Too Close to Home: A Scarecrow and Mrs. King Continuing Story - Book 2

Chapter 29

Day 12, Saturday

The Agency - Late Morning

As soon as the elevator door closed, Amanda turned toward Lee and let her eyes wander over his face.

Feeling the weight of her gaze, Lee turned. His eyes crinkled at the corners and the delicious dimple Amanda loved appeared. "What?"

She smiled back. "Nothing."

Lee chuckled. "No, really. What?"

Amanda's eyes gentled, and her smile softened. Planting a hand on his arm for balance, she reached up and deposited a tender kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

Lee turned and encircled her with his arms. Rocking her slowly from side to side, he gazed into her eyes. "Thank you for what, Darling?"

The elevator dinged, signaling its arrival at the Georgetown Foyer. In the past, Lee would have pressed the stop button to keep the doors closed, but ever since Fred Fielder had abducted her from the stopped elevator and tried to kill them both, he was afraid of triggering a flashback.

Allowing the doors to open, he took her by the hand and led her into the Foyer. Alone because Mrs. Marsden only worked weekdays, he reached for her again and held her as close as Little Bit would allow. "So? What are you thanking me for?"

"For proving to me that saying our family is your top priority wasn't just lip-service."

The inside corners of Lee's eyebrows lower just a bit. "You were concerned?"

Amanda stared at the button she was fiddling with on his shirt. "Oh, you know..." Feeling slightly embarrassed, she shrugged a shoulder. "...Joe always said we came first, but he was always off doing important things to..." She raised an eyebrow. "...save the world."

Lee raised his eyes to the ceiling and let out a sigh. Gazing back down at her, he titled her chin up so he could look her in the eye. "Manda..." He crooned her name. "...how many times do I have to remind you that I'm not Joe, huh?"

Her eyelashes swept down to brush her cheeks, and she shrugged again. PTSD plus pregnancy hormones were making her more emotional than normal.

"Besides." He gave her a little squeeze. "What good would it be if I gained the whole world but lost my own wife?"

Amused eyes lifted to his, and a bright smile broke over her face. "You've been reading it."

Tilting his head forward, he acknowledged her observation. "I've been reading it." Out of nowhere, he felt a slightly stinging swat on his midsection. He gave an exaggerated gasp and pulled slightly away. "What was that for?"

She tried to fake a frown, but it was nearly impossible when looking into those beautiful hazel eyes. "That's not how it goes, Stetson."

One corner of his mouth quirked upward, and his eyes sparkled with humor. It was his turn to shrug. "So, I paraphrased."

Amanda gave a short snort through her nose and shook her head at him. "Just a little."

"Just a little." He grinned, then his eyes softened as he reached for a lock of her hair. "Seriously, though. You do know you're everything to me, right?"

She ran a finger from his collar bone to his sternum. "Yes, I know. And that's why I'm going to encourage you to take Dr. Smyth up on his invitation to be the one to confront Daniel Foster."

"No, Amanda..."

"Listen, Lee..." She gripped either side of his waist and looked up into his eyes. "You know you need to do this, and I know you'll be back later today and will keep the promise you made to me and Dr. Pfaf. It's okay. Really."