Chapter Thirty-Three
Angela and Tracy arrived a few minutes later, exchanging greetings with the agent working the door.
“How do you deal with having all these hot guys underfoot all the time?” Angela whispered. “That guy at the door is ridiculous.”
“Easy, married cougar.”
“Being married doesn’t mean I’m dead. My eyes work fine, and that guy is smoking hot. What’s his name?”
“I think it’s Zach.”
Angela fanned her face. “Zach. I like that.”
“I’m telling Spencer,” Tracy said.
“Oh please. Whatever. Like you weren’t wiping up the drool, too.”
“He can probably hear you guys talking about him,” Sam said.
“Good,” Angela said with a sly smile.
“Not to change the subject, but you have to help me figure out what the heck I’m going to get Nick for an anniversary gift.”
“First anniversary is paper,” Tracy said.
“Huh?”
“There’s a theme for every year,” Angela said.
“Who decides this shit?” Sam asked, flabbergasted. “Does someone sit around and make these decisions for everyone?”
Laughing, Angela said, “It’s long-standing tradition. Hello? Weren’t you married before?”
“I certainly never stressed out about what to give him for an anniversary gift. We went out to dinner or something.”
“And now you care enough to at least ask what you should get for him,” Tracy said. “That is one of many ways your second marriage is a huge improvement over the first.”
“There’s no comparison,” Sam said. “I want to get it right. So what do I give him?”
“It doesn’t technically count as paper, but a Brazilian would make him happy,” Angela said, snickering.
“How do you know?” Tracy asked, slightly horrified.
“I’ll never tell.”
Tracy pounced. “Have you had one?”
“Maybe.”
“This I need to hear,” Sam said. “Do tell.”
Lowering her voice so there was no chance Zach could overhear, Angela said, “After Ella was born, I was feeling kinda… I don’t know, frumpy, I guess. I have horrible stretch marks, and my belly looks like a war zone. I was afraid Spence wouldn’t want me anymore.”
“Which you know is insane,” Sam said. “That man worships the ground you walk on.”
“Still… After one of my friends put the idea of getting waxed in my head, I couldn’t get it out, so I decided to try it.”
“And…” Tracy raised her brows in inquiry.
“He freaking loved it. Went nuts over it. Spent hours down there. Needless to say, after that, I wasn’t worried that I’d lost my appeal anymore.”
Sam fanned her face. “Wow. That sounds hot. Did the waxing hurt?”
“Like a motherfucker. But it was so worth it. If you’re interested, I’ve got a girl who’s great.”
“Considering who I’m married to,” Sam said, “I can’t go to a salon and ask to have my hoo-ha waxed.”
Tracy and Angela dissolved into laughter. “I can have her come to you. She’d be thrilled.”
“Not sure how I feel about knowing there’s a random woman out there who’d be thrilled to wax my unmentionables.”
“Trust me, when you’re all out and proud, you want someone working down there who knows what she’s doing. You want me to set it up?” Angela leaned in, lowering her voice. “He was down there for hours…”
“How do you have time for hours of that?” Tracy asked. “You’ve got two little kids.”
“Who are in bed by seven o’clock every night,” Angela said, winking at Tracy.
The thought of surprising Nick with something so unexpected for their getaway was too appealing to resist. “I’ll do it,” she said before she could change her mind.
“You will not be sorry.”
“Somehow I doubt that.”
“Now I want it, too,” Tracy said.
“I’ll ask about a two-for-one,” Ang replied.
“I’m not doing this with her,” Sam said.
“What’ve you got against my hoo-ha?” Tracy asked indignantly.
They were pissing their pants laughing when the door opened to admit Nick and his detail. He stopped short at the sight of the three of them, sprawled on sofas, laughing their asses off. “Do I even want to know?”
“Oh yeah,” Angela said with a dirty smirk. “You want to know.”
“Shut up, Angela!” Sam said, tossing a pillow at her sister. “It’s a surprise!”
As he did every night the minute he walked in the door, Nick unknotted his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his dress shirt. “I’m on fire with curiosity.”
“You’ll be on fire all right,” Tracy said, reducing her sisters to hysterics once again.
Sam got up to kiss him. “Stop torturing my poor husband.”
“Yes, stop torturing me, and tell me the big secret.”
“Not happening,” she said, patting his handsome face. “It’s for us to know and you to find out.”
“When? When will I find out?”
“On the trip.”
His sexy hazel eyes went hot with desire that almost made Sam forget they weren’t alone. “I suppose I can wait a few more days. What time is your mom coming?”
Sam’s stomach dropped, and the hilarity was forgotten. “Any minute now.”
“Let me run up and change.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right back down.”
Sam returned to her seat on the sofa. “Why am I so nervous about seeing her?”
“Because it’s been a long time since you willingly invited her into your life, and you’re afraid it’ll be awkward,” Tracy said.
“Yes, that’s it exactly.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about,” Angela said.
“She’s thrilled to be invited into your home, and she can’t wait to meet Scotty and get to know Nick.
And she’s very excited to be with you, too.
It’ll be fine, Sam.” Angela snapped her fingers.
“I have the perfect idea of what you should do for an anniversary gift.”
As they talked about Angela’s idea for Nick’s gift, Sam tried to stay focused on that rather than the visit with her mother. Despite her sisters’ assurances, her mother’s arrival a few minutes later had the butterflies in her belly doing backflips.
Brenda Ross had cut her hair since the last time Sam saw her, and the new style made her look even more youthful than usual. Though her dark hair was now shot through with gray and there were new lines around her brown eyes, Brenda looked great for her age. She wore a huge smile as she hugged Sam.
“Thank you so much for seeing me.”
“Um, sure. No problem. Come on in. Can I get you something to drink? Some wine or something stronger?”
“I’d love a glass of wine.”
“Coming right up.” Sam went into the kitchen to get it for her and took a moment to calm her nerves before returning to the living room with the bottle and glasses for her sisters, too.
Wearing jeans and button down shirt, Nick was coming down the stairs as she returned and his warm, private smile helped put her at ease. Everything was easier to face when he was there to share the load.
“Brenda,” he said, kissing her mother’s cheek. “It’s great to see you again.”
“You, too, Nick. Or should I call you Mr. Vice President?”
“Not if you want him to answer,” Sam said, drawing a laugh from the others.
“What she said,” Nick said with a smile. “I’m just Nick.”
“It’s a huge honor to be the mother-in-law of the vice president. I’m very proud of both of you. Your speech was amazing, Sam.”
“Oh. You saw that, huh?”
“I think most of the country has seen it by now.”
“Awesome,” Sam said with a lack of enthusiasm that made the others laugh.
Nick squeezed her shoulder. “Sam is still getting used to being famous. We both are. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be sometimes.”
Scotty came running down the stairs. “Is she here yet?” He stopped short when he saw Brenda sitting with his parents and his aunts. “Oh, sorry. I’m Scotty.”
Amused, Brenda stood to shake his hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“You, too.”
“I’ve heard so much about you from your aunts. They’re your biggest fans.”
“They only say that because I’m good with their kids.”
“That’s true,” Angela said. “That’s the only reason we keep you around.”
“Very funny,” Scotty said.
“No, it’s true,” Tracy said, grinning at her nephew.
“Um, what should I call you?” Scotty asked Brenda.
“How about Brenda? Does that work?”
“Works for me.”
Scotty’s natural ease with new people calmed Sam’s nerves. It was hard to stay wound up when he made it look so easy.
They chatted with Nick and Scotty for half an hour or so and then Nick suggested he and Scotty go watch the Caps game upstairs. Sam appreciated the way he smoothly gave her time alone with her mother and sisters, but not until he was certain she was comfortable.
Brenda got up to hug both of them. “I hope to see you again soon,” she said to Scotty.
“Me, too.”
After they’d gone upstairs, Brenda said, “I’m so glad I got to meet your amazing son, Sam, and got to know Nick a little. His public persona, which is quite impressive, doesn’t do him justice.”
As far as compliments went, Sam had to admit they were pretty good. “Thanks. I like them.”
“I can see why. And your home is lovely.”
“That’s all Nick. He’s the one with the style.”
“I figured it had to be, because you never cared about such things when you were younger.”
“I still don’t.”
“You should see what we go through when she has to be turned out for something formal.” Tracy rolled her eyes. “First we have to pry the handcuffs out of her hand and then—”
“That’s enough out of you.”
Laughing at their banter, Brenda said, “I’m so happy that you girls are close to each other. When you were fighting like tomcats growing up, people would tell me you’d get over it and be best friends someday. I had my doubts.”
“We definitely got over it,” Sam said. “I’d be lost without them.”
“As would we without you,” Tracy said.
“Although we would spend less time at the Emergency Room without you,” Angela said to more laughter.
“What can I say? Shit happens.”
“Shit happens to you far too often,” Tracy said.
“While we’re on the subject of shit happening,” Brenda said.
“I wanted you to know… I’ve been diagnosed with stage one breast cancer.
” Before Sam could react or begin to process the news, Brenda continued.
“It was caught early and the prognosis is very good, but my doctor said it’s important for my daughters to understand that me having it puts you at greater risk for developing it at some point. ”