CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Rori set the small baking sheet on a hot pad on the counter, pleased with how the cookies looked. It wasn’t likely that Lee would eat any, considering how much his stomach had been bothering him lately, but she’d needed to do something to kill the time until he arrived.
He’d texted her shortly before noon to ask if he could come over around two. Of course, she’d said yes.
She was excited that they’d get to spend some time together, but it was a cautious excitement. Things still felt… off, and Rori didn’t know what to expect. While she hoped it was just Lee not feeling well, she had tried to prepare herself for it being something more.
Still, she’d made his favorite cookies, hoping he might feel up to eating one. If not, she’d send them home with him.
Using a spatula, Rori transferred the cookies to the wire cooling rack. She’d only baked half the recipe. The rest she’d formed into individual balls and put into the freezer.
Since coming to Serenity and developing a social life, she’d worked to expand her cooking and baking skills. She’d wanted to contribute to the gatherings she was invited to, so she’d spent time learning new recipes and tricks. Like splitting the cookie recipe and freezing part of it in case quick baking was needed in the future.
Nerves were fluttering in her stomach as she watched the minutes click slowly toward two.
When the knock on her door finally came, Rori’s heart skipped a beat. She pressed a hand to her stomach and took a deep breath before going to answer it.
Lee stood in the hallway, looking haggard, and the smile he gave her was nothing like the beaming ones he’d had for her before. Something had to be wrong.
“Can I come in?” he asked.
“Yes. Yes. Of course.”
She stepped back and waved him in. Once he was inside, she closed the door and turned toward him.
Rori wanted to hug him. She wanted him to hug her. It felt like forever since they’d shared a physical moment together.
“How are you feeling?” she asked as she led him to her small table. It was the only place to sit other than her bed.
He sank down at the table with a sigh. “I’m okay.”
“Would you like something to eat or drink?” she asked. “I have some cookies, if you’d like some.”
“Water and a cookie would be nice,” he said.
The easy interactions they’d once had were gone, and it made Rori feel a little sick to her stomach. All she wanted to know was what she’d done to make things so tense between them.
As she walked past him to the kitchen, Rori hesitated, then laid her hand on his shoulder. Before she could lift it, Lee reached up and covered her fingers with his own.
Rori froze in place, not wanting to do anything to end that connection. But far too soon, Lee squeezed her fingers, then moved his hand. All of it passed without either of them saying a word.
His touch had brought hope to life, but his continued silence and the way he wasn’t looking at her did its best to extinguish that hope.
Emotion clogged her throat as she got a couple of glasses from the cupboard and the jug of water from the fridge and returned to the table, where the container of cookies waited. Lee had laid a large envelope on the table and sat with his head bent.
When she set a glass in front of him, he just stared at it. She poured water into each of their glasses before taking the seat across from him.
After taking the lid off the cookie container, Rori sat back and stared across the table at the man she loved. He looked beaten down in a way she’d never imagined she’d see.
“What’s happened?” she asked, even though she wasn’t sure he’d answer her.
“A lot.” Lee wrapped his hands around his glass, the envelope trapped beneath his forearms. “Do you remember me talking about taking the DNA test to try to find information about my birth family?”
“Yes. Did you hear something?”
“I gave the private investigator all the information I gleaned from the site and kind of forgot about it.” He lifted his glass and took a drink. “But last Friday, the guy got back to me and asked if we could have a meeting. So, on Saturday, I met up with him.”
When Lee fell silent, Rori said, “What did he tell you?”
Lee took another drink before setting his glass back down and gazing at it. “What’s the worst news you think a person in my position could get?”
Rori thought about it, uncertain how she should reply to that. “Maybe that your dad was a serial killer or something?”
He nodded. “Or something.”
“Your dad killed someone?”
“Yes. He and my birth mother both did.”
“Who did they kill?”
Lee’s throat worked as he swallowed. “My older brother. Me.”
“You?” Rori asked. “I don’t understand.”
“As far as the world is concerned, I died from the injuries they inflicted on me. Just like my brother did.”
Rori felt sick to her stomach. She had no idea how to react. What to say. Nothing seemed right.
“The authorities faked my death, and then the Halversons adopted me.”
“So they know about what happened?”
Lee shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“I’m so sorry this was what you found out, Lee,” Rori said, wishing she could have been there to support him when he first got the news. But she hadn’t even suspected it would be something like that.
“It’s been making me sick, realizing what the people who’d birthed me had done.” He slowly turned the glass between his hands. “It changed everything about how I viewed myself.”
“But why?” Rori asked.
He glanced up at her, his brown gaze stormy. “That’s the blood I carry. It’s the DNA that determined my blueprint. It’s part of who I am.”
Rori didn’t want to believe that, because she had a horrible, horrible feeling about why Lee was there, looking the way he did.
“I talked to Gareth today, and told him about everything,” Lee said, continuing on even though she hadn’t responded to his statement. “He said I needed to come and have this conversation with you, so you clearly understand why we have to break up.”
Her heart cracked open at his words, even though she’d suspected that was why he was there. “Nothing you’ve said so far has helped me to clearly understand why that’s necessary.”
Lee nodded, like he expected that response from her. “In this is everything the detective gave me.” He tapped the envelope, pausing for a moment. “There’s also a piece of paper with a username and password on it.”
“For what?”
“The story of my… family has recently been made into a docu-series on one of the streaming platforms. I wasn’t sure if you had an account for it. I didn’t. I made this account just for this, so you can use it… if you have to.”
“If I have to?”
“Honestly? I don’t want you to watch it.” Lee lifted his head to meet her gaze straight on. “Let me make that clear. I’m hoping that just reading through the information will be enough. But if you’re still not convinced that we need to end our relationship, then you need to watch the program.”
Rori couldn’t imagine seeing anything that would make her want to walk away from the man she loved. She didn’t say that, however. He would just insist that it was necessary.
She wished that she could talk to someone about what was going on. But according to what Lee said, Gareth was the only one who knew the details of what he had discovered.
There was no way she’d betray Lee”s trust by talking to anyone he hadn’t already shared his story with. It was clear that they’d faked his death to allow him to live a normal life, and if it was ever revealed what had been done, Rori wasn’t sure how things would go. For Lee, but also for the case that had put his parents in prison.
“If I still feel this way after reading through the envelope and watching the program, what then?”
“You won’t.” His confidence was heartbreaking. It was almost as if he wanted her to walk away.
She wouldn’t, though. Not without a fight.
Lee had been the one who told her to stand up for herself. So she would.
If he was adamant about breaking up with her, there wasn’t anything she could do about it. However, she wasn’t going to let him go without him knowing that she loved him, no matter what.
Lee pushed his chair back. “I should go.”
Rori didn’t want him to leave, but she was also anxious to do what he wanted her to so they could move to the next phase of things. Which was her convincing him to trust in their love.
Lee might not think she stood up for herself or fought for what she wanted, but he was about to be quickly disabused of that notion.
He left the envelope on the table and slowly headed for the door. Rori trailed him, and when he turned to face her, she could see the conflict on his face.
Without thinking twice about it, Rori stepped close and slid her arms around his waist. There was the briefest hesitation on Lee’s part, but when he folded her in his arms, he clung to her. That moment fed her determination to fight for them.
He was still the one to end the hug, but not until they’d stood there for a long moment. As their arms slid from around each other, Rori prayed that they hadn’t just shared their last hug.
Lee reached for the doorknob. He stood there without opening it for so long that Rori thought he’d changed his mind and would stay for a bit longer. But then he opened the door and stepped into the dingy hallway. “I’ll… talk to you later.”
Rori moved into her doorway and watched as Lee walked away from her, disappearing up the staircase to the main floor. Her heart ached deep within her, and the only reason it hadn’t shattered completely was because she hadn’t lost all hope that they could work things out.
Once he was gone, Rori closed and locked the door, then went back to the table. She stared at the envelope for a moment, then cleared off their glasses. It didn’t take long to wash, dry, and put them away. And when that was done, she returned to the table.
She reached for the envelope, but then rested her hand on it. “Heavenly Father, help us. Give me the courage to witness what was done to Lee. Give him comfort as he deals with the knowledge he now has. Please, God, help this to work out for us. I love him so much.”
Essie had been talking to her about prayer lately, and how she could pray about anything, anytime, anywhere. She had certainly done plenty of praying that week, and seeing how the new information had impacted Lee, she knew she’d be doing a lot more in the days ahead.
Rori carried the envelope over to her bed and settled amongst its pillows. Since she already knew the basic details, nothing in the envelope was really a surprise. What she struggled with were the details about the boys’ injuries. It was horrific what those two people had done to Lee and his brother.
As she’d expected, she didn’t read anything that would convince her they needed to break up. That meant she was going to go against what Lee wanted her to do and watch the program.
She had known it wouldn’t be easy viewing, but she hadn’t expected the first thing to hit her hardest would be a picture of Lee’s father when he’d been about the same age as Lee was now. The moment she saw that picture, Rori knew with complete confidence what had Lee so torn up.
Lee had definitely inherited his looks from his father. The man had dark hair and brown eyes too, so the similarity between Lee and his father was striking.
In that moment, she knew with one hundred percent certainty that fear had taken root in Lee that not only did he look like his father, but at some point, he’d become like his father. From all accounts, the man hadn’t been horrible and abusive earlier in his life. Something had changed in him as he’d grown older.
But there was nothing in the world that could convince Rori that the same thing would happen with Lee. She wasn’t blinded by fear the way he probably was. She could clearly see that Lee wasn’t the type of man to hurt anyone, let alone a child.
He wouldn’t have chosen his career if he wasn’t a caring person. His family wouldn’t be so close to him if he had exhibited traits that were concerning or dangerous to any of them, especially their children.
No. The Lee she knew and loved was a man of faith, love, and joy. He was also a man of integrity, which is why she knew that he would never hurt her the way his father had hurt his wife and children.
Convincing Lee of that, however, knowing what he’d seen on the program, was going to be an uphill battle.
Rori had a horrible night’s sleep after she finished the last episode late that evening. Still, she got up and went to church, hoping that Lee would be there. But if he wasn’t, at least now she would understand why.
She ended up sitting with Essie and Al while she waited to see if Lee showed up. When he didn’t, she said a prayer for him, her heart aching.
Rori’s plan was to text him after the service to see if he would come over. They needed to have another conversation now that she had all the information.
When the service ended, Rori kept an eye on Gareth as he left the stage following the final song. She waited for him to walk to the foyer, where she approached him.
“Gareth?”
When he turned and saw her, he smiled and stepped away from the group of men he was standing with. “Hey, Rori. How are you?”
“I’m okay,” she said. “Lee came to talk to me yesterday.”
“He told me. In your estimation, how did it go?”
“I was glad he was at least talking to me, but he seems convinced that we need to break up.”
Gareth gave a shake of his head, frustration on his face. “I wish he’d take some time and perhaps seek counsel to help him work through it before making a decision like that.”
“He gave me some information he wanted me to look over so that I understood why he wants us to break up.”
“And did you look over it?”
“Yes. I understand what he’s concerned about, but I don’t happen to share those concerns.”
“Good.”
“I’m going to ask him to come over again this afternoon so we can talk more.” She paused, then said, “Will you pray for us?”
“Of course. I already have been, but I’ll pray specifically this afternoon.”
“Thank you.”
“No. Thank you for not running away from Lee now that things are a little rough.”
“I love him, so I’m going to fight for us in hopes that he’ll understand he’s not going through this alone.”
In her bed the previous night, a fragment of a verse had floated through her thoughts as she’d prayed. She hadn’t been able to remember the reference, so she’d turned the light back on and looked through her notebook, searching for it.
Once she’d found and read it, she was certain that God had brought it to her mind, and she hoped that it would help bring clarity to Lee’s dilemma.
Not wanting to delay getting in contact with the man she loved, Rori said goodbye to Gareth and escaped out of the church before anyone waylaid her. It was a sunny day, so she assumed that there would be a picnic and volleyball at the park, but she wouldn’t be going.
It felt far more important to focus on Lee and what was threatening their relationship. If they could work this out, there would be plenty of picnics in their future together.
But if they couldn’t… she may have already attended her last picnic with the Halverson family.