I would without hesitation. But to spend eighteen months campaigning? I’m not doing that.”
Graham put his cup on the table and leaned in. “Hear me out on this… What if you didn’t do the usual amount of campaigning? What if you gave it one weekend a month or something through the primaries? I think people would appreciate that you’ve got your priorities straight and are keeping the focus on your young family.”
“I don’t want to miss even one weekend a month with my kids, Graham.”
“Take them with you. Show them life outside of DC.”
“And when Scotty doesn’t want to go because his friends are having a sleepover or a birthday party or fill in the blank? It’s not that simple. They have lives too, and I’ve disrupted Sam’s and Scotty’s lives enough. The twins are just starting to feel comfortable with us. I can’t disappear from their lives for days on end when they’re used to having me around. It wouldn’t be fair.”
Graham let out a loud groan. “You’re killing me.”
“I know. I’m sorry. But my mind is made up.”
“About what?” Halliwell asked when he came into the room, a ball of nervous energy, as usual.
“He’s not going to run.”
Chapter Eight
Halliwell stopped short a few feet from where they were seated, his face losing all expression. “You gotta be shitting me.”
“I’m not.”
Halliwell looked to Graham, who only shrugged. “All due respect, but what the fuck, Mr. Vice President? Have you lost your mind?”
“Um, not that I know of.”
“He doesn’t want to be away from his family,” Graham said, sounding resigned now that Nick had explained it to him.
“Take them with you!”
Nick looked the other man dead in the eye so there could be no misinterpretation. “I’m not going to run, Brandon.”
Halliwell pushed a hand through his hair, seeming to take a minute to get himself together. “There’s nothing we can do to change your mind?”
“No. I’m sorry. I wanted to give you plenty of notice so you can make other plans.” While the election was three years away, the primaries would begin in just over eighteen months, so they had the time to figure out their options now that he was out of the mix.
Brandon sat in one of the other chairs, looking as if he’d had the wind knocked out of him.
“Surely you aren’t entirely surprised,” Nick said. “I haven’t exactly been jumping for joy at the thought of running.”
“No, you haven’t,” Brandon said. “But I thought when push came to shove, you would. I mean, no one has poll numbers like yours. People are going to be very disappointed when they hear this news.”
“They’ll move on to the next guy before we know it. It’ll be fine, and of course I’ll do everything I can to get our candidate elected.”
“I came in here hoping to get a green light, and instead…”
“I know how you feel,” Graham said. “But having known Nick since he was eighteen, I also understand his reasoning. He has what he’s always wanted, his own family, so of course that’s more appealing than traveling all over the country without them, doing something he hates doing.”
Nick sent Graham an appreciative smile. It meant the world to him that Graham understood, even if he was disappointed. “I met with my team this morning to tell them my decision. Trevor is working on a statement now. I’d like to put it out as soon as possible, but I wanted to coordinate with you before we do it.”
“We’ve invested a lot of time and effort into getting you where you are now,” Brandon said. “You were chosen to be VP as the potential future leader of the party. The American people need you, Mr. Vice President. Without you, we could lose the White House. The ramifications of this decision are much bigger than your family. We’re talking about the well-being and stability of the entire republic.”
“As you well know, the Democrats have a diverse pool of extremely qualified men and women who could rise to this moment,” Nick said. “Everyone is replaceable, Brandon.”
“I don’t know if you’re as replaceable as you think you are.” Seeing that Nick wasn’t budging, Brandon took a deep breath and let it out, sagging into his chair. “This puts us back to square one.”
“I realize that, and I’m sorry.”
“We’ll figure it out.” Brandon turned his formidable gaze on Nick. “Are you sure there’s nothing we can do to change your mind?”
“I’m very sure. There’s one thing I want to be clear about in the