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Heather glanced at Elliott and he nodded "He said it’s a go You push hard the next couple weeks…and Iall su, and Alex knows his shit," Heather said

"Then I’ll do it," Brady said simply, like it was the easiest decision he had ever made "I’ll do whatever it takes to win You both know that"

"Then you’re going to have to get rid of the girl," Heather said plainly

"Heather," Brady growled

"I’ree with her Even if she hadn’t written those articles about you, she wouldn’t be an ideal choice She’s too young, and she’s still in school Brady, you need someone who makes you look electable, not so the cradle," Elliott piped in

Liz felt as if she had been punched in the gut Well, there it was all laid out before her She was too young and didn’tarticles

"Are you fucking kiddinghis head

"Brady, you want to win So stop fucking around," Heather cried "This election is important"

"Don’t you think I know that?" he yelled back at her "Why does everyone think that I’ve forgotten? I’ve been giving everything I have to this ca tiet rid of her?" Elliott asked, lacking any co with her head resting under the guillotine, waiting for the blade to slice down It was over Both of them had told him it was done That was that

She couldn’t even breathe She had to hear hiree even if it would break her

"No," he said softly, his anger tightly controlled

Liz wasn’t even sure she heard hi so loudly in her ears

"What?" Heather and Elliott blurted out at the sa their gazes head-on

Liz stood very, very still Was he…No, she couldn’t have heard hi "Oh, please, you’re not going to risk everything for her"

"You’re being irrational, Brady," Elliott said

"I fucking love her, okay?" he yelled back at the anywhere…I love her"

Liz stuh Her body tu roo Her

Oh ain

He loved her Brady loved her He had told theht now She just couldn’t

He had never told her that he felt that way She couldn’t have even guessed that he would feel that way Her heart was fluttering all over the place, and she half felt as if she ht throw up

What would she say if he told her? What was he going to say when he came back out of that room? She couldn’t let him know that she had heard She had to pretend she hadn’t He hadn’t wanted her to eavesdrop She had thought it was because he was going to give up on her, but it was actually because he loved her She couldn’t even think the ithout sturow louder and the sound of the doors sliding open She tried to cal slowly and steadily, but she wasn’t sure if it orking Would he know that she had heard him or would he assume she was freaked out? Because she was really freaked out

The front door opened and closed a second later, and then Brady appeared again in the living rooone from his face, but she wasn’t sure what it was replaced by She usually could read him so well, but it was different now He loved her

"You’re still here," he said softly, walking over and taking a seat next to Liz on the couch

"I told you I wasn’t leaving," sheShe couldn’t keep it steady, and she knew itout and taking one of her tre anywhere"

"What did they say?" she ot it worked out Ted Yates dropped out of the race I have a pretty busyup to the pri she sounded surprised

"Yeah, you’ll hear about it to"

Their conversation stalled and she waited for hi She didn’t expect hi…anything

She asked the inevitable question "What are we going to do now that they know, Brady?"

He paused before looking up into her eyes She saw it then, what she hadn’t been able to figure out before Holy shit! He loved her He actually did She sed hard and tried not to cry

"Nothing is going to change, baby," he said, reaching out and running his hand across her cheek "They want et out"