“I don’t understand,” I tell him. “I thought he was considered a missing person?”
”Yes, he was, up until last week. Apparently, the investigation into his parents house fire was finally buttoned up, and some of his remains were found in the ashes of the site, confirming he was in the home when it burnt down.”
My eyes whip over to Harley so quickly, I feel my neck crack. His face is unreadable.
“So what do I do?” I ask. “I don’t even know that I want anything to do with this,” I tell him, crossing my arms across my chest.
“Unfortunately, if you do nothing, it will all just sit. And if I could give you my opinion?” he asks, waiting for approval to continue, and I nod my head. “I read the report from the fire, the protection orders, the police report the day you were taken from your place of work. If you were someone I loved, I’d encourage you to take it, and do something that will make your life easier. Something he could have never done for you while he was alive.”
I hold his stare, and tears line my eyes. “I guess you’re right, and if I can’t stomach it, I can donate it, right?” I ask, wondering if there are any regulations to this.
“It’s yours to do whatever you like with, Ms. Alden.” He passes me the paperwork I need to follow up with the companies to collect the funds.
“This doesn’t seem real,” I tell him, eyes scanning the paper quickly.
He holds out his hand, offering it to shake, and I quickly throw my hand out and shake it, giving it a firm grip. He turns to Harley, extending his hand to him as well. “Thank you so much for allowing me a few moments of your time. Have a good night now, and if you need any help collecting the funds, just pass my name along and I’ll getyou taken care of.” He passes me a business card, and I slide it on top of the papers he gave me already.
He walks out the door, and Harley and I stand in silence, taking all of it in.
“I can’t believe that just happened,” I tell Harley. “Buthowdid this happen?”
The last I was told about Dean was that he was pig food, so how did they find what was needed to deem him dead?
“I guess someone was looking out for you,” he says, pulling me into a hug without another word.Chase.
I run the papers back to the safe in my closet, and we head out finally to grab dinner.
Harley locks the door behind me and heads down the steps to his bike. He throws his leg over and starts the bike. He holds out his hand, offering me assistance to hop on, like he always does.
We settle for street tacos from our favorite food truck in one of the grocery store parking lots. After we place our order, we settle on the picnic table underneath their little pergola. I sit there in silence, feeling the cold and hearing the workers in the truck.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Harley asks me, cutting off my thoughts.
“I was just thinking about what I’d want to do,” I tell him, looking down at the wooden picnic table beneath me. “If I don’t donate it.”
“You do whatever feels right to you, no matter what,” he tells me, reaching his hand across the table, grabbing hold of my own.
“I feel like it's pay-off money for all the bullshit he put me through,” I tell him, finally getting the words out. “It makes me feel dirty,” I say honestly, shrugging my shoulders, and a shiver runs down my spine.
“Don’t you dare feel dirty, Ember Alden,” Harley says, anger laced in his tone. I look up and meet his eyes, surprised that he’s angry. “Youdid nothing wrong, from the moment you met that sorry excuse of a boy.”
At the mention ofa boy,an idea hits my mind. “What if I donated it, but to someone I know?” I ask him.
“What do you mean, like a charity you know?” he questions me.
“Rawley,” I say, a smile spreading across my lips and tears hitting my eyes again. “He could use it for school, or just getting on his feet when he’s older. I’ll have to be honest with Charlee and Theo about it, but I think I should give some of it to them.”
Harley runs a hand through his hair and hangs his head, and I immediately drop my smile and wonder if that’s strange.
“You don’t like that idea? We can figure out something else,” I tell him, regressing a little. I feel like it’s a good idea, but maybe I need to process longer and think on it some more.
“I just can’t believe that you choose me every day,” he says, standing up at the table and bending across it to lift my chin and kiss me. “You’re the most selfless person I know, and I couldn’t love you more.” I smile and kiss him back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
HARLEY
It’s moving day,and my nerves are through the roof. We had a quick close on the house, since we agreed to take the house as is, and the owners were more than happy to sign off. We picked up the keys yesterday, and have just a couple more boxes to pack up at Ember’s house before we can start taking things over.
