Lara barely remembered the following week since she hardly slept or ate. She worked on the wax figures as often as possible, needing to find their identities so Trevor could move on and apply for a position at Homicide. At least one of them could have their life’s dream realized.

She wanted to see how he was holding up, but she had no doubt that his life was a living hell right now, and that he didn’t need to have her to deal with. He’d been right about everything. She’d been so self-centered that she never took a second look at how her parents had treated her. The cochlear implant was better than hearing aids, but her parents should have wanted her to have them so she’d have a better life, not so they wouldn’t be embarrassed by her deafness. Their lies about her origin only made things worse. She was fine with being part Native American and proud to be part of the nation’s history, but to keep her birth a secret for so long was plain wrong.

She’d let her nanny’s betrayal and her first boyfriend’s mockery color her life and change her for the worse. She’d lived a life full of lies and never realized it until Trevor showed her his family and how love could heal.

Trevor wasn’t like other men, or other people for that matter. He was kind. Good. Caring. He treated her like a person without a handicap. He deserved to know why she had been so reticent to trust. Lara also needed to be assured that his loving parents would survive the death of their eldest son.

When he told her she basically lived her life according to other’s wishes, she’d been angry at first. In her mind, she was a woman with a handicap. While she’d done everything in her power to be something better, she never bought into the role that she could control her own destiny. She never was true to herself. Starting now, she would be.

She tore off her apron and grabbed her purse. The door opened before she had a chance to pull on the handle.

Phil rolled in. “Leaving?”

At one time, she’d have been defensive. Now, nothing was going to prevent her from talking with Trevor. “I need to speak with the Kinsey family.”

“Good. Give them my best. And tell Trevor I have some news he might like to hear. Seems a Chester Johnson called because he’d heard about Robert Hoffman’s death.”

“Chester Johnson? You mean Randall Johnson.”

“No, you met twin brother, Chester.”

She smiled for the first time in days. “I knew it. Then my skeleton is the real Randall.”

“Yes. He confessed he lied to you both. You see, he owed a lot of people money. When his brother was killed, he figured he could pretend that he’d died instead and prayed his debts would be forgiven.”

“Here I thought I’d been wrong.” A quick rush of elation filled her.

“HOPEFAL employees don’t make mistakes.” Phil smiled, and she grinned.

After Phil gave her Trevor’s parents’ address, she programmed her GPS and drove straight to their house. Two cars were parked on the street, but Trevor’s truck wasn’t one of them. She hesitated, not wanting to intrude on their darkest hour.

Doubt intruded. Did they even want to see her? If Trevor had revealed to his family that she was part Native American, his dad might not be happy to have her around, and the last thing she wanted was to add to his discomfort.

Aw, hell. Their family needed to know Ethan’s death affected more than just the immediate family. Before she changed her mind, she strode up to the front door.

Harry answered her knock. “Lara, I’m afraid Trevor’s not here.” He hadn’t shaved and his t-shirt was stained. Poor man.

“I know. Is it all right if I come in?” She dragged her palms down the side of her pants.

“Yes, yes.” Harry held open the door.

When she stepped in, the younger daughter was there, along with Trevor’s dad. Mr. Kinsey waved her into the living room.

The daughter stood. “Hi, Lara. Can I get you something to drink?”

“No. I won’t be staying long. I stopped by to tell you how sorry I am about your loss.”

Trevor’s dad patted the seat on the sofa next to him. “I appreciate you stopping by. Trevor told me how you just lost both of your parents. You must be grieving too.”

She couldn’t stop her eyes from watering. “Yes.” She took a seat next to Mr. Kinsey.

He turned toward her. “Trevor also said you found out your birth mother was no longer alive either.” He clasped her hand in his, and her heart swelled.

“I’m afraid that’s true.”

“We all need support in these difficult times.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. The love in Trevor’s family amazed her. They were so different from the way she was brought up, only she hadn’t realized it until she’d met them.

Lara wiped a tear off her cheek. “Where’s Mrs. Kinsey. I wanted to offer my condolences to her too.”

“She flew up North to be with Kathy, my daughter, who had her baby yesterday.” His smile wobbled. “I guess it’s God’s way of helping us heal. She had a boy and named him Ethan.” He had to clear his throat.

“That’s wonderful.”

The front door creaked open. Trevor’s dad broke contact and turned around. “Trevor!”

Trevor’s gaze latched onto her. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked thinner and more tired than ever before. She wanted to run to him and throw herself in his arms, but his stiff shoulders told her to stay put.

Mr. Kinsey stood. “Come on kids, let’s watch some TV in the den.”

Both Harry and his sister nodded their goodbyes and followed their dad out. Lara stood and tucked her hands behind her back.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

She couldn’t tell if he was happy to see her or accusing her of something. “I wanted to see how your family was handling Ethan’s death.” He took a few steps closer, almost as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted her there. She dropped her gaze. “Trevor, look, I’m sorry.”

Before she even glanced up, he came around the sofa, lifted her chin, and wrapped her in his arms. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I jumped down your throat because you didn’t confide in me, and because you refused to see what an amazing woman you are. You let other people’s actions color how you reacted.” He hugged her tighter. “I wasn’t being very understanding. I realize now how grief can mess with your mind, draw you inward, and make you crazy.”

She snuggled up against his broad chest and nearly melted into his arms. This is where she wanted to be. “I should have told you the moment I learned about being adopted. I should have trusted you. I should have—”

“Shh.” He lifted her chin with a knuckle. “I’m the one who was the ass.”

He kissed her lightly on the lips and her whole body nearly dropped. She grabbed on tight and looked up. “Can we talk about my adoption and why I took off without telling you? About Ethan’s death? And about something I’ve only told one person?”

He cocked a brow. “Sure.”

“I’ll try to keep this short. My parents were busy people. I had a nanny, Janet, for as long as I could remember. When I was eleven, my parents were once again on a trip. I don’t remember the details, but I was crying in bed one night and Janet’s boyfriend, Raphael, came into my room.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I thought he was the most wonderful person—kind and caring and fun. He paid attention to me, something few people did. He held me and comforted me. I honestly didn’t think much about it.”

Trevor’s jaw tensed. “I bet he came in more often after that, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“What did he do?” His Adam’s apple bobbed.

“At first, not much. He’d stroke me and tell me how beautiful I was. I believed him. One night he touched my small, budding breasts. I didn’t want him to go away, but I knew what he did was wrong.”

Trevor scooted closer and took her hands in his. “You didn’t tell anyone did you?”

“Not at first. The first time he had sex with me, he was gentle, but I knew it was wrong. Right after I cried out, he left but only after he made me promise I wouldn’t say anything to my parents. Otherwise, Janet would have to leave.” She squeezed his hands. “I loved Janet and trusted her. She was like my mother. Actually, she was more of a mother than my mother was.”

“Did he come in again?”

“Yes. He was drunk one night and raped me. I screamed and tried to beat him off, but I couldn’t stop him.” She dropped her face in her hands. Trevor handed her a tissue and she wiped dry her eyes. “I didn’t tell Janet at first for fear she’d be angry. But after it happened a few more times, I had to tell her. The problem was she didn’t believe me.”

Trevor gathered her in his arms. “I’m so sorry.”

She wanted to stay there, but she eased back. “There’s more.” Lara told him about her college sweetheart. “When I finally had sex with him, he dumped me the next day, saying he’d only slept with me because of a bet.”

“Jesus. After we made love the first time, I left early the next morning. Did you think I only wanted you for sex?”

She nodded.

He leaned over and kissed her. She wanted to let go, but she had one burning question and pushed back.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Remember when we spoke to Bernie’s ex-wife and afterward you said people who come from dysfunctional families can never recover?”

“I don’t remember, but I might have. Oh, Lara. We all come from families with problems.”

“You don’t. I’ve never met a more loving family.”

He sank back on the sofa. “My father is a bigot, my mother is mostly a doormat, and my family is so big we often don’t have time for each other. Yes, we love each, but we all have issues.” He ran a thumb over her lips. “I never realized how much you’d suffered, and I understand now why you didn’t trust me enough to confide in me, but you can’t let what others think of you dictate how you see yourself.”

“You said that before.”

“Because it’s true. You control your life. You’re amazing. How many women do you know could have stopped a serial killer?”

She sniffled. “Probably not many.”

“And how many could identify a person by looking at a bunch of bones?”

She had to laugh. “I do more than look at them.”

“I know, but don’t you see how special you are?” He ran a hand down her cheek. “If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I promise we can travel a road to emotional happiness together.”

“Emotional happiness?” She had to laugh at that one. No one used that phrase any more.

“Okay. Find the path to love.”

She couldn’t believe her ears. “You love me?” Unlovable me?

“Would I have tossed away my chance to be in homicide in order to protect you if I didn’t love you? I dropped looking for Ethan the moment I learned where that bastard had taken you. Ask my family. Ask Derek. I’ve been going crazy without you. Lara, I need you. I love you.”

Tears streamed down her face. “I love you too.”

Trevor’s dad cleared his throat. “You two going to get a room or what?”

They laughed, hugged and kissed. “Yes, sir,” Trevor said.

He stood and pulled her into his arms. “What do you say we take this someplace more private?”

“You’re on.”

I hope you enjoyed the story of Lara and Trevor!

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