Nick was still asleep when Sam slid out of bed just after six the next morning, feeling energized by the evening they’d spent together. As long as they could have a night like that every so often they’d be able to stay on track no matter how crazy their lives became.

She couldn’t deny the flutter of nerves that attacked her always-sensitive stomach at the thought of him being vice president. But he’d assured her that very little would change for her, and she’d decided to take him at his word. She was so ridiculously proud of him. After his austere upbringing with a grandmother who hadn’t wanted him around and two absent, teenage parents, he deserved every good thing that came his way.

What he’d said about growing up without the word “love” in his home had broken her heart and furthered her resolve to make sure he heard it every day in their home. That wouldn’t be a hard promise to keep. Her love for him seemed to grow bigger and stronger with every day they spent together, every challenge they confronted and every new hurdle they faced.

That was why she felt so strongly that they’d find a way to deal with his new role. Their foundation was strong enough to bear the weight of more responsibility.

After a shower, she crossed the hall to the closet he’d had built to accommodate her vast wardrobe and pulled on jeans and a sweater. She pushed her feet into running shoes and grabbed a knit scarf to wrap around her neck, which bore a few marks from her husband’s teeth.

While she knew she ought to be appalled that he’d marked her, she was secretly thrilled by the proof of how totally he lost himself in her. When she was dressed, she went into the bedroom to get her gun, badge and cuffs from the locked drawer in the bedside table, then leaned over to kiss him.

He never stirred as she brushed her lips over the rough whiskers on his jaw. “Love you,” she whispered. She left him sleeping and went down the hall to wake Scotty. “Hey, buddy.”

“Hey. What time is it?”

“Just after six. Time to get moving.” He required a lot of time in the morning to get himself in gear, so they’d learned to wake him more than an hour before they had to leave for school.

“Okay.”

“Nick is still out cold, and I don’t think he set an alarm. Can I trust you not to go back to sleep?”

“Yeah, I’m up.”

“Give me a hug.”

He complied with one of her favorite kinds of full-body hugs.

“Sam?”

“Hmm?”

“What do you think of this vice president thing?”

“I think it’s kind of cool. What do you think?”

“It’s way cool. He’d be so awesome at it.”