Chapter 37
Later that evening, Amy lay sprawled on her hotel bed watching CNN. She and Brad had agreed not to have any contact during the national convention; the candidate was being too closely monitored to risk it.
CNN was running a recap of the highlights of the day, culminating in Brad's nomination by acclamation. Amy recalled the excitement she had felt when his name was called out and the delegates voted him in. She felt as proud as any first lady. She already considered herself his wife - it was only a matter of time until the title would be official. Her hand reached down to her belly and began to rub it softly. All her dreams were coming true. Once Brad was in the White House, he had promised her that he would divorce Carolyn, marry her, and then they could raise their baby together.
She thought about what her pet projects would be as first lady -- something with kids, maybe literacy. That was a safe enough platform. But mostly, she would be Brad's partner. She would travel everywhere with him, acting as his sounding board. By the time the next election rolled around, everyone would have accepted her as though she had been his wife from the start. Thank God they weren't Republicans; Democrats were a lot more forgiving when it came to divorce.
She knew she would have to lie low as soon as she started showing. She and Brad had agreed that she would head back to Chicago and have the baby there. She would tell people that the father was a man she had met on the trail, but they had split up, and he would not be involved in the child's life. She would never acknowledge the baby as Brad's until he was out of office.
Amy had managed to keep her affair secret even from her closest friends. Now that she was pregnant, she had sown the seeds of their story so that no one would be surprised when she returned home. The hardest part would be going through the pregnancy and birth without Brad, but he had promised he would see her whenever he could. That was part of why they had decided that she would return to Chicago. He would have a good excuse to return to his home state on a relatively frequent basis.
It wasn't an ideal situation, but the love she felt for Brad and their baby made it all worthwhile. And she couldn't wait to be the first lady. To think that someone from her middle class background would make it onto the national stage. Her dad had been an accountant and her mother a school teacher. She was their only child, and they'd had her late in life after they had already given up trying to conceive. They had both passed away when she was a young adult. At the time, she resented being left alone with no parents or siblings, but now she realized that maybe it was for the best. It would have been difficult to deceive them about the affair and baby.
Amy reached for a glass of water from the nightstand when the CNN coverage switched from the convention highlights to a story on Carolyn. She watched as the reporter talked about how beautiful and gracious Brad's wife was. She sat mesmerized as they showed segments from Carolyn campaigning, always looking meticulous in her expensive clothes.
When the water splashed onto her hand, Amy realized how tightly she was gripping the glass. She took a drink and set it down on the table next to her, turning her attention back to the TV. The reporter was wrapping up the story, a picture of Brad standing with his arm around Carolyn in the background.
Amy hated the idea that people thought Brad had the perfect marriage with the perfect wife. They didn't know how Carolyn had avoided the campaign trail, preferring to stay home with her dogs and horses rather than support her husband. Everyone thinks Carolyn walks on water, Amy thought, but I know the real story. Brad and the rest of the world will see what a real wife is when I'm married to him.