Read Online Crimes of the Heart by Laurie LeClair - Free Book Online

you for my dad and for us to be a happy family. Do you think we could, Dad?”
    The break in his son’s voice ripped a hole clear through Devon’s heart. If he continued this crude treatment of Jewel he’d ruin everything for Sean. He couldn’t destroy a young boy’s dream, even if that meant sacrificing his pent-up, age-old burning rage at the past. “I’ll do the best I can, son.”
    How the hell am I going to fulfill my promise? A wave of anxiety rolled over him at the thought of letting go of the hatred he’d carried for so long, that had made him who he was today. Without it, he didn’t know anything else. Searching his mind, his memory, he found it empty of anything other than the driving force of his anger.
    So many of his actions since returning to his hometown made sense now. Jewel had been an easy target to pin all his fiery emotions on. His father was gone, Simon Wainwright, too. And his mother was ensconced in a retirement home deteriorating from Alzheimer’s. No one from that time had survived except Jewel and him. How simple it was to blame her. And not yourself.
    Now, without that barrier of hate between them, he’d have to deal with her head on. There would be nothing left to shield him any longer, nothing to keep him safe from exposing all the raw, powerful feelings he’d felt for her then and how he’d buried them in a deep pocket of his soul.
    A bead of perspiration trickled down his temple. Another soon followed. I can’t let her discover the hold she had on me. And, if I’m not careful, it could happen all over again.
     
    ***
     
    At quarter to eleven the next morning, Devon paced his empty, renovated library. The hardwood floor gleamed in the late morning arch of sunlight and the sounds of his footsteps bounced off the cream-colored walls.
    The new navy-blue suit he wore fit perfectly, but seemed stifling. And the tie felt more like a noose. He tugged at it now. With his other hand, he raked his fingers through his hair.
    Just then Sean, wearing a similar suit, entered with the smoky-gray cat following on his heels. “Stop messing with your tie, Dad. It’s all cock-eyed now. Here, let me fix it for you.”
    Devon turned fully to his son, smiling tightly. Sean winked at him. “You should see mom, she’s just as bad as you are.”
    He frowned at that piece of information as his son’s small hands righted the fabric and the cat weaved through his legs. “Is she?”
    “Uh huh. You’d think you two wouldn’t be this nervous having gone through this already.”
    “It was a long time ago.” And it was just us, the minister, and his wife. Back then, we’d been in love .
    Pulling away, Sean said, “There, now don’t touch it again, all right?” He shrugged. “At least the lump on your forehead doesn’t look too bad. We did a good job covering it with some of your hair, didn’t we?”
    Patting his son on the shoulder, he said, “Sure did. I don’t know what I’d have done without you last night and today.”
    His heart swelled at the huge grin splitting Sean’s face. “Thanks, Dad.”
    “Well, I guess this is it, then. Any last words of advice for your old man?” He expected a laugh in return, but when the boyish features suddenly turned grim Devon’s internal alarm system reacted in warning.
    “Ah…I know you aren’t used to actually living with someone…a woman, that is.”
    The topic of conversation struck Devon as funny. “And you are?”
    He shot Devon one of those ‘get real’ looks, and then said, “Hello, I’ve only lived with one for the last eleven and a half years.”
    Chuckling, he admitted the truth of that statement. “All right, round one goes to you.”
    That brought a smile to his son’s face. Sean dug a hand into his pants pocket, and then withdrew a folded piece of yellow paper. He passed it to Devon. “Here, I wrote down all the things I could think of that mom likes.”
    Opening the stationary, he asked, “You’re giving me