Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 40662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
“Weird,” I agree. “But good.” I lean closer to him. “Daddy.”
He grins, kisses me.
We head into the Oval Office together.
My Daddy, my President. The love of my life.
I know nothing will ever be the same. I know everything’s going to change from here on out.
My life is never going to look like I thought it would.
And that’s okay. Because it’s going to look better, so long as I have him.
20
Maggie
One Year Later
The door to the Oval Office opens and Charles comes storming in.
I look up from the couch, frowning slightly. “Ma’am,” he says, nodding at me.
“Hi, Charles,” I answer. “What’s up?”
He grunts the way he does. “Did you hear?”
“Hear what?” I put down the folder of data that I’m going over.
It’s all recent polling stuff from the polling office. My people are getting some really interesting results lately, and I’ve had them double down on certain collection practices that I think are pretty promising.
“It’s the vote.”
I wince. “That’s why I’m in here, Charles.”
“I know, I know. You just…”
“Charles,” I say. “Come on. I really can’t handle it.”
“Just look.” He hands me his phone.
It’s the Fox News website. I stare at the front page for a second, not moving, not breathing.
The headline reads, HOUSE PASSES UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE BILL.
I stare at it for what feels like an hour. Charles is grinning at me like a maniac.
“He did it,” he says. “Can you believe it?”
“I can,” I say softly, laughing. “I really can.”
“We’re not out of the water yet. The Senate needs to make their changes, do that song and dance, but it’s going to go through. We all know it. The Senate’s the easier hurdle.”
“My god,” I whisper to myself, practically laughing. “I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it. Your bill’s about to pass.”
I never thought this day would come. Not over the past year, not with everything that happened.
We came out publicly the day after Adam said he loves me. He held a press conference and announced it, straight up. The press went apeshit, heck, the whole country went insane.
Linda Torres didn’t publish her story, just like she promised.
She didn’t need to. Everything came out, slowly but surely. Adam was called to testify about our relationship in front of the Senate, which he did.
We thought that was the end for him. We really thought he was screwed.
But the data told a different story.
At first, there was a huge dip. People thought he was just another womanizer, just another asshole. Bill Clinton all over again, people were whispering.
But the hearing changed everything.
He told the story, how we met, how we fell in love. He talked so passionately about me but I felt myself falling for him all over again.
And the country fell for him, too.
Headlines changed. He wasn’t the predator anymore. Suddenly, he was a President in love.
We got married six months after it all started. It was a Presidential wedding, absolutely over the top, but perfect.
And I became the First Lady.
Things died down after the wedding. There wasn’t much of a story anymore. I mean, we were just married. Sure, I’m the youngest First Lady ever, but still. It doesn’t make a difference.
But his approval rating didn’t dip. If anything, it continued to rise, slowly but surely.
People liked that he went for what he loved. People liked that he risked it all to be with me.
So we used that. We took healthcare and we wove it into the story.
We painted Adam as a man that goes for what’s right even when it’s hard. And that’s how we sold Medicare for All.
One by one, Adam flipped congressmen. One by one, he got votes.
Six months of that. Day in and day out. Meanwhile, I worked on the actual bill with a team of lawyers, crafting the language, creating the framework.
Now, it’s real.
I stand up, not sure how to feel. I’m shaking a little bit with excitement.
“Where is he?” I ask Charles.
“He’s on his way back.”
“There’s so much to do. I need to make calls, get data—”
But Charles just grins at me. “Or you could be happy.”
“I could try that.”
He laughs, and just then, the door opens again.
The President steps into the room. He looks a little winded.
“Maggie,” he says, grinning huge.
“Did you run back here?”
“Sure did.”
“Come here, you moron.”
He walks over and gathers me up into his arms.
In my mind, everyone else in the room disappears. His security, Ramirez and the others, even Charles. They all disappear. I can’t see them, not at all.
We’re alone, whenever we’re together. Even in a room full of people.
It’s like the first time when he kisses me, except we just made history together.
“Thank you,” he whispers. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“No, you’re the one that made it happen. I just helped.”
He laughs, kisses me again. “The fight isn’t over.”
“I know. But we’ll get there.”
“Yeah, we will.”
I huge him tight before letting go. We grin at the room. Charles and Adam shake hands, congratulating each other.