The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner

Author:Lisa Gardner
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780553900866
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2004-08-22T22:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

TESS WAS READY. She woke up with the first rays of the sun, stretching out slowly. Newly formed muscles pulled and contracted. She could identify baby biceps, emerging triceps, and infant quads. She ran through a warm-up drill in the middle of her room and was pleased by the smooth, graceful flow of stance into stance.

She was getting there.

Her gaze went instantly to the phone. She wanted to call Sam. She wanted to hear her daughter’s sweet voice and tell her everything was going to be all right. Did Difford tuck her in each night, did he read the right stories? Did he watch her eat her fruit, or was she managing to drop it under the table?

God, she wanted to hear her little girl’s voice.

And tell her what, Tess? That you’ll come home? That you’ll save her from her daddy? That you’re putting her in jeopardy just by calling?

She turned away, her hands fisted at her sides. Just a few more weeks, then she should be ready to hunt down Jim. The nightmare would end. She would reclaim her daughter. Would they live happily ever after?

Tess wasn’t sure she believed in such things anymore.

She got ready for her morning swim. But when she walked into the living room, she froze.

J.T. and Marion faced off with the Navajo rug as their arena, so intent on each other, they didn’t notice her. They circled like warring destriers, nostrils flaring, chests heaving, and flanks quivering. Glug served as an unwitting and unlikely centerpiece for the exchange.

“That’s right, J.T.,” Marion muttered furiously. “Daddy’s really Darth Vader and I’m Princess Leia. Now step over to the dark side so we can get this show on the road!”

“I already told you I’m not going.”

“I gave you over a week, J.T. How long are you going to carry a torch for a mythical past?”

“Forever is a nice round number.”

Marion threw up her hands in disgust. “Stop it! Just stop it! What is it with you? No matter what, you have to make a mess of things. Don’t you understand that this is your last chance? You walk away from Daddy now, and that’s it. He’s dying and you will never get to wrap up loose ends.”

“You make life sound like an Italian opera.”

“And you like hating him, don’t you, J.T.? He’s an excuse for you. You get yourself thrown out of West Point, blame Daddy. You punch out your CO, blame Daddy. You drink too much, whore too much, try to kill yourself in godforsaken jungles for causes no one cares about, and what the hell, you blame Daddy. Well, this is it. Tomorrow morning I return to D.C. You can come and redeem yourself, or you can stay here and rot.”

A muscle twitched in J.T.’s jaw. He shook his head. “I have to train Tess. Even if I was stupid enough to contemplate the trip, I still couldn’t go.”

“Coward. You’re just using Tess as an excuse.”

“Excuse? What the hell, Marion? Aren’t you the one who

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