I considered going to the cafeteria or library to study, but after the incident in class, I wasn’t in the mood for more snide comments, or people staring and pointing. I needed to be alone for a while.
I made my way to my favorite alone place. Next to campus, there’s a small park with running trails and picnic tables scattered through the trees. Not many students go there, and most of the ones who do are there for the trails. So I could usually get in a few hours of studying with only the occasional jogger to bother me.
Finding my favorite table under a large oak tree, I pulled out my books and began reading, taking notes as I went. This was the easy part of school, where I could lose my thoughts in my studies and forget about everything for a while.
A few joggers passed by and gave me waves, but for the most part I was able to focus on my books. A breeze was blowing through the tree above me, rustling the leaves, so I didn’t hear when someone sat down across the picnic table from me. But at one point, I caught sight of something out of the corner of my eye, and looked up.
“Oh!” I exclaimed, surprised I was no longer alone. My astonishment grew when I saw it was the blond guy I had bumped into.
“Hello,” he said, giving me a slight smile. He still wore his sunglasses, despite the shade of the tree. And what accent was that?
“I’m sorry,” I said, “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m studying and I’d rather be alone.”
“I just wanted to say hi.”
Swedish. Definitely Swedish. Or was it Dutch?”
“Ok, you said hi. You can go.” Then a disturbing thought occurred to me. “Did you follow me here?”
I looked around. We were alone. I thought I caught sight of a movement out of the corner of my eye, but when I refocused, it was gone. Probably just a jogger in the distance.
“Yes,” he replied.
I stared at him suspiciously. “Are you a reporter? Because my answer is the same it was eight months ago. No comment.”
“I’m not a reporter.”
Definitely Scandinavian. Swiss?
“Either way,” I said, “It’s kind of creepy that you followed me here, and I don’t feel comfortable about this.”
He gave me another soft smile. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
I glanced around one more time. There it was again. That movement in the distance, and then gone. What was going on here? I had to go.
I stood up and gathered my things. “I’m leaving.”
“Don’t go.”
“Don’t follow me this time.” I lifted my book bag and walked away, feeling his eyes on my back. I hadn’t gotten ten feet when he spoke.
“Sarah.”
I stopped. The accent was gone. My eyes went wide and I spun quickly back around.
He was standing and had removed his sunglasses. I recognized him immediately this time.
“Max?” I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Instead of speaking, he just held his arms wide. I dropped my bag and ran to him, where he caught me in his arms and held me tightly. Our lips met and we kissed, and I found myself transported back to those few wonderful weeks we had spent together. This couldn’t last, but I didn’t care. I was back in his arms and that’s all that mattered for now.
I felt his wonderful strength as he kissed me, and our tongues touched lightly. Nothing else mattered as we held each other.
Finally, I pulled back slightly and looked at him. It was really him under that goofy wig and sunglasses. I couldn’t contain my wide grin. “What are you doing here?”
“I had to see you.”
“It’s not safe for you to do this.”
“It safer than you think.” He raised his hand and waved, and suddenly, about fifteen Secret Service agents stepped out from behind trees around us. The closest was Chief Luger, who was watching us with a slight smile from about thirty feet away.
I giggled.
“They won’t let me go out alone anymore.”
I smiled brightly. “Good. You need to stay safe.” But then my smile faded. “Max, it’s also not safe to be here for another reason. You can’t be seen with me.”
“I don’t care.”
“But you need to care. The job you’re doing is more important than both of us.”
He stared at me. “You know, I pretended to believe that lie for the first six months, and reminded myself of it every time I wished you were by my side. Every time I awoke in the middle of the night and reached out for you, only to discover you weren’t there. I told myself that it was better this way. But you know what? I can’t live with that lie any more. My life is meaningless without you in it, and if I have to give up my presidency to have you with me, then I’m willing to do that. I love you, Sarah. I want to be with you, and I don’t care who knows it. To hell with the consequences.”
I had to will myself to breathe. This had to be a dream. “I love you too, Max, but–”
He placed his finger on my lips. “No buts. Do you really still love me, after all this time?”
“I never stopped loving you. I think about you every moment of the day.”
“Then that’s all I need to know.” He took a step back from me and reached into the pocket of his jeans, extracting a small jewelry box. I stared at it in surprise as he dropped to one knee and opened it, showing me the large diamond ring inside.
“Sarah,” he said, “will you marry me?”
I was too stunned to speak. I just stared at him.
“Sarah?’
Slowly, a smile spread across my face.
He grinned. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes, Max. I would love to be your wife.”
He stood and held my hand as he slid the ring on my finger. Then he took me in his arms, and we kissed again. The Secret Service agents clapped softly in the background.
Chapter 58
The next day, the White House scheduled a prime-time news conference for that evening for a special announcement. The news channels were abuzz all day, as speculation ran wild about what it could be, with some news consultants claiming they had inside information that the President was going to announce he was withdrawing from the election. Some even claimed he would be resigning this evening, turning the reigns over to Vice-president Porter to serve out the remainder of his term.
Max and I spent the hour before the news conference in the solarium, enjoying a quiet dinner and talking. We were sitting on the couch, lying against each other, with his arm around me. My bum still stung slightly from the spanking he had given me last night – punishment for leaving him after I had promised I wouldn’t. We hadn’t gotten much sleep after that.
“You can still back out,” I said. “You don’t have to go through with this. I can go back to my life and we’ll put all of this off until you’re done being president.”
He shook his head. “I know you don’t want that, Sarah, and neither do I. Trust me, this is for the best.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been surer than anything in my life. You ready to go?”
“Yes.”
He stood, and helped me up. I held his jacket as he slid it on, and I smoothed out the wrinkles, feeling his strong body underneath. I had a flash of desire, and wished that we could spend the next hour in bed instead of what lay in front of us.
He took my hand and we walked to the elevator, taking it down to the first floor and walking to the Press Room. Jack McGraw and the Secret Service surrounded the entrance, keeping the press inside, allowing the President and me a moment of solitude before he went on.
“One minute, Mr. President,” Jack said. He gave me a smile.
Max and I turned to each other.
“No regrets?” I asked.
“My only regret is waiting so long.”
I smiled, and he leaned down to kiss me. We kissed until Jack interrupted us.
“Mr. President, it’s time.”
He pulled away and strode confidently into the Press Room. There was a buzz from the
crowd, and then everyone grew silent as the President stood at the podium.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen of the press, and to all my fellow citizens. I’m going to be brief, and then I’m going to introduce you to two special people in our nation’s service.
“First of all, I want to apologize to the American people. You deserve the truth, and you haven’t gotten it. I claimed that my personal life is my business, and it is, but when it affects the job I was elected to do, it becomes the people’s business also.”
“I first met Sarah Hayes almost two years ago, during a speaking engagement at Stanford University. At that time, I saw something in her that intrigued me, and since she was a Political Science major, I made it possible for her to come to the White House to be an intern. When she arrived, we hit it off immediately, and I discovered that I hadn’t been mistaken – she was as special as I had thought.”
“During the time we spent together, I was the happiest I had been since Megan was alive. Miss Hayes filled a hole in my heart that had been empty since my wife’s death. I’m in love again, which is something I didn’t think was possible four years ago. So yes, she did affect my job, but only in a positive way. When I was with her I was invigorated, and looked forward to getting up every morning.”
“The good news, for me at least, is that she’s agreed to marry me. Our wedding will be this June.”
The audience, who sat in stunned silence until now, began to murmur.
“Some will look at the seventeen year difference in our ages and think that’s too much. And that’s fine. If that’s what you really believe, then I respect your opinion. Others will look at that difference and try to use it for political purposes. I expect that. It’s a question of character. However, I think that once you get to know Miss Hayes, you will see that her character is beyond reproach. Seven months ago, she walked away from all of this, willing to give up the person she loved in order to spare the country, and myself, strife.
“I tried to do the same, but eventually realized that I couldn’t live without her. My first choice was to cancel my campaign, and withdraw from the race, so I could be with her. But my staff and close friends, and even Miss Hayes, convinced me that people are more accepting than that.”
“So, I remain in this race, committed to serving my country for an additional four years. Whether that happens or not is completely up to you, the American people. But I wanted you to know that, if I am re-elected, Sarah will be at my side as First Lady.”
“But there is another matter we must discuss tonight. A matter of deceit that I was involved in. So at his time, I would like to welcome to the podium Special Agent Mario Ostrovsky, and Marine First Lieutenant Tyler Hilliard, who will explain to you who was the real hero of the missile attack last year.”
Epilogue
Eleven months later.
A cold wind swept across the western front of the U.S. Capitol, accompanied by a blazing sun in a cloudless blue sky. Although this California girl wasn’t yet used to real winter, the excitement of the day overcame the frigid temperatures. A large crowd filled the panorama in front of us, seated in chairs on the Capitol’s lawn, then spreading around the Capitol Reflecting Pool and filling the Mall, extending back to the Washington Monument over a mile away.
To my left stood Chief Justice Roberts of the Supreme Court, dressed in a black robe. To my right were Vice-president Porter and his wife. Behind them was the comforting face of Chief Luger, and also Special Agent Mario Ostrovsky, who gave me a wink when he noticed me glancing his way.
In front of me and to the left, my husband stood at the podium, concluding his second Inaugural Address.
“We must ever be reminded that in America, We the People are governed only by our consent. The power sits with the people, not the politicians and elite. This is not only our birthright handed down to us by our forefathers, it is also our responsibility. Seize your birthright, wield your power, and hold those you elected to the promises they made.”
The crowd cheered, and the President paused before continuing. “It is with great humility that I accept the honor to serve you and this country for another four years. God bless you, and God bless America.”
As the applause and cheering swelled to a loud roar, the President lifted his arm and waved, flashing that incandescent smile. After a few moments, he turned back and encouraged me to join him, and I stepped forward to stand by his side. The crowd got louder, and I smiled and waved.
After a minute, Max turned and leaned down to kiss me. The crowd’s response was almost deafening.
He pulled back and met my gaze with his. “Are you ready for another four years, my love?”
I smiled. “Yes, Mr. President.”
# # #
Any comments on this story can be sent to the author at [email protected]. Thank you for reading.
Jean-Luc Cheri’s other books:
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