Vernon and Jimmy rushed over to help, too.

  Sam shook them off. “I’m fine.” But her hip and elbow hurt, bad. “Why do I have to find the one random patch of ice?”

  “Are we heading home, ma’am?” Vernon asked.

  “With a stop at Judiciary Square to drop off Detective Cruz.”

  “Very good.”

  She unlocked the car and eased herself into the driver’s seat, wincing from the blast of pain. “Shit, fuck, damn, hell, goddamn it.”

  “Sam.”

  “This is no time for a lecture about the Lord’s name! I just busted my ass!” She reached for the key and nearly blacked out from the pain in her elbow. “And my arm!”

  “Do you need the ER?”

  “No, I don’t need the motherfucking ER.”

  “’Scuse me for asking.”

  “You are not excused!”

  “How glad am I that you’re on vacation and not my problem this week?”

  “I’ll be in for a few hours tomorrow to keep things moving on Olsen.” He would understand, better than anyone, that it had taken less than five minutes for Audrey—and Wes—to become hers. Yes, she trusted her team to do right by their latest victim, but Sam needed to help. And then she’d go home and hang out with her husband and kids.

  “Oh joy,” Freddie said in response to the news that she’d be in tomorrow.

  Sam drove to the Judiciary Square station and pulled up to the curb. “Get out.”

  “You have a good night, too.”

  “Buh-bye now.”

  Whistling the tune of “My Humps,” he closed the door and jogged toward the station with no worries about falling and busting his ass. Bastard. What should’ve been a ten-minute ride home stretched to thirty minutes because people could not drive in snow to save their lives. She witnessed four accidents and was glad they weren’t her problem. Patrol officers would have their hands full tonight.

  By the time the distant glow of the White House came into view, her entire body hurt, and how was that possible when she’d cracked her hip and elbow? Was this the first time she was glad to see the place they now called home? “I think it is,” she said with a gruff chuckle. Knowing Nick and the kids were in there, along with a warm meal and a cozy fireplace, greatly improved her mood.

  Until she moved to get out of the car.

  Holy shitballs of pain, Batman.

  She hobbled to the door, where Harold greeted her with a concerned expression.

  “Are you all right, Mrs. Cappuano?”

  That was a very good question. Was it possible she’d broken something? No, because she had no time for that. “I think so,” she said, eyeing the staircase to the residence, “but there’s an elevator, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Right this way.” He not only led her to the elevator, but he accompanied her as if she couldn’t find the second floor on her own. God forbid she should push a button for herself. She no sooner had that thought than she was chastising herself for it. The White House staff took great pride in their work, and Sam appreciated everything they did for her and their family. “Are you sure you’re all right, ma’am?”

  “Took a fall in the parking lot at work and landed hard, but I’m okay.”

  “Ah, the ice got you, did it?”

  “It did.”

  “Sorry to hear that.” The elevator doors slid open. “There you are, ma’am.”

  “Thanks for the lift, Harold.”

  “My pleasure, ma’am. I hope you feel better.”

  “Thanks. Me, too.”

  Sam limped down the hallway, wondering where everyone was. Usually, she could hear them before she saw them. She was about to text Nick when he stepped out of their suite and smiled when he saw her coming. His smile quickly faded when he realized she was limping.

  “What happened?”

  “Goddamned ice in the goddamned parking lot at work.”

  “Oh no. What hurts?”

  “It’d be easier to tell you what doesn’t hurt.”

  “How about a hot bath?”

  “That sounds like heaven, but where are the kids? I totally missed today with them.”

  “They’re fine. They’re upstairs playing Chutes and Ladders with Eli and Celia. All is well.”

  “Then please lead me to that hot bath.” Her hip hurt so badly, she wondered if she’d fractured it. Please God… She did not have time for that. While Nick got the bath ready, Sam sat gingerly on the bed, wincing when her battered hip touched the mattress. “Yow.” This reminded her of the time she’d been hit by a car while chasing a perp. She’d survived that, and she’d survive this, too.

  But damn, it hurt.

  Nick came out of the bathroom and knelt before her to remove her boots.

  “I need a photo of the leader of the free world kneeling before me.”

  He grinned as he looked up at her, the most devastatingly handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on. “This is just for you, babe.”

  “It’d better be.”

  “No worries there, as you surely know.”

  “This is going to put a damper on vacation activities.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “It isn’t. Our whole vacation has gone sideways.”

  “No, it hasn’t. We’re all together, and that’s what matters. Who cares where we are?”

  “Um, you do. You were loving Camp David.”

  “We can go back again sometime soon.”

  “You’re taking this better than I expected.”

  “I was disappointed to leave, because I was enjoying the change of scenery, but all my favorite scenery is here with me, so I’m good.”

  She ran her fingers through his thick dark hair. “You’re easy to please.”

  “As you well know, it doesn’t take much to make me happy.”

  Sam smiled and leaned in to kiss him. One of her greatest joys in the life she shared with him was seeing him deeply loved by a family of his own, which was something he’d never had before.

  “Let me go check the tub, and then I’ll help you get naked, which is my favorite activity of all.”

  No matter what disaster she brought home with her, he always made her feel better. That was one of his many superpowers where she was concerned.

  When he returned, he helped her up and then gently removed her clothes, wincing at the huge red marks on her hip and elbow that would soon blossom into massive bruises. “My baby took a hell of a hit.”

  “It attacked me out of nowhere. One minute, I was walking to the car, and the next, I was flat on my ass. Or I guess it was my hip. Figures I couldn’t have landed on all that cushion I’ve got back there.”

  He gently patted her bottom. “We wouldn’t want anything to mar this national treasure.”

  She laughed. “Have you had it officially designated as such?”

  “Not yet, but I’m going to talk to Terry about an executive order.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled about that.” The silliness with him helped to take the sting out of another difficult day at work. She took the arm he offered and let him lead her slowly into the bathroom. “I’m like a ninety-year-old.”

  “Nah, you’re like a thirtysomething who fell on ice. Let me see.”

  When he got a better look at the red mark on her hip in brighter light, he gasped. “Holy shit, babe. That looks bad. Are you sure we shouldn’t get you checked out?”

  Sam twisted to see the huge red spot on her hip that would no doubt turn colorful by the morning. “I’m sure I can’t be bothered with a trip to the ER.”

  “Let me get Harry up here. We do have a medical unit at our disposal, you know.”

  “Not tonight. I’ll deal with it in the morning if it’s not better.

  “If it’s still bad tomorrow, we’re doing something about it.”

  “You’re not the boss of me.”

  “In this case, I am,” he said, dropping pain pills into her hand and giving her a glass of water.

  “Thank you.”

  With his help, she managed to get in the tub and ease into the heated water. But she had tears in her eyes by the time she got settled.

  “I hate when you get hurt,” he said, running a finger over the stitches in her arm from the bullet that recently grazed her.

  “I do, too, especially when it’s my own fault.”

  He sat on the mat next to the tub. “The blame for this one belongs firmly on the ice.”

  “Bastard.”

  As he chuckled, his BlackBerry chimed with a text. “Scotty is looking for me.” He typed a reply. “I’m telling him you’re home, and we’ll be ready for dinner in about half an hour.”

  She closed her eyes and gave in to the pleasure of the bath. “That sounds good, and this feels wonderful. Thank you.”

  “Always a pleasure to tend to my lovely wife.”

  “This week is going to be a little more complicated than we hoped.”

  “Because of the fall?”

  “That and a case we caught today.” She opened her eyes and turned to him. “A twenty-four-year-old woman raped and murdered in Rock Creek Park.”

  “Oh no.”

  “I had to tell her live-in boyfriend of five years.”

  “That had to be rough.”

  “It never gets easier, not that I hope it will. It shouldn’t be easy. I’m going to work a few half days to keep things moving there.”

  “I understand.”

  “Will the kids?”

  “They know your work is important.”

  “I feel this incredible push-pull inside me all the time. If I’m here, I feel like I should be there. When I’m there, I worry constantly about what I’m missing here.”

  “I believe that condition is called working motherhood.”

  “Before we had kids, I would’ve said I understood how hard it is for working moms, but I didn’t know squat—and I still don’t. I have tons of help that allows me to do three jobs sorta well. What do people do who haven’t got any help? Single moms are superheroes.”

  “They sure are. You know… You’re able to invite guests to the State of the Union. That might be a great opportunity to shine a light on the challenges single moms and working moms face.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Do you have people you’d like to invite?”

  “I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head, but my sisters and Shelby will. I’ll ask them.”

  “Think about who else you’d like to ask.”

  “How many can I have?”

  “Like maybe five?”

  “Oh, cool. All right. Maybe the mom, Cath, I met in Des Moines who lost both her children in the shooting.”

  “That’s a good one. I’ll ask Terry and Lilia to invite her.”

  “I’ll think about who else.”

  “No, you won’t. Terry talked to Lilia, and she’s on it.”

  Sam splashed water in his face. “Stop acting like you know me so well.”

  Laughing, he used the towel he’d gotten for her to wipe his face. “I do know you so well, and I understand your unique… limitations.”

  “Meaning my one-track mind that’s focused ninety percent of the time on my job?”

  “You said that, not me.”

  Sam released a deep sigh. “I wanted kids so badly, and I’m so, so happy to have our family, but will I always feel that I don’t give them enough time?”

  “Probably, but here’s how I see it. You have a special gift, and by using that gift, you help make this a safer town for everyone who lives here and visits. It’d be a crime for you to not use that gift the way you do.”

  “That’s very kind of you to say, but I want to be a good mom, too.”

  “You are, and the kids love you. Everyone is happy, healthy, settled in this new place we call home for the time being and content to be together this week. The twins are thrilled to have Eli home, and so is Scotty. All they need is to know we’re here and we love them.”

  “You make it sound so simple.”

  “It is. We’re there when they need us, and they’re surrounded by people who’d kill for them when we can’t be here. They know our jobs are intense, and Scotty told me the other day that he thinks we’re the coolest parents ever.”

  “He said that?”

  “He did. I meant to tell you.”

  “What brought that on?”

  “I was talking about you trying to close your cases before the holidays while getting ready to host our entire crew for Christmas Eve and me dealing with the issue in the Gulf of Suez and how everything was nuts. I told him we’re sorry to be so busy all the time. That’s when he said it’s fine. He said, ‘I have the coolest parents of all my friends. They’re jealous.’”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah, so we’re not a conventional family—”

  Sam laughed. “That’s putting it mildly.”

  “But our family works for all of us the way it is. I don’t want you to feel guilty for doing the work you were born to do. We’re giving the kids a life they’ll never forget.”

  “For better or worse.”

  “For much better. Don’t stress. We’re making it work.”

  “How are you so chill about all of this?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve given in to the reality of our situation. We’re both doing important work that matters to a lot of people. Our kids are well cared for and well loved, and that’s what matters. I actually get to see them more than I did before I was president, which is a perk of living above the store.”

  “That’s true. Thank you for the pep talk. I needed it after having to leave our vacation.”

  “You were thrilled to leave our vacation.”

  “I was not!”

  He tweaked her nose. “Yes, you were. You were like a caged bear up there.”

  “That is not true!”

  “Samantha… Remember who you’re talking to.”

  “Don’t be sanctimonious. It’s not a good look on you.”

  His smile, though… That was the best look ever. “My sweet, sexy grizzly bear.”

  “I hate when you know me so well.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  “Yes, I actually do. And P.S., I saw how much you loved it there, and I’ll go back anytime you want.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Now get me out of here before I prune.”

  He stood to give her a hand. “We can’t have that.”

  The pain was intense. “Ah, fuck me to tears.”

  “Happy to. Anytime.”

  Grunting out a laugh, she said, “Not tonight, cowboy.”

  He wrapped a towel around her and kissed her cheek. “I’ll take a raincheck.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  With Sam hopped up on ibuprofen and sporting ice packs on her hip and elbow, they spent a relaxing night with the kids, watching Christmas Vacation for the umpteenth time and laughing as if it was the first time they’d ever seen it. From the third-floor conservatory, they could see the snow blanketing the District.

  She received several texts from Dani with updates about the investigation that she would deal with in the morning.

  After the movie ended, Nick and Eli carried sleepy twins to bed while Sam and Scotty followed them via the elevator.

  When Scotty extended his arm to her, Sam’s heart melted. “Hang on to me. We don’t want to make it worse than it already is.”

  She hooked her arm through his. “Thanks, pal.”

  Skippy pushed past them and nearly took Sam and Scotty with her.

  “Good thing you were holding on to me,” Scotty said. “She’s a maniac. I can’t do a thing with her.”

  “We need to get her some training.”

  “Probably, but I’d hate to break her spirit.”

  “We don’t want to break her spirit, but we do want her to behave.”

  “I like that she’s the wildest puppy in town.”

  “You would like that.”

  “She keeps things interesting around here.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Do you care if I work a little this week when I’m supposed to be on vacation?”

  “Why would I care?” he asked.

  “Because I’m supposed to be hanging out with you.”

  “I’m fourteen, Mom. It’s okay if you’re not with me all the time. I have a life of my own now.”

  Sam wanted to scream with laughter, but he was dead serious, so she bit her lip.

  “Plus, since it’s snowing, we’ll have plenty to do outside. There are snowmen to be made, snowball fights to be had, and Eli said he’s going to build us a snow fort. You hate being cold, so it’s better for all of us if you go to work. If you can walk tomorrow, that is.”

  “That last part was unnecessary.”

  “Was it, though?”

  Sam laughed. “You’re just like your father.”

  “You really think so?” he asked, looking up at her with big eyes.

  “Oh, hell yes.”

  “That’s really cool. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be like than him. Or you, too, of course.”

  “Please, God, don’t let you grow up to be like me.”

  “That wouldn’t be so bad. We had a career day thing at school last week. Some guy from the FBI came in, and his presentation was sick. I’m not ruling out a career in law enforcement.”

  “I’d rather you go into politics. It’s safer.”

  “Eh, not really.”

  “Yes, it is, and I need to believe that, so don’t argue with me.”

  “Whatever you say, boss lady.” They got off the elevator, and he walked her down the hallway, stopping outside the door to her and Nick’s bedroom. “How about I tuck you in for a change tonight?”

  “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”

  “Somehow I doubt that, but we’re not talking about that.”

  He was endlessly amusing, delightful, insightful, sweet and loving. She couldn’t imagine that any mother loved her son more than she loved this boy. After she painfully used the bathroom and brushed her teeth, Scotty helped her into bed and pulled the covers over her.

  “You’re a mess.”

  “Thank you. I know. Let me tell you what—I don’t care how old you are, falling sucks.”

  “I’ll take your word for it. I haven’t done much falling.”