ll fall.

“How?” she whispers while the three people, her family, walk hesitantly toward her.

It’s like time has stopped and everyone in the room is frozen in place. The first hiccup shakes Silver out of her shock, and she turns to me as though asking for confirmation that she’s not crazy, that I see her family too. Then she stands up and runs toward her parents and sister, hugging them tightly, one arm around her mother and the other around her father. Her sister joins the hug from her mother’s side.

Sobbing, she lets out a low guttural sound that cracks my heart open. I’ve never heard anything more painful than the cry of this person I love. Her mother, father and sister cry too, but nothing compared to the agony coming from Silver.

I move closer and as her legs give out with emotion, I’m there to help her stand. Her face is contorted in a heartbreaking grimace. Too much. This is too much for her and I kneel besides her, holding her tight, trying to soothe her pain. I expected this to be an emotional moment for her, but not so much she can hardly breathe.

Her parents kneel in front of her, trying to comfort her. Her sister stands a step behind, weeping and clutching the t-shirt at her chest.

“It’s okay, Silver. I got you,” I whisper. “I got you, babe.”

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