“I hate to hear that things with Brooke have gotten that bad. I had no idea.”

“I’ve witnessed a few incidents in the last few months that were shocking, but I chalked it up to teenage craziness. I didn’t know it was this bad either.”

“Is that what we’re in for with the boy?” Nick asked.

“Lord, I hope not. I can’t imagine that sweet boy turning into a two-headed monster.”

“Me either.” He combed his fingers through her hair, which went a long way toward relaxing and soothing her. “Listen, this thing with Lexicore... Graham is going to release a statement about how we owned the stock but dumped it—at a tremendous loss—as soon as we learned about the connection to the factory.”

“That’s probably the best strategy.”

“He’s going to do it while I’m gone and not available for comment.”

“Oh.”

“The press is apt to be all over you, which is my one worry with this plan.”

“Nothing new there. They’re always all over me.”

“We don’t really know what to expect with this, so I feel like I’m leaving you to deal with a potential nightmare on your own. I agreed to the plan but as the day went on, I started to worry about how it might affect you guys.”

“Don’t worry about us.” She cupped his face and caressed the whiskers on his jaw. “If there’s one thing I can handle, it’s the press. I’m very good at giving them nothing they can use against me—or you. It’s a good plan. Let Graham deal with it while you’re gone, and hopefully by the time you’re back it’ll be old news.”

“That’s the goal.”

“Are you worried about it screwing up the election?”

“A little bit. Wouldn’t that be something after leading by such a big margin right up until the end?”

“You won’t lose. Your constituents love you almost as much as I do.” Sam loosened his tie and released the top two buttons on his shirt, caressing his throat before letting her fingers wander down to free the third button.

His hand on top of hers stopped her progress.

“Killjoy,” she muttered.

“Two hours to get the boy fed, showered and into bed, and then I’m all yours.”

“Two whole hours? That’s ages from now.”

“You’ll survive.”

Before she could object, the doorbell rang, and Scotty came running to pay the pizza deliveryman. The guys dove into the large pepperoni—Scotty’s favorite—while Sam nibbled on her salad and eyed the pizza with envy.

“One small piece won’t make you fat, babe,” Nick said, tuned into her thoughts as always.

“Yes, it will.”

He used the pizza slicer to cut a big piece in half and lifted it onto her plate. “I like you with some meat on your bones, so eat up.”