Chapter 27

Amanda flipped the envelope back and forth, trying to figure out what Lee meant. She slowly removed the contents, unfolded the papers, and scanned over the document. She glanced up to Lee and then back down to reread it. She slowly folded the pages and placed them back in the envelope. As soon as she got her voice back, she gazed into Lee's sparkling eyes. "Lee, is this what I think it is?" Lee just simply nodded. "How? Where did it come from?"

Lee reached to take Amanda's hands and guided her up on the couch. They both sat before Lee answered her questions. "My parents. I actually just found out about it myself a few years ago. I had no idea it even existed until the Agency did another deep background check. If they hadn't done that, I probably still wouldn't know about it."

"I bet that was hard to explain. Especially since you didn't know how to."

"Yeah, it was. Thankfully, Billy was there to help keep cooler heads. The Agency thought I was hiding something. When I was able to get some information from the bank, everything fell into place. I found out it was a trust fund that my parents set up for me right after I was born. There was a letter left at the bank, only to be given to me once I inquired about it. I've had access to it as soon as I turned twenty-five, but I never knew it. My uncle never mentioned it to me. He thought I wasn't mature enough to know about it. That's one of the reasons our relationship is so strained."

"May I ask what the letter said? I understand if you don't want to share."

Lee placed his hands on Amanda's and lightly squeezed them. "No, I want to tell you. I'll even let you read it sometime." Lee glanced at their joined hands and lightly fingered her engagement ring as he continued, "It basically stated, Mum and Dad set up the trust for me to use for my family. My parents wanted to ensure that I would be able to start a family and not have to worry about money. The letter also explained most of the money came from a trust my mom got when her parents died. Mum and Dad didn't need the money, so they put it all in a trust for me," Lee paused and sought out Amanda's eyes. Amanda placed her thumb on Lee's cheek as she wiped away a lonely tear. Lee reached for her hand and kissed it before continuing, "It has done nothing but gain interest for over thirty years. I withdrew a small amount and set up a few insurance policies with my family, my civilian contacts, I mean. Other than that, I haven't touched it. Now that I think about it, it's probably a good thing I didn't know about it when I was twenty-five. The way my life was going, I would've probably blown it all by now, and that's not what my parents wanted."

"Lee, can I ask you a question?" He nodded. "Why are you just telling me about this, now?"

"I don't know. I guess I didn't know how to bring it up. When we decided to buy a home, I knew I would be able to give you the home of your dreams. That's the real reason I wanted to look at higher-priced homes. As I mentioned before, I just wanted to make sure this is what you really wanted first."

"I understand."

A look of relief passed over his face before he continued, "I thought after we have everything set with the house, we could put some of the money into a college fund for both the boys."

"Oh, Lee! It's your money. You don't have to—"

"No, Amanda, it's our money. This is what my parents wanted. For my family. Your boys are my boys as well. Maybe not by blood, but they're mine. I would give up my life to save or help them."

Amanda gazed into his beautiful hazel eyes. She could see nothing but pure love in them. "I love you! I know you love the boys as well." She angled herself closer to Lee and kissed away his remaining tears.

Lee embraced her and held her tight as she wrapped her arms around him. They stayed that way for the longest time, just enjoying being held by someone. Lee was the first to release his hold and lovingly stared into her eyes. "How about you and I talk about what we are going to do with our new home?"

"I would love to! What did you have in mind?"

"First, I think we should discuss security. The house is already on the end of a cul-de-sac, so that helps. It also has a tall fence around the perimeter, but I still think we need to install some cameras to monitor the area. If we do, this will serve two purposes. One, for any Agency business that may follow us home, and two, we will have a couple of teenage boys in a few years."

"I like the first idea, Lee, but I'm not ready to think of my boys as teenagers just yet. Let them be boys a little longer." They shared a laugh as Amanda continued, "We also need an office in the house somewhere, and the room they are using as the office on the first floor is pretty small. If we both have to be working at the same time, it will be pretty tight."

"I was thinking the same thing. What would you think about not having a gym? We could remodel that room so our office could be downstairs. Do you remember how it had that one wall with the huge opening? We could close that up and put the office on the right side. What do you think, honey?"

"That could work, but what would you do with the other side?"

Lee studied Amanda's eyes. He didn't know how to approach this subject, but he wanted to have some way to protect his family if needed. "Well, it's funny, you should ask. Now, this may seem a little of the wall or unneeded, but please just hear me out." Amanda nodded in agreement. "I would like to turn that room into a panic room or a safe room if you'd rather call it that."

"A panic room! Don't you think that's a little much?"

"Amanda, what if something were to happen when you and I aren't home. The boys could get to it pretty quick, and Dotty could even get to it from her place using the tunnel. Or, say, you're at home with our baby, and someone tried to break in. I'm just trying to keep my family safe."

Amanda softly smiled at his confession. "Sweetheart, I think it's fabulous that you want to keep OUR family safe." She stressed the word our, so he knew she understood. "How would we explain the room to them? I think Mother could handle the news, but the boys are still too young to know the truth about our jobs."

"Hmmm. Dotty and the boys know we work for IFF. IFF is a government-run company. We could tell them, the government is suggesting that all employees have some kind of a safe place to go in their homes."

"That may work. How long do you think it would take to make the changes? I would like them done before we move in."

"I'm not sure. I can talk to Leatherneck tomorrow. We will need to put a second phone line in the office and soundproof it, as well. He'll be able to give us a better idea."

"That would probably require us telling him about the two of us and our upcoming wedding."

Lee nodded. "Yes, it would. But I trust Leatherneck. I don't think he would say anything. Especially if we ask him not to."

"Okay, so if we are putting the office downstairs. What are we going to do with the room upstairs?"

"What would you think of a library/study room for the boys? There are already two attached desks on each side of the built-in bookshelves."

"Sweetheart, I love that idea. We could put a loveseat or a recliner in there as well. It could be our quiet room."

"Well, it appears we have a plan. Can you think of anything else that we need to do?"

"Not right now. There may be some bedrooms that we will need to repaint, depending on which rooms the boys pick. What is our next step?"

"I will call John to see if he can meet us for lunch tomorrow away from the Agency. And I will ask him to bring the appropriate paperwork, so we can write up an offer on the house. This way, no one will see him meeting with us. The fewer people that know for right now, the better. Then you and I will stop by the Credit Union and start the loan process."

"What if someone sees us together in the Credit Union?"

Lee thought about her question for a while, then answered, "We can tell them that I am helping you co-sign for a loan. We don't have to go into detail because it's none of their business."

"Okay, so Leatherneck, then John, and then the Credit Union. Hopefully, tomorrow is a quiet day. We won't have much time to actually work." They both chuckled when Amanda added, "Why don't you go call John, and then you and I can celebrate."

"I like the way you think. I'll be right back."