“THIS LOOKS AMAZING, Tinker Bell,” Sam said to Shelby as she inspected her living room, which had been turned into an elegant event space thanks to Shelby’s wizardry. “I can’t believe you pulled this off while technically on maternity leave.”
“Oh, please. After planning massive weddings, this was easy. It felt good to stretch the old event-planning muscles again.”
The living room had been transformed with tables and chairs, fragrant floral centerpieces, sparkling crystal and gleaming silver. Shelby had hired one of her favorite caterers and a three-piece band as well as bartenders and waitstaff to keep the food and booze coming. They’d undergone the arduous process of having every person attending and working the party vetted by the Secret Service.
“What did you do with my furniture?” Sam asked.
“That falls under details you’re better off not knowing.”
“Fine by me.” Sam didn’t care about the details. As long as Freddie and Elin had the best night ever, that was all she cared about.
After weeks of torturing Freddie, she’d had a mild panic attack that morning about him not showing up, but Elin had assured her earlier by text that she’d threatened to withhold sex for a year if he didn’t go. Sam had laughed, imagining his reaction to that threat.
“What’s funny?” Shelby had baby Noah strapped to her chest as she supervised the final setup.
“Elin threatened to withhold sex for a year to get him here.”
Shelby laughed. “That’s awesome. Poor Freddie. He’s so outmatched by the women in his life.”
“I think my joke about the midget strippers sent him over the edge.”
“Do you think?” Shelby cringed. “I can’t believe such a thing exists.”
“In this world, you can get anything—for a price.”
“What’s my wife up to now?”
An arm snaked around her waist as her husband’s unmistakable scent filled her senses. Sam leaned back against him, feeling light and unencumbered with the case closed after the DNA confirmed what they already knew about Curtis, and the public eating up Sam and Nick’s statement of forgiveness toward the president and first lady. They’d dodged a huge bullet with that statement, which had effectively ended the congressional hearings, and Sam planned to party like it was 1999 tonight.
“Me? Up to something? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t. Is there anything I can do to help, ladies?”
“How would you feel about babysitting a very cute little man named Noah for a few minutes so I can see to a few last-minute things?” Shelby asked.
“I’d love to.”
She unbuckled the baby from the harness contraption and handed him off to “Uncle” Nick as she called him.
Sam went weak in the knees at the sight of him snuggling the baby. If ovaries could yearn, hers would’ve been exploding with the desire to see him holding a baby of their own. He looked so natural as he talked to Noah, making faces and bouncing him just right.
Noah loved everything about it.
Shelby took her arm. “Help me in the kitchen?”
Sam tore her gaze off Nick and the baby. “Sure.”
When they were alone in the kitchen, Shelby said, “I take it the test was negative?”
Sam nodded, her good mood disappearing.
“This time. Keep trying. I have a good feeling about you guys. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I’ve been thinking, recently, about maybe trying fertility treatment again.” It was the first time she’d said it out loud, and the sound of the words sent shock waves through her body, as if someone else had said it about her.
“I can refer you to my doctor. He was wonderful.”
“It was such a nightmare last time.” Sam shuddered just thinking about it. “So many needles and procedures and pain, all for nothing.”
“It would be different this time because you’d have Nick with you every step of the way.”
“I know, but there’re still no guarantees.”
“No, there aren’t. But one thing I can guarantee—if you don’t at least try, you’ll always wonder what might’ve been.”
“Yeah, I know.” Desperate to change the subject, she said, “You look good. You’re glowing.” Shelby wore a pale pink silk dress that complemented her complexion.
“Lots of sex will do that for a girl.”
“Ahhh, so mama is back in the saddle again?”
“With a vengeance.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I’ve been hoping you guys would get back on track after everything that happened.”
“We’re working on it.”
“Whatever you’re doing appears to agree with you.”
“I’m doing him. As much and as often as I can.”
Sam laughed. “That usually works for me too. With Nick, of course.”
“Of course.”
Sam squeezed her friend’s arm. “I’m thrilled to see you so happy. No one deserves it more than you do.”
“Thank you. Freddie deserves it too.”
“Oh yes, he does. And we will make him happy tonight. Yes, we will.”
“This is gonna be epic.”
* * *
BY SEVEN-THIRTY the house was full to overflowing with their closest friends, many of whom were also Freddie’s closest friends. The entire squad had come with their significant others, but Cameron Green had come solo. Also in attendance were Lindsey McNamara and Terry O’Connor, Byron Tomlinson, Archie, Avery, Captain Malone and his wife, Will Tyrone and his girlfriend, Freddie’s parents, Skip and Celia, Tracy and Mike, Angela and Spencer and Elin’s friends, who seemed overwhelmed to be in the home of the vice president of the United States.
In the best surprise of the evening, Harry had called Nick and asked if he could bring a date to the party. Sam had been delighted to see him arrive with Lilia, who seemed mortified.
“I realize this is highly inappropriate,” she said to Sam, her face flushing with embarrassment. She wore a conservative black cocktail dress with her trademark pearls and managed to look buttoned-down and incredibly sexy at the same time.
“What is?” Sam asked her, genuinely perplexed.
“Me being here with... With him.”
“Harry?”
“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Lilia, relax. Harry is one of my favorite people in the entire world. If you like him, please, by all means, spend as much time with him as you possibly can. Any woman would be lucky to be with him.”
“He is rather...”
“Awesome?”
“I was going to say persuasive.”
Sam laughed. “You dirty dog. Now I’m going to want all the details.”
“Mrs. Cappuano...”
“I swear to God, if you don’t call me Sam, I’m going to have no choice but to fire you.”
Lilia cleared her throat. “Sam...”
“Say it again. Come on. You can do it.”
“Sam.”
“Very good! You’ve got it. Now use it. What were you going to say?”
“I hope you’d be honest if you thought me dating your friend was in any way inappropriate.”
Sam leaned in so only Lilia would hear her say, “I hope it’s the very essence of inappropriate.” She winked to make her point, and Lilia lit up like Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
“What’re you saying to her?” Harry asked Sam when he joined them, handing each of them a glass of wine.
“She’s being very un-second-lady-like,” Lilia said.
“That’s my wife,” Nick said when he joined them.
“Stop embarrassing my date.” Harry put his arm around Lilia, who seemed to force herself to allow it. “Where’s my buddy Scotty tonight?”
“I hired my niece Brooke to entertain him and the other kids at my dad’s house. She has an entire evening planned for them.”
“From what I’ve heard of the plans for this evening,” Nick said, “he’s better off there than here.”
“I’m intrigued,” Harry said, grinning at Lilia, who just looked dazzled.
Harry and his damned dimples had that effect on women.
Sam loved the two of them together and couldn’t wait to grill Harry on the details Lilia would never provide.
The guests of honor were the last to arrive, but true to her word, Elin had Freddie there at the stroke of eight o’clock.
When the Secret Service admitted them, everyone applauded.
Sam wrapped pink feather boas—which were all Shelby’s idea—around their necks and kissed them both. Per her instructions, they’d dressed up and looked marvelous.
“You clean up nicely, young Freddie,” Sam said, hooking her arm through his.
“Will I still be speaking to you tomorrow?”
“Of course you will. Who would run your life for you if you weren’t speaking to me?”
“Is that a multiple-choice question?”
Sam laughed. God, she loved sparring with him, the brother she’d never had.
“You went to a lot of trouble,” he said. “This looks incredible.”
“It was all Shelby. She’s a magician.”
“What did they do with the furniture?”
“I was told not to ask.”
He laughed, and Sam released him so he could hug his mother.
“Isn’t this amazing?” Juliette Cruz asked her son. “Sam went all out.”
“I’m hoping she didn’t go too far out,” Freddie said with a pointed look for her.
“I’m the second lady of the United States. I know all about decorum.”
Freddie rolled his eyes. “You’re the very picture of decorum when you’re dropping F-bombs and kicking ass.”
“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Sam said to his mother.
“Yes, you do,” Freddie said. “Decorum is not exactly your middle name. Exhibit A would be the ongoing disaster on your face.”
Sam stuck her chin out. “And here I thought it was all better.”
Freddie snorted. “It’s perfect if you’re the Grinch or the Incredible Hulk, but green isn’t exactly your color.”
“Children, don’t fight,” Juliette said. “We’re here to celebrate.”
“Absolutely,” Sam said, pressing a beer into her partner’s hand, hoping he’d lose the stick up his ass and enjoy the evening. “Let’s get this party started.”
* * *
THEY DINED ON a delicious meal of tenderloin and baked stuffed shrimp, drank copious amounts of champagne and toasted the happy couple.
When everyone else had made heartfelt toasts, Sam stood to make hers. “As Freddie’s best-man woman—”
“Biggest mistake I ever made,” the tipsy groom said.
“Shut your mouth. Your superior officer is speaking.”
Everyone else cracked up laughing while Freddie glared at her.
“As I was saying, when Freddie asked me to be his best-man woman I quickly made it my mission in life to make him regret it.”
“Mission accomplished,” Freddie muttered, setting off another wave of laughter.
Ignoring him, Sam pressed on. “There were lots of little hints dropped in the last few weeks that put my partner on edge and had him threatening to boycott this fine event. Can you imagine that?”
Next to her, Nick’s handsome face lit up with laughter that made Sam wish she could take a time-out to kiss him.
“Anyway, just to set your mind at ease, Freddie, I want you to know the midget strippers had to cancel.”
“Thank you, Jesus,” Freddie said while the others roared with laughter.
“And the latex suit I bought for you to wear tonight got lost in the mail.”
“Damn shame,” Freddie said, seeming to realize he’d been had. “And here I thought you were my best friend. Do you people see what she’s put me through?”
The others were too busy laughing to give him the sympathy he craved.
“Have another beer, babe,” Elin said, handing him a cold one.
“You know me,” Sam said. “I couldn’t let you completely off the hook, so I asked each of your guests to bring one special gift to help spice up your new marriage.”
“It doesn’t need spicing,” Freddie said, giving Elin a wolfish smile. “If it were any hotter, I’d implode.”
“Freddie!” Elin cried. “Shut up!”
“Frederico Cruz,” Juliette said. “Mind your manners.”
That got Sam laughing so hard she had to take a break to get herself together. He’d walked right into her trap. “Without further ado,” Sam said, “let us begin the gift portion of the program. Who’d like to go first?”
“I will.” Skip directed his chair around the table to where Freddie sat. “It’s in the pocket behind my seat.”
“I can’t believe he made me do this,” Celia said. “It’s not my fault.”
“He gets a lot done for a guy who can’t move,” Tracy said of their father.
“You’re damned right I do,” Skip said. “You got it, Freddie?”
“I got it, but I’m scared to death to open it.”
“I’ll do it.” Elin took it from him, opened the gift bag and revealed what looked like a gift certificate. “Pole dancing lessons? That’s amazing!”
Freddie looked like he wanted to crawl under the table and die.
“Dad!” Sam said, amused and horrified at the same time. “I can’t believe you!”
“What? You said it had to be something naughty.”
“Well played, Skippy.”
“Thank you. And my thanks to Celia for putting aside her mortification to take care of the phone calls for me.”
“Yay for Celia,” Sam said, leading a round of applause for her stepmother, who had turned bright red with embarrassment. Sam loved to see her dad so pleased with himself.
“I’m next,” Gonzo said. “Christina and I gave this a lot of thought, and we came up with something we think you guys will enjoy.” He handed over a gift bag. “Congratulations.”
Inside the bag were his and hers edible underwear.
“I need another drink,” Freddie said. “And it needs to be a hell of a lot stronger than beer.”
“Make it a double,” Elin added.
* * *
THE GIFTS WERE hilarious and got progressively filthier, until Freddie and Elin had a huge pile of sex toys, massage oil, racy lingerie and other goodies on the table in front of them.
“Thanks, everyone... I think,” Freddie said when they had opened the last gift, from Cameron Green, who’d gone with a gift certificate for a couples’ massage at a local spa, which had been roundly rejected by his colleagues for being too clean.
“I’m the new guy,” Cameron said with a good-natured grin. “Go easy on me.”
“I guess all of this beats strippers of any kind,” Freddie said to raucous laughter and more applause.
They got up from dinner, and a team miraculously materialized to remove the tables and chairs.
“You do not fool around, Tink,” Sam said to Shelby as she watched in amazement as dinner disappeared, leaving space for dancing.
“I know my shit,” Shelby replied, hiccupping as she downed another glass of champagne.
Avery had Noah and was apparently the designated sober parent for the evening. He never took his gaze off Shelby, which made Sam so damned happy. She wanted them to have it all, and it appeared they were well on their way to getting it.
“One hell of a party,” Captain Malone said from behind her.
Sam turned to him. “Glad you think so. What’re you hearing about Captain Wallack?”
“He’s still in the hospital, but due to be released in the next few days. He’s devastated, but working with Trulo to come to terms with it all. He told Joe he feels like a disgrace to the badge.”
“He did what he had to do to stay alive and protect his wife. None of us blame him for that.”
“Try telling him that.”
“Hopefully, in time, he’ll find a way to cope with it.”
“I hope so.”
They both knew the events of the last week would haunt everyone involved for a long time to come.
“We’re not here to talk business,” Malone said, taking her by the arm. “Let’s dance!”
Laughing at the captain’s lack of moves on the dance floor, Sam watched the people she loved best relax and enjoy the night she’d gone to so much trouble to plan for Freddie and Elin. They danced until three o’clock the next morning when the cars Shelby had ordered began showing up to see people home safely.
Sam received sloppy kisses from her friends, colleagues, sisters, brothers-in-law and even Elin’s friends, who declared them the coolest second couple in history.
Freddie’s mom hugged Sam. “Thank you for this and everything else you’ve done for my boy over the years.”
“I love him,” Sam said, feeling a little sloppy herself by then.
“I know you do, and it brings me so much comfort to know you’re looking out for him on the job.”
“Sorry if things got a little racy earlier.”
“Don’t be. I loved every minute of it—and so did he, regardless of what he says.”
Sam kissed her cheek. “See you at the wedding.”
“Yes, you will.” Juliette blinked rapidly as she looked at Freddie, who had his arm around Elin while they talked to Nick. “My baby is getting married!”
Sam hugged her and accepted a kiss to the cheek from Freddie’s dad before they left arm in arm, together again after twenty years apart while he contended with bipolar disorder. By all accounts, they were deliriously happy to be back together.
Freddie and Elin came over to Sam.
Elin hugged her. “Thank you for such an amazing evening.”
Sam returned her embrace. “Couldn’t have done it without your help.”
Elin released her and stepped aside to let Freddie in.
He looked happier than Sam had ever seen him as he hugged her, kissed her cheek and said, “Thank you. For everything. Not just tonight, but all of it.”
Damn him! He was going to make her cry!
“You’re the biggest pain in my ass in the history of ass pains,” he said, “but I love you anyway.”
“I love you too. Congratulations. Nick and I couldn’t be happier for you.”
Freddie smiled, hugged Sam again and took Elin’s hand to lead her out the door, leaving Sam alone with Nick—and the cadre of Secret Service agents who’d made themselves scarce for the night at her request.
“That,” Nick said, “was one hell of a party.”
She leaned back against his awesome chest as they waved to Elin and Freddie. “It was kinda perfect, wasn’t it?”
With his arm around her, he walked her to the stairs. Shelby had told her yet another team would be arriving in the morning to return their furniture and clean up the mess.
“He loved it,” Nick said. “They both did. I can’t believe you let him think there were going to be midget strippers.”
“You can’t? Really? And I thought you knew me better than anyone.”
Nick busted up laughing. “I do know you better than anyone, and I still can’t believe the way you torture your poor, sweet partner, who is so faithfully devoted to you.”
“That’s what makes it so fun. I think torturing him might be my second-favorite pastime.”
With his hands on her hips, he directed her past their bedroom and up the stairs to the loft. Since Scotty was sleeping down the street, there wasn’t an agent positioned outside his door, so they had the hallway to themselves.
“Please tell me you might be in the mood for your number one favorite pastime because you look so hot in that dress, it’s all I’ve thought about since I first saw you in it.”
Sam stopped and turned to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m always in the mood for that.”
“Which makes you the best wife any man ever had.” He kissed her senseless, and before she knew what was happening, he had her laid out on the stairs while he hovered above her, gazing down at her with love and desire.
“We can’t do it here.”
“Why not?”
“Cameras. The last thing we need is another scandal.”
“There’re no cameras in this stairway.”
“You’re sure?”
He pressed his erection to her core, making her moan. “One hundred percent positive.”
“In that case,” she said, reaching for him, “have at it.”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
* * * * *
Read on for an extract from COLTON K-9 BODYGUARD by Lara Lacombe.