Epilogue
Saturday, one week later
Amanda and Zoe were at Libby and Penny’s house, but the plan for today had changed a bit because the memorial service for Christine Lane was booked for that afternoon.
Amanda had every intention of going and standing by Spencer’s side.
She hadn’t spoken to him since she brought him in, and it was on her to make things right between them.
Libby came into the living room holding a tray of pink lemonade, which elicited a squeal from Zoe. Amanda smiled as she ran a hand over her daughter’s blond hair. She’d gone on for hours last week after being picked up from her grandparents’ house.
“They spoiled me, but I missed you, Mom! You’re the best!”
Amanda chose to forget that Zoe was angling for a later bedtime.
“Here you go.” Libby had set down the tray on the coffee table and was handing a glass to Zoe.
“Thank you.”
Amanda’s heart swelled at the girl’s manners, and she sat back while Libby settled next to her fiancée. She took Penny’s hand.
Zoe slurped her lemonade. “Ahhh,” she exclaimed and wiped her upper lip.
Everyone laughed.
“Zoe,” Libby said, “there’s something we’d like to ask you.”
“What?” Short and clipped. Her beautiful eyes were on the pink lemonade in her glass.
“You know we’re getting married. We’d love for you to be involved in the wedding.”
“You want to marry me too?” Zoe scrunched up her face, and the adults laughed again.
“No. We’d like you to take part in the celebration. What would you say to walking down the aisle ahead of us, tossing out flower petals?”
“Whoa. That sounds amazing. Wait, would I be able to wear a puffy dress like a princess?”
“Absolutely, whatever you’d like,” Penny said.
“Mom?” Zoe turned to Amanda. “Can I?”
“If you want to,” Amanda told her.
“Then, yes, yes, yes, I’ll throw those petals like a boss.”
This girl! And wherever had she picked up that phrase?
Amanda walked across the graveyard toward the modest gathering under the white awning.
It was calling for rain that afternoon, and they were ready if it did.
She wasn’t alone as she took brave steps across the grass.
She had her five siblings with her. It had taken little effort to get them there to support their half-brother.
A white coffin was above the gravesite with flowers laid on top. Next to it was an A-frame sign with a large photograph of Christine Lane.
Amanda’s throat constricted as the pain from losing Kevin, Lindsey, and her unborn son washed over her. Her sister Kristen put a hand on Amanda’s shoulder as if she’d sensed her sadness. Amanda clamped hers over it.
“Amanda?” Emma Blair said, causing Amanda to turn around.
Kristen set off into the crowd.
“Emma, I—”
Emma threw her arms around Amanda and held her tight. After drawing back, she said, “I’m sorry for coming at you like I did. He’s just my son, my only child, and I’m… well, I can be protective of him.”
“As you should be.”
“But I also owe you an apology for calling your father. I overstepped with that move too. I could justify it by saying I was feeling desperate, but there are no excuses.”
“I get it.” And as a mother herself, Amanda understood. If she perceived a threat against Zoe, she’d lose her grip on her sanity for a spell.
“And I never should have questioned whether I can trust you.”
Amanda touched Emma’s shoulder. “I’d love to put all of this behind us.”
Emma nodded. “Me too. It’s so nice you turned up today.” Her gaze drifted past Amanda, causing her to turn. Emma was looking at Amanda’s siblings, the you extending to all of them.
It was then that Amanda spotted Riley Lane. “Emma, could you excuse me?”
“Of course.”
Amanda went over to Riley, and the teen hugged Amanda before she could say a word.
Afterward, Riley said, “Thank you for catching Mom’s killer. I’m sorry that I didn’t handle it well.”
When Amanda had told the girl last week they had arrested everyone involved in her mother’s murder, Riley had cried and left the room. “There’s no right or wrong way, Riley. We all deal with loss in our own way. I’m just sorry that you need to say goodbye to her.”
“Yeah.” Riley sniffled.
Amanda saw Spencer talking with Riley’s father and headed over there after excusing herself from Riley. “Spencer?”
He turned to her. “Amanda? I never expected to see you here.”
She’d set aside the fact that judgment hurt, as she could understand his side. “We all wanted to be here for you.” She gestured toward her siblings. When Spencer didn’t speak, she said, “I owe you an apology.”
Spencer held up his hand. “You were doing your job, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t suck for me.”
“I might have been a little hard on you, the overcompensating bit. If it helps, I never thought you killed Christine. Never. And I’m sorry that I haven’t called you since your release.”
“I respect you were focused on finding Christine’s killer.”
“I was, and thank you for seeing that. If you’d let me, let us”—she waved her siblings over—“we’d like a chance to get to know you better, have you become a part of our lives.”
Spencer bit his bottom lip and nodded. “I’d like that.” He hugged Amanda and made his way around to all of them.
Amanda caught sight of a man standing in the distance, tucked close to an oak tree. Her heart pinched as she recognized who he was. She left the group and went to him.
“Dad.” She gave him a quick hug.
“I just had to show up, you know. Show my support. Your mother knows and is okay with it.”
Seeing her father now reminded her of what she saw in him most of the time.
He’d never hurt those he loved intentionally.
She didn’t know what was going on in his life or her parents’ marriage during the time of his affair.
Not that she excused the infidelity, but she pardoned the man.
Amanda took her father’s hand. “It’s nice that you came.
I’m sure Spencer would love to see you.”
They walked toward the gathering hand in hand.
Amanda squeezed her father’s hand even tighter as she listened to the eulogy for a woman who was loved and would be deeply missed.
As she watched the casket lower into the ground, tears fell for Christine Lane and for her own losses.
Nothing could be done to change the past, but Amanda would do her best to make sure that everyone she loved knew just how much.
She intended to make every moment count.