“It’s what I want,” she said.
He grunted out a laugh. “Way to make me suffer.”
“That wasn’t intentional. It’s just that it has to be different going forward. We’ve drifted as far apart as two people can get while living under the same roof.”
“We took our marriage for granted,” he said. “We’ve had a serious wake-up call. Things will be different.”
“Not just in how we deal with the kids, but in how we deal with each other, too.”
“Agreed. So what now?”
“The kids would like for you to come home.”
“Just the kids?”
“I would, too. As long as we both understand there’s still a lot of work to do to get back on track.”
“Understood.”
“Okay, then.
“One thing… I need to see Jack at some point every day. He’s gotten used to having me around and…”
Tracy took him by surprise when she reached across the table for his hand. “Of course you need to keep seeing him. Thank you for how much you care for Ang and her kids.”
“I love them. They’re my family.” He turned his hand up to clasp hers. “And so are you.”
“Likewise.” She blinked back tears as she looked at the man who’d been at the center of her life for twenty years. “Brooke reminded me of how you stepped up for her all those years ago, not that I needed the reminder…”
“That was the easiest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
“I just want you to know that I’ve never once taken your devotion to her for granted.”
“I know, Trace. I know that.”
“So you’ll come home, then?”
“I’ll come home.”
“And we’ll keep working on things?”
“For the rest of our lives.”
Thankful for the progress they’d made and grateful to hear he understood why she’d been so upset, she was relieved that he’d soon be back where he belonged.
Chapter Thirteen
“What do you mean we can’t find him?” Nick asked FBI Director Sally Monroe hours after he’d first ordered that Sergei Ivanov be found.
“We’ve had people investigating every corner of this city and have had no luck in locating him. We’re continuing to look, but if he’s in the District, it’s possible he’s aware that we’re looking for him and has gone underground.”
“So we have a rogue Russian with personal ties to the ex-vice president effectively missing in the nation’s capital. Excellent.”
“We’re doing everything we can to locate him, Mr. President.”
Christina Gonzales came into the Oval Office. “Pardon the interruption, Mr. President, Director Monroe, but the Metropolitan PD has issued an alert looking for information about a John Doe who matches the description of Ivanov.”
“The former vice president can confirm his identity,” Nick said.
