Chapter Thirty-One
He was simply devastating in a tuxedo. Sam knew it was uncouth to gawk at her own husband, but she couldn’t resist the temptation to let her gaze follow him as he made the rounds, greeting friends and family.
The White House photographer was hot on his trail and got an adorable photo of him with his dad, stepmother and two half brothers, who were also decked out in tuxedos.
They’d debated whether to make the party formal, and Sam was glad now that they had. The kids were crazy excited about their fancy outfits, and everyone looked stunning.
Tracy and Angela came up to Sam and linked their arms with hers.
“Most fabulous Christmas Eve party ever,” Tracy said. She’d worn a black gown with one shoulder bare and her hair up in an elaborate style.
“The kids are so cute.” Angela, whose abdomen was round with the pregnancy of her third child, pointed to her son, Jack, who was following Scotty around the way he always did, and her daughter, Ella, in a fancy green velvet dress, in the arms of her dad, Spencer.
Tracy’s kids, Brooke, Abby and Ethan, were taking a tour of all the decorations with Celia and her sisters, who were possibly the most excited members of the group tonight.
Sam had taken all the kids to see the famous White House gingerbread house that the twins were obsessed with.
They wanted to know when they’d be allowed to eat it.
“Jack was so excited about sleeping at the White House that I was afraid he’d wet himself on the way over here,” Angela added.
Sam laughed. “Jack is way past the point where that would happen.”
“The White House might be the exception.”
“Are the kids okay with Santa coming here?” Sam asked.
“We had a lot of questions from Jack,” Angela said, “but I think he understands that Santa will find him and Ella wherever they are.”
“Gideon was terrific about coordinating all the gifts so everything is ready for an epic Christmas morning,” Tracy said as she accepted another glass of champagne from the waitstaff that circulated through the East Room.
They’d be dining shortly in the State Dining Room and then back to the East Room for dancing.
“He’s the best,” Sam said of the chief usher, who’d been so integral to pulling off this evening.
Shelby, Avery and Noah approached them.
Sam took Noah from Shelby and gave him a tight squeeze. “How’s my big boy doing?”
“Santa,” he said.
“That’s his only word these days,” Shelby said, glowing with excitement.
“Only you could pull off the sexiest pink maternity gown in history, Tinker Bell,” Sam said, in genuine awe of how Shelby managed to rock pink for every occasion.
“I do what I can for the people,” Shelby said with a saucy wink.
“Hey, that’s trademarked,” Sam said, laughing.
Everyone they loved was there—Freddie and Elin; Freddie’s parents; Gonzo, Christina and Alex as well as Gonzo’s parents; Joe and Marnie Farnsworth; Jake Malone and his wife; Lindsey and Terry; Harry and Lilia; Graham and Laine O’Connor; Scotty’s former guardian, Mrs. Littlefield; Derek, his parents and daughter, Maeve; Andy and his wife, Elsa; Darren Tabor and his girlfriend; Jeannie and Michael; Archie, Cameron, Gigi, Dani and Matt.
Sam and Nick had invited the Reverend Canon William Swain, the childhood friend of Skip’s who’d presided over his funeral, to say a blessing before dinner.
“Let us please join hands and bow our heads to ask for God’s mercy,” Swain said when the group was gathered around a large square table that took up most of the gorgeous State Dining Room.
Sam reached for Nick on her left and Scotty on her right, closed her eyes and bowed her head.
“In this season of Christmas, let us give thanks for this meal, the devoted White House staff who prepared it for us and the company of the loved ones gathered around this table as well as those who couldn’t be here tonight.
Let us pray for our new president, first lady and first family.
May they find comfort in each other as they lead the country and the world through these turbulent times.
Let us pray for the families of those lost in Des Moines last week and ask the Lord to provide them with peace and comfort in their time of grief.
Let us pray for those we’ve lost this year, especially our beloved Skip Holland and AJ Arnold.
And let us pray for all who suffer from poverty, loneliness, illness and despair this holiday season and ask the Lord to care for them in their time of need.
May God bless and keep this family and protect you all in the coming year so that we may gather again next Christmas Eve to once again give thanks for His many blessings. Amen.”
“Amen,” Sam said as she continued to fight the wave of sorrow for her dad that had been tugging at her all day. More than anything, she wished he could be with them at the White House for their first Christmas. He’d have enjoyed it more than anyone.
“He’s here,” Nick whispered. “I feel him all around us.”
Sam could barely breathe at the way he read her mind. “Thank you for that. I hope he’s here.”
“He is. I’m sure of it. I’ve been hearing his voice so much in the weeks since I took the oath. He’s very much a part of me, too.”
Sam contended with the huge lump that landed in her throat and blinked back tears. “That’s so nice to hear.”
They’d requested a traditional turkey dinner in Skip’s honor, since it was his favorite, and the White House staff had gone all out with every possible side dish.
Sam helped Aubrey cut up her turkey while Eli helped Alden. Elijah had been quiet all day as the stress of waiting to hear from the judge had him as tense as Sam had ever seen him.
As dessert was being served, Nick stood and picked up the wireless microphone the staff had set at his place, per his request. “Sam and I want to thank you all for being with us to celebrate our first Christmas at the White House. We still can’t believe that sentence is real, but here we are in the historic State Dining Room with the amazing White House staff taking such beautiful care of us, and we’re deeply thankful to them for taking time away from their own families on Christmas Eve to be with us.
” He led a round of applause for the staff.
“I can’t say enough about how incredible the staff is or how grateful we are to them for helping us to make this transition as smoothly as possible.
We’re also incredibly thankful to all of you for the love and support you’ve provided us at home and at work as we processed this tremendous change in our lives.
A very special thanks to our wonderful Shelby and Celia for all their help with making sure that Scotty, Alden and Aubrey are incredibly well loved.
We couldn’t do this without you two, and we’re so blessed to have you both in our lives.
” The entire group cheered for Shelby and Celia, whose faces turned bright red.
Nick smiled as he looked over at the kids.
“A very special thanks to Scotty, Elijah, Alden and Aubrey for coming on this journey with us. You guys make every day fun and special. You’re the family I always dreamed of having, and I love you all so much.
And to my beautiful first lady, Samantha…
You certainly didn’t sign up for the White House, but you’ve been there for me every step of the way over this last surreal month, and I’ll never have the words to tell you how much I love and appreciate you.
” He raised his glass of champagne. “To the first lady!”
The others cheered for her until Sam was completely mortified. “Thank you,” she said to Nick and the others.
With a delighted smile, Nick said, “This is for you, babe.”
Jon Bon Jovi came strolling into the room like he lived there, and Sam let out a very un-first-lady-like squeal of excitement that only intensified when another man sat at a piano she hadn’t even noticed earlier.
When the opening notes of “Hallelujah” played, tears filled her eyes when she recalled how much her dad had loved that song.
Sam took hold of Nick’s hand. “Best Christmas present ever.”
“It was a little hard to shop this year.”
She laughed through her tears at the understatement of the century.
“This is for our new president and first lady, with all my best wishes,” Jon said.
As he sang the beautiful song, Sam’s heart was filled with so many emotions—love, gratitude and joy for the people closest to her and sorrow for the ones who were gone.
Jon performed an entire set of many of his biggest hits and then asked Sam and Nick to join him.
“This song might bring back some memories from one of our earlier meetings.” He performed their wedding song, “Thank You for Loving Me.”
Nick wrapped his arms around Sam, and for a few minutes, there was only him, only them as they danced to the song that meant so much to them.
“Thank you so much,” Sam said, blowing a kiss to Jon when the song ended.
Next, Jon asked Dr. Harry Flynn to join him.
Knowing what was coming, Sam was on pins and needles as Harry walked up to take the microphone from Jon. He looked ridiculously handsome in his tuxedo, and his big smile put his adorable dimples on full display.
“I gotta say that I never expected to be in the White House taking the microphone from Jon Bon Jovi and looking on as two of my best friends have made us so very proud as our new president and first lady.”
Harry led a warm round of applause that embarrassed Sam and Nick.
“Since we were going to be together tonight, I asked my buddy Nick if I could borrow his house for a minute to take care of some very important business. Lilia, would you mind joining me up here?”
Lilia looked around with a confused expression as she made her way to Harry. Her shock was further compounded when her parents, grandparents and siblings, as well as Harry’s parents and brother, came in to join the party.
“What is happening?” Lilia asked.
“Come here, and I’ll tell you,” Harry said.
“This is so freaking exciting,” Sam whispered to Nick.