Trail of Destruction

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Ryan paced in the airport waiting area. Michelle's plane had landed only ten minutes ago, but it seemed like an hour. When he saw her come through the security gates, his face broke into a wide grin. He watched as she scanned the crowd, searching for him. When she found him, he opened his arms wide and she ran to him, leaping into his arms.

"God, it's good to see you," Ryan said.

"I know. I've missed you so much."

"Let's get out of here." Ryan grabbed her carry-on and put his arm around his wife.

They had taken a few steps when Michelle turned to him. "You know, that suitcase has wheels. You don't have to carry it."

"That's okay. With you here, I feel like Superman. It's faster if I carry it. And right now, speed is of the essence."

"And where exactly are we speeding to?"

"To the hotel so I can make mad, passionate love to my wife."

Michelle grinned. "Okay Superman, sounds good to me."

* * *

Ryan lay in bed, relishing the warmth of Michelle's body against his. She had her head on his chest and his fingertips gently stroked her face and hair.

"So how has everything been going with the campaign?" she asked.

"As well as it can be, I guess. Brad's got the electoral votes to lock up the nomination, so everyone's pretty psyched about the convention. I can't believe it's just a couple weeks away. After all the hard work over the last year and a half, we're going to have four straight days of celebrating."

"I'm sorry I'm going to miss it. I just couldn't get out of that conference."

"That's okay. It's going to be crazy anyway. I'll be spending twenty-hour days chasing Brad around while he sucks up to all his supporters. It's much better having you here now so we can have some time alone together."

"Yeah, it's nice that you can take a couple of days off. So what do you have planned for me, or are we just staying in bed till I have to leave?"

Ryan tilted her head up towards his and kissed her. "Now that sounds tempting, but I guess we have to spend a little time out in the real world. I actually invited Emily and Tyler to have dinner with us tonight. Is that all right?"

"Of course. I'd love to see the kids. How's Emily doing? You were pretty concerned about her there for a while."

"She seems to be doing better. I think the party-girl thing was just a phase she snapped out of."

Michelle laid her head back on her husband's chest. "Do you still want me to talk to her?"

"It wouldn't hurt for you to spend some one-on-one time with her just to make sure everything's okay. But I've been keeping an eye out, and I'm pretty sure her bar crawls have ended. I think it helped to have Carolyn back on the trail with us. Since she got here, everyone's been more relaxed."

"Even Brad? I didn't think your brother ever relaxed."

Ryan laughed. "You're right. I meant Emily and Tyler and the rest of the staff. But Brad's another story. He's actually been more on edge lately. But I'm sure that's not because of Carolyn. I think he's just anxious with the convention around the corner."

"Why would he be anxious if he's got the nomination locked up?"

"You're the therapist. You tell me. Isn't it human nature to get a little wound up before a big event?"

"You're right. When people are really excited about something, it's a common reaction to be afraid that something will snatch it away from them. The fear can be totally irrational or there can be something behind it." Michelle raised her head, looking into Ryan's eyes. "Like maybe there are some skeletons in your brother's closet after all."

July: Four Months to Go