by Marie Force
Sam looked up at him with bottomless eyes full of tears.
“That works out rather well,” she said, “since there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with you. I had the same plan—to offer you a few things I thought you would appreciate.”
Smiling, Nick raised his head to give her some space.
“I promise to try not to leave my shoes all over the place, to hang my coat in the closet rather than tossing it over the sofa where it belongs, to make the bed once in a while and to stop rearranging your desk every time I sit there.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.”
Smiling back at him, Sam brought their joined hands to her lips. “I promise to try very hard to not protect you by keeping things from you. And even though it may sometimes seem that my job and the case of the moment are more important to me than you, I promise you they are not. I’ve loved you for as long as you’ve loved me, and I always will.”
Overwhelmed, Nick took a deep, shuddering breath and accepted the rings from Graham. After they were in place, the pastor uttered the words Nick had often wondered if he would ever hear: “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
“At last,” Nick whispered as he drew her in close to him.
Sam linked her arms around his neck and slipped him some tongue, making his blood race.
“Brat,” he said against her lips.
She laughed at the face he made at her and reclaimed her bouquet from Tracy.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the pastor said, “it’s my pleasure to introduce Senator and Mrs. Nicholas Cappuano.”
Nick winced. His Samantha was no one’s Mrs., but oh well. For better or worse, she was his.
Finally and forever his.
Hand in hand they made their way down the aisle. Sitting behind Sam’s family was her Metropolitan Police family, including Chief Farnsworth, Deputy Chief Conklin, Captain Malone and their wives. Freddie and Elin, Gonzo and his fiancée—Nick’s chief of staff Christina Billings. Sam was pleased and relieved to see her friend and colleague Detective Jeannie McBride there with her boyfriend Michael.
Nick’s side of the church was also filled to overflowing. What he lacked in family he more than made up for in friends. John O’Connor’s sister Lizbeth, her husband Royce, and John’s brother Terry—Nick’s new deputy chief of staff—were there along with most of his staff. Sam recognized the leadership of the Virginia Democratic Party along with Virginia Governor Zorn and his wife Judy. Behind them were a number of Nick’s colleagues from the Senate and another of Nick’s close friends, White House deputy chief of staff Derek Kavanaugh, and his wife, Victoria.
When Nick seemed to founder all of a sudden, Sam realized he’d spotted his mother waving from the back row. True to their agreement, she was being quiet, but of course she’d had to make sure Nick knew she was there. Sam wished she could wave a magic wand and make the woman disappear.
“Just keep moving, babe,” she said to Nick. “Keep moving.”
“But… that’s—”
Sam tugged him along with her. “I know who she is.”
They emerged from the church to an enormous crowd that had grown during the hour-long ceremony. Shelby’s security folks shepherded them through the gauntlet so they could cross the street to the Hay-Adams. The photographer had let them know ahead of time that he would be angling for a shot of them crossing H Street with the White House in the background. Shelby’s people had cleared the street to allow for the photo.
While Sam sensed the lingering tension in Nick, he played his part to perfection, dashing slightly ahead of her to give the photographer the shot he’d claimed would be the iconic image from their wedding. All Sam cared about was getting a moment alone with her groom to soothe and assure him that his mother wouldn’t bother him today.
With the photo taken, they arrived at the hotel where Shelby greeted them.
“We need a moment,” Sam said to her.
“Right this way.”
They followed Shelby to the elevator, which transported them to the hotel’s rooftop where the reception would take place. She showed them into a small salon. “I’ll be right outside when you’re ready for photos.”
“Thank you.” Sam closed the door and turned to Nick. “Are you okay?”
He looked confused and undone, which Sam deeply resented. “What’s she doing here?”
“She crashed. I took care of it. I said she could stay for the ceremony, but I let her know she wasn’t welcome here.”
He shook his head, his mouth set with dismay. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
“Look at me,” Sam said.
In his eyes she saw disbelief and resignation.
“We’re not spending our first minutes as husband and wife talking about someone who’s not worth our time.” As she watched him make a huge effort to shake it off, Sam raised her hands to his face and kissed him softly. “She’s not worth our time.”
His arms encircled her waist. “Did you rip her to shreds?”
Sam smiled at his attempt at humor. “I made confetti out of her.”
“I really wish I could’ve seen that.”
“Someday, I’ll tell you all about it, but not today.”
“I’ll look forward to that.”
Sam kissed him again. “Will you be all right?”
“Yeah. Thanks for having my back.”
“Always.”
He reached for her right hand and removed her engagement ring, placing it on her left hand with the low-key but elegant diamond band. Running his thumb over the two rings, he said, “Do you like your ring?”
“It’s beautiful and perfect. And it won’t get in the way at work.”
“I knew you’d say that.”
She captured his left hand. “What do you think of yours?”
“I love it. Very classy.”
“Just like you.” Sam kissed his ring. “I’ve always thought there was something so incredibly sexy about a wedding ring on a man’s finger. It tells the world he has pledged himself to someone and isn’t afraid to say so. Everyone you meet will know you’re taken. I like that.”
“Then I’ll never take it off.”
“You have to take it off at least once so you can see the engraving.”
“All right, but just this once.” He slid the ring from his finger and tipped it into the light so he could read the inscription. She hadn’t expected him to laugh. “Take a look at yours.”
Sam removed both rings and held up the wedding band so she could see inside. You’re my home. Always, Nick. She looked up at him, astounded. “No way! No wonder why Shelby seemed so surprised by what I’d chosen!”
Nick laughed again, and the sound warmed Sam’s heart. Thankfully, he seemed to have rebounded from the shock of seeing his mother. “What a pair we are, huh?”
“A match made in heaven,” Sam said, sighing as she kissed him.
For the longest time, they stood there gazing at each other like two lovesick fools.
“I can’t believe you’re finally my wife,” he said softly, reverently.
“And you’re finally my husband.”
He framed her face, kissing her long and hard before he seemed to remember they had guests waiting for them. “We probably ought to get out there before Shelby thinks we’re consummating in here.”
Chuckling, Sam looked around the small but elegant room that included an upholstered chaise lounge. “That’s not a bad idea…”
“Hold that thought for a couple of hours.”
She reached up to wipe the lingering lipstick off his mouth. “That long?”
“I’ll make it well worth the wait,” he promised with a salacious grin that sent shivers down her spine as he led her out the door to rejoin Shelby.
The room fairly shimmered in candlelight and the waning glow of daylight. Greens and purples and orchids with painted glass vases full of more flowers on the tables. Sam had seen sketches of Shelby’s vision, but not
hing could’ve prepared her for the reality of just how amazing it turned out to be. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, their city stretched out before them—from the White House to the Washington Monument to Lincoln, Jefferson and the Potomac beyond.
Earlier, word had rippled through the city that the famed cherry trees that lined the tidal basin in front of the Jefferson Memorial had burst into bloom overnight. As the photographer took shots of them on the patio with the monuments in the background, Sam pointed out the sea of cherry blossom pink to Nick.
“The city is giving us its blessing,” he said.
She went up on tiptoes to kiss him, hearing the click, click, click of the camera that recorded their every move. “It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it?”
Nick never left her side as they received guests, had dinner, took what seemed like a thousand photos and exchanged an equal number of on-demand kisses. Freddie, Gonzo and the others from the MPD seemed to have placed themselves in charge of regularly clinking silverware against crystal to demand more of the PDA Sam avoided like the plague. She’d get them back when it was their turn to tie the knot.
Freddie seemed thrilled to have Elin with him, and Sam was glad she’d encouraged him to try again with her—even if there’d be hell to pay if Mrs. Cruz ever found out what Sam had done. They’d been united in their dislike of Elin for Freddie, but he was right. It was his life, and he had to live it as he saw fit, even if that meant loving a woman his mother didn’t approve of.
“I have a little surprise for you,” Sam’s husband of two hours whispered in her ear.
Sam looked up at him, caught off guard by how happy and adorable he seemed. She’d never seen him looking happier than he did just then, and vowed in that moment to do whatever it took to make him that happy every day for the rest of their lives. “What’s that?”
“Wait ‘til you see, Sam,” Scotty interjected, fairly busting the buttons of his tuxedo as he jumped from foot to foot.
“You’re keeping all kinds of secrets, aren’t you?” she asked the boy.
“Uh-huh,” he said with a delighted grin.
“So what is it?” Sam asked.
“Look,” Nick said, pointing to the small stage where their DJ had set up. They’d gone with a DJ over a live band to make space for more guests in the rooftop reception room.
Sam looked to where Nick pointed, and her mind went totally blank. It couldn’t be… Was that… No. No way. No freaking way! She let out a most un-coplike shriek. Jon Bon Jovi at her wedding? Stop it. Stop it right now! Sam wondered if it was possible for a bride to hyperventilate at her own wedding.
She glanced up at Nick who was thoroughly enjoying her shock. “You call this a little surprise?” Her voice was squeaky and high-pitched.
Bowing before her, Nick held out his hand. “May I please have this dance with my wife?”
Sam’s heart had never beat faster, even when she was being chased by gun-toting lunatics, than it did as she took Nick’s hand and followed him to the dance floor.
“I understand the bride is one of our biggest fans,” Bon Jovi said with a charming smile that made Sam want to swoon, “so I’m delighted to be here for Sam and Nick’s first dance as Mr. and Mrs.”
Jon Bon Jovi himself sang the most beautiful acoustic version of “Thank You for Loving Me” that Sam had ever heard. She had to keep reminding herself to focus on her new husband and not on the rock star she’d admired for so many years.
“How in the world did you pull this off?” she asked Nick.
“The junior senator from New Jersey is a friend of mine.”
“Of course he is. Who isn’t a friend of yours?
He flashed that winning grin that made her knees go weak every damned time. “He knew someone who knew someone.” Nick shrugged, like it was no big deal to get one of the music world’s biggest stars to come to their wedding. “My only fear was that once you met him, you’d forget all about me and run off with him.”
Sam hugged him so hard he gasped. “No chance of that, but is it okay if I ogle him just a little bit? My love affair with him has lasted years and years, and you’re still kinda new around here.”
Nick tossed his head back and laughed. “Ogle away. Just remember who’s taking you home tonight.”
“As if I could ever forget.” She brought him down for a lingering kiss that generated catcalls from their guests. “And I’ll never forget that you did this for me.”
“My pleasure, babe.”
She loved that about him—how pleasing her was always more important to him than pleasing himself.
Their wedding party joined them for “Make a Memory.” Sam was still trying to absorb that Jon Bon Jovi, the Jon Bon Jovi, was actually at her wedding when he asked her to have a seat next to her dad. In a daze, Sam made her way across the room to her dad and sat with him, her hand joined with his right hand.
“Can you even stand this?” she squealed.
Her dad and Celia cracked up laughing.
Bon Jovi sang “I’ll Be There for You,” which reduced the entire family to tears. He sang four more songs before turning the music back over to the DJ. When Sam and Nick went to thank him, he gave her a big hug and posed for pictures with them before he took his leave.
“Unbelievable,” Sam said, still wanting to pinch herself to make sure she hadn’t dreamed it. “Seriously.”
“I’m so glad you liked my surprise,” Nick said.
“Liked it? I’ll live off that hug for the rest of my life!”
He raised an eyebrow to let her know she was pushing her luck. “Is that so?”
“Well, maybe not the rest of my life, but for a little while anyway.”
“Better,” Nick said with a tolerant grin.
“Sam,” Scotty said, tugging at her arm. “What about the other surprise?”
“Ah, yes,” she said, “is it time for that?”
Radiating excitement, Scotty nodded.
“Go ahead and tell Shelby. She’ll get it for you.”
Scotty scurried off, and Sam turned to her husband.
“What’re you up to, Samantha?”
“Wait until you see. This was all Scotty’s idea, so give him the credit.”
Nick leaned in to kiss her.
“What did I do to deserve that?”
“You’ve embraced a child who means a lot to me, and I appreciate it.”
“I love him too.”
They exchanged a meaningful look, both remembering their talk in the Jacuzzi about making Scotty a part of their family.
“When we get back,” Sam said.
Nick smiled and tightened his grip on her hand.
The moment was interrupted when Scotty, supervised by a team of waiters, pushed a table to the middle of the dance floor.
“Whoa.” Nick’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the exact replica of Fenway Park, made of cake and icing. “That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”
Delighted by Nick’s reaction, Scotty held up his hand for a high-five from Sam.
“You did this?” Nick asked Scotty.
“With a little help from Sam,” he said modestly.
“Thank you so much,” Nick said, hugging Scotty.
“Thank you,” Scotty said. “For being such a good friend to me.”
Nick’s eyes filled with tears. “Right back atcha, pal,” he said gruffly.
They shared a smile that had Sam blinking back tears. She wondered if they had any idea they were slowly becoming father and son. Watching that happen ranked among the greatest thrills of her life.
“While we’re on the subject,” Shelby said as her team brought out the orchid-laden wedding cake. “What do you say we cut this one too?”
“Tell me I don’t have to cut Fenway,” Nick said, stricken by the idea of it.
“We took lots of pictures,” Shelby assured him, handing him a knife. “Have at it.”
“I can’t! It would be like bringing another eighty-six-year curse down
on the Sox!”
Sam rolled her eyes at Shelby and took the knife from Nick. “Allow me.”
“I can’t look,” he said with a whimper.
“Me either,” Scotty added, covering his eyes.
Chapter 13
Sam and Nick were enjoying a few minutes off their feet along with some wedding cake when the DJ handed a microphone to Nick’s best man and surrogate father, retired senator Graham O’Connor.
The room quieted, and Nick reached for Sam’s hand. She enveloped it between both of hers.
“I know I speak for all of you when I say it’s been such a thrill to be part of this celebration of love and joy—two things we can never have too much of in this life,” Graham said. “I first met Nick when my son John brought him home for a weekend during their freshman year at Harvard. Right away, I was struck by his eagerness and determination to make something of his life. I remember encouraging John, who was somewhat less… determined… at that time in his life to spend more time with the oh-so-serious Nick Cappuano.”
A soft wave of laughter rippled through the room.
“That turned out to be a good move on my part. I don’t like to think about how responsible Nick probably was for getting John through school.”
That drew a short laugh from Nick.
“When John later took office, he insisted Nick run the show, and John always said Nick was the brains behind the whole operation. I’m not sure if that’s entirely true, but I do know they made for one hell of a team.”
Nick bent his head to beat back a flood of emotion as memories of John swamped him.
“Nick has been a part of our family since that first weekend at the farm. Of course, we all know John should be the one making this speech since he and Nick were each other’s best men from the time they were eighteen. They stood by each other through life’s ups and downs, and when John was taken from us so suddenly, Nick stood by my wife and me through the darkest days of our lives.”
