The Ties That Bind: A Scarecrow and Mrs. King Continuing Story Book 1

Chapter 5

Back at their apartment: Day 1 - 4:00 p.m.

"Billy wanted us to come back to the office, but I could tell you were near the end of your rope.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time getting my strength back." Amanda leaned against the door jamb as he unlocked the door to their apartment. "I feel awful about it..." He turned, looked her in the eye, and set his hand low on her back to usher her inside; her voice went to a whisper. "...like I'm letting you down."

He closed and locked the door behind them then turned toward her again and tenderly took her face between his hands. "You don't think I feel that way, do you?"

"It's frustrating that I can't do all the things with you I used to do." She shrugged her shoulders. "I thought I'd be fully recovered by now, but this fatigue just refuses to let go. I mean, some days are okay, but other days just...aren't."

Lee paused, then motioned his head toward their bedroom. "Come on." He took her by the hand and walked with her through the apartment. Sitting on the edge of their bed with her, he turned and looked at her for a moment. "Mrs. Stetson, you don't really think my love for you is dependent on you being able to go out and catch the bad guys with me, do you?"

Amanda knew she'd been struggling a bit with self-confidence. She wasn't sure why; it wasn't like he'd done anything to make her feel that way...well, unless you counted the weeks he'd basically disappeared because he was trying to catch that Brody guy once and for all. Or the six pages of annoying quirks he wrote down. And, okay. Yes, the Alyssa Danton thing was huge. But he had chosen her over Alyssa.

Okay, so he'd done a few things. It probably all played a part in how she was feeling. "It's just hard being on the side-lines, and it doesn't help knowing Francine has been stepping into my place." She looked down at their clasped hands. "Lee, can I ask you something?"

"Of course." He brought her hand up to his lips for a gentle kiss.

"You told Francine this morning that you've been in love with me longer than I realized."

"Yeah?"

"What did you mean by that?"

He patted her hand. "Needing to hear this right now, are you?" Amanda shrugged her shoulder, and he smiled. "Alright." Lee took a deep breath and held it for a second before letting it slowly out. "Well, it probably started long before I could ever give it a name." He stood and reached for the covers on the bed. "Here, let me tuck you in. You need to rest before we go back to the office."

When he had turned down the covers, she swung her legs up on the bed and reclined back into the slightly propped-up pillows resting against the headboard. Gently, he pulled the blankets up, then climbed over her to settle on his side of the bed. Bracing on his elbow, he lay on his side to face her and stroked her hair back from her forehead.

"One thing you need to understand, Amanda, is that I didn't really know what love was. So, I think when I first started falling in love with you, I didn't recognize what was happening." He paused and looked up at the ceiling.

"From the very beginning I was drawn to you, you know that." Amanda smiled. He'd told her that before, but it was difficult to believe. "At the train station when I was running for my life and trying to keep that package safe...I ran past a lot of people, Amanda. But then I saw this really cute woman walking alone..."

"Cute?"

"Yes, cute." He smiled and gently tapped the end of her nose with his finger.

"Come on, Lee..."