Downstairs, Sam paid the delivery guy, set up the food on a tray, grabbed a bottle of red and headed back upstairs to find the bedroom light off but the hallway light on. Smiling, she headed for the second set of stairs that led to their hideaway in the loft.

Nick had changed into sweats and his favorite ratty Harvard T-shirt. He’d lit the beach-scented candles that took her right back to the best week of her life, the honeymoon she’d spent with him in Bora Bora.

She put the tray on the foot of the double lounge chair he’d bought to mimic the one they’d so enjoyed there. Corkscrew in hand, she set out to open the wine.

“Let me do that, babe. You know you’re no good at it.”

Because he was absolutely right about that, she gladly handed the bottle to him. “I’m awfully good at drinking it, however.”

“That you are.” He deftly pulled the cork from the bottle and poured them each a glass.

They sat at the foot of the lounge chair and dove into the pasta and salad they’d ordered.

“Are we going to talk about it?” she asked after most of the pasta was gone.

He paused, put down his fork, wiped his mouth and looked directly at her. “You know I love you more than anything, right? I mean anything.”

She did know, but it always made her heart race a little faster when he looked at her in just that way and said those particular words. “Yes,” she replied, because what else needed to be said?

“It’s an incredible opportunity. I won’t deny that, but I don’t need it to be happy. I don’t need it to be fulfilled. I don’t need it if it’s not what we both want.”

Sam swallowed hard and asked the one question that was foremost on her mind. “Would I have to quit my job?”

“No, babe. I’d never ask you to do that.” He spelled out the concessions the Secret Service was willing to make in order to accommodate her job. “Only the president, vice president, president-elect and vice president-elect are required to have protection. Family members can decline it.”

Hearing that, Sam released the breath she’d been holding. “That was my second question.”

“What’s your third one?”

“Would we have to move? Doesn’t the VP live at the Naval Observatory?”

“Yes, but I explained about our close proximity to your dad, and they’re willing to make it so we could stay here.”

“Wow, it sounds like they really want you.”

“It seems like they do. But there’s one other thing we need to talk about right now before this goes any further.”

“What’s that?”