Harlan wrapped an arm around Lizzie’s shoulder. “I stopped by Riley’s straight from the airport. The doorman said he wasn’t home, so I figured I’d take my chances and have the car service drop me here. Riley mentioned yesterday that he’d been spending time here this week and I was hoping I could meet up with all of you. At the very least I knew I’d get to see my favorite girl.” He hugged Lizzie tight. “Can we all sit and talk?”

Oh, something was up, Riley thought. And it couldn’t be good.

“Let me get Ted. He’s doing paperwork in his office.”

Harlan nodded. “That would be a good idea.”

Once they were all seated in the living room, Harlan rose and stood in the center of the room. “I realize nobody in this room has had an easy time of it since Riley’s paternity was revealed. Riley?”

He shook his head, uncertain where the hell Harlan was going with this. “It’s been tough. Locker-room garbage, reporters hounding me, things like that.”

“Lizzie?” Harlan looked at the teenager. “How’s it been for you?”

She stared at her bare feet without looking up. “The kids at school think it’s funny that my dad’s got a gay father. They asked me if Dad’s gay, too.”

Riley and Lisa nodded. They’d heard the stories over the past few days. It broke Riley’s heart that his daughter had to bear the brunt of something that had nothing at all to do with her. After all, being a teenager was hard enough.

“I promised your dad I’d find out who was behind the leak.” Harlan knelt down beside his granddaughter. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us?”

Riley stiffened. “Dad…” he said, warning his father to back off. “Don’t go looking for a scapegoat just because you’re still angry I told Lizzie the truth about Spencer.”

The other man rose slowly, in deference to his age. “I have a hair-trigger temper and I admit I lost it that day, but I can assure you I would never blame my granddaughter unfairly.” He turned to Lizzie. “Would I, young lady?”

Lisa jumped up from her seat. “I don’t know what’s going on here but I don’t like it. If you have something to say, just say it. Stop beating around the bush,” Lisa said, her temper flaring.

Ted placed a hand on her arm, pulling her back down, but staying out of the family squabble at least for now.

“I agree with Lisa,” Riley said. “Just spit it out.” Riley had to admit his daughter, who was still staring at the ground, looked extremely guilty about something.

“My sources tell me that the person behind leaking the news is a man named Frank Thomas. His daughter, Sara, is a schoolmate of Lizzie’s,” Harlan said.

Riley groaned.

Lisa leaned back in her seat and sighed aloud.

Lizzie burst into tears.

AN HOUR LATER, Riley drove his father back into the city so he could drop him off at his hotel.

“It isn’t easy being a parent, is it?” Harlan asked.

Riley shook his head. “No, it sure isn’t.” He paused, knowing he owed Harlan an apology. “I’m sorry I trusted Lizzie with that information. Definitely too much for a thirteen-year-old to keep inside. And now your career is at risk.”

Harlan sighed. “As she explained through her hysteria, she just confided in a friend because she was upset about you and your girlfriend being on TV. It never dawned on her that her friend would tell her father or that her father would sell the story to earn a buck. Makes it hard to be angry.”

“Well, I still trusted her with sensitive information and she repeated it. She needs to learn that actions have consequences. I suppose now she has.” Riley swerved the steering wheel to avoid a taxi who cut him off.

“I hope so,” Harlan said.

Riley glanced to the passenger side. “So what happens now?”

“I ride out the scandal and see what the electorate does in November. Nothing else I can do.” He set his jaw, grinding his back teeth.

“Are you heading back home in the morning?”

Harlan shifted in his seat. “I have an important meeting at nine. I’ll fly out after that.”

Riley grinned. “The busy life of a politician.”

“Yet sometimes it’s your personal life that wears you down,” the other man said, laughing despite the circumstances. “So how’s that beautiful woman you brought home with you?”

“Fine.” Riley wasn’t in the mood to discuss Sophie for a second time today. He managed to make small talk and keep his real feelings to himself until they finally pulled up to the curb by the hotel and said their goodbyes.

Exhausted, Riley drove home, parked and took the elevator up to his apartment, ready to fall into bed. Instead as he approached his place, he saw a blonde seated outside his door waiting for him.

Sophie must have heard his approach, because she looked up, then rose to her feet, an embarrassed smile on her face.

His heart sped up at the sight of her in her faded jeans and T-shirt. Her hair was tousled and she wore no makeup.

“Hi there,” she greeted him with a wave.

He practically lost his heart all over again, but reminded himself he had good reason to be wary. “Hi, yourself.”

“Your doorman recognized me from the interview Uncle Yank did on TV and he said I could come on up and wait.”

The interview. Another time she’d seen fit to leave a message because she thought it was the right thing to do, not because she couldn’t stay away. She managed to do that too easily.

He put his keys in the door and let them inside. “Been here long?”

“Not really,” Sophie lied. More like two hours, she thought. She’d even dozed once.

Once inside, he tossed the keys on the kitchen counter. He turned to face her and she saw how truly tired he looked. She curled her fingers into a fist, resisting the urge to reach out and caress his face.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve had a really long day. I’m wiped out and just plain not in the mood for company. I’d really appreciate it if you’d get to the point of your visit, so I can get some sleep.” As if to back up his claim, his body swayed and he leaned against the counter for support.

She swallowed hard. His curt tone caught her off guard. Though they hadn’t been in touch lately, she thought they understood each other and shared a special bond. She thought he’d need her. Wasn’t that why she’d come to see him now?

She bit on her lower lip, feeling silly for showing up at all. “This was a mistake. Just forget it.” She pivoted fast and started for the door.

“Wait.” He caught her arm, stopping her from making a clean escape.

She turned and faced him. Her skin burned where he’d touched her, the desire she always felt in his presence still strong. Stronger though was the humiliation.

“I’m sorry. It’s just-”

She waved off his apology. “You don’t need to apologize. I shouldn’t have just shown up here unannounced.”

“Then why did you?” His tone softened and curiosity flashed in his face, along with a warmth she hadn’t seen yet tonight.

She spread her hands out in front of her. “The papers, the gossip, the fact that everyone knows Spencer’s your father…I know it can’t be easy and I’ve been worried about you.” She paused, then added, “I’ve left messages, but you haven’t returned my calls.”

“It’s been hectic.”

“I’ll bet.” When had they become like two awkward strangers? Sophie wondered. Even at their most heated, angry moments, words had never failed either one of them. “I figured that since nobody knew about you and Spencer before now, you might want to talk to someone who understood.”

“Is that it?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Not a good sign as far as Sophie was concerned. He was obviously blocking her out. She wished she could close her eyes and have the floor swallow her whole.

He remained silent, obviously waiting for her to continue her pathetic explanation.

She might as well oblige or else she wouldn’t be getting out of here any time soon and her humiliation would continue. He couldn’t make it any clearer that he didn’t need or want her compassion or understanding.

She shrugged uselessly. “That’s it. I thought you might need a friend. Obviously I was wrong.”

“A friend.” A ruddy stain rose to his cheeks and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “You thought I might need a friend.” He repeated her words with complete disgust in his tone. “Well, isn’t that special? You know what, Sophie? I have plenty of friends. Dozens, in fact. If I wanted to pour my heart out about my newly revealed gay father, I could turn to any number of people in my life. Hell, I could book an interview on Access Hollywood and talk to the goddamn nation!” he said, his voice rising.

She stepped back, away from his anger. “I really should go.”

“The hell you will. You came here to offer your friendship and now I’m going to have my say before you leave.”

In all the time she’d known him, she’d never seen this side of him. She wasn’t afraid of Riley, she never could be. But she’d obviously hit a tender nerve and though she didn’t understand, she desperately wanted to.

“Go on.” Her words came out more like a croak.

“Do you want to know where I was when I found out that the world knew Spencer Atkins is my father?”

She blinked, waiting.

“I was on my way to see you. Want to know why?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “I’d decided I was finished giving you time and space. I’d decided to lay it on the line and tell you that I love you.”

His words hit her like a sucker punch in the stomach, hard and painful, and unexpected and sweet all at the same time. Her chest hurt as emotion and anxiety lodged there and remained.

“I didn’t know. You never-”

“Came around or told you.” He treated her to a grim smile. “In the disaster that followed, you left messages checking in on me.”

She nodded again. “You never returned my calls.”

“Because I realized that you only call or show up when things go wrong. When you can take control and do what Sophie Jordan does best-dig up the facts, tell people how to handle things and generally run the show-you’re a great sister and I bet you’re an even better friend.”

He wasn’t exactly listing bad qualities. Confusion raced through her. “I don’t understand.”

He tipped his head to the side and studied her. “The thing is, I don’t need another friend. I love you, Sophie Jordan. But I want the person I love to be by my side in good times and in bad. I don’t want someone who shows up to lend a shoulder and who runs away from things that feel too good.”

“I don’t-”

“You do,” he said emphatically. “You most certainly do run away any time you think I’ve gotten too close.” He slowly stepped closer, invading her space.

She couldn’t breathe as it was, but now when she inhaled she was overcome by his scent, by all that was Riley, and was forced to admit to herself she loved him, too.

She just couldn’t say the words out loud, fear pummeling her from all sides. And the more he spoke, the more she realized he knew her better than she knew herself.

He placed an arm against the wall above her head. “You lost your parents and you cope by controlling things around you, but here’s the kicker. You can’t control love. And that scares you so badly you’re willing to walk away from a damn good thing before I leave you first. Or before, on the off chance, something happens and I die on you. Just as your parents did,” he said, his voice softening, melting her defenses and breaking her heart.

Tears filled her eyes and she didn’t bother to wipe them away, nor could she summon a reply for Riley. She didn’t have an answer that would satisfy him because he was so dead-on accurate it was scary.

Cindy had said much the same things, but coming from a friend, it had sounded like psychobabble. Coming from the man who was causing all the emotional turmoil gave it that much more impact.

“Don’t worry. I don’t expect you to return the sentiment.” His eyes flashed with a mixture of irritation and disappointment at the same time. “But that’s my whole point. You can’t say the words. Hell, I don’t even know if you can feel them.” He ran his hand through his hair, leaving it spiked and disheveled.

“That’s unfair.” Sophie trembled, unable to believe the depths to which this conversation had gone. “I didn’t even know how you felt before now.”

“Would it have mattered?” He set his jaw, his mind obviously already made up.

She looked inside her heart and asked that same question. Would it have mattered? Could she commit to him even now that she knew he was in love with her? Could she give him the words he wanted to hear, knowing she was in love with him, too?

She swallowed hard and met his gaze, the fear of losing him all-consuming. But the fear of committing to someone and not knowing exactly what would come next was too overwhelming for her to contemplate.