Page 65 of Caught By the Chief of Staff

“Thanks,” I mutter.

“You’ll be fine,” she says as she wraps her arm around my shoulders. “We got your back. Right, fancy pants?”

“Hell yeah!” Grace laughs. “I would hug you, but my arms are no longer long enough to reach past my enormous body.”

“How far along are you again?” Jules asks with a twinkle in her eye. We both agree Grace has to be the most beautiful pregnant woman alive.

“Seven hundred days.” She sighs. “I think this isn’t a baby and it’s actually an African elephant.”

“That will make the delivery entertaining,” I say with a wink.

“You’re both terrible.” Grace laughs too. “You’re both supposed to disagree with me and feel sorry for me.”

“The only thing I feel sorry about is that your ass looks better than mine,” Jules says.

“You say the sweetest things.” Grace sighs. “All right, I’ll keep you both.”

Grace and Jules make me smile. It feels weird. I feel like I should never smile again. My life without Rachel in it is like a life with no sun, only eternal darkness. It feels like all the joy has been sucked out of everything. And then I feel myself smile or share a laugh with friends. And it feels both good and wrong. Like I shouldn’t be allowed to have moments like this.

I know what Rick said too. And I love him, I really do. I feel like we turned a corner the other night and there will be no coming back from it. Rick and I have lived as man and wife for the last three nights, and over the last three days and nights, I’ve worn the ring he gave me on our wedding day. And I don’t want to take it off. It’s actually the only jewelry I’m wearing tonight with my beautiful gown. I don’t own anything else real, and I know Rick hates the cheap costume jewelry I wore to the Inaugural Ball. And truth be told, I don’t think this dress needs anything else.

But even that’s not what has me freaking the fuck out.

What has me worried, what has me conjuring up all kinds of terrible scenarios in my head are the parting words that Rick gave me as we went our separate ways in the White House so I could come and dress with the girls.

As we were getting ready to say goodbye for the afternoon, Rick pulled me into his arms and kissed me stupid. When he slid back, I wore the stupidest grin on my face. And then he tucked his face in the crook of my neck for a snuggle, where he whispered in my ear words that were like a bucket of ice water being dropped on my head.

“Don’t trust Black,” he said.

“W-what?” I whispered.

“I don’t trust him, and you shouldn’t either.”

“But he works for the president.” Surely, we could trust the most senior military advisor to the President of the United States, right? I mean, don’t they vet those people extensively?

“I didn’t pick him, so I don’t trust him, not with you, not with our daughter,” he warned.

“I’m scared.”

“Don’t be,” he said. “I’ll be with you the whole time. Even if you can’t see me, I’ll have eyes on you.”

“Well that’s not creepy at all, ex-husband.” I squeaked when he swatted me on the ass.

“Drop the ex.”

“I tried. He keeps coming back.”

“Not funny.”

“I know.” I sighed.

“Now tell me you love me,” he said, pulling me closer.

“I love you.”

“Now tell me you’ll be a good girl,” he rumbled, his voice turning husky and sexy. I didn’t say anything at all. “Cara?”

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”