Page 120 of Juniper Hill (The Edens 2)

I wouldn’t stay away for long. I wouldn’t put that burden on them. But for the moment, I wasn’t comfortable being under a different roof than my son. And Knox seemed to feel the same. While I’d kept my mind occupied by cleaning the house and doing laundry, he’d been on his feet in the kitchen, prepping for the Christmas dinner we’d have at the ranch tomorrow.

Maybe I didn’t have any Christmas cheer, but there wasn’t a place I’d rather spend my holiday than with his family.

I’d lost all faith in my own.

My mother had tried to call once. I’d declined it, opting for a text to let her know that Drake was okay and home. She’d called four times since. If they continued, maybe next week I’d answer. Maybe not.

It was a strange feeling to lose your family. It would have been heartbreaking had Knox’s not already claimed me as their own.

Anne had been over three times since Friday, Harrison and Griffin twice. Eloise had come on Friday night after we’d returned from that motel. Talia had been right behind her, insisting on doing a quick checkup to make sure Drake was fine. And then Lyla and Mateo had shown with dinner.

The only family member we hadn’t seen was Winn.

And she was the one we’d been aching to see.

“Memphis,” Knox called from the living room. “Winn’s here.”

“Finally,” I breathed. The T-shirt I’d been folding plopped into the basket. I swept Drake into my arms and carried him down the hallway.

Knox opened the door for Winn, kissing her cheek as she came inside. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She smiled at us both. “Sorry to do this today. But I figured you guys were probably anxious to know what was happening and it would be better now than tomorrow with everyone around.”

“Please.” My heart was in my throat.

It was early still, just ten in the morning. Only yesterday Winn had told us they were still questioning Averie and Jill. But time had ticked by slowly and every hour spent waiting had felt like a week.

“Can we get you anything?” Knox asked, escorting her to the living room. “Water?”

“No, I’m good.” She pressed a hand to her belly that was just barely beginning to show, then took a seat in the chair so Knox and I could sit side by side on the couch.

He lifted Drake from my arms and laid him on the play mat beside our feet. Then he leaned forward, elbows to knees, and gave Winn the nod to start.

“Averie and Jill both requested lawyers, which has slowed the process down. But Jill has finally started cooperating. And we’ve got some evidence to help fill in the gaps with Averie’s side of the story.”

“Was she an FBI agent, Averie?”

Winn shook her head. “No.”

“But she showed me a badge.” It had been in a black wallet that she’d flipped open when I’d seen her outside my townhouse.

“We did find a badge on her person. It was a fake. A good fake. There was no way you’d know.”

“So she tricked me.” My heart sank. “She was just trying to get information on Oliver. Why?”

“From what we were able to find on her phone, she’s got a lot of video footage of Oliver. When I say a lot, it’s the sort I would expect to see from a stalker.”

“When I talked to Oliver, he sounded like he’d already dismissed her,” I said. “If he was being stalked, wouldn’t he know?”

“Not necessarily. She also had videos of your father. I doubt he knew she was following him either.”

“Why?” I shook my head. “I don’t understand why any of this was happening.”

“You and your family were a target.” Winn gave me a sad smile. “I’m guessing that Averie was offered money from Oliver to stay quiet about their relationship.”

I huffed. “He probably paid her the fifty grand I didn’t take.”

“Afterward, she must have learned about you and your family. Thought that if Oliver would pay her, you would too. And it would be an easy way to make money.”