"How was the condo?" Elizabeth whispered when Blake turned up that evening with his parents in tow.
"It was a bribe to quit State." He whispered back. "Please tell me that glass is for me." He pointed to the one in her hand.
She chuckled but handed it over, brows raising at how fast he polished off half of it. "Well. Tonight, you have a buffer. Ali is home, so all three are joining us and, you know, if anyone can distract a conversation, it's the three of them."
"Yeah." He sighed, leaning against the counter beside her and then leaning to the side so they were just against one another slightly. "I swear my afternoon is giving me hives."
"Dinner will be about ten minutes, why don't you head upstairs and relax a bit? They'll be fine without you hovering for five minutes."
"You didn't cook, did you?"
She nudged him. "No! Stevie did. And we're all thankful she takes after Henry."
"Yes, we are." He finished the wine and stood. "I'll go check on them."
"Blake?" She waited for him to look back. "It's okay."
=MS=
The meal finished and the kids had gone upstairs, Elizabeth was cleaning up in the kitchen to give Blake some time on his own with his parents. After stressing to Jason just how important it was to Blake that the meal happen without any of the usual arguments and issues, she was floored when he didn't start anything, and then marginally bothered that he was never willing to cool it for her guests. Any time his parents had tried to talk about something that set Blake on edge, Stevie or herself had deflected their attention onto something else, which was probably for the best as he'd been determined to keep the wine going every time they tried to push.
From the kitchen she could just hear them in the front room. "I'm guessing this is your office?" Ted asked.
"Well, it's Elizabeth and I's office. That one's hers, please don't touch that Mom, it's confidential." Elizabeth imagined that last comment corresponded to him moving a file.
"She into Theology?"
"No, her husband was a Theologian. He was a professor and an author."
"Did you know him?"
"I was friends with him, yes. Will you just… Here, Mom sit and please stop touching this stuff."
"Fine, Dear."
"Thank you."
"How long have you two been together?" Ted asked.
Elizabeth heard Blake sigh dramatically. "We aren't together, Dad, why do you always do this?"
"Do what? Want our son to have a good life, be happy, maybe one day have a family?"
"I am happy. I do have a good life and a good job." Blake insisted.
"As a kept man, sure, shacking up with your boss and living in the shadow of her dead husband." The tone was hard, Elizabeth suspected Blake was reaching the end of his tolerance.
"I'm not a 'kept man' as you call it, my finances are none of your business. And I'm not 'shacking up' with anyone or living in anyone's shadow. All you care about is appearances! God… what would it really take for you to approve of anything about me? Huh? Actually be the President of the United States? Or would that still be a problem because that's public service? I told you before, I am literally the right hand of one of the busiest and most powerful women in the world, which is way better than anything I would be doing in the private sector! I literally live in a house surrounded by security! Even when we're on the farm, there's security! Even POTUS thinks I'm important enough to be somebody!"
"Farm?" Edie asked at the same time her husband asked, 'POTUS?'
When Blake started again, his voice was a normal tone. "In Virginia, there are horses. And yes, POTUS."
"You talk to the President?" Ted sounded surprised.
"Did you miss the part about being the Secretary of State's right hand? Yes, I talk to the President. I also talk to all sorts of other world leaders."
"You mean, their assistants and staff." Edie guessed.
"Not always." He made a frustrated noise. "Just ask."
Elizabeth wasn't sure what he was asking, or to which parent, until she heard his mom speak. "Is this the kind of life you want for yourself?"
"Before everything changed, I probably would have said no. But then Henry died, and Elizabeth needed me, and I didn't even have to consider it. I can't imagine walking away from all this, and not because of the fancy house or whatever else you think. I knew her before all of that anyway. She's my best friend and that's more important than anything else." He sighed. "Maybe one day I'll find someone and settle down and do the picket fence and two point five kids, but for right now? This is where I want to be. And no amount of judgement or comments from you will change my mind on that."
"But-" Ted started.
"Not even a condo, Dad. Why would I move into there and rattle around alone when I could have this? This house is so alive, it's not always pretty, but it's also not a museum."
"Fine." Ted said. "We get it. You're happy."
"Thank you. Now, I do have to be up early tomorrow because I do have to work a job that I love, and I would love to keep it."
"Okay, we'll go." Elizabeth listened to the sounds of them gathering their things and heading for the door. She heard the door open before Edie spoke one last time. "You're really not sleeping with your boss? I mean, she's a lovely woman, even if she's older. I understand some guys are into that kind of thing. A cougar or something they call it now. It's not traditional, but-"
"Mom, leave." Blake cut her off sharply. "Please go, you're making my life weirder than it already is."
Elizabeth held in a laugh as the door clicked shut, followed by a groan and a thump of something hard banging on the door. Silently, she crept through the pantry and into the living room, watching as Blake banged his head on the door.
Eventually, he turned and saw her. "Please tell me you didn't hear any of that?" He begged.
"Which part? That they still wouldn't be happy if you were leader of the free world? Or the part where your mom called me a cougar when she asked if you were sleeping with me?" She grinned wide. "Come on, have a nightcap or two and then I'll call your boss and tell them you'll be late tomorrow because you'll be nursing a hangover."
"Sounds good." He shuffled toward the drinks. "Hopefully, she doesn't mind."
"I think she'll get over it, you did call her the most powerful woman in the world, after all."