The Billionaire's Temporary Bride (Scandal, Inc #3)(88)

"You don't know?" Callie said. "Jack dropped out of the race last night. Every cable news channel in the country is looking for you at the moment. I suspect half of them are already set up outside your parents' house right now."

He's talking about me, she thought. He has to be talking about me, about me and our unborn child. This has nothing to do with his secrets or the rest of his family. He dropped out of the race for me. She didn't know whether to be moved by his actions or to feel sick for causing him to abandon his ambitions. If he had done all of this for her, where was he?

Charlotte walked over to the window and pulled the curtain aside. Sure enough, the street was choked with vans, and reporters were standing at the base of her lawn. "Callie, why would he drop out?"

"You tell me," Callie said.

"I told him about the pregnancy last night. We fought," Charlotte said. "I thought he hated me."

"Are you camera-ready?" Callie asked.

"Why would that matter?" Charlotte asked. She wiped at her cheeks.

"Stay inside," Callie instructed her. "I'm only about twenty minutes away. We'll get you through this. Remember, this is what I do."

"Ok," Charlotte said. She went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face and clean herself up a little. No matter how hard she tried to clear her head, she couldn't. She pulled her hair back into a bun. If he had dropped out of the race for me, where the hell is he?

She turned her attention back to the TV, and a rush of ice flowed through her veins. That was her street. The news crews weren't just staking her out just in case. They were broadcasting. The camera zoomed in on Jack's car parked in the driveway. Charlotte turned the TV off and tossed the remote down. Outside, more TV crews were arriving.

Through the window, she watched as the throng of reporters started moving up the driveway, surrounding a car. The crowd was so thick that Charlotte could barely see the car or its driver. Callie must have sped the entire way over to make such good time. The reporters were using her arrival as an excuse to rush up the driveway. Soon, the crowd was moving up towards the house. Charlotte could hear them shouting and jockeying for position.

Enough was enough. She wasn't going to let them do this. She marched up to the front door and stepped outside. The crowd went silent and the cameras turned toward her.

Charlotte watched as a hand reached between two reporters, pushing them apart. She saw Jack's face as he pushed through the opening and raced up the walkway toward her. She could see the tears in the corners of his eyes. He sprinted up the steps and wrapped his arms around her, spinning her in the air as he kissed her. His lips were warm, and she could taste the salt of his tears, or maybe they were hers, she didn't know.

A wave of emotion swept through her body as he kissed her again. It felt so good to be in his arms. She felt so safe, so loved, so right. For a moment, Charlotte forgot about the reporters and the election and everything else, and she melted into Jack's arms, into the warmth of his kisses. She wanted to lose herself in his love, to give herself to it completely.

"Charlotte, I thought I'd lost you," Jack said. "I thought I'd pushed you away. I've been sick to my stomach since I found out you were gone."

"I thought I'd lost you, too," Charlotte said. "I'm so sorry. I panicked and I just left and I didn't know how to make things right."

"Everything is right now," Jack said. He tightened his hug and kissed her again. Each kiss bloomed like a flower against her lips.

"Ahem," Ellen called from the door, "would you two like to come inside, maybe out of view of the country?"

"There's something I have to say first," Jack said. "Charlotte, as long as I was in office, working fifteen hours a day, I couldn't be the man you deserve. I couldn't be the father our child deserves. Last night, I was so mad at you for not telling me. But the moment I stepped out on that stage, surrounded by supporters and friends, I knew nothing else mattered. The only person I wanted by my side was you.

"Without you, I felt hollow and weak, and alone. I knew I'd never be happy unless I could be completely yours, and I could never be completely yours unless I gave up my family's dreams of power and prestige. I'm in this marriage because I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Jack," Charlotte said, "inside. We can talk about this inside where there aren't a few dozen cameras pointed at us."

They made their way back to the kitchen and sat down. Jack held onto Charlotte's hand and wouldn't let go.

"So what happens now?" she asked. "What about the race?"

"Forget about the race. It doesn't matter, and forget about the press. They don't matter either. The only thing that matters is that we love each other, and I don't want you to doubt that for another second. We're starting a family, Charlotte, and you have to be my top priority."

Charlotte was at a loss for words. Finally she managed to say, "Does this mean Big Greg wins?"

Jack laughed. "No," he said. "I've already seen to it that he'll never run for public office again. "

"What about Maria and little Jack?"

"Maria's moving to DC. She got a job offer and she's ready to start a new chapter in her life. I think it's time we put my family's money to use."