TO DIE FOR (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 8) - Willow Rose Page 0,13

driving me crazy.”

She smiled again and tilted her head. “That’s perfectly normal too. You have some serious abandonment issues that you’re trying to work your way through. Your girlfriend left you, and now you’re transferring those emotions and fears onto me. But rest assured, I am not going anywhere.”

Lynn tried hard to suppress her blushing, but with no luck. She felt her cheeks grow warm. It was such a sweet moment for them both. Jeffrey was getting attached to her. It was only natural, but a part of her couldn’t help enjoying it. It was sweet and made him so vulnerable.

“It just…it hurts,” he said and put a hand on his chest. “I don’t like depending on anyone. It makes me feel needy—like I was with her.”

“We’re talking about Joanna now, right? Do you still see her?

He blushed.

“Jeffrey, we talked about this. Stalking her isn’t doing either of you any good. You need to let her go.”

He nodded. “I know. I know. It’s just…I’m so angry at her for leaving me. I can’t stand it. No one leaves me. It hurt so much, and it makes me obsessed with getting her back, and…”

“Controlling her?” Lynn asked. “Do you think that’s why you’re following her?”

He looked up and nodded. “Yeah, that’s probably it. You’re good, Doc; do you know that? You’re really good.”

She blushed again, cursing herself for not being able to hide her own emotions better.

“I do my best.”

“I mean, that is totally what I have been thinking, that I want to control her. I mean, I even fantasized about locking her up in my basement, heh.”

Lynn looked up from her notepad. “Excuse me?”

He shook his head. “No, no, don’t take it the wrong way. I just fantasized about it; that’s all. Like people have fantasies, you know, but now that you’ve explained it to me, it makes complete sense. I just want to control her, and I need to stop that. It’s not so much her I want as it is the fact that I can’t stand that she is the one who left me. I have never been left before, Doc. It’s not easy for me.”

Lynn swallowed hard. She looked into Jeffrey’s eyes to be sure he was telling her the truth. He smiled softly, and that melted her heart. Then she nodded.

“I think you’re reaching new levels of understanding here, Jeffrey. Good work today.”

Chapter 14

“Scott, when you hear this, please call me back. I need to talk to you.”

I left the second message while Alex pulled my arm.

“Mom, Mom, listen to me!”

I hung up, then glared down at him. In the distance, I could hear a baby crying, but it wasn’t Angel. It was Owen.

“What?” I asked.

“The baby has been crying all afternoon, Mom,” Alex said and held his hands to his ears. “It’s driving me nuts.”

I exhaled. Owen had been crying incessantly almost since we took him and Amy in. I feared he would wake up Angel, who was taking another nap. I wondered if she was getting ready to stay up all night with all the sleeping she did during the day.

“Mo-o-om, make it stop, please.”

I looked down at my son, then kissed the top of his head. “Babies cry, Alex. Sometimes, there isn’t much we can do about it. Amy is doing her best.”

“I can’t stand it, Mom. It never stops.”

“Let me go check on them,” I said and let go of my son. I walked up the stairs and peeked inside Christine’s old room. I found Amy in there, standing by the window, looking out, while Owen was still in his crib, crying.

I walked to him and picked him up, then approached her by the window.

“Amy?”

She was crying, tears rolling down her cheeks while she stared at the trees outside.

“Amy? Are you okay?”

She sniffled, then shook her head. “I’m...I’m not sure.”

Owen quieted down for a few seconds but was still crying.

“I think he might be hungry,” I said. I felt his diaper. It needed changing too.

She slumped her shoulders and looked at her feet. “I…I can’t…it doesn’t really work. I’m not good enough.”

I sighed. “It’s not easy; believe me, I know. But he needs you.”

She shook her head. “He won’t eat. When I try, he just keeps on crying and crying.”

“It takes time, sweetie, for you two to get to know one another. How about you give it another go, huh?”

She looked at Owen in my arms, her eyes despairing.

“Come on. Sit in the chair, and I’ll try and help. I know you