{Geoffrey}

Ithaca, New York, 1993

I never thought I would have to see Ridley Green again. He'd nearly ruined our lives with his evil plans. And now that I have a wife and daughter, I have a lot more to lose.

I hope you haven't forgotten about me. Because I haven't forgotten about you for one second. Don't try to escape what you already know, Cromwell. I'm coming for you, and you'll know what we could have done together.

I've memorized that note, even though I'd burned it a long time ago. Raina didn't know I'd kept it for as long as I did, and I think it's better that way. The less she knows about Ridley's plans for me, whatever they are, the better.

"Geoff?" A hand comes down on my shoulder, squeezing it — Raina's. I recognize her wedding ring, two silver ribbons woven together. "You okay?"

I look up at her. There's a concerned expression on her face, and her blue-green eyes stay on mine. "I am now."

She smiles, kissing my cheek. "When will I ever get tired of you looking at me that way?"

"I hope that question's rhetorical," I say, catching her wrist before she can pull it away and kissing her palm.

Raina blushes and pushes her hair out of her face. That was such a familiar gesture, and I remember it from the first time we met. It seems like a lifetime ago.

"So, you have any plans today while I'm gone?" I release her wrist, letting her relieve Mila of Ettie and carry her over to her high chair.

"In this big house?" Raina looks over her shoulder at me, eyebrow raised. "There's always something to do."

I take another sip of my coffee, straighten my necktie, and then stand up. The other executives are going to wonder where I am if I don't get a move on.

"Can you say bye-bye to Dada?" Raina says, as soon as she notices.

"Bye-bye, Dada!" She smiles, which makes me smile too. "Goodday!"

"Your wish is my command, milady." I bend over to kiss her hair, soft and curly like Raina's. Before I can straighten, Raina catches my face and kisses me, right on the lips.

"Thought you could get away without giving me a kiss, hm?" she murmurs against my lips before giving me another one.

"Truthfully? No." I smile, reluctant to pull away.

She smiles too, the kind that wrinkles her nose, and gives my shoulder a swat. "You are insufferable, Geoffrey Cromwell."

"I hope so." I wink. "Otherwise we wouldn't be here."

≈

In all honesty, I wish I could have stayed home with Raina and Ettie today. The morning meeting is stuffy and boring, and all the executives treat me like my father. I'm not him. It's been hard since his death, but we've managed to keep the company afloat. More than afloat, actually. We've started making profits again, which Dad would be happy to see.

After that, a few of the lower-level employees come in to complain to me, waving their arms and shouting in my face. I wish they wouldn't. I'm not even their supervisor.

And then, right after my lunch break, my intercom beeps. "Mr. Cromwell, you have a Mr. Green asking to see you."

I actually drop the fountain pen I was writing with, and as it falls it hits my trouser leg and leaves a splotch of ink. Green. As in Ridley Green. "Send him in."

While I'm waiting, I bend down and pick up the pen, pulling a tissue out and dabbing at the stain. It won't come out, not without some dry-cleaning. I set it back in the well just as there's a knock on my door and it opens a crack.

I hardly recognize Ridley. He's not the same spindly little guy I met freshman year. His shoulders actually fill his suit jacket now, and he's bulked up in the muscle department. I can see it in his arms. But he hasn't lost that sneer he always wore, nor that calculating look in his eye.

"Ridley," I say when he comes in, closing the door behind him. "What brings you by?"

"Can't a fellow fraternity brother drop in for old time's sake?" he says, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Ridley, that frat was a joke, and you know it." Just last year I heard they'd been disbanded for hazing, and a couple kids died. "I'm glad I'm not back there."

"Right. Because you have Daddy's company and his house." He sneers, and I want to punch it off. "And that trailer trash you call a wife."

My fists curl under the desk. There was gossip, yes, about Raina's background. When I'd taken her to an executive dinner last year at one of New York City's most expensive restaurants, the wives of the other executives kept looking at her like she was a pig with lipstick and a wig on. But she'd managed to fit in perfectly, fielding endless questions intending to offend. I'd actually admired how well she'd held up under all of it.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to talk about your taste in women." He flops down into the chair across from me, like he's going to be here a while. "I came to run an idea by you."

"Okay," I say, although I hope he notices the tightness in my voice. Not having him in my life was good while it lasted. "What about?"

"I'm thinking of running for office."

I shake my head, wondering if I'd heard him wrong. "What? What office?"

"Come on, Geoff. Is it really such an abstract idea?" He sounds annoyed. "And it's the Mayor's office, by the way. Of New York City."

"You? In office? I thought you didn't even like people, Ridley."

"That's neither here nor there." Ridley leans forward, raising an eyebrow. "I was wondering if you'd like to fund my campaign."

"No," I answer immediately. Because I know he won't use our partnership or funds wisely.

He bristles. "You didn't even think about it."

"That's because I don't have to. I don't trust you with money, Ridley, let alone my father's money. And if you think you can come in here, insult my wife, and then ask me to fund a campaign for a position you're less than qualified for, you're wrong."

"Did you forget what happened three years ago, Geoff?" His voice drops, turning soft and threatening. "I almost had power within my grasp, but then you and Benson had to go and take it from me. I haven't forgotten it, you know."

"Believe me, I've tried." I fold my arms across my chest. "None of us want to even think about it. I'm glad we stopped you."

"Well, if I can't persuade you, think about it." He reaches inside his suit jacket, pulling out a business card and flipping it onto my desk. "I'll be waiting to hear from you."

Then he shoves himself out of his seat and walks out, leaving the door open. I wait until I know he isn't coming back to reach across and slide the card towards me. Ridley Green, it says, in big bold letters across the center. Underneath, Secretary, City Council.

Damn it, Ridley. He just wouldn't let anything go.

≈

"You're quiet," Raina says as we're getting ready for bed that night. We moved so well around each other now it's like we've been married ten years and not two. "What's wrong?"

I yank my necktie off, and then start unbuttoning my shirt, but I don't look at her. The way Ridley sneered, called her trailer trash without even a hesitation made my teeth grind.

"Geoff." Raina's tone is quiet, but assertive. "Geoff, look at me."

I sigh and turn around. She's sitting on the edge of the bed, fingers curled around the edge of the mattress. Her gaze is steady, and doesn't waver. I've grown to love that about her, after we got married. She's no longer insecure, and I think if anything, she's actually increased her confidence.

"Something happened at work today?" A line appears between her eyebrows.

I nod, thinking of the business card in my briefcase.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She bites down on her lip, and undoubtedly she's noticed I haven't said a word this whole time. Actually, the only time I've spoken to her all evening is when I came in the door.

Finally, I decide it's time to say something. "Ridley. He came by today."

Noticeably, Raina's body tenses, her fingers tightening into fists. "I thought he was going to take a lot more time than that."

"So did I." I run a hand over my hair. I don't wear it long anymore, like I did in school, because it's not professional. Instead I've buzzed it, as short as Dad's every day I knew him.

"What did he say?" Raina rubs the back of her neck and then grips it.

"He wants to run for office. The Mayor's. And he wants my company to fund it."

Her eyebrow goes up. "Ridley in office? That's something I never thought I'd see."

"Neither did I." My feet come unstuck from the ground and I'm able to cross the room and sit down next to her. She leans into me and takes my hand, squeezing it gently. "But I won't, not after he said..."

Immediately she catches the way my voice trails off. "What'd he say, Geoff?"

"It was about you, Raina." I lift our clasped hands and kiss hers.

"What about me?" She doesn't even sound fazed. She's gotten so used to disapproving looks from other New York socialite women that insults don't seem to bother her too much anymore. But maybe if they come from Ridley...

I shake my head. "No. He doesn't even deserve this conversation about him."

"Geoff, you can tell me." She rubs my knuckles. "It's okay."

"He called you trailer trash, Raina. And he sneered while he said it."

"He's not wrong," she says, to my surprise, without missing a beat. "It's what I am."

"No, it's not." I turn to face her and cup her cheeks in my hands. "He was implying that I scraped you off the bottom of the barrel. Like I took what was left when no one else wanted it. That's not why I married you. I married you because I love you."

Raina sighs, turning her head slightly to kiss my palm. Then she takes my hand in both of hers, gently kissing my knuckles. "I'm not proud of where I came from, Geoff, but I've accepted that I can't change it. Just like you can't change where you came from."

"But he insulted you behind your back." Dad had done the same thing, before he really got to know her.

"And you think those will stop?" She raises an eyebrow. "I've been dealing with it for a long time, you know. Even my dad insulted me, and he usually did it to my face. That's the difference."

"Still." I kiss her hand and then pull her into my arms. "You're a Cromwell now, and if it's one thing we Cromwells command, it's respect."

"As long as I know we respect each other, Geoff, that's all I care about."

≈

I get up and get dressed long before she even wakes up. It gives me a little extra time to just watch her, without her wondering why I'm staring. She's beautiful, framed by the early-morning sunlight coming in through the window and edging her in gold. I can't see her scars right now, because of the sheets pulled up under her arms, but I know they exist. I kiss all of them every time we make love, and last night was no different. She used to think they were ugly, and had to hide them. I know it's because of what they represent. But every time I pressed my lips against one, I hoped to reassure her that they're as beautiful now as she is, because they're a part of her. They made her into the girl I loved and the woman I married.

Afterward, because I don't want to disturb her, I slip out and into the brisk morning. My thoughts stray to Ridley's proposition from yesterday. Why did he come to me first? Did he seriously think I was going to compromise the reputation of my company to fund whatever office he wants to grab?

I know there's only one way to work through this, and it involves some phone calls. But this time, I'd rather Raina not know about them.