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“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 forthat 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.

Chapter Forty-Two

EASTON

Miles madesure everyone knew that Jesse and Max were safe, then he went home just as the sun was beginning to rise. West slept in the chair across from the couch where I had remained since Jesse ran to the bedroom.

Her cries had stopped a few hours after they started, and I could only assume she had cried herself to sleep. West checked in on her when he got up to get me some water and said she was curled up with Max. He couldn’t tell if she was awake though.

I was content to give her time to process everything she had learned. Her entire life flipped upside down the moment West and I barreled in through the door, and although I was thankful she was okay, I was breaking even more inside as I told her what happened.

Finally, around eight in the morning, I heard little feet padding down the hallway. I stood, still dirty from the night before, but held my arms open for Max to leap into.

“Hi Eas! I slept in your room!”

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