Done (Harmony Haven #1)

Chapter 41

Chapter Forty-One

JESSE

The sound of the door crashing open, made me sit up, awakening me from a deep sleep. So deep that my dreams had felt real, and it took me a minute to remember where I was. Max was beside me, still sleeping soundly, so I got up to see what the noise was coming from the living room.

When I rounded the corner of the hallway, I saw Easton and another man, who looked a little older, but very similar, to Easton. He must be Westley, and he was trying to calm Easton down as he paced the length of the living room.

“Is everything okay?” I whispered, making both men freeze and turn eerily toward me. West’s eyes were wide, his jaw dropped, and he glanced between Easton and me.

Easton was staring at me intently, his jaw locked tight and his eyes bloodshot and…angry? I started to back away, thinking my idea of going to Easton’s house in the middle of the night was a little reckless.

When I realized Easton wasn’t home, I shouldn’t have used the key to let myself in. I shouldn’t have stayed and climbed into his bed when it got so late. I shouldn’t have assumed he’d be happy to see me there.

But then Easton’s first words made me pause, and I realized he wasn’t angry, he was concerned.

“I’ve been calling you.”

“I’m… I’m sorry.” I walked towards the table where I left my bag and pulled out my phone. “I fell asleep waiting for you to come home, and it was on silent. Maybe it died.”

“I’ve been calling you,” Easton repeated, slowly walking toward me as if I were a ghost.

“Kinda ironic,” I tried laughing, “that I got upset at you for not answering the phone last week. I promise to apologize forever.”

Easton kept getting closer, and my eyes caught West pulling up his phone to text someone before he ran a tired hand down his face.

“I’m sorry,” I laughed awkwardly. “I didn’t realize you two were having a brotherly bonding night. I just needed to see you. I needed to be here when you got home. But I’ll just?—”

“Where’s Max?” Easton choked out, making me take a step back.

“He’s asleep in your bed.”

“He’s safe?”

“Of course,” I answered quickly with a break in my voice, confusion coursing through me.

Before I could ask anything else, Easton fell to his knees at my feet and wrapped his arms around my waist. He buried his head into my stomach and I ran my hands through his hair. Looking up to West, I silently asked for answers, but his phone was ringing and he sighed before answering.

“Yeah she’s safe,” he whispered. “Max is here as well.”

“What—?”

“They’re sending a patrol car out,” West let us know, then backed out of the front door. He was standing on the porch, his phone in hand, but he left Easton and me alone, so I dropped down to my knees as well.

“What’s happening?”

Easton pulled back and held my head, eyeing me as if he still couldn’t believe I was there. It was the first time I noticed that his face was covered in dirt, black streaks around his eyes and nose. He looked as if he had been fighting a fire, and my brows furrowed with concern.

“Easton? What’s wrong?”

Without an answer, he kissed me, hard and with purpose, like he thought he’d never get to kiss me again. It was more than me just being there. It was more than the emotion of how we left things earlier that day. Something had happened, and I pulled from Easton’s lips, holding him close.

“Tell me what happened?”

“I thought I lost you,” he choked out. “I thought I lost Max.”

“I know I’ve been scared. I know I’ve been pushing you away. But?—”

“No, baby,” he whispered. “Your house…”

He trailed off, swallowing and shaking his head. I tried to be patient, but he just kept looking at me with pain.

“What about my house?”

“There was a fire,” he whispered. “I couldn’t get ahold of you and I thought you were inside.”

“What?” I stood and Easton followed me, getting to his feet, but barely able to catch his breath.

“I’m so sorry,” he moaned. “I’m so sorry.”

I was speechless, I needed more answers, but just as Easton started talking again, a police cruiser showed up and Miles stepped out, joining West on the porch.

“Why is he here?”

“Rory and Clay,” Easton seethed.

He filled me in on what happened. How he had been at his grandparents’ when the call came in on Miles’ radio. They raced to the house and thought my car was in the garage. Rory panicked and passed out. She was in the hospital, but talking to the cops.

Then Easton told me that Clay was there, watching the house burn with a smirk on his face. Miles had arrested him and he was in custody, but my home was gone. Everything was gone.

“What… I just… But…” I started falling back to the ground, but Easton caught me and scooped me into his arms. We sat on the couch as I cried in his lap, while Miles came in and filled me in on the rest of the story.

“Clay lit my house on fire? Why would he do that?”

“We think he and Rory were in it together. Rory wanted Easton, and Clay wanted you. Rory knew how we lost our parents,” Miles explained. “There was a tipped over candle that spread to the dining area and kitchen. Captain Reed is assuming there was some accelerant because unlike when we lost our parents, this fire spread fast and followed a path away from the front door. But it was clearly a play on how we lost our parents, and it was definitely intentional. As if he wanted us to be able to get in the front door just enough to see what started the fire.”

West had walked outside and then back in, pacing around and clearly uncomfortable. But he never left, and tried to be a strong presence for Easton as he began shaking beneath me.

“You can move into another house. I’ve bought a bunch of them in town. Just tell me which one and it's yours.”

I knew West was helping the only way he knew how, but all I could think about was all the things West couldn’t replace with money. My mom’s couch and her lamp, my favorite candle, the fire truck bed I bought Max. It took me months to save up for that bed, and although money would buy a new one, it wouldn’t be the one I’d worked so hard for.

Standing up, reality started hitting me. Clay tried to kill me. He tried to kill Max. Even if he knew I wasn’t home, he knew he was breaking me into a million different pieces.

“I need my son,” I cried, then ran back toward the bedroom.

Easton let me go and I curled up with Max, crying as he safely slept in my arms. What if I hadn’t decided to go to Easton’s? What would have happened?

It was crazy of me to wake Max up and take him to Easton’s house so late, but I was anxious to tell Easton how much I loved him back. I didn’t want to wait until the next day, or even the next hour. I wanted to surprise him and make a grand gesture the same way he always had with me.

It seemed silly at the time, but that decision may have been the reason I was still alive. Loving Easton may have been the first right decision I’d made in a long time—in more ways than one.

My body shook with more tears while I laid there, listening every so often to the guys’ voices in the living room. Easton was broken, his brothers unsure if they should leave. I couldn’t imagine how scared he must have been, and I wanted to assure him I was okay, but for just a little while longer, I needed to cry.