Page 115 of The Haunting Plot

“Sawyer had nothing to do with this. Look, I love you, but he’s not those men. That man is all-in. There’s no way he’s leaving you. He’s trying to be there for you. So if you need someone to yell at, yell at me. I did the hauntings; I did the pranks. It was all me. Yes, I set him up to do one initially. I needed him to get them rolling, and I knew if he pranked you, you’d prank him back. I didn’t know if you’d tell him to stop or not. And then you did, but the door was open for me to continue. And once I did, I knew that it would set you guys up in situations where you’d see how perfect he is for you.”

“Why would you do that? So you could manipulate me into falling for him?”

RJ rubs his forehead, a sarcastic laugh escaping him. “Hello, pot, meet kettle.”

“What are you talking about, idiot?”

“That’s exactly what you did to Summer and me when you arranged for us to be stuck in the beach house together.”

“That’s different. You both had feelings for each other already. I forced you to admit it. You forced Sawyer and me into absurd situations, hoping we’d fall for each other. Totally different.”

“Except it’s not.”

“So this was revenge? You were getting me back?”

“No. This was me returning the favor. That man is perfect for you. You know it. I know it. Your friends know it. All four of your kids know it. Hell, the whole town knows it. But I knew you’d never be open to the idea of a setup.”

I sigh. He’s right. “I still don’t like it, but I get it.”

“That’s fair.”

RJ’s phone chirps loudly, as do several others, and Sawyer runs into the room. “They found them.”

Sawyer grabs my arm and pulls me against his chest, and I melt into him as his heart races under my fingertips.

“They’re okay. Everyone’s okay. We’re going to be okay,” he chants against my head, planting gentle kisses between the words.

“According to Mike, they got lost and panicked. Jonah told him he remembered what Sawyer taught him about how to make a fire safely, and they were able to start a small campfire. Sparky saw the smoke over the trees,” RJ says.

Sawyer’s grip tightens on me as my mind fills with questions. “How did they start a fire?”

“Tommy’s a Cub Scout, and he got a fire starter kit from selling popcorn last fall. It’s almost always in his pocket cuz he likes to fidget with the box it came in,” Sawyer explains.

I relax into his hold. “I’m glad they had each other.”

“Me too,” Sawyer says.

An hour later, the boys are escorted into the house by two officers, with Mike and Sparky close behind. We update all the friends about the boys, and even Jocelyn was surprisingly understanding. Once we fill out all the paperwork, everyone leaves, and it’s just the six of us.

We settle on the couch, the boys between us with the girls on each side of us.

“What were you two thinking?” I ask.

Tommy looks between us. “Jonah got mad, and he said he wanted to run away. He said our pranks didn’t work, and if they didn’t work, we couldn’t be a family. But he thought if we ran away, maybe you’d have to work together to find us.”

My eyes flick to Sawyer’s, and he sighs, giving me a knowing look.

“Is that true?”

Jonah nods.

“That wasn’t safe,” McKenna says.

“Yeah, you scared us,” Jane agrees.

“I couldn’t let him run away by himself,” Tommy argues.

Sawyer clears his throat, letting me know he’s got this.