Rachel Dyken - The Dare

"Mr. Senator? Is this the woman you've been hiding from us?"

"Mr. Senator, is she a prostitute? Or truly a family friend?

"Mr. Senator, was this a planned destination wedding, or are you just joining in a publicity stunt to help with your approval ratings?"

Question after question was fired at him.

I waited for him to defend me, for him to explain to them exactly what had happened with Grandma, not that they'd believe it.

Instead he looked directly at me and said in a sad voice, "She's an old family friend. No wedding, no prostitutes, just the happy coincidence of being on the same vacation. Isn't that right, Beth?"

His eyes pleaded with mine, while tears clouded my vision so much that I couldn't see straight. I gave a pathetic nod and turned away, knowing this time he wouldn't come after me, and I wouldn't turn back.

He'd been given a third opportunity in a day to make his choice.

And for the third time, he'd failed to choose me.

"Did you send the reporters?" The agent rubbed his face and sighed.

"It's possible."

"So that's a yes."

Grandma picked at her sweater. "I'm elderly, memory's not what it used to be."

"And just how was ratting out the senator supposed to help the relationship? If anything, it made it worse."

"It didn't." Grandma smirked. "Because clearly the senator is still missing, and so is she."

Jace

The look on Beth's face devastated me, like a punch to the gut. I tried to catch my breath, but every inhale was filled with utter disgust and panic. I'd just told her to her face, for the third time that day, that she wasn't enough. But I'd done it to protect her — to give her time to decide what she felt about me. Instead, she'd walked away. Not me. Her.

Every insecurity she must have felt about herself was probably scratching to the surface, and it was all my fault. All because I was selfish careless bastard. Every instinct told me to run after her, but what would that do? She'd probably slap me and end up on the six o'clock news. So I stayed rooted to the ground and did my damn job — I smiled pretty for the cameras, and I smoothed things over. Never in my life had I had to work so hard to pretend like my world wasn't crashing down around me.

"Senator," another reporter shoved a microphone in my face, "Channel Five, can you tell us why you're visiting the islands?"

A flash went right off in my line of vision…

I heard screeching tires all over again, and then glass went everywhere. A flashlight was shined in my eyes. "Son, are you alright?"

I forced a tight smile. "Much needed vacation."

"But our sources say that—"

"Excuse me." I pushed away from the crowd to Jake and Char. They'd come as reinforcements to help convince Beth to stay.

The reporters followed me.

Char opened her mouth, but Jake covered it with his hand. "Not here."

We walked outside and got into a cab.

I was tense as hell.

"Why?" Char whispered.

"What did you want him to do, Char?" Jake jumped to my defense. "Call her out on national television? Say that they were together? Steal the last shred of privacy she may have had? The way I see it is he made it easier for her to run."

"She's not running!" Char fired back. "She's hurt!"

"So am I!" I yelled, realizing too late that I had given myself away.

Char grabbed my hand, but I couldn't feel it. I couldn't feel anything.

I'd told myself I wouldn't get attached, and look where that had gotten me. In the exact predicament I hadn't wanted to be in. I wasn't heartbroken. I was too angry with myself and angry with the situation to feel anything worthwhile.

The anger didn't dissipate. If anything, it intensified when we pulled up to the resort, and my parents were waiting in the lobby with Grandma in tow.

I expected lots of yelling and confusion. What I didn't expect was for my father to pull me in to a giant hug and pat my back, like he was still somehow proud of the ass his son had become.

My mom smiled sadly and squeezed my hand.

"Let's go have a nice morning chat." Dad led me toward one of the restaurants.

I ordered black coffee and stared mindlessly into it while he ordered breakfast for both of us.

"A month ago," Dad stirred some milk into his coffee, "I had a nice chat with Travis."

Not what I expected. Warning bells went off in my head.

"He was worried about you, said you'd been drinking more and acting careless. I immediately assumed it was all that Kerri-business coming back to haunt you. Then Travis said something interesting."

"I'm sure he did." Numb. I was so damn numb.

"He said, you'd drunkenly told him about the best night of your life."

Well, hell.

"And imagine my surprise when it wasn't the night of your election, but the night you took your cousin to prom."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"A girl with green eyes and dark hair had captured your attention, and for some reason, maybe it was the kiss, or maybe it was the way she fit perfectly into your arms, you fell."

I rose to get up.

"Sit down."

I sat.

"Funny," my father nodded, "because I remember the story a little differently."

I looked out at the crashing waves and waited.

"Your mother and I forced you to take your cousin to her senior prom. You fought us on it until I finally put my foot down. She didn't have a date, after all. A few hours later, you came back to the house in such a frenzy I thought something had happened."

Squinting, I looked up into his eyes. "I never came back to the house, Dad."

He sighed. "You did. The therapists said that telling you about what you didn't remember could cause emotional damage, so we kept it quiet. Never in my life did I think it would be so important."

"I don't understand." I scratched the back of my head, feeling the scar from the surgery.

"Of all the things to forget, you forgot the accident and things leading up to it, but you remembered that damn kiss you shared with that girl, and it wrecked you."

"You're telling me this now because?"

"Because it will help. I hope to God it helps, because I'm about at my wit's end with you." He smirked lovingly. "You ran into the house and said, 'Dad, I've met the girl I'm going to marry.'"

Suddenly, I was in my parents' living room again.

The memory hit me full force. I tried to stuff it back into my mind. I tried to ignore the pain in my chest as it sliced me completely in half.

"Dad!" I ran into the house. "I need the cell phone, and I'm going to take the car."

"You're back already?" He straightened his tie. "You sure are in a hurry, son."

"I met her," I said, grinning like an idiot. "You and mom were right. It happened just like you said it would. It was like… it was magic!"

"What was?"

"The kiss!"

"You kissed your cousin? Son, sit down…"

"No!" I yelled. "I kissed Beth. She goes to Macy's school and was there with some other guy and... I want to catch her in time!"

"And what's your plan, once you catch her?"

"I haven't thought it out," I admitted. "But it's going to involve kissing."

"Keep your pants on son." Dad laughed. "And be careful."

"I will!" I promised and ran out the door yelling, "Dad, I met the girl I'm going to marry!"

I was driving too fast, not caring that I was breaking so many laws that my license could get revoked. I accelerated through a yellow light. And that's when I heard the screeching metal of steel on steel.

My world went completely black.

I woke up three months later from a coma. And the first word that trickled out of my mouth was, "Beth."

But she had already gone, already left for school. She hadn't cared enough to look into how I was. Hell, she probably hadn't even known who I was or that I was the same guy she'd kissed. The same guy who had almost died trying to see her again.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. All this time I thought I'd walked away from her, but I'd gone back. I'd gone back to make the big gesture because those few minutes were enough to make me believe in something I'd always told myself wasn't real.

Dad placed his hand on mine. "Love at first sight."

"Doesn't exist." I snapped, jerking my hand back.

"That experience changed you." He shook his head sadly. "You poured everything into the next two years of high school and then graduated early from college. You lived and breathed your job."

"Because my job won't ever let me down. It's consistent. The one time I took a chance in my life, and I almost died."

"You afraid of a little coma, son?"

"My brain was swollen for three months, Dad. I could have been a vegetable the rest of my life, all because I was careless."

"With a car. Not with your heart."

"Are we done?"

"Don't disappoint me." I froze.

"How the hell is me walking away from Beth disappointing you?"

"Because, I know you, son. You wear your heart on your sleeve. You want to take that leap for her, but you're too chicken shit to do it. Tell her the truth. Tell her what happened."

"And if she rejects me? Like I deserve?"

"Think of it this way." My dad took a long sip of coffee. "What if the car would have made it to prom? What if you would have walked into that gym and seen Beth, with those pretty green eyes, staring at you."

"I would have kissed her," I croaked. "And probably made an ass out of myself."

"You would have told her you were going to marry her someday."

I didn't respond. I couldn't. My chest felt so heavy with emotion that I wasn't able to take deep breaths. I wheezed, coughed, and took a few steps away from my dad before stopping and turning.

"Were you in on it?"

"On this?" Dad spread the napkin across his lap. "Why, son, it was my idea."

He said it so calm that I thought he had to be joking.

He took another sip of coffee and smiled.

Holy shit.

"Grandma?"

"Offered her expertise. How else do you think I was able to plant the media outside the hotel? Grandma can't be in two places at once. She slipped something in your drinks, made sure you made it safely to the hotel, and I took care of all the rest of the details. Right down to sending media to the airport."

"But—"

"Grandma was with you the whole time," Dad laughed, "texting me details."

"But the resort we're staying at? She's a therapist here."

Dad looked at me like I was stupid. I hated being looked at like that. "Titus Enterprises owns several hotel chains. You're staying in one. How else do you think Grandma could infiltrate the staff so effectively?"

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"Good." Dad's eyebrows quirked. "At least you're finally feeling something."

"But…"

"Son... it's when you're at the end of your life that you start thinking about the beginning. Choices made, things you should have said, people you should have forgiven. I don't want that for you. I saw you going down a path that I knew would end in heartache. Travis and I went golfing soon after you confessed about second chances. That's when I put two and two together. It was easily done, and when I saw you at the wedding. I knew…"

"You mean when you drugged us at the wedding."

"My idea was to get you caught in a compromising situation on camera, not drug you, fly to you to Hawaii make you bleed your feelings all over a therapist, and get your first experience with Viagra."

I winced.

"But Grandma had a point. You two needed time to get to know one another, and she provided a safe media-free environment for exactly that to happen. My only question is… did it work?"

"Did what work?"

"Our plan?"

I was silent for a few seconds.

"Son, do you love her?"

"I do." I licked my lips, feeling like a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off my shoulders. "I really do."

"Then chase her."

"What if she doesn't want me back? How do I even know that she would have dated me had my car made it back to the gym?"