Author's Note: Thank you so much for the kind reception of this story! I'm blown away by how many of you fondly remember In the Cards, especially those who have invested the time to read it more than once. It's thrilling and humbling. For those of you taking a chance on this without the background, please keep in mind that this universe went off canon in early season 5, so the way the Red John arc finished was completely different. I'm trying to fill in the background without overdoing spoilers in case you get stranded on a desert island and need something lengthy to read. :)
Thank you all for reading!
Chapter 2
Teresa woke by herself, which wasn't unusual. Patrick usually got up before her, either to take the dog out or enjoy the sunrise. If she slept late, sometimes he'd crawl back into bed so she could wake up in his arms, but those occasions were rare.
Sitting up, she stretched and yawned, then smiled as she heard a guitar playing nearby. She put on her robe and followed the sound to the kitchen at the back of the house.
Turning the coffeemaker on, she looked out at the sun rising over the trees and enjoyed the lazy tune drifting in from the back porch through the partially open window. The kettle on the stove was still warm, and she pictured Patrick sitting in a rocking chair on the porch enjoying his morning cup while Liam played.
While Victoria was the child most obviously like Patrick, Teresa knew he was pleased to recognize some of his traits in his son too. He'd been concerned that, lacking a good role model for fatherhood, he'd be at sea trying to raise a boy, but as Liam grew up his concerns had faded.
Teresa knew her son was like her in a lot of ways, which gave his father a pre-existing catalog of tells to watch for. From Patrick he seemed to have inherited the ability to function on very little sleep, an almost scary grasp of the wants and needs of the people around him, and a stubborn persistence.
Teresa had no doubt that Liam knew more about his parents' past than his sister, only because he'd taken the time to look. As a boy he'd often been fearful of strangers and change, and as he grew up he'd become a meticulous researcher, using preparation to defuse his anxiety. That served him well in things that required practice, like music and art, but he tended to shut down when confronted with the unexpected.
Victoria was excited about leaving home, but Teresa knew Liam wasn't. He'd talk about it only when he'd finished brooding, however, which was another way he and his father were alike.
She heard a clink as Patrick set his cup and saucer down with a satisfied sigh. Liam finished the song he was playing a few moments later. "Morning," he said.
"Good morning," Patrick replied.
"Ready to meet the boyfriend?" Liam strummed absently.
"It doesn't matter if I'm ready or not; it's happening either way. Got an inside line you'd care to share?"
Teresa frowned. She didn't like the idea of recruiting Liam to spy on his sister. She believed in sibling solidarity, but Patrick, an only child, didn't really understand it.
Liam paused in his playing for a moment. "He's a jock. Don't think we've ever said two words to each other."
"Sports, hm? At least he and your mother will have something to talk about."
Teresa grinned.
"I don't know what he's going to make of you, Dad. I can't wait to find out, though."
"Don't sell tickets yet. Your mother has lectured me soundly about behaving for our guest."
"I could sell tickets to that."
Patrick chuckled. "You're not wrong."
Liam picked out a fast little song on his guitar. It was several minutes later before he said, "He's smarter than he pretends to be. Could be to fit in with his friends better, but he turns right around and shows off for Victoria."
Being a shallow, socially minded teenager wasn't a felony, Teresa reflected. It did nothing to reassure her, but she was trying to keep a lid on her concerns, worried that a whiff of fear from her would send Patrick's paranoia into overdrive.
"She's buying it though?"
Liam said, "She says nobody else understands him."
Teresa grimaced a little. That was how it had started for her, knowing she was Patrick's only confidante. Victoria was enough her mother's daughter that it might work for her too.
"Do you know anything about his religious affiliation?"
"I expected that question from Mom. He's not Catholic, but I don't know what he is." Liam paused. "Why do you care? You haven't been in a church since our confirmation."
Patrick sighed. "I know you've researched Red John. Did you learn about Visualize?"
"Yeah, a little. They were in on kidnapping Mom."
"Yes, they were. But not because they wanted her."
Teresa turned to collect her mug from the coffeemaker and decided to join them. They both looked up as she came out to the porch, and Patrick extended a hand, looking relieved to have her company. Her hunch was confirmed when he tugged on her hand, pulling her toward him. Carefully holding her coffee cup out, she settled herself on his lap, dropping a kiss on his smile.
Liam glanced at them from beneath his long bangs, which she longed to cut but which Patrick argued were a harmless sign of self expression, much easier to tolerate than tattoos or piercings. He was fiercely protective of the kids' right to determine their own identities, something his own father had denied him. "Morning, Mom."
"Good morning, sweetie. What are you two talking about so seriously?"
"I dunno," Liam said, giving his dad a curious look.
Patrick drew in a deep breath. "Visualize."
Even though she wasn't surprised, she couldn't keep the look of distaste off her face. "Well, that's a good way to ruin a beautiful morning."
Liam played a couple of chords, as if trying to get his thoughts to harmonize. "So what was up with them? Why kidnap a cop?"
Teresa thought about her answer, but Patrick spoke before she could. "You must have a theory, son. What do you think?"
"A trap for you?"
"A good theory, but wrong. Red John was tired of playing with me by then. He'd become interested in your mother and yes, he wanted to win her over. But what he mostly wanted was an heir with our combined traits."
Liam let the guitar slide to his lap. "He wanted me?"
"Our child, yes. He didn't know there were two of you; it was early in the pregnancy."
Teresa murmured, "Very early. We didn't even know until it was too late."
"I'm glad I didn't," Patrick admitted, pressing a kiss to her temple. "It was bad enough thinking I might have lost you. I don't know how I would've coped if I'd known there were three of you at risk." His arms tightened around her waist.
Liam said, "Why not just have a kid of his own?"
Teresa said, "He told me that great leaders often stifle leadership ability in their own children without meaning to. He thought it would be better to have a child that wasn't his, so he'd be more objective toward him or her."
"Or him and her, in our case," Liam pointed out with a lopsided grin. "Boy would he have been in for a surprise."
Shivering, Teresa remembered her nightmares before the twins were born, long after Red John's death: him taking her babies away as they were born, then ordering the "weak" one killed. She was convinced it wouldn't have been far from the truth.
Patrick said, "The reason I'm telling you this is because, despite all the work Bret Stiles did to stamp out Red John's influence in Visualize, there may still be some crazy people out there who regard you and your sister as his heirs. Your mom and I have vetted nearly everyone you've ever met, not because we're crazy, but because we are protecting you from a very real danger."
He was going to turn Liam into a paranoiac, Teresa thought in alarm. "Real, yes, but unlikely. More unlikely with each passing year, in fact."
Liam frowned at his father but didn't seem unduly alarmed. "And you're bringing this up now because, what, you think Brett Mason is secretly a cult mastermind?"
Teresa watched him process the identical first names of Stiles and Mason, his scoffing expression fading.
"More like a pawn," Patrick said.
"We found a connection. A distant one that might just be a coincidence," Teresa emphasized.
Father and son chorused, "There's no such thing as coincidence."
She smiled. "Oh yes, there is. Sometimes people are just too attached to their complicated theories to admit it."
Patrick smirked at her. "Or maybe coincidence is just a word people use when they don't understand the brilliant theory that explains the situation." Then he let out a yelp as she punched him lightly in the shoulder, narrowly avoiding spilling coffee on them both.
"So," Liam said, used to his parents' playful bickering, "if anybody asks me if I'd like to join a cult, I say no. Got it."
"It won't be that simple," Patrick reproved.
"You can't seriously be worried Vic would fall into a cult. She'll never let anybody tell her what to think."
Teresa thought he underestimated the power of first love, but she merely said, "I hope not. But these people are good. They're subtle and well trained. They offer you what you want, twist your thinking around."
Liam frowned. "So how do I spot them?"
"Good question," she replied. She had worked for years with Haffner without realizing he was part of it. California law enforcement had turned out to be riddled with Visualize devotees.
Patrick said, "You can't, not a hundred percent of the time. What you can do is always know your own mind. Know who you are. Never let anyone convince you they can help you be a better person. The only people who will ever do that will never say so. Your mother made me the man I am today, but she didn't set out to. She made me want to be better because she was such a good person. But she didn't try to change what I believe in. She didn't try to change who I was." He grinned at her, knowing what she was thinking. "Though she did spend a lot of time trying to change my behavior in a professional capacity."
"Wasted time," Teresa grumbled.
Patrick chuckled. "Not entirely."
Teresa sipped her coffee, then leaned her head on his shoulder as Liam began playing again. After a few minutes, Victoria joined them, dressed in jeans and a nice blouse, surveying them all with a frown. "Why are you all sitting out here in your pajamas?"
Liam said, "I'm not."
His twin rolled her eyes at his sweatpants and T-shirt, which had seen better days. "Who can tell?"
He rolled his eyes right back. "If you're gonna try to make us into the perfect TV family for your boyfriend, get ready for failure."
"Don't you dare sabotage this!" she hissed.
Teresa decided to intervene. "Nobody's sabotaging anything. I think we can all manage to be dressed appropriately in the next four hours."
Patrick added, "What does everyone want for breakfast?"
"Cereal," Liam said.
"I'll just have plain toast," Victoria said.
"Boring," Patrick sighed. "What about my lovely wife?"
"Pancakes. I'll even help you out," she volunteered, sliding off his lap.
Victoria went back into the house as Patrick got up from his chair with a grimace. Liam asked, "You gonna tell her?"
Teresa and Patrick glanced at each other. "Of course," Patrick said. "When the timing is right."
She had to admit that their daughter wasn't exactly in a receptive mood right now. "But soon."
Liam nodded, seemingly satisfied.
mmm
Victoria grew more nervous as noon drew nearer, and Teresa was relieved when Patrick stepped in to calm her, as he had before recitals and competitions when she was younger. He took her wrist, and she let him, though she did roll her eyes for form's sake. "I'm fine, Dad. If you want to help, you could shave."
"You may be fine with acting like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, hissing and spitting at everyone, but I assure you the rest of us aren't. This is not a competitive event, princess. Everyone here loves you and wants what's best for you."
She wrinkled her nose a little. "Then you need to support me. I know what's best for me."
That would be unusual indeed, Teresa thought, given that she was a sheltered seventeen year old.
Patrick smiled gently. "Then you have nothing to worry about."
Victoria looked uncertain, but he'd said nothing she could argue with. Teresa admired her husband's skill at calming people down, wishing she'd seen more of it back at the CBI. Though she'd benefitted from it often enough, so she supposed she couldn't complain. Much.
Liam said, "Mom, Dad, I hereby promise that when I bring a girlfriend home, I won't act like the President is coming to visit."
Victoria shot him a quelling look, which he shrugged off with a grin that was almost identical to his father's. Teresa said, "We'll hold you to that. Particularly since, as you know, your father has the unfortunate habit of poking at bigwigs."
Victoria said, "Brett isn't a bigwig."
"No," Teresa agreed, "but you acting like he is one is winding your father up. So beware."
Victoria looked at Patrick in dawning alarm. He grinned, then relented. "Don't worry, princess. I'm on my best behavior."
"You promise?" She folded her arms.
"I promised your mother, so yes."
Victoria relaxed, and Teresa smiled. Everyone knew her husband kept his promises to her. It was something not every wife could be confident of, and she treasured it.
The doorbell rang. Victoria looked panic stricken for an instant, then took a deep breath and went to the door. Patrick and Liam came to stand on either side of Teresa, as if closing ranks. As Victoria opened the door, Patrick took Teresa's hand, and she gave it a squeeze.
The young man who walked in looked nervous behind his confident smile; Teresa recognized the expression as one she'd seen on her brothers' faces at that age. He was nice looking, with sandy brown hair and blue eyes, and his crisp button down shirt and unwrinkled khakis, as well as the small bouquet he carried, signaled that he wanted to impress them. All in all, he looked like the kind of boy a mother would want her daughter to date.
But once upon a time, so had Ray Haffner. She knew better than to rely on appearances.
"Mom, Dad, this is Brett."
Brett held out his hand to Patrick. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Jane."
Patrick shook it, which gave Teresa a chance to look for signs that he was unhappy. She didn't see any, but she recognized the polite mask he was wearing. "Welcome to our home, Brett."
Brett turned to Teresa and handed her the flowers. "Thanks for inviting me, Mrs. Jane."
She smiled at him. Though she'd kept her own name, many of the twins' friends and their parents assumed she'd taken her husband's. She didn't bother correcting them anymore. "I'm glad to meet you, Brett. I've heard a lot about you."
"All good, I hope," he said with a nervous little chuckle.
Victoria took his arm. "Of course! And you know Liam. So that's everybody."
Patrick said, "You're not going to introduce him to Belle and Blueberry? Or the chickens?"
Victoria pursed her lips and said to Brett, "Belle is the dog and Blueberry is my old pony. The chickens don't count as pets; Dad just got them so he could have fresh eggs."
Liam said, "Next it'll be a cow for fresh milk."
"No," Teresa said firmly.
"I was actually thinking of expanding the herb and vegetable gardens," Patrick said.
"So you're a farmer?" Brett asked.
"No, just someone who likes to cook." Patrick let go of Teresa's hand and turned toward the kitchen. "Can I get you a drink, Brett? Or some tea? I need to get lunch started while the rest of you chat."
"No, thank you, sir."
"Put these in some water, please?" Teresa asked, handing Patrick the flowers.
"Of course." He smiled and gave her a quick kiss as he passed.
"Sit down," Teresa invited. She took her favorite chair, and Liam claimed the recliner, while Victoria and Brett settled on the couch. "So you play sports, Brett?"
"Basketball mostly, but some golf and tennis too. For fun. I'm not good enough to get a scholarship or anything," Brett said modestly.
"Where are you planning to go to school?" She hoped she was coming off as making friendly conversation rather than interrogating him. Victoria looked unperturbed, so she must not be doing too badly.
"I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking of doing pre-law. I'm interested in the corporate side, not criminal law." Then he seemed to remember he was talking to an FBI supervisory agent. With a nervous smile, he added quickly, "I'll leave that to people braver than I am."
Teresa decided to let that pass. "I've met your parents at school programs, but remind me: what do they do?"
"Mom has her own business. She helps people sort through the junk and clutter in their houses and get organized. You'd be surprised how many people need help with that."
Teresa gave a wry smile. "No, I wouldn't. That must take a lot of patience."
"Oh yeah. She says it's almost like being a therapist. The junk is just a reflection of their mental baggage," Brett said. "My dad is an actual therapist. He specializes in helping people beat addictions."
All very Visualize-sounding, Teresa thought. And yet perfectly respectable.
"Not as exciting as what you do, of course," he continued. "Except once a patient found out where we lived and kept showing up at weird hours. It was freaky."
"I mostly do paperwork," Teresa said. "Nothing too exciting anymore. And Patrick recently retired. We're hoping to do some traveling."
Liam said, "We used to go on trips before Vic decided she couldn't leave her horse that long. The year we got confirmed, we all went to Rome and toured the Vatican. It was cool."
Teresa remembered the trip fondly. They'd all enjoyed it; even though Patrick wasn't religious, there was enough history and amazing art to hold his interest.
Victoria said, "We're trying to decide where to go for our graduation trip. Are you doing anything big for graduation?"
"Yeah, my grandparents are taking us all on a cruise. Should be fun."
"I've always wanted to go on a cruise," Victoria said.
"You should. It's great. We've done the Caribbean, and now we're going to do the Panama Canal."
Liam said, "Mom gets seasick."
"Unfortunately true. I've told Patrick he should take the kids without me, but he says it wouldn't be as much fun for him that way. So, Brett, do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Two sisters and one brother, all younger. "
"I have three younger brothers," Teresa said. His siblings must be half siblings, but she liked that he didn't point that out. "How far apart are you?"
"Lori is fifteen, Rob is thirteen, and Allison is ten. Never a dull moment," Brett chuckled.
"I bet," Teresa smiled.
Victoria said, "Lori rides too. She does dressage. I've seen her; she's good."
Teresa wondered if the Masons also paid a ridiculous amount of money to board a horse at the riding school. It still rankled with her that she'd had to move to the country and the horse got to live in the city, even if it was the outskirts. But Patrick insisted it was too much trouble to haul June's Pride, familiarly known as Lady, back and forth. Teresa hated driving the truck with the horse trailer, so she saw his point, but then why couldn't they move to a nice townhouse closer to work?
Brett said, "All she talks about is horses. I'm glad you're not like that, Victoria."
Liam snorted; Teresa, having had more practice, kept a straight face. "Her father certainly tried to make sure the kids were exposed to a range of interests. Did you know she's quite the Celtic scholar?"
"Really?" Brett looked at Victoria, who shrugged.
"We're mostly Irish. I was interested as a kid. I tried to learn Gaelic, but it's tough to find a good teacher around here."
"Well, you're good at French, so I bet you could learn another language pretty easy," Brett smiled.
Patrick called, "Liam, could you set the table, please? Lunch is almost ready."
"I'll do it, Dad," Victoria said eagerly, getting up.
"May I help?" Brett offered.
"Sure."
Teresa looked at Liam as the young couple escaped. "So far, so good."
He grinned at her. "Dad's lulling him into complacency. Just wait until we're almost done eating."
Teresa had to admit he might be right. "You're enjoying this way too much."
"It's the simple joys that make life worth living," he smirked as he got up and headed for the kitchen.
He really was just like his father sometimes, she thought.
mmm
Lunch passed pleasantly; Patrick was good at small talk when he wanted to be. Victoria was all smiles, relaxed enough to eat a reasonable amount, and Brett seemed at ease as well.
Dessert was a fruit tart and homemade blueberry ice cream, which seemed to impress their guest. Teresa could practically see her daughter thinking she should take some cooking lessons from her father so she could impress Brett too and wondered if that had been Patrick's intent. She knew it was a disappointment to him that neither of his children were interested in learning more than the basics of feeding themselves.
"That was delicious, Mr. Jane. Thank you," Brett smiled as he finished his ice cream. "I've never had blueberry ice cream before."
"There's only so much cobbler, pie, and muffins my family will tolerate," Patrick explained.
"I told you not to plant so many blueberry bushes," Teresa reminded him.
He grinned. "You're just unhappy because you've eaten all the strawberries already." Then he looked at Brett. "The way to a woman's heart is through her stomach, Brett. Do you cook?"
"I can grill steaks," Brett said.
"A promising start. I heard you're thinking of law school, but what are your plans for your life?"
"Well, I was thinking corporate law—"
Patrick shook his head and interrupted, "No, no. That's just what you do for a living, not your life. The real measure of a man is what he does when he's not working. What do you do to nourish the essence of your identity?"
Brett stared at him, confused and slightly panicked. Teresa felt sorry for the kid. "Oh, come on, Patrick. That's not really a fair question, is it? Did you have a life plan at 18?"
"I did." He gave her a serious look. "I was going to run away with Angela, get rich as a psychic, and build a stable and secure life for my family. Which I did. But I did it without paying attention to the important things in life, so it all came crashing down around me. I'd like to pass along my hard won wisdom so the next generation doesn't have to learn my lesson the hard way."
Teresa looked down and bit her lip. She should have expected this, really. Patrick sometimes reacted oddly to the "firsts" his first daughter hadn't lived to experience. First boyfriend definitely counted.
Liam broke the silence. "Did Victoria ever mention we had an older sister?"
Brett frowned. "No."
"It's understandable," Liam said. "She's been dead a long time. A serial killer murdered her and her mom."
Victoria shot him a glare. "A long time ago."
"Yes," Teresa said. "It was. But Angela and Charlotte are a part of our family. Just like Grandpa Virgil. We won't see them again until we're done with this life, but we don't forget them."
There was another strained silence. Then Brett said, "I'm, uh, sorry for your losses. And I take your point, Mr. Jane. It's important to have spiritual beliefs. They keep you grounded. My dad thought about becoming a priest when he was young, so he's big on the whole church thing."
"Oh," Teresa said, "are you Catholic too?"
"No, Episcopal. And to answer the original question, I plan to become the best version of myself I can be," Brett said. "I know I have a long way to go, but I want to be someone who stands up for what he believes in and is loyal to those he loves. I think that's where you have to start to be successful."
Patrick said, "I can't disagree. Well, Brett, the meal is finished, so I suppose it's time to give my approval to this proposed dinner date. Where is it supposed to take place?"
"Argenziano's," Brett answered.
"An excellent choice. Have my daughter home by 11, or her mother will put you on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List."
Brett and Victoria both beamed at him. Brett said, "Thank you, sir. We won't be late."
"Thanks, Dad," Victoria added, standing. "I need to get to practice. Can you drop me off, Brett?"
"I'd love to," he replied, getting up.
Teresa could only be grateful the meal was over. She was anxious to hear what Patrick had to say about it.
Liam helped clear the table, then said, "I've got some practice to do too. I'll be home for dinner."
"Have fun," Teresa called after him.
A few minutes later, the door closed behind Liam and his guitar case, and Teresa and Patrick were alone for the first time that day.
"Well?" she prompted.
"Seems like a normal kid."
"Uh huh." She leaned against the kitchen counter. "But is he?"
"Maybe."
Now he was just being irritating, she thought. "You have a hunch?"
Patrick smiled. "Always."
"But you're not going to tell me."
"Not until it's more than a hunch, no. What are your thoughts?"
"He has good manners," Teresa said. But then, most of the young people at Visualize had good manners. "And I think he's done some research. He didn't look very surprised to find out about your first family."
"No, he didn't. And Victoria didn't tell him. But he could have heard it from one of their other friends," Patrick said.
"Or just googled you."
"True. One meeting is not enough to draw firm conclusions."
"Since when?" she scoffed.
"So," Patrick said as if she hadn't spoken, "tell Moore about it on Monday and we'll see what happens. Meanwhile, surely we can think of a better way to spend our child-free afternoon than psychoanalyzing a teenage boy we've spent a grand total of two hours with."
"I have some paperwork I could do," she teased.
Patrick grinned, sliding an arm around her waist. "I bet I can make you forget all about it."
"Oh? Does the barn need painting?"
He chuckled. "No, Teresa. Romance is what I had in mind. Pretty soon the twins will be gone and we'll have a lot of time on our hands. We need to practice keeping each other occupied."
"I guess so," she smiled. "What do you have in mind?"
"How about a nice stroll and then a nap?"
"Sounds good."
He was always more forthcoming after sex, she reflected. Meanwhile an afternoon with him sounded like a great idea.
Hand in hand, they followed the well-worn path down to the little pond on the back of the property. Teresa was surprised to find a new wooden bench in place of the log they'd used as a seat for years. "When did you get this?"
"Last month. The log was falling apart, and at my age, I need back support," he replied as they sat down.
"It is a lot more comfortable," she said, leaning back.
Patrick toyed with her fingers. "I've been thinking about this new job of yours."
"I haven't made any decisions," she pointed out. "I haven't even met the AD I'd be reporting to."
"But you're interested. And maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to get out of California, if the kids are thinking about schools out east. I'd like to wait to sell this place so they don't feel homeless, but I'm open to moving."
"How much of your thinking is due to Visualize being headquartered here?"
"Some. But not all. This place is a lot of maintenance for an old man to handle."
"You're not old," she assured him.
"I'm getting there. And I think Washington is a better starting place for travel than Sacramento. There are lots of museums and historical sites for me to explore there. A change could be good for us; I don't want to be one of those old men who live in a routine, never doing anything new."
"But?"
"We can take Belle with us, but it's going to be tough to find a good home for Blueberry. He's really too old to be ridden anymore."
"Maybe we can find a caretaker to live here who'd look after him."
"And Lady will be boarded somewhere near Victoria, so no need to worry about her."
Teresa leaned over to kiss him. "Thanks for being open to it. I'll go ahead and pursue the job, then. But I won't make any decisions until we've talked about it as a family."
"Good. Because I'm not sure our nest is going to empty all at once."
That was a new idea. "Oh?"
"I'm going to suggest that Liam take a gap year. He's been thinking about it but hasn't figured out how to tell us he's not ready for college. But it doesn't make sense for him to pick a school before he has a good idea of what he wants to study."
Teresa frowned. "No, I guess it doesn't."
"Washington would be good for him too. Lots of cultural events and opportunities. Some good schools too if he wanted to check them out, get familiar with them."
"Ease into it, you mean?"
"Yes. I'm sure there's a community college he could take a few classes at if he wanted."
Teresa had to admit that might work better for their sensitive son than thrusting him into a new environment on his own. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I love how you take care of them."
Patrick kissed her hair. "I'm glad. Sometimes I worry I'm over-parenting."
"No. Over-parenting would be telling him to take a gap year. Telling him it's okay is entirely different. It lets him own the decision. And I love how you take care of me, too. I know how much you love it here."
"I love you," he replied. "My home is where you are, Teresa. That's been true for a very long time, almost since we met."
"It's mutual."
"Another thing about moving: it would push us to go out and explore. We could date."
Teresa chuckled. "We've been married eighteen years, and now you want to date?"
"We didn't get to, before. We were colleagues and friends, and then suddenly we were living together. He decided the pace of our relationship with his sick game. And then when he was gone, we had the twins to think about. We didn't get to focus on us. I want to do it now."
She felt her heart swell with love for him. "Me too," she said softly. "Me too."
He hugged her. "Then let's do it. You get your new job; I'll find us a swanky condo in DC that allows dogs and teenagers. And we'll have ourselves a new adventure."
As they kissed, Teresa thought that maybe her new job opportunity was a gift from God. It had certainly come at the right time to distract them from Brett Mason.
She refused to think that maybe it wasn't a coincidence.
