Page 16 of Dusty

“Christ, Scott. You look like a new man. And who is this lovely person with you?” He introduced them to Rogen and said that she was his new wife. They’d only been married for a couple of weeks. “You heard about your mom then?”

“The president called him.” Rogen was a very beautiful woman, and Shipley could see that she loved Scott very much. “We worked together as dispatchers. It’s been a whirlwind sort of ride for us both. We’re also having a baby.”

She didn’t know who was more excited, Scott or Rogen, about having a child. When they joined them for movie night, it was all she could do not to tease Scott about his prior opinion about having children. Shipley thought that he looked like he’d invented having children and didn’t care who knew it. They left about ten and she and Scott took the kids up to bed.

“Do you suppose that your sister will be getting married again?” She asked him if he meant Brad. “Yes. Do you know any other men that your sister has been dating?”

“No. I mean, I never thought of that. Do you suppose it’s gone that far? I wasn’t kidding her when I asked about the Secret Service around all the time. I do wonder how that’s been working for the two of them. Also, Brad told me that he’s been in love with Amanda since…well before Fred came along. And she looks so happy. Perhaps it will come down to her having a wedding again. I hope so. For both of them.”

“I do as well. And he already loves the kids.” She and Dusty talked about all the things that would be something of an issue with her marrying the VP. But none of them were insurmountable that they couldn’t pull it off. “I don’t know a lot about kids, but I’ve been keeping an eye on the kids when he’s around. He never treats them in any way but as little people. Even Parker is a bit in love with him, too.”

“She calls him Da-da.” She just stared at Dusty. “It was the last time Brad was here. He was holding her in his arms while Amanda was getting the kids off the bus, and I heard her. It shocked Brad, I think, but he never said anything to her. He didn’t deny it, I mean. I think that he’d make a great dad. Why hasn’t he married before now?”

“I never thought to ask him. Do you suppose he was waiting on Amanda to make a decision?” Dusty shrugged and told her that he hadn’t any idea. “Me either. But I’ll talk to my sister when shecomes to get the kids tomorrow. I did tell you that they were staying all night. It’s too far for Amanda to come back tonight.” She cocked her head. “I just thought of something. If they do get married, that means she’s going to be moving to DC and taking the kids with her.”

“I should hope so.” She growled at him. “What did you think was going to happen, love? That they’d carry on this relationship and make it work with the distance between them? No. If Brad doesn’t ask her to marry him soon, I’m going to be very disappointed in him. He’s more in love with her, if you can believe it than I think that any other couple I know is. Except for you and I. We carry all the love between us.”

“You’re insane.” When they went to bed that night, she kept thinking about how it would work out between the two of them. She was just getting used to having her sister around all the time, and now she was going to leave her. What would happen if he were to run for the White House? Then she’d be out of that time, too.

She told herself that she was being selfish. Her sister deserved a life as much as she did, and her thinking about how it would affect her was simply mean. Getting up and leaving the bedroom, she wasn’t the least bit surprised when her cell rang. It was her sister.

“What’s happened? Do I need to come there and kick someone’s ass? You know that I will.” Amanda laughed and said that it was all good. “Then why are you bothering me at two in the morning?”

“Brad asked me to marry him.” Shipley sat down hard on the stairs that she’d been standing on when her phone rang. “I’ve not told him yes yet. I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Why?” She said because she was her sister. “No, I mean, why haven’t you told him yes. And what on earth do you think I’d have to say aboutyougetting married. Nothing at all. You’re my sister, not my ward.” Amanda started crying and that hurt her to her core.

“I just got you home with me and now I’m the one that will be running off. I don’t know what to do. He had this beautiful ring for me. You should see it. It’s the same stone as yours, but I love it so much more. And then there are the kids. What if they don’t want me to get—”

“Hang on a minute. Just… Seriously Amanda, I don’t think the two of you could be in any more love than you are right now, and then you have the rest of your lives to fall more in love.” Amanda called her a romantic. “No, I’m a realist. You love each other so much. In fact, I think that the two of you have been in love since before you started dating. As for the kids, Amanda loves him. You know that if she had trouble with him, she’d tell you. And Parker is already calling him dad.”

“When? When did she say that to him?” She told her that Dusty had seen it. “He never said a word about it. Oh, that helps so much. I don’t know what to do about you. I can’t lose you again. You’re all the family that I have left.” She pointed out that she had the entire Erickson family as well as her own kids.

“And you won’t lose me. You do remember that we have a house in DC, don’t you? And it’s not that far away for us to just hop in a car and come see you. Right?” She told her that she could come and see her too. “Yes, but I don’t know how feasible that will be with the Secret Service having to follow you around all the time. But we’ll cross that when we come to it. And I don’t know if you knew this or not, being that you just called me from there. I’m only a phone number away.”

“There is that. But I’d want you here to help with the planning of our wedding. It’ll have to be huge because of who he is and all.” Shipley remembered that her sister hadn’t had a large wedding, even though that was what she wanted at the time. “You’ll be my matron of honor.”

“No, I’m going to be giving you away. Mandy will be your maid of honor. Right there next to you, where she belongs. You know she’s kind of stubborn, and that’s where she’s going to be anyway.” They both laughed. “Parker and Fred will be there as well with one of the brothers. They’ll love that they can be a part of their mother’s big day.”

After talking to her sister for another ten minutes, they decided that it was much too late for them to be making wedding plans and closed their connection. She knew that she’d sleep better and that Amanda would as well. Shipley was sad, sad that her sister had been so upset, but she was also feeling like she’d been sad too for no reason. So long as Amanda was happy then everything in herworld was all right as well.

“Did you talk to her?” She smiled when Dusty spoke to her from the dark room. Telling him that it was all settled, he rolled over toward her and curled around her body. “I love you, Shipley. Do you regret not having a large wedding, too?”

“You knew that they were going to get married?” He said that Brad had asked him if it would be all right with her that he asked her sister. “He could have asked me, you know.”

“And you would have turned him down. You needed to hear from Amanda, and once you did, it was all right. You know as well as I do that she’s first in your life.” She wasn’t sure about that and told him so. “I know that she’s your number one fan and the other way around. I’m all right with that, so long as I’m a very close second. I am, right?”

“Forever.” She wanted to tease him but couldn’t bring herself to do that. It was too late for that anyway. Snuggling up under his chin, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. There was a lot to be said for having someone you love so close to you that it was like you were one person.

~*~

Dusty laid all the paperwork out in neat rows and was ready for his family to show up. This time, when they had their monthly meeting, he was going to be prepared. It had been a real eye-opener when he’d sat down at his desk and saw all the things that he’d been putting off in favor of spending time with Shipley. Grinning to himself, he thought of last night and the way that she’d met him at their bedroom door completely nude. Christ, the woman was so special to him.

He’d thought that she was asleep when he’d opened the door. Crying out a little when she said his name, Dusty thought for sure that she was sleepwalking. But putting out his hands to guide her to the bed made him have the biggest surprise of all. Her warm breast filled his hand, and he couldn’t have moved if a gun had been pointed to his head.

“I have some news for you.” He told her that he would have to wait until later, that he was busy examining her. “Oh, well, have you noticed anything different about my breasts, doctor sir? They feel much larger to me.”

“I’ll have to get a closer look.” When she moaned as he took her breast into his mouth, he wanted to take her right then. But she’d been in a playful mood, and he wanted her to have her fun.

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