First Lady

by Blayne Cooper

  Lauren nodded, clearly impressed. “Wow.” She gave Devlyn a sound kiss on the mouth, making it crystal clear just how much she appreciated this and the many smaller adjustments Devlyn had made to her life in deference to her doctors, her family, but mostly for Lauren herself. And the younger woman knew it. She tugged affectionately on Dev’s shirt. “You came up with this in the last hour?”

  “Well,” Dev sniffed. “I am the President.”

  Lauren flopped back on the bed, her smile crinkling her nose and the corners of her eyes. “You’re more than that to me.”

  Dev crawled on top of her, straddling her to pin her to the bed. “Now,” she growled and temporarily forgot what she was going to say, dipping her head for a fiery but playful kiss. Which Lauren deepened instantly, drawing a throaty groan from Dev.

  After a few leisurely moments, Devlyn pulled away with a loud smack, smiling at Lauren’s protesting moan. Two could play at that game. “Now tell me what’s in the box. Tell me, tell me, tell me!”

  Lauren lifted her head to kiss Dev’s chin, then she gave it a gentle nibble. “And here I thought Curious George was just fiction. Forget the box and kiss me again.”

  “Lauren!” Dev grabbed Lauren’s shoulders and began bouncing both women loudly against the mattress. “I’ve… been waiting—”

  Lauren yelped, then burst into helpless laughter as they flopped wildly against the bed like fish tossed onto the shore.

  “And waiting, and waiting. All day! I can’t wait any more! It’s killing me.” Devlyn stared at her partner, who was laughing so hard that she was shaking Devlyn every bit as much as she was being shaken. “It’s not funny!” she protested.

  “Stop… Stop!” Lauren squealed between gasps, her face brick red. “We’re going to br- br- break the bed!”

  Dev stopped bouncing and dropped limply atop Lauren, her weight causing every bit of air to exit the blonde’s lungs in an enormous gust. “So you’ll show me, right?” Dev asked calmly.

  Lauren sucked in a big breath, then spluttered, “I- I-think I’d better.”

  Dev let loose a sunny smile. “Good.” Sweetly, she kissed a very pink cheek and scampered off the bed and onto the floor.

  Lauren shook her head and chuckled, amazed as always at the contrast between the devastatingly effective politician and the boisterous playmate that Devlyn could sometimes be. That beloved playmate had been largely absent these past six months, and Lauren was glad beyond words to see the slow but steady return of her long-absent friend. She closed her eyes and said a small prayer of thanks. It was about time.

  “Oooo… is that you?” came the disembodied voice from the floor.

  Lauren spun around and crawled to the foot of the bed, resting her head on her hands as she peered over the edge to find Devlyn holding up a photograph of her as a child. She wrinkled her face. “Ummm…” For a second, Lauren was tempted to lie.

  “You were precious!” Dev couldn’t help but grin at the tiny blonde with braids, grass-stained cut-off denim overalls, and two skinned knees. But probably most endearing of all was the tattered book Dev could see in her hand. It was just so Lauren. “I could just hug you to death. Oh, and your front teeth are missing,” she commented enthusiastically, her eyes riveted to the picture.

  “Only someone who loves me could think I look adorable in that picture,” Lauren said wryly. “I look like a cross between an egghead and a ragamuffin.”

  Dev reached over and fondly ran fingers through Lauren’s wavy locks. “You were perfect.”

  “I’m glad you think so, because there are several equally horrific photographs in there. And there’s one from my first date that you should get a look at now, because I’m burning it the first chance I get.”

  “You most certainly are not! You’ll be lucky if I don’t have it blown up to life size, framed, and put on display for the White House tours.”

  Lauren sucked in a breath. “You’re pure evil!”

  Dev merely snickered before returning her attention to the small pile of items that had been unloaded from the box. “What is all this?”

  “Some things of Mama’s.” Lauren was quiet for a moment as she reflected. “I didn’t know she had most of this stuff. Daddy thought I might want it. I guess he finally decided to go through some of the stuff in their bedroom and pack some things away.”

  Dev's expression turned serious. “That’s not an easy thing to do,” she admitted, leaning back against the foot of the bed.

  “No,” Lauren said soberly. “It wouldn’t be.”

  Eager to regain some of the joy from just a moment earlier, Dev set down the photograph and picked up one of Lauren’s Adrian Nash novels. “This is your first, right?”

  Lauren nodded, a gentle though bittersweet smile returning. “I was so proud. I sent her and Daddy a copy right away.”

  “She kept it for a long time,” Devlyn pointed out, her finger tracing the author’s name emblazoned in shiny gold letters.

  Lauren reached for the book and opened it, hearing the spine crack loudly. She let out a deep breath. “She kept it but never read it.” She shrugged a little and passed the book back. “I guess that’s still something.”

  Devlyn looked away, unwilling for Lauren to read the anger she was sure showed plainly on her face. Some people aren’t fit to raise a pet, she thought harshly. Much less a child. “What else do we have here?”

  Lauren set the book down, then pointed to a small white box. “That was my mom’s bracelet.”

  Dev opened the box and lifted the delicate gold chain, its links sparkling softly in the light.

  “She wore it whenever she got dressed up. It was her mother’s.”

  “Mmm…” The slender links felt cool in Dev’s hand. “It’s pretty.”

  Lauren’s brow furrowed as she looked at the simple but well-maintained piece of jewelry. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t have the slightest urge to wear it herself. Ever. But the idea of simply throwing it away was equally unacceptable. “I think I’ll give it to Ashley.”

  Dev blinked. “Are you sure—?”

  Lauren shrugged lightly, though she felt a little nervous when she said, “It would look silly on one of the boys, and she’s the only daughter I have, right?”

  Their eyes met and held, and Dev thought she might melt into a puddle then and there. She had to swallow thickly before she could speak. “Absolutely,” she murmured finally, noting the gray eyes so near to hers were now shining brightly. “She’ll be proud to—” the sound of pounding footsteps caused her to pause.

  The bedroom door flew open and three screaming, pajama-clad children ran inside and pounced on the bed, all of them scrambling madly to get under the covers. Christopher nearly knocked Lauren to the floor in his haste, but stopped long enough for a quick, “Sorry, Mama.”

  Devlyn jumped to her feet. “Hey! What’s going on?” She helped Lauren off the foot of the bed, and they turned to see the blanket and the three lumps beneath it shaking like leaves in the wind.

  “We’re afraid!” Ashley squealed, terrified. “He’ll get us in our sleep!”

  Christopher and Aaron screamed at their sister’s words and Lauren and Dev just looked at each other. The women each moved to opposite sides of the bed and lifted the blankets back, cringing as more screams nearly pierced their eardrums.

  “Shhh!” Dev told them. “What on earth is wrong? Who is coming for you?”

  “Don’t let him get us,” Aaron begged. “Pleeeeeeeze.” He climbed into Lauren’s lap and held on for dear life.

  “Wh—?” Lauren only shrugged at Devlyn, having no idea what was happened. She pressed her lips to Aaron’s hair and kissed him firmly. “I would never let anyone get you,” she swore. “And… um… Gremlin will protect you, too.”

  Upon hearing Lauren’s declaration, both Ashley and Christopher scrambled over to Lauren and pressed themselves against the shocked woman. Their mother might be bigger, but Lauren had just promised her protection, and Gremlin had poin
ty teeth and breath ferocious enough to slay most anything. Their mother had said that last part, many, many times.

  “What is going on?” Dev demanded, taking care to set Lauren’s mother’s bracelet on the nightstand.

  “CHUCKY!” the children cried in unison.

  “He has a knife dripping blood,” Ashley added, her face pale.

  Just then, a very sheepish and disheveled Frank Marlowe poked his head into the bedroom. Only his eyes were visible around the door.

  Dev arched a sharp eyebrow at her father. “Why don’t I remember someone named Chucky and a blood-dripping knife in the movie Bambi?”

  “Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” Frank stumbled into the room behind Janet, who dragged the tall man the rest of the way into the room by his ear.

  “Explain yourself, old man,” Janet said crossly, finally letting go of Frank’s ear.

  Lauren looked on with wide eyes. “Uh oh,” she mumbled, very glad that she hadn’t done anything to make Janet angry.

  * * *

  Only the faint beams from a silvery moon lighted the room. The children were sound asleep and plastered against Lauren and Dev, the mass of sweaty bodies sticking together.

  “How could he do that?” Dev whispered into the dark. She could tell Lauren was awake by the absence of the gentle snores that were now as familiar to Devlyn as her own scent. And though she couldn’t see her, she was sure her body was among the mass under the extra blankets the children had insisted they needed. “How could he fall asleep and not disable the voice controls on the television? He could never trust me when I was a child,” she continued harshly. “What fool would trust these devil children?”

  Lauren sighed and unstuck Ashley’s arm from the side of her face, grimacing at the trickle of sweat that trailed down her own throat. “Ugh. I don’t know. But I’m burning up,” she whispered back, still a little grumpy that her plans to ravage her wife had gone up in smoke. “I think you should have let Janet take the wooden spoon to him.”

  Dev’s chuckles shook the bed. “Don’t worry, he’s getting his just desserts.”

  Lauren smiled in the dark. “I don’t doubt that. Did you see his face when Janet told him it was time for bed? He didn’t want to go with her.”

  Both women giggled.

  “Think we can escape without them knowing?” Lauren shifted a little, able to peel Christopher’s leg from hers. “They’re dead the to the world.”

  Dev nodded. “Yeah. But we’ve got to be careful. If we move around too much, one of them will think Chucky is after them and wake up the entire house,” she whispered. “If we’re lucky we can crash in the boys’ room.”

  “I still have no idea who Chucky is,” Lauren told her, continuing to untangle herself. “A knife-wielding doll sounds more ridiculous than scary.”

  “Oh, no. It’s freaky beyond belief.” Dev whimpered a little just remembering. “I saw it on cable television when I was about Ashley’s age. I didn’t sleep for weeks and I couldn’t look at a doll for months. Maybe years.”

  “Why in the world did your parents let you watch something like that?” Lauren held her breath as she crawled completely out of bed. The wooden floors felt so cool that she sprawled out on her belly and hummed in pure relief. She turned her head when Dev joined her on the floor.

  The President lifted her shirt to feel the cool wooden slats against her back. “They didn’t let me, you goof.”

  “Let me guess…”

  “Yup, Dad fell asleep in front of Matlock while Mom was upstairs reading. The remote was mine!”

  Lauren laughed softly. “How long were you grounded for?”

  “The same amount of time that the kids will be grounded for.” With a light groan, Dev pushed herself to her feet and offered Lauren a hand up. They both stepped over the soundly sleeping guard dogs on the way to the boys’ room.

  “And how long was that?” Lauren asked.

  “Well, technically I’m still grounded.” Devlyn kept hold of Lauren’s hand as they traversed the dark hallway. “But don’t remind Mom, okay?”

  Lauren wrapped her arm around Dev’s waist and squeezed. “It’ll be our little secret.”

  “Chucky was just horrible,” Dev commented after a minute. “Horrible.”

  “Darlin’?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You don’t have to worry, I’ll protect you.” Lauren laughed.

  “Very funny.” A pause. “Promise?”

  Lauren’s sparkling grin pierced the night. “Absolutely.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  DECEMBER

  Friday, December 15, 2028

  “IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE this is our last Christmas in the White House,” Dev said, handing Lauren a string of gaily-colored garland.

  Lauren strategically wedged the garland between two heavy tree boughs, the fragrant needles brushing the backs of her hands.

  “Eight years.” Dev sighed and stepped around Lauren. Twinkling tree lights reflected in her eyes as she rested her chin on the smaller woman’s shoulder and studied their handiwork. “Where did all the time go?”

  “I wish I could tell you, honey.” Her attention focused on the decoration Aaron had made her five years before. A wistful smile curled her lips. “I feel the same way.” She tucked a loose strand of pale hair behind her ear as she took a few slow steps backwards.

  Dev shuffled right along with her, their bodies pressed tightly together.

  Lauren gave the tall balsam fir a final, critical once-over. “What do you think?”

  Dev buried her nose in Lauren’s hair. “I think it smells terrific.”

  Lauren chuckled, but couldn’t help leaning into the loving touch. She rested her arms on the warm ones circling her waist. “I meant the tree.”

  “I don’t care how the tree smells,” Dev grumbled playfully, nipping at Lauren’s neck.

  “Tch.” Lauren gave her lover a gentle poke in the side. “You know what I meant, Devil.”

  “I do,” Dev agreed, pulling Lauren over to the sofa and down onto her lap. She reached out with a long arm and clicked off the table lamp, casting the room in blinking shadows. “It looks great.” She tilted her head back and drew in a deep breath of pungent, pine-scented air. Her nose twitched happily. “I love Christmas.”

  Lauren smiled. “Me, too.”

  “I can’t believe the kids wimped out on finishing the decorations though.” Dev's lower lip began to protrude. “They’ve never done that before.”

  “Aww…. Devlyn.” Lauren took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “We all spent two hours decorating it last night. Tonight we’re just adding the finishing touches. The kids have been looking forward to going with Beth and David to their cabin for weeks now. You can’t blame them for not wanting to stay here and string lights.”

  Dev’s lips thinned a little, but she didn’t say a word.

  Lauren rested her forehead against Dev’s, taking a moment to absorb the warmth before she spoke. “Are you sorry we told them about David?” she whispered, her breath mingling with Devlyn’s.

  “No.” Blue eyes fluttered closed and she felt the softest of kisses on their delicate lids. Her quick answer was greeted with utter silence, and she didn’t have to open her eyes to know that Lauren was waiting patiently for her to come clean. She opened her mouth again, but let it close without saying a word, this time, giving the question the thoughtful consideration it deserved. “Sometimes,” she admitted, wrapping her arms around Lauren and pulling her into a firm hug, and feeling Lauren sink into the warm embrace. “Change…” A deep breath. “It can be hard for me.”

  Feeling more than a twinge of sympathy, Lauren nodded. She knew exactly how Dev felt. Their lives hadn’t changed dramatically since the family discussion early that autumn, though the conversation alone had reduced most of them to tears. Since then, all the children had shown an interest in getting to know the man who was already a much-beloved uncle to them, and his wife, just a little bit better. It was a heartfelt desire that ne
ither Devlyn nor Lauren could begrudge their friends or their children. Still, family time was such a precious commodity, and the kids were now at ages where their friends commanded more of their free time and interest than their parents, that it was easy to let petty jealousies rear their ugly heads. But she and Devlyn were making a concerted effort to get past that. And, for the most part, it was working.

  Dev released Lauren and resettled her on her lap, wiggling a little and quickly getting comfortable again. She glanced up into concerned gray eyes, uncertain until that very second if she was going to ask the question that had been weighing on her mind. “Telling them about David’s sperm donation was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?” Even now, after several months, there was still a hint of pleading in her voice. She wanted to be convinced, and Lauren smiled back gently, hoping to reassure her.

  “It was, Devlyn.” Lauren cocked her head to the side. “And we talked about it for days, honey. Then we talked it over with David and Beth. We waited until Aaron was old enough to understand, and we told them all together. I honestly don’t think we could have done any better. They’re smart, curious kids, and there was only so much longer you could skirt their questions without lying.”

  “I didn’t want to lie to them.”

  Lauren looked at her kindly and brushed dark bangs from Dev’s forehead with a gentle hand. “And you didn’t. The decision you made not to tell them in the first place was out of love and so was this one.” Her heart ached a little as she recalled Christopher’s burning anger at not being told from the very beginning and how, for some reason, it had been directed at her as opposed to Dev. “Even if it wasn’t easy.”

  Dev smiled a little. She felt a little better, if for no other reason than Lauren’s effort. “No. It wasn’t. I still don’t see what’s so fun about going to the cabin when they could be decorating the tree.” She motioned to the half-eaten plate of cookies and the empty boxes that had once held the decorations now strewn all around the living room floor. “Hell, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon will be there! And when you weren’t looking, we were all going to shake our presents like we do every year and try to guess what’s inside.” She put on a bewildered expression. “What could be more fun than this?”