Fatal Reckoning (Fatal #14)(64)
“That’s really great.” Terry’s heartfelt words had filled Nick with profound emotion. “Do you want to go ahead and issue it?”
“I think this one would be better coming directly from you.”
“Let me run it by Sam, and then we can ask Trevor to schedule me for the daily briefing.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Terry placed the page containing the statement on Nick’s desk. “I’ll leave you to discuss it with her.”
“Good work, Terry. Thanks again.”
“Of course. Let me know when to give the word to Trevor.” Terry left Nick’s office, closing the door behind him.
Nick read through the statement again and then placed a call to Sam.
“Hey.” She sounded rushed and busy as she always did at work.
“You got a second?”
“For you? Always. How’s the shitstorm?”
“Pretty shitty. Terry drafted a statement he thinks I should make to the media. I wanted to run it by you first.”
“I’m listening.”
He read the statement to her, again feeling the tightening in his chest when he thought of the two little ones who’d captured their hearts and feeling a father’s need to protect them from anything that might hurt them when they’d already suffered enough.
“I love that and thank you for including the part about my dad. Anyone who would badger the kids or us after hearing that is truly heartless.”
“I’m sure there’ll still be more grumbling and badgering, but hopefully the statement will take care of the worst of it.”
“Well, you have my approval. Would it help if I was there when you read the statement?”
“As much as I love any excuse to see you during the day, I know you’re busy. I’ll take care of it for both of us.”
“Okay. Let me know how it goes.”
“I will.”
“I know I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. Thank you for stepping up for our littles the way you have. And I’m sorry if I’ve caused you trouble at work.”
“You haven’t caused me trouble and neither have they. I don’t give a rat’s ass what anyone says. Stepping up for them is one of the best things we’ve ever done, and I’d do it again in a hot second, even knowing it was going to cause a shitstorm.”
“And that’s why I love you so much. One of many reasons.”
“Love you too. I’ll text you after.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks.” After he ended the call, Nick let Terry know they had the green light from Sam. Then he reviewed the statement a couple more times until he knew it more or less by heart. Terry would have it put on the teleprompter, but Nick didn’t like to rely on that. Once he had a handle on the statement, he turned his attention to his email and the day’s briefing materials.
Terry knocked on the door an hour later. “They’re ready for you in the press room.”
Nick brought his copy of the statement with him when he went with Terry to the briefing room, which fell silent when he walked in. The president’s press secretary was there, as was Trevor.
Nick stepped up to the podium. “I asked for a minute of your time to make a statement about the ongoing story many of you are running about the children my wife and I recently took in.”
As he read the statement, he made eye contact with reporters from the outlets who’d gleefully reported the news about the taxpayers having to foot the bill for the Cappuanos’ new wards. Two of them looked away after his gaze landed on them.
After he was finished reading the statement, he said, “I’ll take a couple of questions.”
A reporter from the New York Times raised her hand and Nick called on her. “Do you think it’s fair that the taxpayers have to pay the cost of protecting two children that you voluntarily brought into your home?”
“I would answer your question with a question—is it fair to judge us for how we choose to add to our family? As you know, my wife has suffered from infertility, and after we adopted Scotty, we hoped to have another opportunity to expand our family. As you also know, Sam encountered Alden and Aubrey at the worst moment of their young lives and stepped up for them in such an amazing way. She had my full support—and Scotty’s—in bringing them to our home when they needed somewhere to be. We could’ve applied to adopt and been given the opportunity to adopt twins, and the result would’ve been the same—two more children in our home and our family who require protection due to the nature of my job. To us, it doesn’t matter how they came to be there. What matters is that we love them and we’re committed to providing them with a home for as long as they need one.”
Another reporter raised his hand. “The children have aunts, uncles and grandparents on their mother’s side of the family. Why are they not residing with family members?”
“Their brother, Elijah, is their primary legal guardian. He makes the decisions on their behalf, and he chose to keep them with us when he saw how well they were adjusting to our home and our family. We’ve surrounded them with love and support and have agreed to help Elijah for as long as we’re needed.” Nick wasn’t about to throw their mother’s family under the bus by saying they were initially unwilling to take the children and in fact hadn’t even asked about them after learning their parents had been killed.