Eliza Starts a Rumor(61)

She didn’t seem to be budging.

He continued. “You know I’m not a very sensitive guy. When people say ‘all the feels,’ I have no idea what they’re talking about. But when I picked up the picture of Zach, just the picture, I felt more than I’d ever felt in my life.”

His candor was touching. Alison was most definitely touched.

“So, my real reason for coming suddenly felt idiotic, and I was scared you would slam the door in my face if I presented myself as the selfish prick that I usually am.”

Alison smiled at his honesty, albeit delayed. At least he owned up to it, unlike someone she knew—or didn’t know, as it turned out. She was curious and, as she usually was with him, direct.

“OK. Tell me more about what you need from me.”

“The committee to elect is hoping you would be on board, in some fashion, for the campaign.”

“Meaning?”

“Anything from not hurting my candidacy by revealing what a complete jerk I was about the pregnancy and the baby . . . to marrying me.”

He laughed. So did she. It was funny.

What she didn’t realize is that he would seriously consider marrying her. In fact he had already done a pro-and-con spreadsheet. When he sat down and thought about it, thought about her, he realized he’d never been more attracted to anyone than he was to Alison. And it wasn’t just a sexual attraction; he was equally enticed by her brilliant mind and her one-of-the-guys attitude. The only cons were his disdain for emotional intimacy and the interruption of his alone time, both overridden by an increasingly burning desire to become the next mayor of New York.

But she laughed when he said marriage, causing him to backpedal.

“I told them there is no way you would enter into a fake marriage.” He paused for her to confirm or deny his statement.

“That is correct. I don’t even know if I would enter into a real one.” She laughed again.

No one understood her point more than Marc Sugarman. Bearing witness to his parents’ toxic marriage and wicked divorce poisoned him against the institution long ago. Still, he knew that nothing could humanize him more than a woman like Alison and their son standing by his side. He came right out and said it.

“I really need you, Alison.”

“I get it. I believe in you, Marc. I want to be there for you on this.”

He smiled with relief. It made her smile, too. Mostly because of the irony of him needing her when she had managed to not need him whatsoever.

“The best alternatives are: You stand by my side without much explanation to the press, or I call you my fiancée until sometime after the election.”

His team was very hopeful that they would land on the fiancée agreement. After Alison’s response to the M word, he was not.

Alison sat back against the tree, her mind running in many directions. She had very high hopes for Zachary, and being the mayor’s son wouldn’t hurt his future. She couldn’t help but consider the leg up that would give him in life. Gracie Mansion was quite the leap from the one-bedroom in Queens that had housed her own inauspicious beginnings. Not that she hadn’t done fine, and she relished that self-made success.

There was another factor that she needed to consider, one that Marc guessed would weigh heavily on her when he brought all of this nonsense up. She very much believed that Marc would be an excellent mayor. Despite his lack of easygoing charm, Marc cared about the city, a lot. And would be just the right amount of asshole to get things done. And she despised his opponent. His proposed policies would have horrible repercussions on the city’s undocumented immigrants, and Alison saw her mother’s young face in every one of them.

She couldn’t deny how exciting it would be to be a part of the good fight. Maybe a “for appearances” relationship would give them time to discover if anything more between them was possible? Maybe this was a chance for her and Zach to have a family of sorts—the pragmatic, anti–fairy tale that was more her speed. She asked the hard question: “We first need to discuss what part you really want in Zach’s life—not just for the cameras.”

“Of course. I’m sorry for not bringing that up first. I can tell you that I very much want to be in Zach’s life in some capacity, regardless of what you decide. I know it’s up to you. I can see that you’re a great mother and I trust you to do what’s best for him.”

And then the oddest thing happened: His eyes began to well with tears as he ran his hand through Zach’s sparse hair. He choked up.

“Thank you for giving me a son, for seeing his life as a gift. I feel ashamed for not having seen it that way myself. Very ashamed.”

His tears begat hers. They both laughed and wiped their eyes.

“I will stand beside you, Marc. But I don’t think the press will stand for your no-explanation idea. How about when asked we say we are engaged to be engaged but want to concentrate right now on the election.”

Of course she came up with a better plan than his team of experts, he thought.

“Thank you, Alison. That sounds perfect.”

“You will be a great mayor, Marc, and, I bet, a good dad as well.”

“Well, at least we know he’ll be proud of me on snow days!”

They both laughed, the way one does when it’s really needed. It was a tough thing to figure out and they both felt satisfied with the resolution.