“Brat,” he said against her lips.

She laughed at the face he made at her and reclaimed her bouquet from Tracy.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the pastor said, “it’s my pleasure to introduce Senator and Mrs. Nicholas Cappuano.”

Nick winced. His Samantha was no one’s Mrs., but oh well. For better or worse, she was his.

Finally and forever his.

Hand in hand they made their way down the aisle. Sitting behind Sam’s family was her Metropolitan Police family, including Chief Farnsworth, Deputy Chief Conklin, Captain Malone and their wives. Freddie and Elin, Gonzo and his fiancée—Nick’s chief of staff Christina Billings. Sam was pleased and relieved to see her friend and colleague Detective Jeannie McBride there with her boyfriend Michael.

Nick’s side of the church was also filled to overflowing. What he lacked in family he more than made up for in friends. John O’Connor’s sister Lizbeth, her husband Royce, and John’s brother Terry—Nick’s new deputy chief of staff—were there along with most of his staff. Sam recognized the leadership of the Virginia Democratic Party along with Virginia Governor Zorn and his wife Judy. Behind them were a number of Nick’s colleagues from the Senate and another of Nick’s close friends, White House deputy chief of staff Derek Kavanaugh, and his wife, Victoria.

When Nick seemed to founder all of a sudden, Sam realized he’d spotted his mother waving from the back row. True to their agreement, she was being quiet, but of course she’d had to make sure Nick knew she was there. Sam wished she could wave a magic wand and make the woman disappear.

“Just keep moving, babe,” she said to Nick. “Keep moving.”

“But… that’s—”

Sam tugged him along with her. “I know who she is.”

They emerged from the church to an enormous crowd that had grown during the hour-long ceremony. Shelby’s security folks shepherded them through the gauntlet so they could cross the street to the Hay-Adams. The photographer had let them know ahead of time that he would be angling for a shot of them crossing H Street with the White House in the background. Shelby’s people had cleared the street to allow for the photo.

While Sam sensed the lingering tension in Nick, he played his part to perfection, dashing slightly ahead of her to give the photographer the shot he’d claimed would be the iconic image from their wedding. All Sam cared about was getting a moment alone with her groom to soothe and assure him that his mother wouldn’t bother him today.

With the photo taken, they arrived at the hotel where Shelby greeted them.

“We need a moment,” Sam said to her.

“Right this way.”