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“Of course, Mr. Congressman,” I say in a sultry voice.

“Don’t jinx it.” He puts his arm around my waist. “By the way, this dress is driving me crazy, Red.” He growls in my ear, and I giggle.

“Follow the sound of smooching and we are sure to find you two nearby.” Paul smirks as he and Marie appear at our sides.

Marie chuckles. “Oh, now, not too long ago we were the same way!”

Paul kisses her cheek. “Very true.”

Brooks and David join our little pow-wow. “Is it almost time? We didn’t miss it, did we?” Brooks asks.

Madden takes a deep breath. “No, not yet. Any minute, though.”

“I hope it’s soon. I’m having trouble keeping Brooks away from the girls on the campaign team.” David grumbles.

“I don’t think they mind.” Brooks winks.

We all roll our eyes in unison.

Suddenly, I hear a baby’s cry and turn around to see Madden’s parents coming up behind us with Sophie and little Sam. “Sorry, let me get her pacifier,” Sophie says as she digs through her diaper bag.

“Oh, she’s just excited. The cry was probably a cheer,” I reply.

Surprise shoots through me when I notice that Madden’s parents are holding hands. Maybe having a grandchild has helped them bond? I sneak a peek at Madden to see if he noticed as well. We make eye contact and both raise our eyebrows in question. It’s like we have our own secret language, one of the unexpected perks of being married.

The entire room is filled with the drone of lighthearted conversation until Madden’s phone rings. Everyone quiets down all at once.

No one so much as takes a breath as he answers.

“Hello, this is Madden Windell,” he answers in his deep, confident voice. There’s a pause as the person on the other end speaks.

Then a massive grin takes over Madden’s face. “Wonderful! Thank you!”

He hangs up and we all anxiously await confirmation of what we already know. He pumps a fist in the air and shouts, “WE DID IT!”

The room erupts in triumphant chaos. Madden turns and sweeps me into a big hug, spinning me in circles as my feet fly off the ground. Red, white, and blue balloons rain down on us from the ceiling as the room cheers. When he finally releases me, he takes my hand and drags me up onto the stage with him. I laugh the whole way, reveling in his elation. I am profoundly proud of this man and so happy for him.

Madden steps up to the podium and takes a deep breath. “First, I have to thank everyone here in this room tonight. You were all a huge part of my success in this election.” He pauses as the room erupts with more clapping and whistling. “Without all of you and my incredible wife, I never would’ve been able to become the first Libertarian congressman in Kansas! I hope to make you all proud in Washington and pave the way for change in this great state!”

The crowd roars in applause again. Madden pulls me into his side and we stand there smiling at each other, lost in this incredible moment as the room goes berserk around us.

Chapter 29

Madden

I’m surprising Odette with a honeymoon eleven months late. We never had a free moment to take one, but I have the week of Thanksgiving off. In another month, I’ll start spending a huge portion of my time in Washington D.C., so the timing couldn’t be better.

Yesterday, I gave Kate the keys to the apartment to pack a suitcase for Odette. I hope she didn’t go too crazy, since we’ll only be gone for a week.

I wake up next to my wife in our apartment and gently stroke her back to wake her. “Good morning, Red. We need to get ready or we’ll be late for our flight.”

She drags one eye open and asks groggily, “What flight?”

“You didn’t think I’d take you on a honeymoon?” I bring my hand to my chest in mock offense.

Her eyes fly open. “Wait, what is going on? Are we seriously flying somewhere?”

I point to the closet door. “If you look in the closet, you'll see your suitcase is already packed. You had better go get ready. We leave in an hour.”