by Marie Force
“You’re engaged to the woman. Your whole life is going to be pink.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. I suppose the pink is a small price to pay for the rest of what comes with the amazing Shelby Faircloth.”
“Indeed. She’s the best.”
Inside, they were greeted by the usual mayhem of the twins running around, shrieking with laughter as Scotty chased them in a circle around Noah, who sat on a blanket in the middle of it all, clapping his chubby hands and laughing at everything the other kids were doing.
Shelby was close by, ready to intervene if needed. She lit up at the sight of her handsome fiancé and came over to kiss him. “Thank you so much for picking up takeout. It’s such a pain to get anything delivered here.”
“No problem.”
The twins came running over to jump into Sam’s outstretched arms. She hugged and kissed them, asked them about their day and got a full rundown of another day in kindergarten. “How was the algebra test?” she asked Scotty, planting a kiss on his forehead after the little ones squirmed out of her embrace to return to their game.
“We’re not discussing that.”
“Uh-oh.”
“I don’t think it was a total disaster.” He looked into one of the brown bags. “What’s for dinner, Avery?”
“Spaghetti and meatballs.”
Scotty pumped his fist into the air. “Yes. Let’s eat, you guys.” The twins ran after him when he took the bags into the kitchen.
Sam loved the way they followed him around like two adoring puppies and how he tolerated them with patience, love and understanding that only someone who’d once been where they were now could understand.
“He’s so good with them,” Shelby said. “They worship him.”
“I’m so glad he’s getting to be a big brother.”
“Me too.” Shelby squeezed Sam’s arm. “Go get ready for a night out with your man. We’ve got things covered here.”
“Thank you for giving up your evening for us.”
“It’s no problem. We’d be doing the same thing at home.”
“You’re very good to us, and we appreciate everything you do.”
“I love my job and all four of my kids.”
Sam smiled and gave her a quick hug before heading upstairs to find Nick. She found him in their bedroom, fresh from the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Hey, babe.”
She leaned back against the closed door and gawked at his bare chest and the defined abs he worked hard to maintain.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing much. Just checking out the magnificent scenery.” She dropped her coat on the floor, kicked off her shoes and pulled the sweater over her head. “What time is our reservation?”
“Not for an hour.”
“Perfect.” She pushed her jeans and panties down, added them to the pile on the floor and locked the door.
“Um, what is happening?”
She sauntered across the room to him, gratified when his erection turned the towel into a tent. “A little date night warm-up round and a very sincere thank you for the flowers you sent that made me go all gooey and girlie.” Reaching him, she flattened her hands over his pecs and then slid them up to draw him into a hot, tongue-twisting kiss. “Is that okay?”
“Ah, yeah?”
Sam laughed at his reaction and walked him backward until his back was pressed against a wall. “Remember the first time we ever did it?”
His lips attacked her neck, making her shiver. “I’ll never forget it.”
“As I recall, there was a wall involved.”
“Mmm, yes, there was. Are you up for a little trip down memory lane?”
She unknotted his towel, pushed it out of the way and wrapped her hand around his hard cock. “I’m up for it if you are.”
“I’m most definitely up for it.” He turned them so her back was to the wall, and with his hands cupping her ass, lifted her. “Did my fierce Samantha really get gooey and girlie over flowers?”
“She really did, but only because they were from her favorite husband.” Sam wrapped her legs around his waist and breathed in the rich, appealing scent of him. “I came home expecting dessert, not appetizers.”
He laughed and tightened his hold on her. “Maybe if you’re a very good girl, you’ll get both.”
“Oh yummy. I’m feeling particularly hungry tonight.”
The gorgeous hazel eyes that always looked at her with love and affection heated with blatant desire. “This is going to be fast.”
“I can handle fast.”
True to his word, they were gasping with completion ten minutes later, clinging to each other as they cooled off and came down from the incredible high they found together.
She nuzzled his neck, breathing in the familiar scent of home. “I love date night.”
His laughter rumbled through them both. “Me too. I’ve been negligent on that front since the Secret Service took over my life, but we’re going to get back to regular nights out.”
“I’m perfectly content to watch TV in bed with you. I hope you know that.”
“I do, but we still need to go out by ourselves every now and then.”
“We got to go to Harry and Lilia’s last weekend.”
“I didn’t get to have you to myself, so that doesn’t count.”
She pushed the hair back from his forehead. “I got you all dirty. You’re going to need another shower.”
Without breaking their intimate connection, he carried her into the bathroom and stepped into the shower before he put her down, holding on until he was sure she had legs under her.
“That was hot, Mr. Vice President.”
“I do what I can for the people.”
“That’s my line, and it’s trademarked.”
They laughed and teased their way through a shower, sliding soapy hands over each other until they had to call time-out or miss their reservations. While Sam got ready, Nick went to check on the kids.
As she dried her hair, she thought about how different things were since she’d married Nick. In the past, she would’ve brought work home, spent all night poring over the reports and notes, stayed up too late stewing over the case of the moment, and generally had no quality of life. Nick had brought quality to her life—in more ways than one. The cases still got closed, and if it took a day or two longer than it used to, well, she wasn’t about to apologize to anyone for only working ten hours a day.
That made her laugh, thinking of the Skip Holland Half Day.
And then she was sobbing, missing him so badly that she wondered how she could still manage to breathe without him right down the street, there for her anytime she needed him. The pain ran so deep as to touch the very heart of her. How could he just be gone?
She finished drying her hair and mopped up the tears, determined to pull herself together to enjoy the rare evening out with her love. Thank God for him and their family to prop her up during these difficult days.
A touch of makeup helped to cover the blotchiness on her face, and when she was satisfied that she’d done what she could to hide the redness in her eyes, she went across the hall to get dressed in a clingy black wrap dress and the black Louboutins that Nick had bought her. She put on her engagement ring and the diamond key necklace he’d given her on their wedding day. With a quick visual inspection, she decided she looked as good as she possibly could under the circumstances.
She went downstairs to spend some time with the kids before they were due to leave. Shelby had ordered their favorite dinner, which Scotty would eat every night if he had his druthers. The twins loved it too, even more so because Scotty did. Their little faces were stained red with sauce, their smiles happy and their plates nearly clean.
“Looks like everyone is getting dessert tonight, Shelby.”
“I k
now!” Shelby wiped little faces and refilled glasses of milk while tending to Noah in the high chair. She made taking care of four kids look effortless, and from what Sam could tell, she loved every minute she spent with them.
“Scotty had thirds!”
“It’s so good,” Scotty said over a mouthful of meatball. “And Shelby made brownies for dessert. Life is good.”
Amused by him as always, Sam took comfort in seeing him rebounding from the difficult loss of his grandfather as well as could be expected.
“And no math homework tonight. Best night ever!”
Nick came into the kitchen, dressed in gray pants, a dress shirt and the navy cashmere V-neck sweater she’d bought him for Christmas. Her heart still gave a happy lurch at the sight of him, almost two years after they were married. She’d long ago accepted that she’d always react that way to him.
“Whoa.” Nick let out a low whistle when he saw what she was wearing. “Check out my date. Is she hot or what?”
Scotty scowled. “Ew.”
Shelby gave his hair a playful tug. “Be nice. Your mother is gorgeous.”
“Yes, she is, but does he have to talk about how hot she is in front of the children?”
The three adults cracked up laughing.
“Well, does he?”
“My apologies, son. I’ll try to refrain from discussing your mother’s hotness in front of you in the future.”
“Thank you. I don’t have to remind you there’re actual children in the house these days, do I?”
Nick’s lips quivered with suppressed laughter. “No, son, you don’t.”
“Let’s break out the brownies, Shelby!”
The twins clapped in support of Scotty’s declaration.
“What’s the magic word, sport?”
Scotty grinned from ear to ear. “Please.”
“You got it.”
Nick took hold of Sam’s hand. “Let’s make our escape while the brownies have everyone’s full attention.”
“Call us if you need anything, Shelby,” Sam said.
“We’ll be fine. Avery is finishing up a conference call in his car and then he’ll be in.”
“He could’ve used the office for that.”
“No worries. He doesn’t mind.”
They kissed the kids good-night, donned coats and headed for the front door, where Brant waited for them.
With his hand on the small of her back, Nick ushered Sam out ahead of him. They were whisked into the back of one of the always-ready black SUVs that waited at the curb. When they were buckled in, Sam turned to him.
“Where’re we going?”
“You’ll see.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“YOU’RE NOT TAKING me to some White House thing you weren’t going to tell me about until we were there, are you?”
“Would I do that to you?”
“Um, hello? The night we got engaged? Ring any bells?”
He took her left hand and kissed the ring he’d placed on her finger in the Rose Garden. “I remember every second of that unforgettable night, especially the part where you said yes to forever with me.”
“As if there was ever any doubt I’d say yes.”
“You were so mad that I took you to the White House with no warning that I was a little afraid you might turn me down.”
“You knew I wouldn’t because you knew by then I couldn’t live without you.”
“And thank goodness for that because I can’t live without you.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “You’ve been crying.”
“The downside of being known so well by someone is being known so well by someone.”
He smiled, which made his eyes twinkle. “What’s up?”
“A rough dad moment. I got through it.”
“I’m sorry, babe. I hate that you’re hurting this way.”
“I know, but I read somewhere that the pain of losing someone you love is the price you pay for getting to love them in the first place.”
“I like that.”
“I went to see him on the way home.”
“You don’t have to go there alone, Samantha. I would’ve gone with you.”
“I know. It was spur-of-the-moment.”
“Did you feel better after you went?”
“Sorta. I’m not sure how to feel about that place yet. It’s not like he’s actually there or anything.”
“Maybe you can imagine him listening to whatever you want to tell him when you’re there.”
“Maybe. I suppose I’ll figure it out in time.”
“You will. It won’t happen overnight, but you’ll find a way to keep him present that works for you.”
“That’s all I want—to keep him present.”
“You will. He’s so much a part of you that he’ll always be with you.”
“That’s true. I really worry about how Scotty is doing with it.”
“He has his moments when he’s really sad. Shelby says it’s tough for him after school when he used to go see your dad.”
“I wish I was home at that time.”
“He’s very well loved by Shelby and Celia.”
“Yeah, I know, but I still wish it could be me.”
“And I wish it could be me, but he understands that we have to work.”
“What’re we going to do about this dog he wants?” Sam asked.
“I suppose at some point we need to consider the possibility.”
“Maybe for Christmas?”
Nick’s smile lit up his handsome face. “That’d be one hell of a great surprise.”
“It really would.”
“Let’s talk more about it and figure out how to make that happen.”
“If we give him everything he wants, will we mess him up?”
“He doesn’t want much.”
“True. Hopefully, we’re not doing everything wrong with him and the Littles.”
“We love them. We make sure they’re cared for by people who love them when we can’t be there to care for them ourselves. They know there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for them. Those are the things that matter to kids. Trust me on that as someone who didn’t have any of that growing up.”
“Ugh, it makes me bleed inside when you talk about your childhood.”
“It was a long time ago, and now I have everything I didn’t have then. And that’s all because of you, because you said yes to me from the very beginning.”
“I was rather easy that first night.”
He laughed as she’d hoped he would. “We were both easy that night. It was meant to be from the very beginning.”
“With a significant detour.”
“We found each other again because we were meant to be.”
Sam leaned her head on his shoulder. “Sometimes I think about who I was when I first met you, and I’m pretty sure I would’ve messed it up if things had worked out back then.”
“Nah, I wouldn’t have let you mess it up.”
“Even you and your superpowers might not have been enough to save me from myself back then. I needed to grow up a little so I’d be ready for you. I also needed to experience the bad to appreciate the good.”
“No, you didn’t. You would’ve been able to appreciate this and us without having to go through what you did with him.”
It still saddened her to think about the violent end to her ex-husband’s life. Even though he’d put her through hell, he hadn’t deserved what’d happened to him. No one did.
The car came to a stop outside a building Sam recognized. They’d held their wedding reception at the iconic Hay-Adams Hotel.
Brant opened the passenger side door and helped Sam out of the car, his eagle eyes scanning the surrounding area as he waited for Nick to alight.
They were ta
ken inside and straight to elevators that whisked them to the top-floor ballroom where their reception had been held. The vast room was empty now, except for one table set for two.
Sam whirled around to face him. “How did you do this?”
He shrugged. “I made a phone call. They weren’t using the room tonight, so they were happy to let us borrow it.”
“I love it. It’s perfect.”
“I’m glad you approve.” Nick turned to his lead agent. “Thanks, Brant. We’re good for now.”
“Very well, Mr. Vice President, Mrs. Cappuano. Enjoy your dinner.” Brant turned and left the room.
Sam had no doubt he’d be right outside the door the whole time should he be needed. She worried about Nick a little less than she would have otherwise with Brant leading his detail.
Nick took her hand to lead her to the table, where he held a chair for her. After she sat, he bent to place a kiss on her neck that electrified her entire body.
When he was seated across from her, a middle-aged waiter appeared with a bottle of champagne. “Welcome, Mr. Vice President, Mrs. Cappuano. It’s an honor to have you back at the Hay-Adams. I’m Daniel, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.”
“Thank you, Daniel,” Nick said. “We’re thrilled to be back at the scene of the crime.”
Sam laughed. “That’s how he sees our marriage.”
Daniel laughed and then went through the dinner specials for the evening before handing them each a menu.
“I thought about ordering ahead, but then I thought better of that.”
“Good thinking.” Sam scanned the menu and settled on salmon. “What’re you getting?”
“The filet. You?”
“Salmon.”
“We can share.”
She sent him a saucy look. “Maybe.”
After they ordered, they enjoyed the champagne while taking in the expansive view of the National Mall and the Washington Monument in the distance.
“How did Nelson seem when you saw him earlier?”
“Not good at all. He’s wrecked that Gloria is leaving him.”
“Did he expect her to stand by her man? And why, exactly, do women do that when their high-profile husbands humiliate them so publicly?”
“I’ll never understand why they do it.”