Commander in Chief

by J. A. Armstrong

  Candace moved closer. “What’s funny?”

  “I was just wondering how many of them would like to take that fireplace tour with you.”

  Candace laughed. “Lunatic.” She took Jameson’s hand and waved with her other as they walked. And, I’ll bet at least half would prefer you were their guide.

  ***

  Candace surprised Jameson when they arrived at their new home. She started to make her way in the opposite direction from Jameson. It wasn’t the surprise that Jameson hoped for.

  “Where are you going?” Jameson asked. “The president’s bedroom is this way. That’s our bedroom.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “What am I missing?”

  “Well,” Candace took a step closer. “Since you have decided to surprise me with the song we’re dancing to at the Diversity Ball, I have decided that I want to surprise you.”

  “Surprise me?”

  “Yes.”

  “With?”

  “You will see me when we meet downstairs to leave.”

  Jameson was stunned. “You can’t be serious.”

  “You know,” Candace said. “We didn’t do things traditionally when we got married.”

  “And?”

  “I didn’t sleep apart from you. You didn’t watch me walk down an aisle. We’ve done everything in our life together—everything. I wouldn’t change that. You do things for me all the time, Jameson. Things like handing me a fortune cookie before I’m about to become the president. Things like sending Chinese food to my Senate office. At every turn, you always know what to do when I need it, even when I don’t know what I need.”

  “Candace…”

  “I know that when I hear the song you’ve chosen, I’ll lose my breath. I know it. I just want that chance, Jameson—tonight, I want to see your face when I walk into the room.”

  “You don’t need to do anything to take my breath away, Candace.”

  Candace kissed Jameson lovingly. “It’s only an hour or so.”

  “That’s an eternity,” Jameson said.

  “Hopefully, I’ll be worth the wait.” Candace kissed Jameson again and headed down the hall.

  “You’re always worth the wait,” Jameson called after her. She groaned. She loved to watch Candace get ready whether it was in the morning for work, at night for bed, or preparing for a formal event. Jameson had been looking forward to a few moments alone with Candace. She’d fantasized that she’d help Candace zip her dress and take the opportunity to touch her wife’s skin sensually. All day, Jameson had been fighting the urge to pull Candace into her arms and kiss her passionately. She wanted a moment to hold Candace. An hour wasn’t long; it would be hell.

  ***

  “She’s going to flip when she sees you,” Marianne said.

  “I hope so.”

  “I don’t think you need to worry, Mom.”

  “She’s seen me in a gown before.”

  “Not in that gown.”

  “You like it?”

  Marianne wanted to laugh. Here stood the President of the United States in The White House, dressed in what Marianne thought was the most stunning navy-blue dress she’d ever seen, worrying whether Jameson, of all people, would be impressed. Candace could walk into a room wearing a smock and Jameson would need support to keep from falling over. She had the advantage of watching her mother and Jameson from a distance. When Candace had first met Jameson, Marianne had feared their relationship might fade from infatuation to nothingness. Years later, she was sure that would never come to pass. It never mattered what was happening; Jameson always looked at Candace as if Candace were the greatest gift in the world. And, Candace’s gaze never strayed far from Jameson when they were together. The connection they shared was undeniable to anyone who had the privilege to spend time with them. If Marianne envied anything in her mother’s life, it was the way Jameson looked at Candace the moment she entered a room.

  “I love the dress,” Marianne said.

  Candace’s hopeful gaze was tinted with insecurity.

  “She won’t be looking at the dress,” Marianne said.

  Candace chuckled nervously. “I want tonight to be special for her.”

  “Mom,” Marianne took her mother’s hand. “She nearly went to her knees when you stepped onto the platform this morning.

  Candace listened with interest.

  “We all know how much you love JD,” Marianne said. “You can’t see the way she looks at you when you’re not paying attention. You don’t need to do anything to make today special for JD.”

  Candace forced her surfacing tears into submission. “Marianne,” she began and stopped to take a breath. “I love you. God knows, I love you kids with all my heart.”

  Marianne smiled, sensing what her mother was about to say.

  “Jameson is the love of my life. I thought I knew what that meant. This afternoon after you took Cooper into the hallway…”

  “What?”

  “She handed me a fortune cookie.”

  Marianne laughed. “I’m not surprised. I think she has a stash somewhere.”

  Candace nodded. “There were five words on the paper—just five; the best is yet to come. No one knows me like Jameson does. Sometimes, I still can’t believe it. And, sometimes, Marianne, I wonder if I will ever be able to give her what she’s given me.”

  “Well, I can’t speak for JD. She is my best friend.”

  Candace smiled. Few things moved her as much as watching Jameson and Marianne’s friendship blossom.

  Marianne considered whether she should share what was on her mind with her mother. Jameson had become her closest friend. They shared many things in confidence. She was inclined to think Jameson would want Candace to know. “Before you left to come back here to DC,” Marianne began. “JD told me something.”

  “What?”

  Marianne searched her mother’s eyes before continuing. She witnessed all the emotions she would expect. One thing Marianne understood; her mother never wanted Jameson to feel that anything was more important to her than their marriage, not even the presidency. Jameson would understand why she had decided to tell Candace. “She told me that she met with Shell’s fertility specialist.”

  Candace was shocked.

  “She wouldn’t tell you this before the inauguration.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “She can’t get pregnant, Mom. She didn’t want you to worry about her—not now.”

  Candace’s eyes closed. Jameson.

  “No one knows except me. She’s planning to tell you next week.”

  Candace sighed. “That’s why she said she didn’t think having a baby was our path.”

  “She loves you, Mom. I know you know that. You don’t have to worry about making anything special for JD. What makes her happy is seeing you happy. Today is special for her because she loves you. I didn’t tell you this to upset you,” Marianne said. “When JD told me, she said what hurt her the most was that you’d given her everything. She said that when you two talked about having children, she could tell the biggest part of you was hoping she’d say she wanted to have a baby. And, she did, Mom. She didn’t know if she could yet. She,” Marianne stooped and took a breath. “JD said that she never thought about having a family until she met you.”

  “I know that.”

  “Yes, but she also said that you gave her something she can’t give you.”

  Candace tightened her grip on Marianne’s hands. “Thank you for telling me.”

  Marianne nodded. “You don’t need to surprise her with anything. Can I tell you one more thing?”

  Candace nodded.

  “You both need to stop worrying that you don’t give enough. I mean it. I’ll tell you what I told her. Stop thinking that you aren’t enough for her. You’re everything to her. She said it herself today when you stepped onto the platform.”

  “Thank you,” Candace said. She hugged her daughter. “For everything.”

  “No, Mom, thank you.”<
br />
  ***

  Jameson looked at her reflection. “I hope I did okay.”

  “I’d say you did better than okay,” Pearl’s voice offered.

  Jameson spun on her heels.

  “You look like the canary the cat caught.” Pearl chuckled.

  “Do you think this is okay?” Jameson looked down at her dress.

  “Jameson, you look beautiful.”

  Jameson’s nervousness was palpable.

  “Why are you so nervous? It’s not as if you haven’t danced with Candy at a ball before.”

  “It’s not the same.”

  “Worried about what the masses will think?” Pearl teased.

  “No, only the president.”

  Pearl nodded. She took Jameson’s hand and led her to sit on a sofa in the room. “The only person Candy will see the moment you walk into the room is you. That’s it. Trust me on that one, Jameson.”

  “I want today to be the best day of her life—all of it.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  Jameson sighed.

  Pearl grinned. “It won’t happen because she’s already had the best day of her life—a few times over—and there will be more to come. Isn’t that why you gave her that fortune today? To remind her of that; that there is a tomorrow?”

  “How did you…”

  “She showed me when we got here. I don’t think you know how much that meant to her.”

  “I love her so much, Pearl.”

  “I know you do. She loves you too, you fool. I think she has since the day you showed up at the door.”

  “I don’t think…”

  “Oh, sometimes it happens. I think it happens more than most of us want to admit. It takes a little time for most of us to accept that it has happened; that we’ve lost our heart. I will tell you this; Candy changed after that day. She laughed more than I’d seen in years. There’s a lightness to her that I thought might’ve disappeared forever. That’s why she’s made it this far, Jameson. She knows that. Don’t you forget it.”

  Jameson hugged Pearl. “Thanks.”

  “So? What song did you choose?”

  Jameson laughed. “I don’t believe it; she sent you on a reconnaissance mission.”

  Pearl shrugged. “It was worth a try.”

  Jameson shook her head.

  “I meant what I said, Jameson.”

  “I know.”

  “Don’t forget it.” Pearl got up. “Now, go meet Cinderella and take her to that ball.”

  ***

  Jameson was engaged in a conversation with Marianne when Candace walked into the room. Marianne’s gaze drifted over Jameson’s shoulder. Jameson turned slowly. Candace. The hammering in her chest almost knocked her over.

  Candace smiled at her wife.

  Oh, my God. Jameson’s eyes swept over Candace. The dress Candace wore was simple and elegant. The only thing preventing it from touching the floor were the heels that added an inch or two to Candace’s height. The material cascaded over Candace’s curves perfectly and the deep blue color made her eyes appear a shade darker. Candace’s hair was swept up, leaving several curled tendrils to fall next to her face. A pearl choker was draped around her neck, highlighting the scoop that gave the faintest hint of Candace’s cleavage. Subtle could be exquisite. Jameson held her breath as Candace closed the distance between them.

  “Not as low-cut as you’d hoped?” Candace teased.

  Jameson’s heart was so full, she found it difficult to speak. Her eyes searched Candace’s endlessly.

  “You look amazing,” Candace said. She stepped back and looked at Jameson again. Jameson’s dress appeared almost silver in the light. Jameson seldom wore dresses. The few times that Candace had seen her wife in a gown, she’d been left speechless. As much as Jameson liked to joke about her tool belt, her aversion to any shoe that left the ground, and her confusion over why people found coloring their eyelids a good idea; she could pull off an evening gown as well as any movie star Candace had ever seen.

  Jameson forgot that anyone else was in the room. She took Candace’s face in her hands. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

  Candace barely had the chance to smile before Jameson’s lips found hers. “Does that mean you approve?” Candace asked.

  “You are stunning.” Jameson offered Candace her hand.

  “Ready to go to the ball?” Candace asked.

  “As long as no frisky senators try to fill your dance card.”

  “That’s already been filled.”

  “Oh?”

  “Apparently, it’s first come, first serve. I assume that’s why it says First Lady.”

  Jameson laughed. “And, you call me a lunatic?”

  “First Lunatic.” Candace winked. She grasped Jameson’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  “After you, Madame President.”

  Candace shook her head. “No, together.”

  ***

  Jameson held Candace’s hand on the short drive to the Diversity Ball. Her thumb continually caressed the skin beneath it. She’d yet to succeed in slowing the frantic pace of her heart. How it was possible to fall in love with someone over and over again, Jameson couldn’t say. She felt as though she had fallen in love all over again; thrown off balance by the ferocity of emotion pounding through her body—another contradiction. Candace’s presence could send Jameson’s world spinning out of control. The moment that Jameson feared she would lose herself, Candace would find her and pull her close. Sometimes it was with nothing more than a glance. Jameson mused as the car rolled to a stop, that the secret to sustaining a marriage was finding ways to fall in love again and again.

  “What’s going on up there?” Candace asked Jameson.

  Jameson’s only reply was a smile. Her door opened. She stepped out and offered Candace her hand.

  “Madame President,” Secret Service Agent Blake Everson said. “This way.”

  “Thank you, Blake,” Candace said. She walked in silence with Jameson as they navigated through a long corridor with their entourage. Their family had made their way to the ballroom ahead of their arrival. First, Candace and Jameson had stopped to meet with Nate and Janine Ellison who were also making the rounds to each of the ten official Inaugural Balls. Candace had chosen the Diversity Ball as their first stop, believing that it reflected the spirit of her campaign. From here they would wind their way around the city attending The New York Ball, The Youth Ball, The Community Ball, The Western States Ball, The Southern States Ball, The Commander in Chief Ball, The Eastern States Ball, The Midwestern Ball, and finally The Arts and Culture Ball. Each stop would entail a few brief remarks to the crowd from them both and a dance. Most of the family would head home after the first appearance. Pearl and Marianne had offered to head back to the townhouse with the kids so that Michelle, Melanie, Jonah and Laura, and Jameson’s parents could enjoy the evening festivities to their fullest. It would be a long night. It was also a night that Jameson had been looking forward to. She was eager to be alone with Candace, but she reveled in watching Candace command a stage. People were excited to see Candace step up to the microphone in her gown and wave. It added to the magic of the day. Jameson had come to understand that the pomp and circumstance had a purpose; it engaged people and it left them feeling hopeful. Hope was no small thing. Hope and excitement would be needed to carry Candace’s agenda. Jameson understood that.

  She felt Candace’s grip tighten as they rounded a corner. The steady beat of music drummed in Jameson’s ears. Excitement took over. Now, she would get to give Candace her surprise. She’d spent days listening to songs that reminded her of Candace, songs Candace loved, songs they had listened to and made love to, songs that inspired her—hundreds she guessed. She had chosen two. The first was the most special to Jameson. She heard the music fade into the sounding of horns and a voice begin to address the crowd.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, The President of the United States, Candace Reid and First Lady Jameson Reid.”
r />   “I can’t wait to see what you picked,” Candace said as they walked out onto the stage.

  Hail to the Chief echoed through the hall. Candace and Jameson waved to the assembled crowd and acknowledged the performers before taking their place center stage. Candace kept hold of Jameson’s hand as she stepped to the microphone.

  “Thank you.” She repeated her thanks several times until the room settled. “Thank you all,” she said. “I’m so happy to see all of you. I know many of you braved the cold this morning, and you deserve an evening of warmth and celebration,” she said.

  “We love you!”

  “I love you too,” Candace promised. Enthusiastic cheers erupted again. “Jameson and I have ten of these wonderful Inaugural Balls to attend. We wanted to start here. This Diversity Ball reflects so many of the reasons I ran my campaign. It reflects who America is. Look around you at the sea of color. Everyone choosing a gown or a tuxedo that reflects their personality. Diversity is everywhere. I still think that’s what makes life interesting; all that color.” She stopped and took a breath. “I’m standing here because of all of you. Because of your love and support, your hard work and dedication, and believe me; I know it, and I will never forget it. I want to take a minute and acknowledge our family. Most of you will recognize their faces over there. We wouldn’t be here without their constant love and support. Like this country, our family continues to grow. We just learned we’ll be welcoming another grandchild this year. Just another reason for us all to celebrate tonight.” Congratulatory shouts were called out. “Thank you.” Candace took a breath. “I know that Jameson has a few things to say—if you can get past how fabulous she looks and listen.” Laughter and applause filled the hall. Candace stepped aside to give Jameson the mic.

  Jameson laughed. “Trust me; Candace can make anyone look good,” she said.

  More delighted laughter filtered everywhere.

  “Candace mentioned our family. We are blessed with amazing parents and compassionate children. It keeps us on our toes. It also keeps us grounded. Candace knows why she’s standing here. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your love and support for her and our family. You should know, she started working the moment she stepped off that platform today.” Jameson paused. She’d prepared remarks, but those words did not seem to resonate now. She decided to speak her heart. “What none of you know is that she has no idea what song the band is about to play.”