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Riley nodded. “It does.”

“It’s really the fact that Atkins is gay that is causing an uproar.”

“Mom didn’t know, so that should minimize the impact.” Neither had Riley, and now that the news was public, he’d have to deal with the fact on a more personal level. One he had pushed to the back of his mind.

“No matter how you look at it, there’s an embarrassment factor for her, but she’s a strong woman. She’ll survive and do it well,” Harlan said with pride.

Riley smiled. “You love her,” he said, not realizing he’d spoken aloud.

“Since the day I laid eyes on her.”

“She was lucky to have found you. We were lucky.” Funny, he thought, how in times of crisis, a person came to appreciate the things he had in life all the more.

A long pause followed. “I feel the same way, son,” Harlan said. “Believe it or not, I tried to spare all of us this pain. And not just because of my position and career.” Emotion caused Harlan’s voice to crack.

Riley’s throat filled as well. “I need to make sure Lizzie’s doing okay with the fallout, but give Mom a kiss for me and tell her I’ll call later.”

“I will,” his stepfather promised. “I’ll also make damn sure I find out who leaked this scandal and see to it that they pay.”

“It was bound to come out. Secrets can’t stay hidden forever.”

“Some can and should,” Harlan said.

A click followed. Harlan had disconnected the call.

Knowing the older man, he was already on to other things, handling the crisis in a way only he could.

Riley closed his eyes and thought about his daughter. Adults handling the news were one thing. A thirteen-year-old being publicly humiliated was quite another.

He grabbed his keys. Next stop Lizzie and Lisa’s house.

S
PENCER STARED
out the window of his expensive penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. His life had been a jumble of contradictions and clichés.

A gay man marrying to hide his secret. Although at first he hadn’t hid his sexual orientation so much as wanted to change who he was. The late 1950s wasn’t a time when homosexuality was accepted or even understood. Hell, he thought, it wasn’t like his lifestyle was accepted everywhere in this country today. He didn’t regret trying to assimilate into the mainstream. He only regretted the hurt he’d caused Anne at the time.

Because if he could have loved any woman in that way, it would have been his son’s mother. Anne was his Doris Day, a soft-spoken, sweet-natured woman who would bring any man to his knees. He’d loved her in his way and he’d wanted to make their life together work. Especially when he’d found out she was pregnant.

Unfortunately, that was when things had started to shatter, both in their lives and inside Spencer. It had been difficult enough being with a woman when she couldn’t fulfill his emotional and physical needs but once she was pregnant, he had immediately felt himself grow distant. He’d started spending nights out at underground gay bars, stopping for an hour at a sports bar on the way home as his cover.

Anne had hated the barrier he’d erected and he’d hated the lie he was living. The more he’d thought about how unfair he was being to her, the more he’d realized how much worse things would be when his baby was born. The decision to leave her had been the most difficult he’d ever made, but he consoled himself with the belief that she’d be better off without him.

Spencer had come home drunk late one night and told Anne that he hated being tied down in any way. With Yank Morgan as his best friend, Anne hadn’t had to look far to see another example of what Spencer claimed to be: a man happier single than married.

She’d moved back with her parents, who’d made it impossible for him to stay in touch with her, not that he blamed them. He’d been torn up inside already and he’d backed off, intending to let some time pass before trying once more to be part of his child’s life. But soon after, Anne had met Harlan Nash, a successful man with a law degree and political aspirations, an upstanding man who wanted to marry her and raise her child as his own.

Spencer and Harlan had met one night at the other man’s request. In that moment, Spencer had known his wife and child could have a better life, a normal life, without him in it. He’d shaken Harlan Nash’s hand and agreed not to contact either one of them again.

However, he hadn’t promised not to watch from afar. He hadn’t sworn not to pull strings and make sure his son—an athlete as it turned out—had the benefits of having a father in the business. He’d steered the appropriate college coaches toward Riley—not that they wouldn’t have recruited the talented young man anyway. And he’d pushed Yank toward representing Riley Nash, making up a bullshit excuse for not going after the Heisman winner himself.

If Yank had known or suspected the truth, he’d never let on. And as the years had passed on, Spencer had come to realize Yank was as much in the dark as everyone else. Keeping his secret had been the only way he knew to live and succeed.

Until Lola had finally left Yank and come to him for a shoulder late one night and discovered him with the man he’d been seeing on and off for the past ten years. Bless Lola, who reminded him so much of Anne, she’d quietly accepted, without passing judgment, and hadn’t revealed his secret—until it had slipped out when Yank had broken his hip in an angry tirade, thinking Spencer and Lola were a couple. Then somehow, the news that night had leaked out, though, for whatever reason, the timing of the big reveal had been delayed until a couple of weeks before the draft.

But as much as that news had sent Spencer into a tailspin, it was nothing compared to
this
revelation. This one had the potential to destroy other people’s lives. Including the life of the son he’d given up in order to protect him from precisely this secret.

“T
HE IMPROMPTU MEETING
of Athletes Only and The Hot Zone partners will now come to order.” Uncle Yank whacked his gavel hard against the table. “Now who the hell’s responsible for
this?
” He waved today’s paper in his hand.

Sophie took a sip of her coffee. “What’s going on?” She hadn’t slept well last night and, instead of getting to the office in time to read the morning papers before the meeting, she was about to receive her information from Uncle Yank—when he stopped carrying on, she thought.

“It seems that somebody found out about my connection to Riley,” Spencer said.

“What?” The foam cup slipped from Sophie’s hand and the dark liquid spilled over the lacquered table, soaking her notepad and spreading outward.

She, her sisters and Lola grabbed their napkins and rushed to wipe up the mess.

“I’m sorry. I’m not usually so clumsy,” Sophie said, after they’d cleaned the spill and resettled into their seats.

“You’re not usually so upset by the morning news, either,” Spencer noted too perceptively.

“Well, it doesn’t usually involve people I care about.” She caught her words and laughed. “I take that back. Lately it involves people I care about way too often.”

After all Riley had gone through after finding out about Spencer being gay, he now had to deal with it publicly as well. She glanced at her watch, wondering how long this meeting would go on.

She wanted to get to the phone and see how Riley was handling the news. She couldn’t help worrying about him and she felt certain he needed someone to talk to that he could trust. Heaven knows, she understood what he was going through, Sophie thought.

“So what are we going to do about minimizing the damage for you?” Annabelle asked Spencer.

“I have a meeting this week to find out about that.”

“Cryptic,” Sophie said.

“Very,” Micki muttered.

Spencer nodded. “You’re all just going to have to trust that I have this situation under control. Well, as in control as things can be.”

Yank slammed his gavel, taking everyone off guard.

“What was that for?” Lola asked.

“You heard the man. He’s got everything under control.” Yank nodded at Spencer. “Meeting adjourned.”

Lola gathered his things and together they strode out the conference room door.

“Remember we’re meeting for dinner for last-minute party planning,” Annabelle said, gathering her things.

“I’ll be there,” Micki said.

“So will I,” Sophie said.

As her sisters walked out the door, chatting about the upcoming party, Sophie reached for the nearest phone, anxious to call Riley.

He’d come to her the moment Spencer’s secret had been revealed and they’d gone through so much together since. He’d confided in her that he was Spencer’s son when nobody else had known the truth. She couldn’t let him go through the public revelation of that truth alone and she wanted him to know if he needed her, she was here.

“As much as you care about me, I have a hunch that the coffee spill was because you’re more upset for Riley,” Spencer said, coming up behind her.

Caught, she curled her hand around the telephone. “You shouldn’t minimize your role in our family,” she scolded Spencer, hoping he’d take the hint and drop any conversation about her feelings for his son.

“Can I give you a piece of advice?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“I missed out on a lifetime with Riley because of the misguided choices I made.” Spencer placed a fatherly hand on her shoulder. “Don’t you do the same thing.”

Sophie nodded, unable to speak over the lump in her throat. “Thanks,” she finally managed to say.

When Spencer walked out, leaving her alone, she grabbed the phone and dialed Riley at home. When the machine picked up instead of him, she shut her eyes, savoring the sound of his voice.

At the beep, she spoke. “Hi, it’s me. Sophie. I just heard about the news in the papers and I wanted to know how you were holding up.” Knowing she would soon run out of time, she added a quick, “Call me. Please.” Then she hung up.

She dialed his cell phone next and left the same message on his voice mail.

Then she settled in to wait.

R
ILEY SAT
in his ex-wife’s kitchen, something that had become a habit this past week.

“Riley, you’ve been here every night since the story broke. I appreciate it. Ted appreciates it. Lizzie appreciates it. But, frankly, you’re driving me insane!” Lisa said, but despite the laughter, the seriousness in her tone spoke volumes.

Riley didn’t really want to spend his time here, either, but he had no desire to go home to his empty apartment, and he sure as hell had no desire to head back to the gym and listen to the talk and the snickers behind his back.

Lisa looked around, obviously making sure their daughter wasn’t around before speaking. “Has it been that bad for you?” she asked.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m a big boy and I can handle gossip.”

“But?” she prodded.

“But it sucks doing it alone,” he admitted.

Lisa’s eyes opened wide. “It’s finally happened, hasn’t it?” She pulled out a kitchen chair opposite Riley’s and sat down. Perching her chin in her hands, she developed a huge grin on her face. “You’ve finally met the one woman who doesn’t fall into your lap at the snap of your fingers!”

He winced. “Do you think you could stop looking so damn happy about it?”

“I’m sorry.” She wiped the smile from her face. “It’s just that I never thought I’d see the day. So what’s going wrong?”

He shrugged. “Other than everything?”

“If she isn’t standing by you during this mess, you really don’t need her in your life, Riley.” Lisa spoke bluntly with obvious concern.

“What if she’s standing by me
only
during this mess?” He voiced the concern that had been dogging him since the scandal of his parentage had erupted.

Sophie had called him almost immediately after the news hit the papers. He hadn’t returned her calls. The problem was, he didn’t want her in his life only when there was something wrong. Only because she pitied him or thought he needed her to confide in. He wanted her to come around on her own because she couldn’t imagine being without him.

“Before the news hit, I had one foot out the door to see her, literally,” Riley explained. “I was finished giving her time and space to miss me. I was going to see her to lay it on the line. To tell her that I loved her and that if she loved me it was time to put a way her insecurities and take that leap of faith.” He flexed and unflexed his fists, frustration still boiling inside him.

Lisa rose and walked to the refrigerator, pulling out a long-necked bottle. She pried off the top with an opener and slid the bottle over to him. “Have a beer. We keep it around just in case you stop by,” she said, laughing. “You seem like you could use one right now.”

“Thanks.”

“So you changed your mind about seeing Sophie. Why?” Lisa asked.

Although it struck Riley that this was the first serious conversation he and his ex-wife had had in years about anything other than their daughter, he appreciated the insight of someone with a successful marriage.

“At first I had to deal with the fallout of the news. By then, Sophie had left messages for me at home and on my cell. And it dawned on me that I hadn’t heard from her since our trip to Mississippi. But as soon as a crisis struck, boom! There she was, calling me.”

Lisa wrinkled her nose. “And this is a bad thing?” she asked, obviously confused.

He nodded. “You have to know Sophie. In a crisis, she steams into control mode. She knows exactly what to do, what to say and how to act, in order to take charge and make sure that all’s right in her world. As soon as the problem is over, she crawls back into her self-protective shell and won’t come out.”

“Sounds like she needs you more than you need her. And if you don’t mind my saying so, that giving-her-space thing? It’s more something a man would appreciate than a woman,” Lisa said.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on and treating it with a long swig of beer. “I think she needs to be shaken up a bit,” he muttered, not knowing how else to get through to the beautiful, stubborn woman.

He couldn’t believe after all the years of women coming easily to him, the one woman he wanted in his life for good, he couldn’t figure out how to keep. If this were a damn football game, he’d have a playbook. For all Sophie’s rules, there were none on how to reach her.

The doorbell rang and before Lisa could respond, Lizzie’s footsteps sounded, padding down the stairs. “I got it, I got it,” she called, alerting the neighborhood.

Riley and Lisa shot each other amused glances.

“Grandpa!” Lizzie yelled, surprising them both.

Since Lisa’s father had died years ago and Lizzie called Ted’s father Poppy, a sinking feeling settled low in Riley’s stomach. He rose and followed Lisa out of the kitchen and into the foyer in time to see Harlan hugging his granddaughter.

His eyes caught first Lisa’s with a warm smile, then Riley’s.

“So what brings you here?” Lisa asked, shutting the door behind him.

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.

A
N 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.