Page 63 of His Loving Wife

“I don’t want to spoil—”

“You’re not spoiling anything.” He cups his hands on my cheeks and kisses my lips. “Please come. Nothing would make me happier than being out on the waves with the whole family.”

He looks sincere. I think of how happy the kids are about another trip at sea. I hate to miss their excitement because of my own fears. Besides, Andrew has tried to step outside his comfort zone. Maybe that’s what I should do, too.

“Let me run into town, and we’ll go when I get back, okay? I’ll text you to let you know when I’m headed back.”

Andrew steps forward, pulling me closer to him. He kisses me. At first, it’s gentle and expected, then it becomes more passionate. His lips move in sync with mine, his tongue tickling the inside of my mouth.

After a few seconds, I pull away with a giggle. “What’s that for?”

“You know I love you, right?” Andrew’s eyes are so blue. I can’t quite describe the look on his face.

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything is perfect,” he says, leaning in for another passionate kiss.

“Gross,” Willow says as she walks up behind us. She slams the sliding glass door as she leaves.

Chapter 31

2 Months Ago

A month after receiving the first letter, Detective Barnes visited the Brooks family home. They had received four more since then.

Kate was nervous about his arrival. She’d made up some errands for Willow to run in town, convincing her to take her brother with her. She cleaned up the room, moving and replacing items nervously. Andrew watched her but didn’t help. He sat on the sofa with crossed arms. They still hadn’t said much about the letters to one another. There wasn’t much they could say, really, other than they would address the issue together.

A car pulled into their driveway. Standing by the window, Kate watched as the man exited his vehicle and approached the front door. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, really—someone younger, fitter, smoother—but Detective Barnes was not that. His gray suit draped over his body awkwardly. Still, he appeared kind. He offered a firm handshake and accepted a glass of water before taking a seat in the living room.

“I believe Detective Marsh told you I’d be taking over your case.”

“Yes, she did.” Kate took a seat, clumsily. It was obvious how nervous she was.

“I apologize for not getting back with you sooner. It’s been hectic what with the change of duties and all. I wanted to reach out concerning the letter you received from Paul. It was last month, right?”

“Yes.”

“And have you received anything since?”

“Yes. Five in total,” Andrew said. “I made copies and sent them over to your email.”

“Thanks for that.”

“I know he’s in jail until the trial, but shouldn’t the restraining order still be in place?” Kate asked.

“That’s the problem,” he said, this time his voice a bit more agitated. “We’re having difficulty proving the letter came from Paul Gunter. He hasn’t sent any correspondence through the jail mail system. And when we had another officer question him about the matter, he denied sending a letter.”

“That’s bullshit. You may not be able to prove he sent the letter, but he clearly did. Maybe he had someone else do it for him.”

“All that is possible, ma’am. But it’s the proving it that’s difficult.”

His trial hadn’t even started, and already Kate felt she was up against reasonable doubt. Why was it they had to face the most monstrous side of Paul before he was taken seriously?

“The problem is we don’t feel safe,” Andrew chimed in. “How can we when this guy is able to contact us and you can’t even prove it?”

“I don’t want you to get discouraged. You’re right. These letters are probably coming from Paul, we just need time to prove it,” Barnes said, cutting back in. “If Paul is finding a way to contact you, we’ll figure out how. And really, this will hurt him even more by the time we get to trial. It might make his sentencing more severe considering he’s not following protocol. It could be a blessing in disguise. Receiving letters might be unsettling, but there’s nothing he can do to physically harm your family as long as he’s in jail.”

And yet, Kate didn’t believe that to be true. Sheknewit to be true, of course. There were countless barriers that kept Paul at a distance. And yet, reading that letter had made his presence feel as threatening as it had on the night he invaded their home.

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