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First Lady

Page 43

by Blayne Cooper


  “Shh…” Dev looked around in case she was being overheard. “The kids will never listen to another word I say if they figure out what a soft touch I am.”

  The children all began to giggle. “We all know and we still love you, Mom,” Christopher assured her, using the puppy’s paws to scratch Gremlin’s ears.

  “Well?” Ashley looked up from her place on the floor with the boys. “Can we keep him?”

  Lauren eyed her dog, who was actually smiling, his crooked teeth gleaming in the afternoon light. Then she looked at her children, who were all giving her the same pathetic, puppy-dog eyes that Devlyn had subjected her to earlier. She sighed. “Was there ever any doubt?”

  “Yes!” the boys crowed, startling the puppy and sending it scurrying over to Devlyn.

  The white dog with black markings cowered at the President’s feet and Devlyn reached out a tentative hand to comfort him, ready to snatch it away in case Gremlin’s prodigy decided to take after his Grandpa and go for her pinky finger. But to everyone’s surprise, the puppy simply licked Dev’s fingers, then nuzzled her hand.

  Beaming, Dev picked up the puppy and gave him a sloppy kiss. “He loves me!” She turned to Gremlin, a smug look on her face. “See this?” She squeezed the puppy to her face. “He loves me. Me, me, me, me, me! What do you think about that?”

  Gremlin turned his flat nose up at the President and, seeing no reason to break with tradition now, refused to acknowledge that he was even being spoken to.

  Dev’s eyes narrowed at the chubby dog, and her lips curled into her best snarl.

  Snorting at Dev and Gremlin’s familiar antics, Lauren reached out to pet the puppy to say hello. “Yeow!” The dog snapped at her, his teensy teeth bared in canine fury. She snatched her hand away, rubbing it even though the tiny teeth had missed her. “Hey,” she said softly, “I won’t hurt you.” She tried again, and this time the dog barked, refusing to let Lauren’s hand anywhere near not only him but his new mistress.

  Dev.

  On Lauren’s third try, the puppy sank his teeth into the sleeve of her sweatshirt and refused to let go even when Lauren jerked her hand back. The frantic action yanked the skinny dog right out Devlyn’s arms and left him dangling from Lauren’s shirt as she shook her arm wildly and screamed for someone to get him off.

  The children were nearly in hysterics by the time Devlyn successfully unhooked the puppy's teeth from Lauren’s favorite, orange, Tennessee Volunteers sweatshirt.

  “He’s possessed!” Lauren wailed to Gremlin. “Can you believe that? Your own flesh and blood is a demon and he likes her,” she pointed an accusing finger at her mate, “and not me.” She held up her now raggedy sleeve for Gremlin to see. “Look what he did!”

  Dev petted the puppy possessively, enjoying this more than she could put into words. “Thank you for naming him, honey. Hello, little Demon,” she murmured into his soft white fur.

  The children hummed their agreement at the name, enjoying the play between their mothers and most especially the comical, sour look on Lauren’s face.

  In consolation, Gremlin made the supreme effort of getting up and walking the few paces over to Lauren and plopping down on her feet. He was there for her to scratch, should she find it necessary.

  Satisfied for the time being, Lauren shook her finger at Devlyn. “Keep Demon away from me. He’s tried to bite me twice and he’s just a baby!”

  “But he’s so precious,” Dev cooed, kissing the dog again, mindless of his slobber.

  “Uck.” Lauren made a face. “I won’t even do that with Gremlin. Your lips are not coming anywhere near me for days.”

  “That’s okay,” Dev murmured, petting her new beloved. She sniffed haughtily, her nose high in the air. “It’s enough to know at long last that a pug has chosen me over you. It’s only sweeter that he’s a relative of Gremlin’s.”

  “Devlyn,” Lauren groaned. “I am not keeping a dog that hates me.”

  Dev arched an eyebrow. “We all want a new member of the family, and now I’ll have lots of extra time to spend with him.”

  Lauren gave her a challenging look, and Devlyn gave her one right back.

  “It’s either a dog or a baby, Lauren. You choose.”

  “Hello and welcome to the family, Demon,” Lauren said instantly, trying once again to pet him, only to have to snatch her hand away to safety.

  Dev sniggered. “That’s what I thought.”

  “Here.” Lauren grabbed Christopher by the arm and hoisted him to his feet. He was already a little taller than she was, and she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before pushing him towards his mother. “Take Demon and Gremlin for a walk and let them get to know each other. I need a minute alone with your mom.”

  “Oooo…” the kids taunted. “Mom’s in trou-blllle!”

  Dev blinked, then her eyes widened. “I am?” She tried to sneak out with the kids, but Lauren grabbed her by the back of her shirt and hauled her back into the room, not stopping until they stood alongside the bed.

  “Oh, no you don’t, Madam President. I said I wanted to talk to you.”

  “So you did.” Dev sighed and flopped back down on the bed with her eyes closed. “I’m not really in trouble, am I?” She opened one very blue eye just in case.

  The blonde laughed softly. “No. The puppy will eventually like me.” She joined Dev on the bed, stretching out and propping her head on her upturned hand. “Thank you for thinking of Gremlin,” she said, her voice soft and sincere. “He’s been so sad.”

  Dev smiled, but just a little. “S’okay. We’ve sort of come to a truce over the years.” She shrugged one shoulder.

  “I know. In fact, that was so sweet I’d kiss you now, but you still have puppy slobber on your face.”

  Dev eagerly wiped her mouth off using her sleeve. “Better?” She presented her mouth to Lauren for inspection.

  Lauren smiled warmly and patted Dev’s cheek. Then she leaned close to Dev’s mouth, stopping bare millimeters away to say, “No.”

  The smile slid from Dev’s face, and Lauren laughed.

  “Damn, you’re mean.” Dev frowned.

  “Aww… C’mere, darlin’.” This time their lips met in earnest in a soft, slow kiss that they both sank into. “I.” Another kiss. “Love.” A third kiss. “You.”

  “Wow,” Dev finally said, sharing the same breath as Lauren. “You’re in a good mood all of the sudden.”

  Lauren nodded. “I’m… well.” She drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know what I am. Excited, I guess.” She pulled away just enough to gauge Dev’s reaction. “On the phone today, Wayne made me an offer.”

  “I need to castrate that man.”

  Gray eyes rolled. “Not that kind of an offer.” A beat. “At least not this time.” She grinned as Dev’s eyes turned to slits, but her expression quickly sobered. “He wants me to write another biography when I’m finished with yours.”

  Suddenly serious, Dev sat up. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Wow.” Dev licked her lips. “I… Um… I thought you were going to take a year or two off and do another Adrian Nash novel.”

  “That is what I planned.”

  Dev blinked as she caught the look of hesitation in her lover’s eyes. “But that’s not what you’d rather do.” It wasn’t a question.

  “I didn’t tell Wayne yes or no to anything,” Lauren said quickly, searching Dev’s face for her reaction. She felt her stomach flip-flop. “I would never do that without—”

  “Whoa.” Dev reached out and stroked Lauren’s arm. “Slow down and tell me what he said.” She smiled encouragingly, and Lauren let out a relieved breath.

  “Have you heard of Doctor Graham Lock?”

  Dev’s eyebrows knitted. “He’s a scientist researching…” she searched her mind, “cell structure or cell replication… or… um… cancer, right?”

  “Yes, to all those things.” Lauren licked her lips. “His latest results from his first round of human trials cam
e back a few days ago. The results haven’t been released to the public or even to the scientific community, but Wayne was literally talking to the man when the results came back.” She held her breath as Devlyn put the pieces together.

  “He did it?” The President sucked in a breath. “Holy Christ, he found a cure for cancer?”

  Lauren nodded, well aware of how amazing this was to say. “He thinks so.”

  Devlyn was about to jump off the bed and head to a phone when Lauren held her down by her shoulders. “Hang on there.”

  “I need to call Dav—”

  “No, you don’t,” Lauren said firmly, her eyes flashing with determination. “This is ‘off the record.’”

  Dev’s mouth clicked closed. This was the first time in all these years that their positions had been reversed. And she wasn’t sure she liked it.

  Lauren eased off of Dev’s shoulders and tenderly massaged the places where her hands had been. “The results of the trials will be made public in the morning. Today is Christmas. Isn’t that soon enough, Devlyn? Please.”

  Dev sighed, but nodded. “I’m sorry. I just—”

  Lauren’s eyes softened. “It’s okay. It’s amazing news. Wayne’s been after this scientist for months. The fact that he found out just a tiny bit sooner than the rest of the world was nothing but dumb luck. According to Wayne, the initial trial results are very promising. Even if Dr. Lock isn’t one hundred percent successful right now, Devlyn, he’s close. He really believes he’s going to find the cure for cancer and so do a lot of other people.”

  “And Wayne wants you to write his story,” Dev breathed, seeing the lives they’d laid out for the indefinite future disintegrate before her eyes.

  Lauren gazed at her warily, knowing this was a lot to think about. She hadn’t even had the opportunity to think about it. “Yes. Wayne is after an exclusive contract for an authorized biography with Dr. Lock. Something he could sell to Starlight after the preliminaries are in place.”

  “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Dev said quietly, looking into Lauren’s eyes.

  Lauren kissed her softly. “You were my opportunity of a lifetime. Nothing can change that. But this would be… I don’t know. It could be….”

  Dev nodded, her mind racing. “Where?”

  “Sydney, Australia.” At the sight of Dev’s widening eyes, she quickly added, “Or Ohio. I wouldn’t start until late next summer at the soonest. I need to finish your book, and I need a vacation. A long vacation. But, I don’t know, maybe… maybe I could travel back and forth to Sydney and do most research by computer.”

  Dev frowned. “But it would be better to be there in person, wouldn’t it? That’s how you work, right?”

  Lauren swallowed. “In the past, yes. But your lecturing and the kids’ school and—”

  Dev pressed her fingers against Lauren’s lips to stop her. “How long?” Carefully, she pulled back her fingers.

  “I’m not sure.” Lauren’s brain shifted into biographer mode. “Nothing too long. His next set of trials is slated for the fall. And then six months to a year is about normal for research and observation, maybe a bit longer,” she allowed, “because I’d have to learn a lot just to understand what the man is saying when he speaks. Then another six months or so to tie things together. But that could be done anywhere.”

  “Mmm…” Dev nodded again, her face serious as she looked away from Lauren and gathered her thoughts, which were racing along at a mile a minute. It would be hard, yes. But plans could be changed. Things could be worked out. And in the end, there was really only one question that mattered. “Do you want it?” She glanced back at Lauren and met her gaze squarely. Her voice dropped to its deepest register. “Because I would want it.”

  Lauren sucked in a breath and told the truth, “I don’t want it more than I want to be with you and the kids.”

  Dev’s heart lurched, and she cupped Lauren’s cheek. “Honey, you’re stuck with us. That’s not even a consideration. The question is whether you want the job?”

  Did she? She thought of what Wayne had said and let the tingle of anticipation burn all the way to her toes. Her gaze sharpened. “Yes.”

  Dev smiled and crossed her legs at the ankles. “Then I guess we’re going to Australia.”

  Lauren was at a loss, and her mouth worked for several seconds before she could speak. “Can- can we do that?” she stammered. “Just like that?”

  Dev’s smile turned into an outright grin. “You’ve lived in my world for eight years.” Her voice held a strong note of devotion as the words flowed easily from her heart. “I know it hasn’t been easy. I think it’s my turn to follow you this time, Lauren.”

  Tears welled in soft gray eyes, and Lauren’s chin began to tremble.

  “You came to the White House with an ugly dog and a dozen boxes. When I tag along after you I’m going to bring our kids, security, a nanny, assuming Emma ever decides to come home from her yearly cruise, and most probably my parents, who have always wanted to see the Outback. Can you live with that mess?”

  Lauren let out a ragged breath and felt herself fall in love all over again. And it was so sweet. “Hey,” she whispered. “That ‘mess’ is my family.” A tear escaped from one eye. Devlyn gently removed her glasses, then carefully kissed the tear away.

  Lauren squeezed Dev to her with all her might. “I love you, Devlyn,” she whispered brokenly. “Thank you.”

  It felt better than anything she’d done as president, and the thought almost surprised her.

  Almost.

  “I love you, too.”

  When Dev pulled away, Lauren could see the glint of excitement in her eyes, and she knew it was mirrored in her own.

  The President grinned impishly. “I wonder what sort of trouble I can get into in Australia? In two terms of office I never made it out there. Though I’ve always wanted to go.” She jumped off the bed, dragging the smaller woman along with her and positioning Lauren squarely in front of her computer. She pushed the chair out of their way so they could both stand in front of the machine. “Fire this thing up and let’s look for beach bungalow rentals that will hold big families. And something with another building on the same property or next door for security.”

  Dev rested her chin on Lauren’s head and handed the blonde back her glasses.

  Lauren enabled the voice commands, and soon the sound of the women’s excited chatter about schools for the children, new options for Devlyn, their schedules, and the house they still intended to buy in Ohio filled the room. After a few heady moments, Lauren spun in Devlyn’s arms, and wrapped her own arms around Dev’s waist. She gazed up at her. “Are we really going to do this?”

  The younger woman was radiating excitement and, to Devlyn, she’d never looked more beautiful. A dazzling smile lit Dev’s face, making it all the way to her eyes. “Can you think of anything better than starting a new adventure together?”

  Lauren shook her head and rose onto her tiptoes to kiss the love of her life. “Not a single thing.”

  THE END.

  * * *

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