Page 56 of State of Bliss

“Read the engraving on the back.”

Sam took it out and tilted it toward the waning light coming through the blinds.Thank you for the best two years of my life. NDC

Her eyes filled. “I love it. Thank you so much.”

“Thankyou.” He went up on his elbow to kiss her. “You’ve given me something I’ve never had before—a family to call my own. And despite all the unforeseen wrinkles—”

Sam raised a brow in his direction. “Is that what we’re calling the presidency? A wrinkle?”

“A verytemporarywrinkle.”

Sam snorted out a laugh.

“As I was saying, despite themanywrinkles, I’ve never been happier or more content than I am since you and the kids came into my life. As long as I have you and them, I have everything I’ll ever need—and then some.”

“I love seeing you as a dad. I’ve never loved you more than I do when you’re with them. Your groove with Scotty is something to behold. Your sweetness with the twins and your guidance of Elijah… It’s so wonderful.”

“As is watching you be a mom.”

“I’m not as good at this parenthood gig as you are. I’m the one telling Scotty to sleep in and don’t worry about math.”

“You’re great at it. They know how much you love them. One of my favorite things ever was when you had to go to school to pick up Scotty. Telling the office people that you’re his mom made you cry.”

“That was the best. I was finally a mom. Not like I thought it would happen, but I couldn’t love him any more than I do if I’d given birth to him. Same with the twins and Eli.”

“Me, too. It’s amazing when you think about how we didn’t even know the three of them a year ago, and now they’re so much a part of us.”

“Life is strange and wonderful.” Sam leaned over to pull the bag she’d brought for him from under the bed. “What do you buy the leader of the free world? I asked myself. And the cotton presented a challenge for me as well.”

“What could it be?” He smiled as he pulled the tissue paper out of the bag and removed the heather-blue cotton T-shirt she’d bought him online.

On the front it said:I love you more. The end. I win.

She loved him all the time, but especially when he laughed. He’d had such a hard go of it with his screwed-up family that seeing him laughing and surrounded with love made her happy.

“I love it, babe. I’ll wear it all the time so you can read the message from me to you.”

“No, that’s not how it works. That message is frommetoyou. I am the winner of this fight.”

“I want to have this fight every day for the rest of our lives.”

“As long as you concede that I’m the winner of the fight.”

“I’ll concede to whatever you want as long as I get to have you and this and all the rest of it forever and ever.”

“Does that mean I win?”

Smiling, he kissed her and held her close. “It means we both win.”

Chapter Ten

At eleven thirty, they turned the bedroom TV on to watch the latest horror unfold onSaturday Night Live. Sam could barely stand to look. Yes, she knew it was a tradition for the comedy show to skewer the latest occupants of the White House, and she’d found it funny before those occupants were her and her husband.

“Here we go,” Nick said.

Once again, they were featured in the cold opening.

Sam took one look and screamed at the sight of the same actress who’d played her before, this time made up to be a big-boobed blonde with a dark spray tan and teeth so white they probably glowed in the dark. She wore a hot-pink bikini with a police belt around her waist and a gold badge pinned to the right side of the barely there bikini top.

---