“We’ll find out soon enough,” Nick said, rising to leave. “Thanks for the beer I helped myself to, Celia.”

Laughing, she said, “Anytime. Our beer is your beer.”

They said goodnight to Scotty, Abby and Ethan and headed out the door. Nick put his arm around Sam and kissed the top of her head. “That, right there, is the upside to the big family,” he said.

“How do you mean?”

“Other than with the O’Connors, I’ve never felt like I could walk into someone’s house and grab a beer the way I do there. It feels like home.”

“It makes me so happy to hear you say that, and I know my dad and Celia would be happy to hear it too. We all want you to feel at home with us.”

“Well I do, and I love it.”

“We love you.”

They went up the ramp into their own home, and Sam followed procedure by tossing her coat on the sofa. Nick, being Nick, picked up the coat and hung it in the closet, which Sam thought was pointless. She’d need it again in the morning.

“What time is it?” he asked.

“Nine forty-five.”

“Come here.”

She curled up next to him on the sofa. “I’m here.”

“We’ve got fifteen minutes to make out before people get here, and I want every minute of it. That’s how you can start to make it up to me for letting our vacation get ruined.”

“Start?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s going to take a lot of atonement on your part before I’ll be appeased.”

Sam moved carefully to straddle his lap, mindful of his bruised ribs. “Atonement and appeasement. Is that what it has come down to?”

He cupped her ass and tugged her closer. “You know it.”

“Go easy,” she whispered against his lips. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

She did as she was told, and the second her lips connected with his, the doorbell rang.

“I’m weeping,” he said, making sobbing noises as she got off his lap to go answer the door.

“Save it for later, Senator.”

“Your atonement allowance just doubled.”

Naturally, the first arrival was Avery Hill.

“Tripled,” Nick said from the sofa, forcing Sam to hold back a laugh.

“Hey, come in.”

“Am I too early?”

“Not at all. Everyone will be here in a minute.” She prayed to God that was true, because the last thing she wanted was to spend more than one minute alone with Alpha Dogs 1 and 2 in the same room together. “Can I get you a drink or something?”

“No, thanks. I’m good.” He nodded to Nick. “Senator.”

“Agent Hill.”

Her normally amiable husband offered no handshake or small talk, but rather a steady glare directed at the agent, who stood awkwardly inside the door.