Holiday Homecoming Secrets

by Lynette Eason

  “Exactly,” Jade said. “Besides, you are family.”

  Two hours later, the kids were tucked into bed, and Heather sat in the recliner, petting Sasha, her eyes distant. Bryce nodded that he was going into the kitchen to give them some privacy.

  Jade sat across from her friend. “How are you doing?”

  Anger flared in Heather’s eyes before she looked away. “Not good, Jade. I don’t know what to do with myself now. The captain won’t let me work the case, of course. I’m rattling around between two houses, looking for anything that would give us a clue as to who killed Frank, and I—” She spread her hands. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Take up painting again,” Jade said softly.

  “What?”

  “Maybe it’s a stupid suggestion, but I haven’t seen you paint in ages. Maybe it will help. I’m not trying to say it’ll distract you, but it’s always been an outlet for you.”

  Heather sighed and raked a hand over hair that needed to be washed. “I’ve been so busy with work and...the wedding...” She drew in a shuddering breath. “What is it with me and men? My first fiancé left me practically at the altar and now Frank—” Tears spilled over her lashes and onto her cheeks. “It’s not fair,” she whispered. “None of this was supposed to happen. How could he do this to me?”

  “I know. But you’re strong. You survived that jerk and went on to prove it was his loss for leaving you. This isn’t Frank’s fault. He didn’t want to leave you.”

  “But he did, didn’t he?” The flash of fury faded as quickly as it appeared. Heather sighed and shook her head, swiping the tears from her pale cheeks. “Sorry. It doesn’t matter whether he did or didn’t. He was working a story that got him killed.”

  “And now he needs us to get him justice. Keep fighting, Heather.” She walked over to kneel in front of her friend. “Keep fighting and together, you...we’ll...heal from this loss, too.”

  Heather jumped up and Jade fell back onto her hip. The woman reached down and helped her up. “Sorry. Thank you. I don’t know why I came here. I guess I just needed to vent a little. And... I’m angry at him,” she whispered. “For letting this happen.”

  “I know.” Jade hugged her once more. Then Heather slipped out the door, climbed into her car and left.

  “Everything okay?” Bryce asked from the door of the kitchen. Sasha stood at his side, her big head swinging back and forth between him and Jade.

  “No, not really. She’s hurting.”

  “We all are.”

  “No, I mean, she’s really angry. She was engaged once to a guy named Chance Little. He waited all the way up until the rehearsal dinner to back out of the wedding. Heather was devastated.”

  He winced. “I didn’t know.”

  “But she managed to overcome it with the help of her friends and family. And Frank,” she said slowly. “Frank was a great friend to her. Maybe that’s when their friendship developed into something more. I don’t know. But this...losing him? I’m afraid it might be too much for her. I think she’s not just angry at the person who killed him but at Frank for taking on something so dangerous and leaving her out of the loop.” She shrugged. “After the funeral, she’s going to need us more than ever. Whether she realizes it or not.”

  He nodded, and started to say something when Jade’s parents walked in. After a round of thanks for watching the children, he and Jade and Sasha stepped outside. It was cold, but clear. The snow had stopped, but the ground was covered in white. Bryce started to his car then turned back. “Jade, I...”

  “What?”

  “Is...”

  She lifted a brow when he stopped.

  “Does Mia live with your parents or you?”

  She sighed. “My parents, mostly. She has a room in our apartment, of course, but with my work hours—and the twins’ arrival—she’s been staying with Mom and Dad more than with me. I don’t necessarily like that, but it’s the way it has to be right now—although maybe not as much as it has been—but she likes staying with Jessica and Gage, and I don’t fight her on it. Mom and Dad are going through the process to adopt them, so Mia is beyond excited. She’s already started calling them her brother and sister even though that’s not technically correct. It doesn’t matter. We all want them in the family.” She ducked her head and let her eyes roam the landscape. “I love this place. It’s my home—and Mia’s. But I’m a single parent and a cop. I’ve had to accept that the combination comes with certain limitations—and that includes having my parents take care of Mia a lot.”

  “They don’t mind.”

  “No, they don’t.”

  “But you do?”

  She scrubbed a hand over her face. “Sometimes. I wonder if it’s the best setup for her. If it’s stable enough. If running back and forth between two places is any way for a little girl to grow up.”

  “I know I’ve only seen Mia for a few hours, but she’s an amazing kid. She’s confident and outgoing and very well adjusted. I’d say whatever you’re doing, you should keep doing it.”

  Jade huffed a short laugh. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

  “Today was wonderful,” he said. “Thanks for allowing me to be included.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m glad you wanted to be.”

  His eyes dropped to her lips, and her heart nearly stopped. His head started to lower. Her chin lifted. Sasha stepped between them and gave a low woof. Bryce let out a laugh, cleared his throat and stepped back. Heat flamed in her cheeks, and she ducked her head. He tilted it once more and let his lips cover hers. Jade froze for a brief moment and then allowed herself to enjoy the moment, taking comfort in his presence and the gentle exploration of his kiss.

  Reality intruded. She owed him the truth. He must have sensed her emotional withdrawal, because he pulled back. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes, I just...maybe we shouldn’t... I mean, you don’t want—” kids? He’d kissed her, not asked her to marry him.

  “Right. I understand.”

  Did he? Well, that was good because she wasn’t sure she did. And now she’d made the moment awkward in her usual clumsy, fumbling way. “Bryce, I’m—”

  “It’s okay, Jade. I’ll see you later,” he said.

  “Of course. Be careful going home.”

  “You too.”

  “Right. I’ll try not to trip as I walk the fifty or so steps to my apartment above the garage.”

  He rolled his eyes and the awkwardness faded.

  “Sasha, tell Jade good-night.” Sasha dropped to the ground, crossed her paws over her snout and closed her eyes.

  Jade let out a delighted laugh. “That’s precious.”

  “Good girl, Sasha.”

  The dog bounded to her feet, tongue lolling, obviously very pleased with herself. Jade scratched the animal’s silky ears one more time before Bryce loaded her into his truck.

  Jade breathed a sigh and it wasn’t until his car was out of sight that her pulse started to settle.

  Then she noticed the cold. The darkness that pressed in just past the lights of the barn. She shivered in spite of the new officer who’d replaced the other shift. Because whether she wanted to admit it or not, she could feel someone out there watching her. Waiting.

  Waiting for the moment she was vulnerable and alone, like in the tree lot. I don’t know anything! She wanted to shout the words into the stillness. He didn’t tell me anything!

  Would it do any good? Would the person believe her?

  She doubted it.

  * * *

  Bryce couldn’t sleep. He’d almost asked Jade about Mia’s father, but had chickened out at the last minute. As much as he tried to convince himself that Jade wouldn’t keep such a major thing from him, he simply had to know. “So, ask her tomorrow,” he muttered and punched his pillow. Sasha raised her head and eyed him from her bed across
the room. She’d chosen her bed over his after he’d awakened her more than usual. Funny, how she knew when he was just restless and when he needed her to pull him out of a nightmare.

  He shut his eyes, but his mind continued to spin.

  Mia was five. But on what end of five? A young five? Or an about-to-turn-six five? And had she been born when expected or had she been a preemie? Knowing her due date and her actual birthday would tell him a whole lot. He was a PI. How hard would it be to find out that kind of information? Easy peasy. But he didn’t want to do it that way. It would feel too much like sneaking around behind Jade’s back.

  “Because that’s kind of what it would be,” he muttered.

  Sasha sighed and lumbered out of the room.

  Jade had said she’d met someone while in Charlotte and had even dated the guy long enough to make people wonder if she would marry him. Which meant it was highly likely that Mia wasn’t Bryce’s child.

  But the timing of it all just wouldn’t leave him alone.

  “Ugh!” He’d rolled out of bed and pulled on his clothes before his eyes landed on the clock. Almost midnight. He lived barely five minutes away from Jade’s place. He could be there almost as fast as he could blink. Sasha returned to the room, leash in her mouth. She dropped it on the floor and stared at him.

  He couldn’t help the short laugh that slipped from him. “You want to go for a run, huh? Or you think I’m the one that needs to?”

  Sasha yawned and blinked. He gave her an ear scrub, and she licked his hand. “You’re the best, you know that?” Bryce texted Jade. Are you awake?

  While he waited for her to answer, he let Sasha out, then back in.

  After fifteen minutes of no answer, he had to assume Jade was sleeping. Which is what he should be doing. He hung the leash back up. “Sorry, girl, my leg’s not feeling so great. We’ll go first thing in the morning, okay?”

  He checked his phone again. Still no answer from Jade.

  With impatient hands, he undressed and crawled back into bed, promising himself he would bring up the subject of Mia’s parentage first thing on the way to the hospital to question Swift.

  Maybe.

  Sasha settled back onto her bed with a disgusted huff.

  “Sorry, girl.”

  She ignored him. He couldn’t say he blamed her. Five more minutes of tossing and turning and he gave up. He dressed, grabbed the leash, and found Sasha in the hall. “Neither one of us is going to get any sleep until I know Jade is okay, so let’s just go check, make sure she’s okay and then maybe we can both get some sleep. That sounds all right to you?”

  Sasha bounded to the door.

  * * *

  Jade blinked out of sleep. Disoriented, confused—and grumpy. The high-pitched beeping reverberated in her brain and she rolled over, trying to block the sounds of the alarm clock, not ready to get up yet.

  A loud boom shook her home and sleep fled. She shot straight up. Mia! She shoved the covers away and stood. Smoke billowed through her open door and she got a face full. Her lungs burning and spots dancing before her eyes, she dropped to the floor to find the smoke hadn’t fallen that far yet. Jade drew in a breath and, on her hands and knees, scrambled down the hall to Mia’s room and found it empty, the bed still made. Terror shot through her for a brief second before she remembered Mia had wanted to stay with Jessica. The kids were at her parents’. But were they safe? Smoke swirled but wasn’t as bad here as it was in the hallway and Jade’s room.

  Jade darted into Mia’s bathroom and grabbed a towel. She soaked it with water, then wrapped it around her nose and mouth. A quick look under the cabinet revealed the small fire extinguisher her dad had put there when she’d first moved in.

  She snatched it and then headed back into the smoke-filled hall, looking for flames. Nothing yet. She made her way into her small den area. Again, a lot of smoke, but no fire. At the front door, she unlocked the dead bolt and twisted the knob.

  Nothing.

  With a shaky hand, she pulled harder. Then yanked.

  The door refused to budge.

  What? She laid her palm flat against it.

  Hot—and growing hotter by the second. Her stomach twisted. Sudden flames shot through the bottom and into the room, sending her stumbling backward. With a harsh yell, she pulled the pin on the extinguisher and fired it at the base of the door.

  Please, please, please, God, help me.

  Another loud boom shook the structure, and she went to her knees, dropping the towel and the extinguisher. In the kitchen, the wall facing the wooded area out behind her home crackled with bright orange-and-blue fire. Fear choked her along with the smoke. She snatched the towel back to her face, but it would only work for so long.

  She had to get out—or call for help. And warn her parents. Her phone.

  Jade spun, ran back to her bedroom and grabbed her cell phone from the end table. Squinting against the haze, she made her way to the window, threw it open and dialed her parents’ number.

  “’Lo?”

  “My apartment’s on fire. Get Mom and the kids out.”

  “What about you?”

  “Going to get the ladder and go out the window. My door’s too hot.”

  She hung up and dialed 911. Her room was above the detached garage that jutted out below her. The roof of the garage sloped slightly down, but even walking to the end of that, it was a long drop. “Oh Lord, help me.”

  “911. What’s your emergency?”

  “Darlene? This is Jade. My house is on fire!”

  “Sending units now. Can you get out?”

  “Working on it.”

  “Stay with me.”

  Jade darted to the closet, eyes and throat burning, and reached for the emergency fire escape rope ladder. Her hands fell on empty space. What? Confused, but with no time to figure out where the ladder had disappeared to, she sprinted back to the window and looked down. The jump probably wouldn’t kill her, but it would hurt.

  Her bedroom was on the opposite side of her parents’ house, so she couldn’t see the state of their home. Where had the fire started? How far had it spread? She looked back over her shoulder. With her bedroom near the kitchen, the flames had already eaten their way into the hallway, blocking her door, the smoke growing thicker, barreling toward her.

  “Jade! Jade! Are you in there?”

  “Dad!” He rounded the corner of the house and looked up, his gaze frantic. Bryce appeared behind him. “The ladder’s gone and my door is jammed,” she cried. “I can’t get out!”

  “Can you wait for me to get the ladder out of the barn?”

  “Yes. Hurry!” Jade swung a leg over the sill and scrambled onto the roof, smoke pouring out after her. She coughed and paused to drag in a lungful of the fresh, cold air.

  “I’ve got it,” Bryce said. He took off. In less than a minute, he was back, leaning the tall ladder against the gutter.

  “What about your side?” she asked. “Mom and the kids?”

  “Already got them out and down near the barn. Fire trucks are on the way.”

  “Where’s the cop who’s supposed to be guarding this place?” Bryce called.

  Good question.

  Bryce held the ladder still, and she stepped out onto the first rung. “Careful!”

  Sirens reached her, and she could see flashing red-and-blue lights in the distance. They’d be here within a couple more minutes. The flames licked into her bedroom, and all she could think was that she was so grateful Mia hadn’t been there.

  Eyes, lungs, throat burning, she scrambled down the ladder and into Bryce’s waiting arms. He hugged her, then pushed her away while her dad grabbed the ladder. She checked her parents’ place and saw that the flames had worked their way to the middle of their shared covered walkway, but hadn’t yet reached their house.

  “Hurry,” she wh
ispered to the truck not yet there. “Please.”

  Her phone squawked, and she lifted it to her ear. Dispatch. She’d forgotten about her. “It’s okay, Darlene, I’m out.”

  “Trucks should be there in less than a minute.”

  Bryce led her over to the barn, where she found Mia, Jessica, Gage and her mother waiting and watching the flames. Her mother grabbed her in a hug. “I was so scared.”

  “I know, Mom, but I’m okay.” Mia reached for Jade, and she swung the child into her arms. Where’s Travis?” she asked. “The officer watching the house?”

  Her mother shook her head. “I don’t know.” Tears tracked her dusty cheeks, and she gathered the children closer to her. They all appeared shell-shocked, and Jade’s anger burned hotter than the fire in front of her.

  The fire trucks arrived and had hoses going wide open within less than a minute. Please save my parents’ home, Lord, please.

  TEN

  Standing next to a shivering Jade, Bryce kept an arm around her while Dylan Fitzgerald wrote notes in his little black notebook as fast as Jade could talk. Someone settled a blanket around her shoulders, and he helped wrap it around her before tucking her up against his side again. In spite of the circumstances, he couldn’t help but note that she felt right being there. He could keep her next to him for the rest of his life and he didn’t think that would change. The thought sent chills that had nothing to do with the weather down his spine. Keep your distance, Kingsley. She deserves better than you.

  Like someone with two good legs and a whole lot less emotional baggage. Someone who wanted kids and could be the kind of father they deserved. Mia reached for him. Surprised, he took the little girl from Jade and settled her against him. The feel of her slight weight in his arms had his throat closing. When she laid her head in the crook between his neck and shoulder, his heart filled with a tenderness he’d never be able to put into words. He had to look away from her while he processed the fact that someone had put her in danger tonight. Her and Jade and the entire family.

  His gaze landed on Sasha, who stared at him from the front seat of his SUV, where he’d left her during all the chaos. Her displeasure at being separated from him was clear in her brown eyes. He sighed and made a mental note to slip her an extra treat a little later.