President's Girlfriend 07 - What He Did for Love (17 page)

“Something else?” Crader asked.

“Actually there is,” Dutch said.  “I want you to get each cabinet head to make the rounds with the media so that they can plant the suggestion that those who attacked us could have been homegrown.  Let them show their outrage if the culprits turns out to be American, and get their outrage to be the story.  Get them to change the story,  in fact.”

“From what to what?”

“From why didn’t our administration protect them from these American terrorists, to why are these Americans terrorizing their own country.”

Crader grinned.  Dutch was the most moral, yet the most ruthless man he’d ever met.  “Yes, sir,” he said.

And then Dutch and his entourage of aides veered right, and Crader and his aides stopped walking.

Crader continued to shake his head.  “That sonafabitch,” he said with a laugh.

Dutch didn’t hear his response or his laughter as his stride was, as usual, fast.  But he did pass by an office that caused him to do a stop and back up.  He left his aides in the hall, and went inside, closing the door behind him.

LaLa was seated at the small conference table in her small office, attempting to review documents and breastfeed little Nicole.  As the vice president’s wife, she had her own office and staff that mainly consisted of a social secretary and a few aides.  When she looked up and saw Dutch, she smiled.

“Hello, Mr. President.”

“How are you, young lady?” Dutch made his way to her side.

“I’m . . . okay,” she said.  Then her look turned serious.  “How are you is the question?”

Dutch leaned his tall frame down and kissed LaLa on the lips, and Baby Nicole on the forehead.  Then he took a seat beside them.  “I’m praying that there’s a resolution sooner rather than later.”

“Crader says they’re turning up blanks with every stone unturned.”

“Crader’s right.  There’s nothing yet.  And I mean nothing.  But I’m hopeful.”

That was what LaLa loved most about Dutch Harber: he never gave up hope.  “After you addressed the nation and answered all of those questions, I think the panic eased up some,” she said.  “I think they sincerely believe that you won’t let anything like this happen again.  They now believe that the worse is over.”

The idea that he could stop some lone bomber somewhere was absurd, and a burden no human being should ever have to bear.  But that was his burden.

He looked at the juicy mound of LaLa’s ample brown breast as Nicole feasted on it, and he began to get a hard on.  But then he leaned forward in his chair, both feet planted on the floor, his arms resting on his thighs.  “How are you and Crader managing?” he asked her.

She batted her sweet eyes and then looked at him.  “We’re coming,” she said.  “He’s trying to accept what happened, but I don’t think he’s fully there yet.”

“Are you fully there?”

“What do you mean?”

“By sleeping with Christian, you did something I know you would never have dreamed you would ever do.  Have you accepted the reality of that situation?”

She shook her head.  “No,” she admitted.  “I don’t know if I ever will.  The idea that I cheated on my husband is so painful, Dutch.  It makes me feel like a. . . like something dirty and untrustworthy.”

“That’s nonsense, Loretta.”

“But that’s how I feel!  Especially after I saw how it hurt Crader so deeply.  He’s still hurt by it.”

“Don’t work up too much sympathy for Crader,” Dutch warned her.  “He doesn’t deserve it.  He’s the one who should be burdened down with guilt, not you.  I’m not condoning what you and Christian did.  I could never condone it.  It was wrong on every level.  But you realized you were wrong and you asked your husband for forgiveness.  And he forgave you.  That has to be the end of it.  He can’t keep dredging it up.”

“But you should see him, Dutch. He doesn’t look at me the same anymore.  It’s as if I broke his trust and I can never get it back.”

“Do you trust him?”

LaLa thought about that.  “I decided that I have to.”

Dutch frowned.  “You decided that you have to?  What the hell does that mean?”

“I mean I have no choice.  If I want to make this marriage work, I have to accept the fact that my husband isn’t. . .  That he isn’t that kind of perfect man you are.”

Dutch stared at her.  Was she nuts?  When in the world did he become perfect, or anywhere near it?  “Just as Crader doesn’t deserve your guilt,” he said, “I don’t deserve your praise, Loretta.  Crader and I are cut from the same cloth.  He’s just clumsy with his screw-ups.  But we both have them.”

LaLa looked at him.  “But you would never cheat on Gina,” she said.  And then looked at him.  “Would you?”

Dutch fell silent. He fell into what all of his friends often called his broodiness.  And then he’d answer.  “If I were to have asked you that same question before you cheated on Crader, what would you have said?”

LaLa understood fully what he meant.

“I never say never, Loretta,” Dutch continued.  “I try to do the right thing as often as I can, and to love my wife as best as I can.  But I haven’t been perfect in my marriage, nor in my life itself, and I don’t ever want you to think that I have.  Sometimes I feel as if I’ve failed Gina miserably.”

LaLa was astounded.  “You?” she asked.

“Yes, me.  I made her come back to DC with me.  She nearly died in this town just a month ago, and I still made her come back here.  And why?  Because I live in terror of something else happening to her.  I’ve never admitted it to anyone, Loretta, but I’m still traumatized by that day.  There have been many nights, while Gina was recovering, where I fell on my knees and prayed to God that if He got her out of this that I’ll never put her in harm’s way again.  And now I’ve got her back here in DC a month later.  Not to mention a lot of other behavior I’ve demonstrated in our marriage.  I’m no saint. Believe that.”

LaLa could hardly believe it.  How could a wonderful man like him think so lowly of himself?  Then he stood up.

“I’ve got meetings lined up this afternoon so I’d better get to it.  I’m sure they’re anxiously awaiting my arrival in the Oval.”  He placed his hands in his pant pockets.  “But you take care,” he said.  “And stop feeling guilty.  Crader will come around and realize what a fantastic, beauty, sweet woman he has.  I guarantee it.”

 LaLa smiled.  “You have such faith in Crader,” she said.  “Why?”

“Because I know him.  He’s a good man.”

“You give me hope, Dutch,” she said so heartfelt that it broke Dutch’s own heart.  He leaned down, kissed her on the lips again, and left her office.

And no matter how derisive Dutch was about his character, LaLa didn’t believe it.  In some ways she believed she stayed with Crader because a man like Dutch, a man she respected above any other man, had such faith in him.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A few days later and Christian sat in the chair across from Jade and Sam.  On Dutch’s orders, they were staying at a private apartment inside the White House, but both were beginning to feel disappointed.  They had been hopeful when the Secret Service arrived in New York and hurried them into an unmarked, heavily fortified SUV as if they were precious cargo.  When Jade asked why, one agent was blunt.  “You’re the president’s daughter,” he said.

And those words alone made Jade feel as if she was turning a corner.  For Dutch to personally insist that the Secret Service escort them to DC for their own protection was reassuring.  He really did care about them despite the past.  But he hadn’t so much as dropped in to say hello the entire time they’d been there.  And Jade couldn’t bear it much longer.

Christian, the man who had filed for divorce from her, was her only link to Dutch.

“But did you tell him I wanted to reconcile with him?” she asked Christian, in a different way, yet again.

“Yes, I told him.”

“Then why hasn’t he come to see us?”

“He didn’t say yes, Jade,” Sam pointed out.  “He said he’d think about it.  Maybe he’s still thinking about it, dear.”

“But what’s there to think about?” Jade wanted to know.  “I’m his daughter, and you’re my mother.  We should be closer to him than some Gina!”

Sam and Christian exchanged a glance.  What in the world was she talking about?  Then Christian looked at Jade.

“Why would he be closer to you than he is to his own wife?”

“Because I’m his flesh and blood!” Jade said as if it was too obvious to mention.  “She married into the family.  I am his family!  And I think it’s a shame that he won’t even come and see if I’m alright.”

“He’s trying to run the country, Jade,” Christian said.  “He probably doesn’t have time for his own fam. . . .”  Christian caught himself.  “Not even for the First Lady and Little Walt.”

“You were gonna say for his own family,” Jade said.  “As if I’m not his family.”

“You are his family, as you pointed out.  And he loves you.  But---”

“But what?”

“But, Jade, you were there when his wife was shot.  And you didn’t try to warn her.”

“I told you I was in shock. I would have warned her, but I was in shock myself.  Marcus Rance tied me up, don’t forget about that. I had to fight to get free.  When I did, and I ran upstairs, I was still in shock.  And then Gina walked in.”

Jade didn’t want to even think about that fateful day.  She walked over to the window, and looked out.  Then she turned to Christian.  “You’ve got to do more, Chris.  You’ve got to get him to come and see about me.  I miss him so much.”  Tears appeared in her eyes, and she turned back toward the window.

Christian looked at Sam.  Her unhealthy attachment to her father had bothered both of them at various points.  And they both wondered if rekindling that attachment would be a good idea after all. 

But Jade, Sam thought as she looked at her daughter, was as stubborn as stubborn could ever get.  She was going to stop at nothing to get her beloved daddy back.  No matter what it took.  And Gina and Little Walt be damned, Sam thought, with grave concern.

The elevator doors opened and Dutch made his way inside the White House Residence.  It had been another long day of meetings and teleconferences and going before the American people yet again.  But when he entered the family room, and saw his wife and son curled up together on the sofa fast asleep, it made it all the more worth it to him.  They had tried to wait up for him, bless their hearts.  But it was one in the morning.  Even Gina, Dutch knew, could rarely hang that long.

He hated to awake Little Walt, but he hadn’t had a chance to talk to him all day and he missed his smile.  He lifted him out of Gina’s arms and placed him into his arms.  Both mother and child stirred, and then both woke up.

“Daddy!” Little Walt yelled as soon as he realized who was holding him.  “You’re home.”

His smile warmed Dutch’s heart.  “That’s right, baby,” Dutch said, kissing him and falling in love with him all over again.  “Daddy’s home.”

“Mommy fell asleep.”

Dutch laughed.  “Mommy couldn’t stay awake for Daddy?”  He sat his tired body on the sofa beside Gina.  He placed Little Walt on his lap.

“No, sir.  She said we were going to wait up for Daddy, but she couldn’t wait.”

That boy, Gina thought.  “And I suppose you could, Little Man?”

“I couldn’t wait either,” Little Walt admitted.  “Daddy took too long to come home.”

Walt would never know how much those simple words pained his father.  Gina, however, could sense it.

“The good news,” she said, “is that he’s home now.”

“That’s good news,” Little Walt said as he curled up against his father.  “That’s the best news.”

Dutch looked at Gina with thanks in his eyes.  Then he leaned over and kissed her on the lips.  “You okay?”

“I’m okay.”

“Sure?”

“Positive.  Especially now that you’re here with us.”

Dutch kissed her again and slouched down, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.  “It’s great to be here with you and Walter.”

“How did it go?” she asked him.  She began rubbing his silky dark hair.

“The day, or the address to the nation?”

“Both.”

“It went about as expected.  There’s nothing new to report.  The country’s getting tired of excuses.  This is America, the greatest country on earth.  They expected us to find the guilty party the day it happened.  They want answers yesterday.  Answers I don’t have.”

Gina looked at him.  She hated to say it, but she knew it had to be said.  “They blame your decision to resign as the reason why we were attacked.  That’s what they’re saying all over cable news.  Even MSNBC.  They say you plunged the government into chaos when you announced your resignation, and the terrorists reacted to that chaos.”

“Yes, I know what they’re saying.”

“Do you agree?”

Dutch hesitated.  If he couldn’t talk to Gina about this, who could he talk to?  “My resignation didn’t help.”

“But it had to be pre-planned, Dutch. Don’t you dare blame yourself for this!”

“I understand it was pre-planned.  Probably for months before I even thought about resigning.  But I would be lying if I didn’t say the timing is concerning.” 

Gina exhaled.  She looked at Little Walt, who was already fast asleep in his father’s arms.  “That’s why I won’t object.”

“Object to what, love?”

Gina swallowed hard.  “To you rescinding your resignation permanently.”

Dutch’s eyes flew open.  He looked at his wife.  “What?”

“I’ll be willing to stay here in Washington while you complete your term.”

Dutch knew what it took for her to say those words.  He took his hand and pulled her to him.  “No,” he said firmly.  “I’ll never ask you to stay here a second longer than you have to.  Once an arrest is made, we’re out of here, do you hear me?  Me, you, and our son will leave this place for good.”

“But what about your legacy?”

Dutch almost used a profane word.  “I couldn’t care less, Regina.  I couldn’t care less.”

Gina leaned closer against him.  And inwardly smiled.   

The next day, Christian was in the Oval office asking if he could have a moment of the president’s time.