Chapter Eighteen
“This is turning into a big deal.” Terry broke the bad news to Nick shortly after he arrived at the White House. “It was the lead story on all the morning news shows.”
“Must be a slow news day.” Nick sipped from the travel mug of coffee he’d brought for the ride to work.
If there was a benefit to having Secret Service protection, the motorcade that got him where he needed to be without being hampered by the notorious DC traffic congestion was at the top of the list.
“It is a slow day.”
“Just my luck. What do you think we should do?”
Terry withdrew a piece of paper from his portfolio. “I think you should issue a statement from yourself and Sam. I took the liberty of drafting something.” He extended the paper to Nick.
“Read it to me.”
“‘Sam and I have made a commitment to Alden, Aubrey and Elijah Armstrong, and we fully intend to honor that commitment. We love the children and are delighted to add them to our family for as long as we are lucky enough to be needed by them. We have always planned to add to our family eventually, and the addition of Alden and Aubrey is a welcome blessing to both of us as well as to Scotty, who is delighted to have younger siblings to love. Frankly, I’m not interested in seeing two children who recently suffered the tremendous loss of their parents, their home and the only life they’ve ever known used as political pawns.
They are now a part of our family where they will remain for the foreseeable future.
As such, they will be afforded Secret Service protection to ensure that no harm will come to them while they reside with us.
Sam and I appreciate the amazing support we have received since we brought Alden and Aubrey into our home, as well as the outpouring of love and sympathy for the recent loss of Sam’s father, MPD Deputy Chief Skip Holland.
After this briefing, we won’t have anything more to say on the subject of Alden and Aubrey, and we ask you to allow the children to continue to grieve their losses in private. ’”
“That’s excellent.” Terry’s heartfelt words had filled Nick with profound emotion. “Do you want to go ahead and issue it?”
“I think this one would be better coming directly from you.”
“Let me run it by Sam, and then we can ask Trevor to schedule me for the daily briefing.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Terry placed the page containing the statement on Nick’s desk. “I’ll leave you to discuss it with her.”
“Good work, Terry. Thanks again.”
“Of course. Let me know when to give the word to Trevor.” Terry left Nick’s office, closing the door behind him.
Nick read through the statement again and then placed a call to Sam.
“Hey.” She sounded rushed and busy as she always did at work.
“You got a second?”
“For you? Always. How’s the shitstorm?”
“Pretty shitty. Terry drafted a statement he thinks I should make to the media. I wanted to run it by you first.”
“I’m listening.”
He read the statement to her, again feeling the tightening in his chest when he thought of the two little ones who’d captured their hearts and feeling a father’s need to protect them from anything that might hurt them when they’d already suffered enough.
“I love that and thank you for including the part about my dad. Anyone who would badger the kids or us after hearing that is truly heartless.”
“I’m sure there’ll still be more grumbling and badgering, but hopefully the statement will take care of the worst of it.”
“Well, you have my approval. Would it help if I was there when you read the statement?”
“As much as I love any excuse to see you during the day, I know you’re busy. I’ll take care of it for both of us.”
“Okay. Let me know how it goes.”
“I will.”
“I know I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. Thank you for stepping up for our littles the way you have. And I’m sorry if I’ve caused you trouble at work.”
“You haven’t caused me trouble and neither have they. I don’t give a rat’s ass what anyone says. Stepping up for them is one of the best things we’ve ever done, and I’d do it again in a hot second, even knowing it was going to cause a shitstorm.”
“And that’s why I love you so much. One of many reasons.”
“Love you, too. I’ll text you after.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks.” After he ended the call, Nick let Terry know they had the green light from Sam.
Then he reviewed the statement a couple more times until he knew it more or less by heart.
Terry would have it put on the teleprompter, but Nick didn’t like to rely on that.
Once he had a handle on the statement, he turned his attention to his email and the day’s briefing materials.
Terry knocked on the door an hour later. “They’re ready for you in the press room.”
Nick brought his copy of the statement with him when he went with Terry to the briefing room, which fell silent when he walked in. The president’s press secretary was there, as was Trevor.
Nick stepped up to the podium. “I asked for a minute of your time to make a statement about the ongoing story many of you are running about the children my wife and I recently took in.” As he read the statement, he made eye contact with reporters from the outlets who’d gleefully reported the news about the taxpayers having to foot the bill for the Cappuanos’ new wards.
Two of them looked away after his gaze landed on them.
After he was finished reading the statement, he said, “I’ll take a couple of questions.”
A reporter from the New York Times raised her hand and Nick called on her. “Do you think it’s fair that the taxpayers have to pay the cost of protecting two children that you voluntarily brought into your home?”
“I would answer your question with a question—is it fair to judge us for how we choose to add to our family? As you know, my wife has suffered from infertility, and after we adopted Scotty, we hoped to have another opportunity to expand our family. As you also know, Sam encountered Alden and Aubrey at the worst moment of their young lives and stepped up for them in such an amazing way. She had my full support—and Scotty’s—in bringing them to our home when they needed somewhere to be.
We could’ve applied to adopt and been given the opportunity to adopt twins, and the result would’ve been the same—two more children in our home and our family that required protection due to the nature of my job.
To us, it doesn’t matter how they came to be there.
What matters is that we love them and we’re committed to providing them with a home for as long as they need one. ”
Another reporter raised his hand. “The children have aunts, uncles and grandparents on their mother’s side of the family. Why are they not residing with family members?”
“Their brother, Elijah, is their primary legal guardian. He makes the decisions on their behalf, and he chose to keep them with us when he saw how well they were adjusting to our home and our family. We’ve surrounded them with love and support and have agreed to help Elijah for as long as we’re needed.
” Nick wasn’t about to throw their mother’s family under the bus by saying they were initially unwilling to take the children and in fact hadn’t even asked about them after learning their parents had been killed.
But oh how he wanted to say that.
“Do you understand the concern people have about taxpayers footing the bill to protect children that do have other family members who could care for them?”
“I absolutely understand the concern, but I hope you can understand that because the children will be part of my family for some time to come, they need to be protected from those who would harm them simply because of what I do for a living. Keeping them safe and protected is one of our primary roles as their guardians.” He paused, trying to decide if he should say more.
Why the hell not? What did he have to lose?
“One thing I’ve learned in my life is you never know what’s right around the next corner.
Did Sam and I plan to add to our family right now?
No, but when the twins came into our lives, it felt meant to be from the beginning, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have the honor of taking care of them at this difficult time in their lives.
Alden, Aubrey and their brother, Elijah, have become family to us.
It’s that simple. That’s all for now. If you have other questions, please contact Trevor and he’ll see that I get them. Thanks for your time.”
They were still shouting questions at him when Nick exited through the door that Terry held for him.
“I think that went well.”
Nick wasn’t so sure. “I guess we’ll find out.” His phone rang, and he took the call from Elijah. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I saw you on TV. I had no idea you were taking that kind of flack about the kids. I feel bad.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not and neither is Sam. It’ll die down in a day or two. These things always do.”
“I hate to cause you any trouble when you’re doing such a huge thing for me and the kids.”
“Let me tell you something, Eli. They could run me out of office, and that would be fine with me if it meant we got to keep Audrey and Alden with us. We love them very much. They’re part of our family now, as are you.”
“I honestly can’t tell you how much it means to me to know they are well cared for and loved when I can’t be there. I’ll never be able to thank you and Sam for all you’ve done.”
“They’ve given us as much as we’ve given them. Don’t worry about anything. It’s all good. I promise.”
“Thank you again.”
Nick ducked into his office, nodded to Terry and closed the door. “Could I ask you something else?”
“Sure.”
“Sam and I were talking the other night about what’s going to happen when you finish school.”
“About the kids, you mean?”
“Yeah. We’re, um, well… We’re getting attached to them, and the thought of them leaving…”