Fate was in control, and as much as I wanted to believe that, I couldn’t.
—
Almost a week after Harmony’s accident, I found myself standing outside the door to her house. Jake had called to tell me Harmony had left the hospital two days ago and was home. I’d only gone back up one other time to see Harmony.
Not sure why I was even here, I turned and was headed back to my car when I heard my name. “Preston?”
Closing my eyes, I tried to push away the drop in my stomach when she said my name. Smiling, I turned and faced her. The bruises on her face were slowly fading, but the bright pink cast was a clear reminder of what had brought us together in the first place.
“Hey!” I said as I walked toward her.
Grinning, she tilted her head. “Did you ring the bell?”
Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, I let out a nervous chuckle. “What? No, I thought I had left my phone in the car.” I began patting all around until I felt my phone. “Nope, there it is. Just in case the station calls or something.”
“Oh, okay. Jake just left.”
Shit. I didn’t really want to be alone with Harmony, and I wasn’t really sure why I didn’t want to be alone with her.
“Are you going to come in or stand out here?”
Coming to my senses, I started up the stairs. “Right, sorry, I just got off shift so I’m a bit tired.”
Harmony’s face fell briefly before she gave me a weak smile and turned toward the house. I followed her in to the living room.
“Want a cup of coffee?” Harmony asked as she made her way into the kitchen. The living room and kitchen were all in one open-spaced room. Looking back at her, I could hear it in her voice. She was putting on a show for me.
“Sure. Black, please,” I said as I looked around. Pictures of Harmony, her husband, and TJ covered the walls. Walking over to the mantel, I smiled as I picked up a picture of the three of them. TJ couldn’t have been more than a few days old.
r /> “Jake will be starting his residency in a few days. I hate that he’s missed so much schooling because of me.”
Nodding, I placed the picture back down and headed to the kitchen. Harmony gestured for me to sit at the kitchen island bar.
“I’m sure it’s fine, Harmony. Jake seems like a pretty bright guy.”
Spinning on her heels, she looked at me. Her eyes filled with sadness. “Fine?” Harmony shook her head and went back to moving about the kitchen. Reaching into a cabinet, she pulled out two mugs. “Oh, Preston, everything is far from fine.”
“I didn’t mean—”
Dropping her head, Harmony cried. I quickly jumped up and went to her. Turning her, I pulled her into my arms. “I have to bury my son and husband tomorrow, Preston, and I don’t think I can do it.” Burying her face in my chest, she gripped my shirt and cried harder. Her legs gave out and I dropped down to the floor with her and held her while she cried on the tiles of her kitchen floor.
Harmony cried until she fell asleep from what I guessed was sheer exhaustion. Looking up, I saw Jake.
“She broke down and I didn’t know what to do but hold her while she cried.”
Jake gave me a sad grin. “Let me show you where to put her.”
Standing up as carefully as I could while I held Harmony, I followed Jake to a room down the hall.
Jake opened the door and stood to the side while I walked into the room. It was fairly bare with just a bed, a dresser, and a small desk in the corner. Jake sighed as he spoke in a hushed tone. “It’s the guest room. She won’t sleep anywhere else but in this room.”
Pulling the covers back, I placed Harmony down and pulled the covers back over her. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and was spread across the pillow. Reaching down, I pushed a strand of hair back and behind her ear as I stared at her.
Twenty years old and already so much pain and hurt in her life. My heart broke as I watched her sleep for a few minutes more before I made my way out of the room and back into the kitchen.
Jake was leaning against the counter with a somber look on his face. “Trey’s parents couldn’t even give her a few days to get settled back in before they had to do the burial. I’d like to bash their fucking heads together.” Dropping his head back, he swore under his breath before looking back at me. “Do you know I had to threaten to get a court order to keep them from burying Trey and TJ while Harmony was still in the hospital?”
Sucking in a breath of air, I asked, “Why would they do that?”