“Don’t mind my mother. She likes to brag,” Gabriel said, not embarrassed in the least at her words.
“And why not? You went to Yale for undergrad and Harvard Law for your JD. Everyone in the family is proud of your accomplishments.”
“Both are excellent choices for education,” Charlotte agreed.
The men took their seats as the conversation drifted toward everyone’s opinion on the Ivy Leagues versus everything else as the first course was served.
“I hear you were in the Marines?” Gabriel said, attempting to entice Jamie into conversation.
“Recon Marines,” Jamie corrected.
“You’re an officer, so that must mean you went to Annapolis. Did you enjoy it?”
Jamie nodded slowly, refusing to look at his parents. “I did. Very much so. Joining the Marines was honestly the best decision I’ve ever made.”
It was a visceral truth that still, to this day, Jamie carried with him. The Marines had taught him so much more than he’d have ever learned if he had remained in the civilian world all those years ago. The initial idea had been laid out by his father for political reasons, but Jamie had stayed in uniform well past the point his parents had wanted him to come home.
His parents were too well-bred to argue with him at a table like this. They only nodded and said nothing at Jamie’s answer.
During the course of dinner, Jamie answered—within reason—most of Gabriel’s questions about himself, declined some on the basis of privacy, and didn’t reciprocate the curiosity on display. Gabriel, for all that he was twenty-five and intelligent, made Jamie feel positivelyancientat age thirty-two. The differences in how they’d lived their lives was stark, and it wasn’t something that could ever be bridged, no matter what Gabriel thought or the president hoped for.
Jamie’s commitment lay with Kyle, and always would.
At the close of dinner, when everyone was sharing glasses of port or whiskey, Gabriel leaned in close to Jamie to murmur in his ear. “Do you want me to be your date for the State Dinner?”
Jamie glanced across the table at where his father was speaking with Michael about something that made both men laugh.
“It’s not about what I want,” Jamie told him.
Gabriel shot him an understanding, if disappointed, look before settling back in his chair. Jamie half-hoped Gabriel would decline to go as his date, but he knew it was wishful thinking. They were both driven by the whims of their family’s needs, and there was no escaping their roles. Jamie would escort Gabriel to the State Dinner, but it would be a meaningless affair.
Dinner officially ended nearly an hour later, after all the small talk had been exhausted and nothing more could possibly be said. Jamie and his parents said their goodbyes to the First Family and left the White House for their SUV.
Jamie took the far back seat, getting settled and pulling out his personal tablet. He hadn’t looked at it all evening, and was itching for updates on his team. The number of messages he had—text and video—from everyone, but especially the three who’d been on the combat jet, went a long way toward easing his mind.
He was so caught up in replying to his team that he missed Richard clearing his throat to get his attention. It took saying his name for Jamie to wrench his attention away from his tablet and Katie’s report.
“Yes?” he said, trying not to sound irritated.
“That went well,” Richard said.
“It went nowhere, and will continue to go nowhere, Father.”
“Are you seeing anyone? Is that why you’re so against this idea?”
“Would it matter if I were?” Jamie shot back.
Richard was quiet for several more blocks and didn’t turn around in the seat to look at him. Charlotte did, giving Jamie a surprised, questioning look, most likely recalling their conversation on the patio earlier in the afternoon.
“Despite everything that has happened, I do want you happy, Jamie,” Richard finally said.
His words left a sour taste in Jamie’s mouth. “What you want for me is whatyouwant, Father. Not what I want.”
Jamie had known that for years, and it had never grated as badly as it had until the campaign. His form of rebellion had nearly killed him in Tripoli, but Jamie never once regretted the choice to live his own life as much as he could outside his father’s shadow.
But some days, there was no escaping family.
The rest of the drive was made in silence that Jamie did his best to ignore as he caught up on everything that had happened today. When they arrived at the mansion, the lights were on inside, indicating Leah had returned.
