Page 101 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

“Please, speak freely.”

“Your wife is very good at what she does.”

“Yes, I know.”

“It’d be a shame if she had to stop doing her job.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Good to know.”

“If there’s nothing else, I should get back to work.”

“One other thing.” Nick hesitated before he said, “Please don’t let anything happen to her. She’s everything to me.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe. You have my word on that. But we’re trying to stay out of her way when she’s working.”

“I understand you’re walking a fine line there.”

“Indeed, sir.”

“Thank you, Vernon.”

“My pleasure, sir.”

Alone in the kitchen, his mind swirling with worries about the many ways his job made his beloved wife unsafe, Nick wished he could go back in time to the day President Nelson asked him to replace the ailing Vice President Gooding. If he’d known then what he knew now, the answer would’ve been an unequivocal no.

Chapter Twenty

Sam showered, brushed her hair with hands that hurt like hell and made herself as presentable as possible. Now it was down to Tracy and her theater makeup to finish the job.

“I’ll try not to hurt you,” Tracy said as she came at Sam with a triangle-shaped sponge dipped in stage makeup.

Despite Tracy’s best efforts to be gentle, it was agonizing to have anything touch her face. “This could’ve only happened to me.”

“You do have a propensity for spectacular injuries at the worst possible time.” Tracy worked with intense concentration that would’ve made Sam giggle if it didn’t hurt so much to laugh.

“You look really nice.”

Her sister, who’d battled weight challenges since giving birth to the youngest of her three children, was wearing a black wrap dress with a jaunty cranberry-colored jacket and matching jewelry. “I did what I could on short notice.”

“You did good.”

“A little more warning before you take me to the White House next time, huh?”

“I’ll do what I can.”

“Ang is so excited I think she peed herself.”

“Don’t make me laugh.”

“It’s not funny,” Ang said when she came into the room. “I did actually pee myself, but that happens a lot these days with baby number three ruining what’s left of my bladder.”

“TMI,” Sam said, quelling the envy that erupted inside her every time she was reminded that each of her sisters had no problem getting pregnant or staying pregnant—three times each—while she’d never been able to do it once. The envy wasn’t as fierce as it’d been before Scotty, the twins and Elijah had come into their lives, but it was still there, reminding her of the most vexing challenge of her adult life.

“It’s gotten so bad that Spence is calling me Leaky—and I’m only in the fourth month. Looking forward to what’s ahead.”

“Now that’s funny,” Tracy said.