Chapter Eight
Halliwell stopped short a few feet from where they were seated, his face losing all expression. “You gotta be shitting me.”
“I’m not.”
Halliwell looked to Graham, who only shrugged. “All due respect, but what the fuck, Mr. Vice President? Have you lost your mind?”
“Um, not that I know of.”
“He doesn’t want to be away from his family,” Graham said, sounding resigned now that Nick had explained it to him.
“Take them with you!”
Nick looked the other man dead in the eye so there could be no misinterpretation. “I’m not going to run, Brandon.”
Halliwell pushed a hand through his hair, seeming to take a minute to get himself together. “There’s nothing we can do to change your mind?”
“No. I’m sorry. I wanted to give you plenty of notice so you can make other plans.” While the election was three years away, the primaries would begin in about eighteen months, so they had the time to figure out their options now that he was out of the mix.
Brandon sat in one of the other chairs, looking as if he’d had the wind knocked out of him.
“Surely you aren’t entirely surprised,” Nick said. “I haven’t exactly been jumping for joy at the thought of running.”
“No, you haven’t,” Brandon said. “But I thought when push came to shove, you would. I mean, no one has poll numbers like yours. People are going to be very disappointed when they hear this news.”
“They’ll move on to the next guy before we know it. It’ll be fine, and of course I’ll do everything I can to get our candidate elected.”
“I came in here hoping to get a green light, and instead…”
“I know how you feel,” Graham said. “But having known Nick since he was eighteen, I also understand his reasoning. He has what he’s always wanted, his own family, so of course that’s more appealing than traveling all over the country without them, doing something he hates doing.”
Nick sent Graham an appreciative smile. It meant the world to him that Graham understood, even if he was disappointed.
“I met with my team this morning to tell them my decision. Trevor is working on a statement now. I’d like to put it out as soon as possible, but I wanted to coordinate with you before we do it. ”
“We’ve invested a lot of time and effort into getting you where you are now,” Brandon said.
“You were chosen to be VP as the potential future leader of the party. The American people need you, Mr. Vice President. Without you, we could lose the White House. The ramifications of this decision are much bigger than your family. We’re talking about the well-being and stability of the entire republic. ”
“As you well know, the Democrats have a diverse pool of extremely qualified men and women who could rise to this moment,” Nick said. “Everyone is replaceable, Brandon.”
“I don’t know if you’re as replaceable as you think you are.” Seeing that Nick wasn’t budging, Brandon took a deep breath and let it out, sagging into his chair. “This puts us back to square one.”
“I realize that, and I’m sorry.”
“We’ll figure it out.” Brandon turned his formidable gaze on Nick. “Are you sure there’s nothing we can do to change your mind?”
“I’m very sure. There’s one thing I want to be clear about in the messaging on this decision.
I’ve directed Trevor to include this in the statement we’re going to release.
As vice president, I remain ready, willing and able to step up to serve my country should the need arise.
I will not, however, seek the office of president in the next election.
I don’t want anyone to think I’m flaking out as VP.
I’ve got this job for three more years, and I intend to do it to the best of my ability. ”
“Are you prepared for the firestorm that’ll erupt when you release that statement?” Brandon asked.
“What firestorm?”
He huffed out a laugh tinged with disbelief. “People will be crushed, Mr. Vice President. They’ve pinned their hopes on you as a beacon of youthful energy and enthusiasm for the future.”
“I’m sorry to let them down, but they should have a president who truly wants the job more than anything. The jobs I most want are dad and husband.”
“I won’t lie to you,” Brandon said. “This breaks my heart. I was so looking forward to a Cappuano administration. But I do admire your priorities.” He stood and leaned in to shake Nick’s hand. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks for everything, Brandon.”
Nodding, he released Nick’s hand and strode from the room with slightly less pep in his step than he’d had coming in.
“He’s devastated,” Graham said when they were alone. “As am I.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Like he said, I admire your priorities. Maybe things would’ve been different for my son if I’d had mine straight when he was growing up and fathering a child and…” His shrug belied a world of heartbreak when it came to John, his youngest son.
“We do the best we can, Graham. That’s all anyone can ask of us.”
“I could’ve done better. I’m not without regrets when it comes to my family. Terry and all his troubles… Being around Lizbeth’s kids reminds me of what I missed with my own while I was chasing almighty ambition. It’s a rare man who can put aside his own desires for the betterment of his family.”
“My fondest desire is to be with my family. You were always far more interested in me being president than I’ve ever been.”
“I can’t deny that,” Graham said with a chuckle. “You’ve fought me every step of the way. And I know that’s in large part because you feel you have this career because we lost John.”
“I do have this career because we lost John. But I’d like to think we’ve made him proud in the nearly two years he’s been gone.”
“He’d be proud of you, for sure. He always said you were the brains of the operation.”
“We were a good team. I miss him all the time.”
“I know you do.”
“He’d be proud of you, too,” Nick said. “He always was.”
A knock on the door interrupted them. “Come in,” Nick called.
His communications director, Trevor Donnelly, came in. “Pardon the interruption, Mr. Vice President, Senator.”
“Come in,” Nick said to his curly-haired aide.
“I’ve prepared the statement you requested.” He handed a printed page to Nick, who scanned it.
Today I’d like to inform you of my decision not to seek the office of president in the next election.
I have given this decision careful thought, and while I’m delighted to serve as your vice president—and ready, willing and able to step up should the need arise—I plan to devote my attention and time to my young and growing family once my current term ends.
As many of you know, I was the product of young parents and raised by my grandmother.
All my life, I’ve yearned for the family I have now, and I don’t want to miss a minute with my wife, Samantha, or our children Scotty, Alden and Aubrey as well as the twins’ older brother, Elijah, who’s also become part of our family.
This was not an easy decision or one that I took lightly.
I’m aware that many of my fellow Americans were hoping I would run and were prepared to support my candidacy.
I appreciate the faith you have in me as vice president and the support you would’ve given my campaign.
However, I wanted to give the DNC plenty of notice so they have the necessary time to plan for the next election cycle.
I’m fully prepared to support the eventual Democratic nominee and will, to the best of my ability, offer advice and counsel to whomever that nominee may be.
It’s the greatest honor of my life to serve as your vice president, and I look forward to the next three years with enthusiasm and excitement.
“This is perfect, Trevor. You captured exactly what I was looking for.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I suppose the next step is for me to inform the president of my plan to release this statement imminently.”
“I’ll let you get to that,” Graham said as he stood and offered a hand to Nick.
Nick took his hand and then stepped in to hug the older man who meant so much to him. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Love you, son.”
“Love you, too.”
“Bring the kids out to the farm to ride soon. It’s been too long.”
“We’ll do that.”
“I’m going to see my other son now,” Graham said as he headed for Terry’s office, no doubt to commiserate with him about Nick’s decision.
That was fine. Nick had expected disappointment from his closest supporters and had mentally prepared for that.
Taking the statement Trevor had prepared with him, he walked the short distance to the president’s suite and asked if President Nelson had a minute for his vice president.
“Of course, Mr. Vice President,” one of the assistants said. “Go right in.”
“Thank you.”
Nick knocked on the door to the Oval Office and stepped inside. “Pardon the interruption, Mr. President.”
“Come in, Nick.” A handsome man in his late sixties with silver hair and sharp blue eyes, Nelson had aged noticeably in the weeks since his wife had left him to return home to South Dakota after his affair with Tara Weber became public.
The president had become much more cordial and friendly to his vice president after surviving two scandals that’d rocked his administration to the core.
He was lucky Nick and everyone else who worked in the West Wing hadn’t quit when they found out he’d had the affair while his wife, Gloria, was going through cancer treatments she’d kept private during the last campaign.
That news had revolted Nick and many others.
Nelson came around the Resolute desk and gestured for Nick to have a seat on one of the sofas in the middle of the Oval Office. “What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to let you know I’ll be releasing this statement today.”
Nelson took the paper from Nick and quickly read it, before looking up at him with a stunned expression. “I have to admit I didn’t see this coming.”