Chapter Eight
Nick poured a glass of bourbon from the bar cart the butlers kept stocked in the sitting room off their bedroom and took it with him to the third-floor conservatory, which had become a favorite spot for the family.
From up there, he had a bird’s-eye view of the capital city and the monuments, which were lit up for the night.
The White House was decorated to the nines for Christmas, with every square inch decked out with trees and greenery and items pertaining to the “Made in America” theme Gloria Nelson had chosen months before her husband’s sudden death.
Nick had invited Gloria to come back to view the end result of her hard work, but she’d gracefully declined the invitation, saying it was too soon for her to return.
After a day of tragic news, Nick was heartsick for the people whose lives had been shattered and for the country that couldn’t seem to solve the problem associated with guns, violence and mental health.
Surely a country as vast and resourceful as the United States could come up with a way to protect the Second Amendment right to bear arms while ensuring that people who shouldn’t have guns couldn’t get them.
It sounded so simple on paper, but in reality, it was one of the most vexing challenges of their time.
His personal BlackBerry rang, and he drew it out of his pocket, expecting the call to be from Sam. But it was from Elijah.
“Hey,” Nick said to the twins’ older brother, who’d become like an extra son to him and Sam since the twins came into their lives in early October. “How’s it going?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“What’s wrong?” Nick asked, immediately on alert. He hadn’t known Elijah for long, but he’d developed a strong bond with the young man and knew something wasn’t right.
“I’ve been thinking about the custody thing with Cleo’s family.”
“What about it?” Nick could barely breathe as he waited to hear what Elijah had to say.
As the twins’ legal guardian, it was up to Elijah to decide where they lived and what was best for them.
He’d decided that since they had made such a smooth transition to living with Sam, Nick and Scotty, they should stay with them until they came of age.
“I was just thinking that maybe we should consider letting them have the kids.”
If Nick had been struck by lightning, he wouldn’t have been any more shocked than he was to hear that.
“What happened, Elijah?” He’d been there when Cleo’s sister and her husband had tried to strong-arm their way into the twins’ lives and had been as appalled by their behavior as Sam and Nick had been.
“Nothing happened.”
“Elijah, I’d like to think you and I have reached the point where we trust each other.”
“We have. Of course we have.”
“Then you need to talk to me and tell me why you’re thinking the kids might belong with people we’ve already agreed wouldn’t be good for them.”
“I can’t tell you. You’ll never look at me the same way again if I do.”
“I’m going to come there.”
“What? You can’t just come here. You need a motorcade and planning and… You can’t.”
“I’ll be there in a couple of hours.”
“Nick… Don’t.”
“What time do you have class tomorrow?”
“Not until one.”
“Then you come here. Tell your detail you need to come down right now.”
“Will they do that?”
“I’ll talk to the Secret Service and make it happen.”
“Okay.”
“Whatever is wrong, Eli, we’ll figure it out together. And for the record, there’s nothing you could tell me that would change how Sam and I feel about you or the kids.”
“Don’t be so sure about that.”
Nick hadn’t heard Elijah sound so despondent since his dad and stepmother had been murdered. “I am sure about that. Go tell your detail what you need.”
“Okay.”
As he ended the call, all Nick could think was, What now?
What had happened that had upset Elijah to the point that he was considering surrendering custody of the twins to people who hadn’t wanted anything to do with them until their parents’ killer had been caught?
When Sam had called them during the course of the investigation, they’d never even asked how the children were or where they were.
Those people would get custody of those beautiful kids over Nick’s cold, dead body. He went downstairs to speak to Nate, the agent positioned at the top of the stairs that led to the residence.
“Good evening, Mr. President,” Nate said. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Yes, Nate. Elijah needs to come here from Princeton right away. He’s speaking to his detail about transport, but I was hoping to add my request for urgency.”
“Of course, sir. We’ll see to that right away.”
Even with the Secret Service motorcade to cut through any traffic, it would still be close to three hours before Eli arrived. Until then, Nick was left to wonder what the hell was going on.
He was about to return to his bedroom when Sam appeared at the bottom of the stairs, looking tired after being called back to work. Nick waited for her as she trudged up the red-carpeted stairs and took the hand he held out to her.
“I just heard from Eli’s detail, Mr. President,” Nate said. “We’re all set.”
“Thank you very much, Nate.”
“No problem, sir.”
“What’s that about?” Sam asked as they walked into their private rooms.
“Eli called me. He’s upset about something and said maybe we ought to let Cleo’s family have custody of the twins.”
“What? No way.”
“He said we’ll never look at him the same way after hearing whatever has him so upset. I told him nothing could change the way we feel about him or the kids. His detail is driving him down right now.”
“Oh God. What’s this going to be?”
“I don’t know, but I told him whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.”
Sam rested a hand over her abdomen. “My stomach hurts.”
Nick put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “Try not to worry until we hear what’s going on. He knows the kids are better off with us.”
“This has been one hell of a day.”
“And it’s not over yet.”
Elijah arrived at the White House shortly after midnight, coming up the stairs to the residence with a backpack slung over his shoulder.
Sam greeted him with a hug. “Are you hungry?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think I could eat, but thank you.”
“Come on in.” Nick shut the door to give them the privacy they needed. “You want a drink?”
Eli looked up at him, seeming surprised by the offer since he was only twenty. “Yeah, that’d be good.”
Nick poured bourbon for the two of them and wine for Sam. He sat next to Sam on the sofa while Eli sat across from them. “Talk to us. Tell us what’s wrong.”
Sam had never seen Eli so spun up, and after what he and the kids had been through after his father and stepmother were murdered, that was saying something. He looked absolutely tortured.
“I never wanted you to know this,” he said haltingly.
“Know what?”
“Growing up,” he said, sounding resigned to having to talk about whatever it was, “I spent summers in California with my mother. I’ve told you before how she had some health issues, which made it so she didn’t really supervise me.
That drove my dad crazy, but the court required me to spend that time with her. ”
When he took a sip of his bourbon, Sam noticed his hand was shaking. Seeing him so upset made her want to protect him from whatever was causing him such pain. At some point since he and the twins had come into their lives, he’d become theirs, too.
“The summer I was seventeen, I became friends with the girl who lived next door to my mom. Her name was Candace. We went to the beach, the arcade, movies. All the usual stuff, except nothing about her was usual. She was… She is the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, and I fell in love with her.
At the time, her parents were going through a divorce that had gotten ugly, and I tried to be there for her since I understood what it was like to have parents fighting over you and everything else.
We became each other’s closest friend. I’d never had feelings like that before.
It was overwhelming and amazing all at the same time.
It was the first time in my life that I felt like I was exactly where I belonged, with who I was supposed to be with. ”
Sam glanced at Nick at the same time he looked at her.
They certainly understood the feelings Eli was describing.
“One thing led to another between us, and before long, we were having sex. I’m sorry if that’s more info than you want or need, but that’s how I ended up in trouble.”
Sam held her breath, almost afraid of what he was going to say next.
“Her parents found out we were sleeping together and lost their minds. They… They called the police.”
“Why?” Sam asked.
Eli’s eyes filled as he looked down at the floor. “She was fifteen. I was seventeen. They charged me with statutory rape.”
“Oh my God,” Nick said.
“I loved her. I’d never have done anything to harm her, and her parents knew that.”
“They also knew your dad was loaded, right?” Nick asked.
Eli grimaced as he nodded.
“Son of a bitch,” Nick said.
“It was a complete nightmare. I was arrested, arraigned, charged with a felony. My dad hired the best lawyers money could buy, offered her parents whatever they wanted to drop the charges, but by then, it was out of their hands. The lawyers were able to get the charges reduced to a misdemeanor count, but I have a sealed juvenile record that we’ve been trying to have expunged since I turned eighteen and satisfied the terms of the original agreement.
It’s in the works, but it hasn’t happened yet.
” After a long pause, he added, “The worst part is that I’ve never seen or spoken to Candace again since the night her parents found out we were having sex. ”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Eli,” Sam said.
“It was the worst thing I’d ever been through until my dad and Cleo were murdered. I think about Candace all the time, and I just hope when she turns eighteen in January that she’ll reach out to me.”
“What happened to bring this up again?” Nick asked.