Page 37 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

Nick had exactly thirty seconds to celebrate getting through his first address to the nation when Teresa appeared in the doorway to the Oval Office. “Mr. President, we need you in the Situation Room.”

When it became clear that whatever crisis had taken Nick to the Situation Room wouldn’t be resolved quickly, Sam went home alone. She caught the last half of the movie the four kids were watching and then helped to tuck in the twins, who were excited about their birthday party the next day. They requested stories from her, Elijah and Scotty before they settled into bed, an hour and a half later than usual.

“Hopefully, they’ll sleep in tomorrow,” Elijah said as he went downstairs with Sam and Scotty.

“They won’t,” Scotty said. “Whenever we let them stay up late, they seem to wake up even earlier the next day.”

“Awesome,” Elijah said, grinning. “Let’s watch the playback.” They had recorded Nick’s speech to watch after the twins went to bed.

Sam poured a glass of wine and sat with the boys on the sofa, feeling strangely detached as she watched her husband—the president of the United States—address the nation.

“He sounds really good,” Elijah said. “Very presidential.”

“He does,” Scotty agreed, sounding proud and excited. “What do you think, Mom?”

“He did a wonderful job. His primary goal was to soothe and reassure the citizens that they’re in good hands.”

“When will he be home?” Scotty asked.

“I don’t know. Something came up right when he finished.”

“It was weird not seeing him at all today.”

“That won’t happen when we live at the White House,” Sam said, even as a feeling of dread settled in her belly. God, they had to move. Even if they were just moving across town, the thought of it was so exhausting.

“Do you know when that will be?” Elijah asked.

“Not yet, but I figure in the next week or so.”

“Wow.”

“You just never know what’s going to happen next,” Scotty said. “First the twins came to live with us, and then Gramps died, and now this.” He turned his head so he could look at Sam. “Mrs. Littlefield called today and so did Tony.” For Elijah’s sake, he added, “That’s my former guardian and my biological father.”

“What did they have to say?” Sam asked.

“Mrs. Littlefield said she can’t wait to visit me at the White House, and Tony said he thinks it’s so cool. He’s happy for us.”

“That’s nice of them.”

“Are you okay with it?” Scotty asked, sounding hesitant.

“I’m very proud of Dad.”

“But?”

“No buts. I’m determined to support him every way I can.”

“Are you bummed that we have to move?”

“Kind of, but at least it’s just across town. We can come back here anytime we want to.”

“It’ll be weird not to live here anymore.”

“It’s temporary,” Sam said, uncertain of who she was trying to convince—him or herself. “Three years.”

“Please,” Scotty said disdainfully. “It’ll be seven. He’ll run for reelection and win in a landslide. You saw how bummed people were when he said he wasn’t going to run.”

Sam couldn’t begin to think about anything beyond him completing the last three years of Nelson’s term. She’d learned to compartmentalize things that were too big for her brain to handle, and this certainly counted. “He’s not deciding anything right away. He has enough to contend with as it is without worrying about the next election cycle.”