“It scares me every time you walk out that door, knowing there’re people out there who hate you just because of the badge you carry. Not to mention your psycho ex-husband who hates you because you love me. It scares me to know that you can nearly get shot in the face when you stop to buy a bagel.”

Nick pressed a line of kisses over the fading scar on her face, earned during a robbery she walked in on over the summer. When she’d jumped the guy from behind, he’d pistol-whipped her face, laying open her cheek.

“I don’t like it when you pit your much bigger fears against my smaller, mostly insignificant fears.”

His chuckle rumbled from his chest as he pressed another kiss to the top of her head. “I’m not a hundred percent sure I can go yet. It’ll take some juggling of campaign events.”

Was it wrong of her to hope he couldn’t get out of them? “But you want to go. Right?”

“Babe... It’s the president and Air Force One. Yeah, I want to go—but not just because of the super cool plane. Where we’re going, why we’re going... It’s important or I’d never do it.”

“I understand.”

“Do you really?”

“Not yet, but I’ll try to get there by the time you go.”

“While you were in the shower I was thinking about Scotty. With Willie being murdered, I might need to stick around for him.”

“It’s a quick trip, right?”

“They said we’d be gone about forty hours total.”

“I can handle things here for forty hours.”

He squeezed her again and kissed her. “You’re the best wife ever.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

“You’re the best wife I’ve ever had.”

Sam laughed and slugged his arm as she got up. “I walked right into that. Can you and your detail give me a lift to HQ on the way to the Hill?” It was out of their way, but she knew he would do it if he could.

“Happy to, but where’s your car?”

“Cruz is meeting me there with it. I didn’t want to stink it up.”

“So how’d you get home?”

“I stunk up a patrol car.”

“You’re all heart, babe.”

“Aren’t I?”

“I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

“I’ll be quick.” In the bedroom across the hall that served as her closet, Sam found a clean pair of jeans folded neatly on a shelf that was now devoted to jeans. The unusual organization stopped her short. Who had done that? Ugh, Tinker Bell!