Jim stood on the broad white marble step at the west end of the White House Rose Garden amid the June roses.

Malcolm stood by his side; his coat brushed until he shone in the bright sun.

Captain Baxter stood by his shoulder as best man. “Got you through the Uniformed Division. Least I can do is get you through a damned wedding without you screwing it up.”

Ralph McKenna had flown in from retirement in Washington State for the wedding and to walk Reese up the aisle, then had to fight Harvey Lieber for the privilege. Last Jim had heard they were both going to walk her down the aisle.

Seated across the Rose Garden lawn were K-9 members and Motorcade drivers as well as the President, senior advisors, and all of his own family—their big rigs were parked out at his place.

Out at his and Reese’s place.

Their home.

She’d gotten shaky when he gave her a key to the place, which had given him an idea. For his wedding present, he had signed half of the property’s deed over to her because he wanted her to have a real home again.

Reese had cried so hard that he’d considered calling 9-1-1 before she finally recovered. Together, she’d promised. Together they would build a house there someday. A house with an extra bedroom for a child. She hadn’t argued when he’d insisted that it would also have a shower big enough for two.

Instead, they’d had wedding eve sex that was so gentle and so perfect that he’d almost cried.

Secretary Matthews stood there beside him as he’d be performing the ceremony.

“You’ve got your flag?” Jim whispered to him.

“I do. That was an excellent idea.” He pointed behind the potted rose tree that defined one side of the altar. The furled black-and-white checkered flag—the exact same brand and size waved for winning a NASCAR race—was ready for Secretary Matthews to flourish over their heads when Jim kissed the bride. President Thomas had given him special permission to replace the standard Sunoco gas emblem in the middle with the Presidential Seal.

He heard the soft rumble of the big diesel engine only moments before her car pulled into sight. Eighteen feet of shining black, armored Beast rolled along the driveway that encircled the south lawn and stopped by the garden entrance near the South Portico.

Dilya climbed out of the front passenger seat—Reese’s bridesmaid. Dilya had been horribly frustrated, trying to fit them into her whole Pride and Prejudice storyline. He’d never been prejudiced and being prideful was not a problem for Reese. Getting her to acknowledge her own worth and value was the challenge—though why such an amazing woman had so much trouble seeing it was beyond him. While she’d gotten better about it over the last several months, she would never understand how truly incredible she was. But that was okay—he did.

Jim was watching the back passenger door and completely missed the moment when the driver’s door on the far side swung open and Reese stepped out of the car.

His laugh was first, but only by moments—the rest of the wedding party caught on quickly.

Harvey Lieber and Ralph McKenna exited from the rear doors.

Because, of course, Reese Carver drove the limousine to her own wedding.

The laughter died like an eighteen-wheel blowout as she stepped around the car into clear view.

Reese Carver was a vision.

Her long black hair fell behind her shoulders in a single shining wave. She wore a dress of white lace. It was off the shoulder, with a low collar that revealed her lovely neck and collarbone. The long-sleeved, open-patterned, white lace down her arms was backed by the warm, dark luster of her skin. The dress clung to her curves, the lace spilling past where the lining ended at mid-thigh to once again tease with more hints of her skin until her athlete’s legs were ultimately revealed by the scalloped hem.

“You lucky shit!” Dad whispered from where he stood at the first row of seats.

Mom elbowed him, but since she was busy dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, there wasn’t much force behind it.

Some White House lady photographer with long silver hair moved in to take photos.

Dilya led the way in a dress that made her look far more like a graceful young adult than a precocious kid almost grown. Someday, she was going to make some guy seriously happy…and keep him seriously challenged.

But it was only Reese that he could see walking toward him.

Malcolm trotted down the aisle to join Reese, then turned to walk back with her—nearly causing Harvey Lieber to go down.

Jim could see his mouth move as he swore silently.

But none of that mattered.

All that mattered was that the distance between Reese and himself was closing with each passing second. Soon they would cross the finish line together and that win would last them a lifetime.