Page 40 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln…

She was used to her plate being full to overflowing, but lately, it had been nothing short of ridiculous, beginning with the home invasion that had left the twins orphaned, her father’s death and the subsequent closing of his four-year-old case, the murder of President Nelson’s former mistress and the ensuing scandal, the murder of the woman who’d defrauded her friends and family, the starting of Sam’s grief group at work… It’d been a lot, but then again, it was always a lot in her line of work.

How in the world would she handle her caseload on top of being first lady while also raising three children? Granted, she had lots of help with her three “jobs,” but would she be able to do any of them well if she was juggling all of them? Probably not, which made her feel sad and overwhelmed.

The press would be watching her, critiquing her, criticizing her for not being a conventional first lady. With so much weighing on her mind, she wouldn’t have thought she’d sleep, but she must have, because she woke with an awful crick in her neck when Nick’s alarm went off at six.

He raised his head off her chest and looked up at her with those hazel eyes that slayed her every time he looked at her with so much love. “You have the magic touch, babe. On the way home, I thought there was no way I’d sleep.”

Sam sat up while carefully trying to move her head, but her neck wasn’t having it.

“Why are you crooked?”

“Slept funny on my neck, and now it won’t move.”

“Oh damn. Want me to massage it?”

“You need to get going to rescue the secretary of State.”

“I have time.” He arranged himself in front of her. “Where does it hurt?”

She pointed to the lower left side of her neck, and he focused his attentions there.

“How’s that feel?”

“Good.”

He kept it up until she could move without pain and then rested his forehead on her shoulder.

Sam curled her hand around his neck. “When I first started on the job, my dad told me that no matter what happened, I should follow my gut and my heart and always try to do the right thing. That’s all you can do, Nick. It’s all any of us can do.”

“Thank you for that,” he said, kissing her. “A little Skip Holland was just what I needed today.”

“He’s available to both of us anytime we need him. I know exactly what he’d say about any situation.” She caressed his face and looked into his eyes. “He’d be as proud of you as I am.”

“That’s good to know. I guess I’m off to see what fresh hell awaits me today.”

“That expression is trademarked, but in deference to current events, I’ll allow you to use it as you see fit.”

“Gee, thanks. I think for the next three years, my fresh hell is going to top your fresh hell, and that’s saying something.”

Sam laughed and gave him another kiss before he got out of bed. “You win.”

“I usually like to win, but in this case, not so much.” He headed for the shower while Sam made the mistake of using his phone to scroll through the morning headlines, which were full of news about the situation in Iran as well as all kinds of speculation involving her husband and family. She quickly put the phone down, determined to avoid the news so she could focus on the twins and their birthday party.

Nick came out of the master bathroom fifteen minutes later, wearing a navy suit, a white dress shirt and a blue-and-white-striped tie.

Sam had gotten up and put on a robe. She went to him, slid her arms around his waist under his suit coat and gave him a hug, while breathing in the fresh, clean scent of home. “Good luck today. I’ll be thinking of you and the secretary of State and hoping for a quick, peaceful solution.”

“From your lips to God’s ears.”

“Follow your heart and your gut. Your heart is the best heart I know. It’ll never steer you wrong.”

“Thanks, babe. Tell the kids…” His grimace said it all.

Sam went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “I’ll tell them. They’ll be fine. They’re going to have a wonderful day.”

“Save me some cake.”