Scandalous: The Senator's Secret Bride by Imani King

was.”

    “An honorable man? Kelly what are you talking about?”

    “Well my dear. Congratulations are in order. You’re about to be married .”

CHAPTER NINE

    October 2, 2016
    Five Weeks until Election Day

    The next morning, Kelly picked me up bright and early to make a trip to Reynolds’ office. He was still staying at the Four Seasons, but we both thought it best if I didn’t go back there again. John knew all about Janice, and he had removed the cameras from his hotel room. Still, I couldn’t be too careful. I couldn’t go back there. By the time Kelly and I arrived at the campaign office in Alexandria, my body had gone rigid with fear. The bagel and decaf coffee Kelly insisted on buying for me weren’t sitting well in my stomach.  

    Seven and a half weeks pregnant, says the internet. A May31 st due date. I patted my belly. Even though I wasn’t supposed to quite yet, I felt a gentle swell there. A small pat, almost instinctive. I closed my eyes and imagined what it might be like to have a child. A tiny person, following me through life. I’d be a single mother, quite likely, and everyone would know that she was John’s child. I’d have to move from DC, find a job somewhere else. Give up the dream of working on a presidential campaign or gaining a directorship at a political nonprofit. I gulped, nearly unable to breathe, my throat tightening into an angry knot.  

    “Kelly, please come in with me. I think I need someone there,” I said, my voice cracking. I felt the bagel sitting like a hard lump in my stomach.  

    “You are fine,” she said, pulling her Prius into a parking space across the street. “You can go in there by yourself, and I will make arrangements for the wedding. We’ll make sure that we have a story concocted about the two of you if the press finds out about... any of it. We can say, ‘Look how respectable, how romantic, they were married in secret so that no one would pull her into the publicity mix.” I opened the car door and stepped out, my stomach steadily gurgling and rolling. I tasted bile at the back of my throat.  

    “I don’t think I can tell him. About the pregnancy. I can’t do it,” I whispered. “I don’t even know if I’m going to keep it.” Kelly took my hand in hers, holding it tight as we crossed the street.  

    “Darling, I’ll be next to you whatever you do. I can’t tell you it’s okay not to tell him. In this instance, it is not okay. Very decidedly not okay. It’s not just his job, it’s your future on the line. Telling him now is an act of self-preservation. It’s an absolute must, darling. The quicker the better. And it’s the only reasonable explanation for why I just told him he needs to marry you. Though to be honest, I think he was a little bit more excited about the marriage than I expected.” She winked. I nodded, remembering the anger John had displayed when he thought I was working with Janice. And this, this would be even worse in his eyes. I steeled myself as I stepped inside the empty living area, waiting as Kelly walked down the hall. She knocked softly at the door.  

    “Sonia is here, Mr. Reynolds,” she said, cracking the door open. There was a muffled response, and Kelly gestured for me to come and join her. I hurried down the hall to John’s office. Kelly pulled the door shut and left me standing in front of John.

    “Sit, sit,” he said, waving his hand absently. His wavy, dark hair was a mess, and he wore a plain gray t-shirt and jeans instead of his suit. I raised an eyebrow as I sank into one of the leather chairs. He paused, looking down at his desk and letting out a deep breath.  

    “I’m so—”

    “Sorry? No, I’m the one that’s sorry, Sonia. I was the one who knew all along that Janice could put you in a vulnerable situation, even when I first met you at Rye. I shouldn’t have been talking with anyone, let alone taking a woman back to my room. Janice has been watching me like a hawk ever