Page 99 of Only One More Lie

“Your parent’s deaths had nothing to do with you, Juniper,” Duke reassured her.

“I’m beginning to realize that. But there’s so much going on here, and I can’t help but wonder if I’d handled myself a differently if my parents would still be alive.”

“There’s far more at play right now than you realize,” Ranger said.

Silence fell as everyone seemed to process the conversation.

Then Simmy brushed Juniper’s hair behind her ear. “You’re really my daughter?”

She nodded. “That’s what I was told.”

“I wouldn’t put it past Mark to have done something to me. I was naive back then. They told me it was in vitro. But I suppose I could have been artificially inseminated. I don’t remember any of it. I wasn’t allowed to ask questions.” Simmy tilted her head, all her attention on Juniper. “I was on a quest to find my realfather also. It led me here. I understand your desire to take a deep dive into your past.”

“My parents also had secrets,” Mariella added. “It seems like every family does.”

Duke rose, sensing some smaller, more private conversations needed to take place—conversations that not everyone needed to hear. “Maybe we should call it a night and get some rest. Then we can talk again in the morning. I have a feeling Simmy and Juniper may want some time alone.”

Both women nodded as if grateful for his suggestion.

Yes, they still had a lot to talk about. A lot to think about.

But the best thing the team could do right now was to rest their minds and restart these conversations in the morning.

CHAPTER 52

ONE DAY UNTIL THE NEXT MURDER

Andi awoke early. She hadn’t been able to sleep anyway. Not with everything going on.

Instead of tossing and turning in bed, she quietly got up, threw on a sweatshirt and some slippers, and padded out into the living room.

She wasn’t sure where Juniper had slept during the night, and she didn’t want to disturb her in case she was on the couch.

Andi spotted Juniper sitting in front of the fire staring at it. Tundra raised his head above the back of the couch to look at Andi as she walked into the room.

Juniper glanced over her shoulder, her hair piled high in a messy bun.

“Good morning.” Her voice didn’t sound as perky as it once had. As a matter of fact, it sounded a little raw and hoarse as if she’d been crying again.

Andi took a hesitant step closer. “I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“I’ve just been sitting here thinking. I welcome a distraction from my thoughts.”

Andi quietly walked toward her and lowered herself on the other end of the couch. She gave Tundra a quick rub on his back before turning to Juniper. “How are you doing?”

“It’s really hard to say.” Juniper shrugged. “On one hand, I’m still devastated about everything that happened. But on the other hand, getting to know Simmy has been pretty amazing.”

“I didn’t realize it until you said something, but now that I know you could be related, I can see the resemblance. Simmy is a wonderful woman.”

Juniper absently began to pet Tundra again. “She seems amazing. I didn’t want to say anything at first because I just wasn’t sure. I didn’t know what she’d be like or if I’d want to tell her. But now I’m glad I did.”

“You’re going to love getting to know her better,” Andi said softly.

“I’m sure you’re right. For the past year, I’ve been consumed with guilt. I’ve wondered if my secrets played a role in my parent’s deaths. I lied to them about what I knew, about what happened to the money.” She paused. “Having this guilt in my life a terrible way to live.”

Andi thought about her own life. About the guilt she’d felt because of her own issues.

In her quest to protect Duke, she may have ended up hurting him more instead.

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