TO DIE FOR (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 8) - Willow Rose Page 0,2

or tried to, but my finger was still quite swollen from the extra pregnancy weight, and it didn’t fit. This was disappointing to Matt. I could tell by the look on his face.

“Put it on the pinky instead,” I said. “For now.”

He did, and it barely fit, but I didn’t care. I was just so happy finally to hear the words coming from his mouth. And to be honest, I couldn’t have imagined a better or more romantic situation. Just the three of us together. The past weeks had been so intense, so incredibly wonderful; I could barely contain it—so much love, also between my older children and their little sister. The only one who seemed to struggle slightly with the newcomer was Matt’s son, Elijah. I couldn’t blame him. He had lost his mother and just recently connected with Matt as he came to live with him. It was easy for him to believe he might be forgotten with a newborn in the way.

We were all living in my small four-bedroom house, and my mom, who had lived with us until recently, had finally gotten herself a condo on the beach. I missed her since I had gotten used to having her around, but it was the right decision. We were a family now, and it was as it should be. Except Alex and Elijah had to share a room, and they weren’t exactly excited about that. We had talked about finding something bigger, but I found it hard to leave my little home that I had gotten acquainted with after my ex-husband left me and later was killed.

It felt like home.

Plus, I wasn’t sure we could even afford to buy something bigger with the upcoming wedding and everything.

Matt kissed me, and I felt tears run down my cheeks. I was so happy at this very moment; it seemed like a dream.

“I love you,” I whispered. “It was always you; you know that, right?”

He nodded and placed his forehead gently against mine. “There was never anyone else for me.”

I sniffled and wiped my eyes with my hand. I felt so extremely emotional these past few weeks, and I cried at even the smallest things. But today, it was okay to cry. I had waited for so long for Matt to pop the question, and finally, he had. Nothing could spoil this perfect moment—nothing.

“Mom?”

I looked up toward the doorway. “Christine? What are you doing home? School started two hours ago.”

She hesitated in the doorway. I was about to tell her that Matt had proposed, but I sensed it wasn’t the right time. Something was going on with her.

“What’s up, sweetie?”

“I…I kind of need your help. And it kind of has to be quick. Now.”

“Let me take Angel,” Matt said and grabbed the baby. He held her tight to his body and walked to her crib, then put her down gently. Christine came closer, and I swung my legs out over the edge. She sat down next to me, and our eyes met.

“It’s Amy,” she said, her big eyes tearing up when talking about her friend. “I don’t know what to do.”

Chapter 1

THEN:

“I just don’t understand why he doesn’t hug me when I cry—when that is all I need from him.”

Lynn Parks looked up at the woman, Joanna Harry, on the couch in front of her. Next to her sat her boyfriend, Jeffrey Johnson, in his two-thousand-dollar pinstriped suit. They had held hands on their first visits to Lynn’s office. They had been coming for three months, and now, they weren’t holding hands anymore.

Lynn wrote on her notepad, then lifted her gaze to meet Jeff’s again. “And what do you say to that, Jeff? Why do you think that is?”

He threw out his hands. “I don’t know. I mean, she’s…sometimes she seems like she wants me to leave her alone when she’s upset. Maybe she could tell me when she wants me to hug her and when she doesn’t because I don’t know.”

Lynn nodded. Her eyes stayed locked with Jeff’s for a few seconds longer, just to make sure he didn’t have anything else to add. Then, she looked at Joanna. “Is that something you might be able to do? Tell Jeff when you need him to affirm you and when he doesn’t? Sort of guiding him along the way?”

Joanna sighed and rolled her eyes. “But shouldn’t he know these things by now?”

Lynn closed her eyes briefly and hoped they didn’t see. It wasn’t her job to judge, but she often