Capital Lies (Their First Lady Book 3) Read online

  Capital Lies

  Their First Lady Book Three

  Lucia Black

  Lucia Black

  Published by Lucia Black and Raging Hippo

  Copyright © 2020 by Raging Hippo

  Edited by ALD Editing

  Cover Art by Addendum Designs

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Mafia Prince

  Also by Lucia Black

  About the Author

  For those who love, no matter how much it hurts.

  Chapter 1

  “I don’t know if there is enough hairspray in the world for this family,” Elisa, my cousin, teased with a mocking cough.

  I glanced at my reflection in the antique vanity. My hair was piled on top of my head in an intricate updo with sweeping braids and loose curls. It was so beautiful and had taken so long to finish. I just wanted to make it last.

  “Mari is cut off on hairspray,” Mama said as she took the metal aerosol can from my hand. She moved it to the top of the chest of drawers that matched the vanity as if we were children and couldn’t reach it.

  “I’ll get it back for you,” Elisa whispered in my ear.

  Elisa has been looking out for me since I was born. She was my cousin by title, but the big sister I never had in my heart. And now she was my only sister and serving as the maid of honor on my wedding day.

  She was a few years older than me and the third musketeer to Luciana and me as kids. We had the same eyes, but that was where our similarities stopped. Elisa’s hair was long, beautifully straight, and much lighter than mine, which I attributed to all the sun she got from moving to California. She was tall and athletic, and she moved with a grace and confidence I could only envy.

  “I can’t believe this is your wedding day,” my mother said as she gazed at me in the mirror.

  She wore a champagne-colored dress she’d picked out. Her hair was down and fell in soft waves that framed her face. Her makeup, though in neutral tones, was more dramatic than usual. She looked positively stunning.

  We were at her church of choice in the bridal suite getting ready for my wedding. To be honest, I couldn’t believe it either.

  Ever since I’d learned that I’d one day be marrying Calvin James, my wedding day was something I had dreaded. But that all changed. I never would have expected it to, especially not after the way we kicked things off. I was looking forward to marrying Cal. I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to the whole wedding production.

  “Will you wear the veil over your face? Or just down your back?” Hannah asked.

  Hannah was a new friend. I didn’t have many. I’d made an effort after Cal pointed out to me that I didn’t have many friends. I met her on the campaign trail. Hannah worked as an intern for Cal, but we were much closer in age than anyone around and we somewhat formed a bond. When I asked Hannah to do a reading in church on the special day, she was more than willing .

  “I think just down my back. I don’t like the idea of anything covering my face. It feels too old fashioned. This isn’t some grand reveal. He knows what I look like,” I answered.

  “Oh, Mari,” my mother sighed. “It’s the tradition. This veil will look beautiful over your face.”

  She stood behind me and flipped the long white veil trimmed in floral lace. It cascaded down past my shoulders and draped over the contours of my face. I didn’t hate it. I could admit it was pretty, but it wasn’t me.

  “I don’t know, Mama.” I studied my reflection.

  “It does look stunning, Tessa,” Elisa said. “And it’s the only time in your life you’ll be able to wear a veil.”

  I bit at my bottom lip and shot my cousin a look. I needed her to be on my side.

  “It’s really pretty, Tessa,” Hannah added.

  “Okay, fine. You guys win. I’ll wear it like this.” Who was I to go against the crowd? I was only the bride.

  I didn’t want to sound ungrateful or even unhappy, but being the bride didn’t mean all that much on this wedding day. I was no bridezilla. My mother got to make almost all the decisions. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted her to be happy more than I wanted myself to be happy, to be honest. I wanted her to get everything she dreamed of for her daughter on her wedding day. It would be her only chance.

  I pushed back from the vanity and nearly knocked over the stool I’d been sitting on. My mother and Elisa rushed to my sides and grasped onto me like I was my grandmother after a few too many glasses of wine.

  “Are you nervous?” Elisa asked.

  I took a second to think about the question and to sift through my own feelings. “No. I’m not nervous about getting married. I’m anxious to get the wedding started, though. Just the idea of all eyes on me makes me a little nervous.”

  I took another long glance at myself in the mirror and tried not to pick apart my every feature in the white dress. It was form-fitting silk to the hips and then flared out at the bottom. I’d decided to add a draped sleeve to the gown that complemented the sweetheart neckline. It was simple, yet elegant and classic.

  The perfect thing for the First Lady to wear on her wedding day.

  “I just hope Cal likes it,” I said.

  “Well, you shouldn’t be worried about that, my love. I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride in my life.” My mother had tears in her eyes already.

  “Mama…”

  “I wish your sister could be here for this,” she whispered. She turned her head away from me and dabbed at her eyes with her fingers.

  My eyes instantly watered at the mention of my twin sister. She was supposed to be by my side. She was supposed to be my maid of honor. She was supposed to still be alive.

  Over the years since she died, I had mostly shut down conversation of her. There was always an empty void. It was a constant grief, losing the other half of your soul. I couldn’t stand to talk about it, but I still did things to honor her memory. We still kept her chair and place setting at the table, even after all these years. But on days like today, where monumental events in my life were happening, it was impossible not to feel like the void would swallow me.

  “Me too,” I said. I couldn’t say much else. I took a deep breath to try to fight back the tears, but they were dead set on getting out.

  “Okay, okay,” Elisa said. “We cannot stand here and cry and ruin everyone’s makeup.” She used her knuckle to snuff out a tear in the corner of her eye. “We all know Luciana would be rocking it right now, and she would not want us crying at your wedding. I will do my absolute best to stand by your side up there, okay?”

  I smiled and felt the flush leaving my face. “You’re the best.”

  Elisa patted my arm as she wrapped the other around my mother. “Okay. Change of subject. Can I just say? I can’t wait to mee
t the best man. He looks so damn fine on TV.”

  My stomach dropped. I didn’t know what was going to happen there. Preston and I had fallen for each other. Hard. Cal knew it and seemed to embrace it. Or at least for one mind-blowing night he did.

  “Preston is very handsome,” my mother said. “You two would make a handsome couple.”

  “I hope he likes me in this dress,” Elisa said as she admired herself in the mirror, plumping her breasts up and adjusting her dress. It was a dusty pink color with a plunging neckline and tight fit. She looked great in it. I just hoped Preston didn’t feel the same way.

  “Isn’t it time we get started?” I asked, purely to take the attention off the other man I loved.

  “Don’t worry about a thing,” Hannah said. “Between my type-A tendencies and the world-class wedding planner you have, every detail will not only be perfect, but this entire day will run precisely on time.”

  As soon as she finished her declaration, there was a knock on the door and Hannah went to answer it.

  “Oh, Hi, Mrs. James,” Hannah said as she stepped aside to let her in.

  “I just needed a sneak peek,” Cal’s mom said. She walked over to me like a woman on a mission and clasped both of my hands in hers.

  “Hi, Mrs. James. You look absolutely stunning,” I told her.

  She wore a blush pantsuit with gold heels and jewelry. I hadn’t had much time to get to know Cal’s parents, but they were so sweet, so supportive, and so . . . normal. They liked me instantly, which made it hard not to like them in return. Cal’s mom worked as a librarian at the university and we had quickly bonded over our love of romance novels. I knew we were going to get along just fine after that.

  “Oh, hush now, that’s my line. And please, Tessa, call me Samantha.” She pulled me into a hug and when she let go, she was misty-eyed. “You are the most beautiful bride there has ever been. I don’t know how my Calvin got so lucky, but I am so thankful for you.”

  “Now here I go again,” my mother said, as her eyes filled up with tears. “That was just so sweet. I’m so happy they have each other.”

  Samantha and my mother then hugged each other, and I was grateful for a break in the sob-fest.

  “Okay, everyone.” Hannah clapped her hands together twice to get our attention. “It is time to line up.”

  With one last glance in the mirror, I gathered up my dress in my hands and followed behind my mother as she led us to the church foyer.

  The church itself was beautiful. It was all stone and archways and wood. Everything my mother wanted in an old church, but I appreciated it too. I carefully traversed the slick marble floor to meet my anxiously awaiting father.

  Papa wore a black tux and his dark hair slicked back. He could’ve passed for a movie star. It wasn’t lost on me how everyone gave me their very best on this special day.

  “Mari,” he sighed. “Oh, my Mari. I can’t imagine anything in the world more beautiful than you are right now.”

  His words were enough to bring me to the brink of tears again. He gingerly hugged me as if he didn’t want to mess me up, but I pulled him tighter.

  “Thank you, Papa. And thank you for this day.”

  Though we managed to keep the guest list small, we were not able to keep the cost low. No expense was spared from the flowers to the food to the band to the alcohol; it all added up quickly.

  “Mari, I would do anything for you, my love.”

  I knew that was true.

  It was still difficult to be near my father after I overheard him on the phone discussing how he rigged the election. Just the thought made me go stiff as I stood next to him. I tried to shake loose from the thoughts about what that all meant, but my movements were jerky, and he noticed.

  “Nervous?”

  I nodded. “Just a little.”

  It wasn’t even just the knowledge of what my father did. It was that I hadn’t told Cal. We were working toward a completely honest and open communication. We had already shared more with each other than I could have imagined. When I decided not to mention this to Cal, I decided to have a secret from him, and it made me feel terrible.

  But today was our wedding day and I didn’t want it to be ruined.

  Attendants fussed over each of us as we stood in line waiting to walk down the aisle. I purposefully didn’t look to the altar to see Cal. I wanted to wait. So instead I peeked at the bold white and blush floral arrangements at the end of each pew, marveled at the flickering candles covering every flat surface, and tried to make out the guests in the crowd.

  It was impossible to miss the burly men in black suits and earpieces stashed around the church. Even our wedding day called for security, but I couldn’t expect anything less for the president-elect. I wondered if I’d ever get used to the constant presence of so many Secret Service but knew it would quickly become a part of everyday life.

  Our mothers walked down the aisle first, my mother escorted by Giovanni and Luca, and Samantha escorted by Antonio and Alessandro. It was a good thing I didn’t have time to speak to any of them before the wedding or my makeup never would’ve lasted. Then Elisa made her way down the aisle as Preston waited to greet her. I didn’t watch, though a huge part of me wanted to see how he looked at her.

  Then the music played by the string quartet changed, and they played that familiar song. I took a deep breath, looped my arm with my father’s, and the double doors opened wide.

  As soon as I took my first step down the aisle, Cal was all I could see, and the rest of the church blurred away. His smile was the wide and his brown eyes glittered in the twinkling candlelight. He wore a perfectly tailored black tux and looked at me like I was the only woman in the world. A quick glance to the man standing next to him, and the picture was the same.

  I walked down the aisle, a smile on my face and my heartbeat thundering in my ears.

  After my father gave him my hand and flipped my veil over my head, the priest said a few words and Cal turned to me.

  “Hi,” he mouthed.

  “Hi,” I mouthed back.

  “You look beautiful,” he whispered.

  I smiled and whispered back, “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

  Cal let out one huff of a laugh.

  There’s a lot of tradition and ceremony in a church wedding. It wasn’t that it didn’t mean something to me, but there was a lot to pay attention to. Namely, the love triangle I found myself in.

  I stood at the altar with a man I loved, but I couldn’t help but love his best friend too.

  I looked over to Preston, and he smiled at me and shook his head. Judging by the twinkle in his eye, I took it to mean something good.

  It was a completely indescribable feeling to be so happy to be marrying Cal while simultaneously feeling empty that I wasn’t marrying Preston. I loved each of them deeply, and this wedding could’ve been happening just as easily with Cal and Preston switching places.

  I had them both once, and I hoped to have them both again, but once Cal was the president and I was his wife, I didn’t know if he’d ever let it happen again.

  Cal and I turned to each other to exchange our vows. Preston was just over his shoulder and I couldn’t help to look at them both, but when the priest mentioned being faithful to each other and be honest with each other, I felt my heart skip two beats.

  Was I either of those things with Cal?

  I was keeping a secret, a big one, and I wanted another man. Neither of those things meant I loved him any less or didn’t want to be with him.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the priest said. “You may now kiss the bride.”

  We moved together until our lips touched. I intended for the kiss to be light and sweet, but my body had other ideas. We melted into each other, and the next thing I knew, our mouths opened, and our tongues mingled. The eruption and cheers from our guests brought us back to reality and we pulled apart.

  “I love you,” Cal said.

  “I love you, t
oo,” I answered.

  Chapter 2

  “Are you ready?” Cal asked.

  He was holding my hand but shaking it back and forth in a jittery movement.

  “I’m ready. Are you ready?”

  He planted a kiss on my temple and then nuzzled my neck. This wedding had made Cal affectionate in public. Not that he wasn’t somewhat like this in private, but it was unusual. It didn’t feel like we were really being us.

  We stood just outside of the most intimate ballroom at our favorite hotel, waiting to be introduced by the emcee of the evening. The church might not have been my first choice, or second or third, but the hotel was. It was where Cal and I met. It was where I first met Preston. It only seemed right that it would be the place where I made another memory.

  “I now introduce to you all, for the first time, President and Mrs. James!” the heavy voice boomed through the microphone.

  “President.” I smiled.

  “I wasn’t expecting that,” Cal said. “But that’s our cue.”

  “ C’mon, old man,” I said with a wink.

  He landed a playful swat on my ass just as the doors flew open and our family and friends were all on their feet clapping. The love in the room was a tangible thing. I physically felt the happiness our guests had for us. It was overwhelming to experience such a thing.

  “Kiss” someone shouted.

  “Yeah, kiss her,” another joined in.

  Cal swept me up in a movie-worthy embrace where he dipped me back, kissed me firmly, and left me breathless.

  Right away, the band started to play our pre-selected first dance song. Hannah wasn’t joking. Everything was running perfectly on time. Cal and I took up our dance positions, the lights went lower, and a soft spotlight shone on us.