“I don’t know. I can’t imagine what he has to say to me. He blames me for everything. If I hadn’t forced his father to keep Thomas and his mother a secret none of this would’ve happened. Hell, I blame myself. Keeping them apart was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Graham. Those were different times. You did what you thought was right at the time.”

He glanced over at Nick, and for the first time, he looked like an old man. “I knew at the time that it wasn’t right to keep John from his child. I knew it, and I did it anyway because I was afraid—for myself and for him. I loved this job. I loved everything about it. I went too far to protect my career at the expense of the people I loved. John paid for my mistakes with his life.”

Nick leaned in to rest his hand on the other man’s forearm, “John paid for his own mistakes, not yours. Thomas was angry about his father cheating on his mother. That’s why he killed him.”

“But if I hadn’t forced John to live apart from Patricia, maybe they would’ve had a more normal life, and he wouldn’t have felt the need to cheat on her.”

“I don’t think—” Nick stopped himself, mindful of his respect for Graham and his desire to protect John’s legacy—always.

“What? Just say it. Whatever it is.”

Choosing his words carefully, Nick said, “I don’t think John had it in him to be monogamous with any woman, even Patricia.”

“Maybe so. I never understood how he became such a skirt-chaser. He wasn’t raised that way.”

“To me it always seemed like he was looking for something he just couldn’t find no matter how hard he searched.”

“He never found what you have with Sam or what I have with his mother. It makes me sad to think that he missed out on that.”

“He led a very full life, and he wouldn’t want you to be sad when you think of him.”

“I know. Still... When I think about how I threatened to disown him if he had anything to do with them, it makes me sick. As if I ever could’ve actually disowned him.”

Nothing he could say would make Graham feel better about what was now ancient history. “What’ll you do about Thomas?”

“Go see him, I suppose. He is my grandson after all.”

“Want me to go with you?”

Graham visibly brightened. “You’d do that?”

“Of course I would.”

“After the election,” Graham said. “Let’s get you safely reelected, and then we’ll see what he wants.”

“Sounds like a plan. I hate to say it, but the caucus is meeting at nine. I need to get going.”