Done (Harmony Haven #1)

Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

JESSE

Every day, I woke up with a smile on my face, yet I still looked for reasons why Easton and I wouldn’t work. We were close and comfortable with each other, but that didn’t do anything to ease my anxiety over how it would all end. I just kept taking the risk, never able to pull away, still thinking I'd get a clear sign when it was time to pull away.

Trust me, I was annoying myself as much as I was anyone else. But I had never been in such a delicate situation. It wasn’t what I was looking for, it wasn’t what I had planned.

Then I got that sign.

After another week of making love, playing house, and acting like a couple, Easton decided to head home for a night. He had to work at his parent’s house the next morning and I had an early online meeting.

But at the last minute, the Zoom meeting I had expected to have got turned into a face to face request, and I made the decision to head to Atlanta for the day while Max was in school. It was only an hour's drive; I knew I could make it happen. I’d even let Max’s teachers know where I’d be.

My instinct was to call Easton to also tell him where I’d be. And I probably should have. We weren’t together, but we kind of were, no matter how much I denied it. Even if we weren’t, we were close enough to let the other know if we were headed out of town. But I needed gas in the car and a drink of water first, so I decided to call Easton once I was a little bit down the road.

While making a stop at the small gas station on Main Street, those signs I’d been waiting for finally slapped me in my face. And boy did it hurt.

Two gossiping women sat at the counter, drinking coffee and watching everyone go in and out. They whispered but everyone could hear what they were saying and as I walked past to get water from the cooler, I realized I was the subject of their chatter.

“Isn’t that the girl in Easton Brooks’ bed?”

“That’s what they say.”

“Poor thing. She probably has no idea what Easton Brooks is capable of. Remember what he did to Rory Marte?”

“Yes. And I heard from my granddaughter, who’s friends with one of the firefighters' wives, that he and Rory were getting together at work. Just the other day he saw her leaving his room at the station.”

“Oh, they were outside of the station just last week, trying not to touch each other where everyone could see.”

“Ugh, he better not do her dirty like he did all those years ago.”

I wasn’t naive to the fact that small town rumor mills went wild, but wasn’t there always a little truth in every story? I knew from everyone talking at the festival that he and Rory had gone to their prom together, but that was fourteen years ago. Could there still be something going on?

I had never asked, and Easton never talked about her.

Nonetheless, it solidified my decision to not call Easton and tell him I was headed to the city. I didn’t tell him I was meeting with the representative for the Kings, nor did I tell him about my friend Francesca. Those were the kind of things you told your boyfriend, and Easton was just temporary. I couldn’t be delusional—not anymore.

For the entire drive, I gave myself a long overdue pep talk, telling myself that it was finally time to cut things off with Easton. We had gone as far as we could go because any farther and I would end up falling hard for him. It wasn’t fair to either of us to let it become something we couldn’t walk away from because it would never work.

Easton had been understanding and patient, so he would understand that I could never allow someone to hold any power over me. Especially when I had to be strong enough to continue raising Max alone. There was no room for weakness in motherhood.

My 10 AM meeting only lasted two hours, so by noon I was headed to meet Francesca at our favorite sandwich shop. I knew I couldn’t stay long, but more than ever, I needed to see a friendly face.

“Don’t even try telling me you’re not having sex,” Francesca laughed when she hugged me. “You’ve got that certain glow about you that only multiple orgasms can give.”

“Maybe that’s the work of my nightstand lover,” I winked but was unable to keep a straight face.

“It’s the firefighter isn’t it?”

“Am I that obvious?” There was no sense in denying it because I didn’t really want to lie to Francesca. In fact, she of all people would be able to appreciate how close I was able to get to Easton and how strong I was to end it before it went any further.

“You had a different tone when you told me the story about how y’all met. So it wasn’t that much of a leap.”

“Well he has been a good friend and has definitely given me more orgasms than anyone else ever has. But when I see him again, I’m gonna tell him we’ve reached our quota.”

“Why the hell would you do that?” Francesca gasped with a smile on her face, surely thinking I had lost my mind.

“Because I didn’t move to Harmony Haven to have some crazy affair with a local firefighter. Easton has given me everything I needed, including companionship, as I adjust to my new life. But I moved there for Max and it feels selfish to continue seeing Easton before I’m even sure if Max is happy and content.”

“You’ve been the strong mama that Max needs the last three years. Just because you moved doesn’t mean you have to start over when it comes to showing him how strong you are. Every time Clay knocks on your door and you kick his ass out, that’s showing your strength and your desire to put Max above everything else. But that doesn’t have to last forever and time definitely didn’t restart just because you moved.”

“Maybe you’re right,” I shrugged. But in the back of my head, I was thinking that she was wrong, that she had no idea how scared I was to mess up when it came to being Max’s mom. She could never understand because she wasn’t in my shoes, so I decided to end the conversation without any more explanation.

Thankfully, all I had to do was mention the new scents and colors that would be featured in the Kings’ pro shop. There would be baseball sayings on the labels and they would be curated based on who they were playing and what was happening with the team. Easton was The only other person I thought would be more excited for me than Francesca.

I’d tell him, but just because he was a friend.

Lunch had to be quick so I could get back to Harmony Haven and get Max from school. But just like every other day in Atlanta, the traffic was heavy and I found myself sitting in my car in the middle of the interstate, practicing how to tell Easton that we had to stop seeing each other.

“Hey Easton, I know we’ve had a lot of great sex, but your orgasms are getting kind of hard to walk away from…” No, I couldn't say that.

“Easton, remember how we talked about losing our parents and how emotional that got? Well that only made me want you more so we need to just end things now.” Shit, no, that was pretty insensitive. I couldn’t use our tragedies as an excuse.

“Easton, how about one Tuesday a month we have crazy sex, but other than that we just act like we don’t know each other?” That was an incredible idea, but I doubt he’d go for it.

“Easton, what I really need right now is a friend, and I want to be your friend because being…”

My phone ringing over the Bluetooth speaker cut me off and I answered quickly when I saw it was Max’s school.

“Hello?”

“Hi Jessica, it’s Mrs. Hadley from Harmony preschool. I’m hoping that you’re back from your trip to the city because there’s been an accident.”

“What?” Panic took over as I waited for her to tell me more. The traffic had started moving, but barely, and I laid on my horn as if it would make everyone part just for me.

“Max fell on the playground and bumped his head. He was alert when we called the ambulance.”

“Ambulance?” I screamed, unable to comprehend the fact that my son—my baby—had to be in an ambulance alone and scared.

“He was taken to Harmony Medical Center. It's the small clinic next to the grocery store. That’s all I know.”

I nodded, letting her know I was familiar with that building, but she couldn’t see me. All she heard was the click as I hung up and dialed Easton. He was a fire fighter, a damn EMT for fuck’s sake. Maybe he knew more about Max. Maybe he didn’t go to his parents’ house and was with the team that responded to the call.

Unfortunately, the five calls I made while I broke through the traffic jam all went to voicemail. My foot hit harder on the gas pedal, intent on getting back to Harmony Haven quicker than I ever had, not even caring that the dark cloud ahead of me looked ominous. Storm or not, I was getting to Max as fast as possible.