It was Claire who suggested that Harper and Luke host Thanksgiving to celebrate Luke’s homecoming. Harper threw herself into the planning. She had an entire Pinterest board dedicated to sweet potato side dishes and bought new place settings for twelve.
Luke just smiled and nodded every time she launched into another one-sided debate of the merits of oven roasted Brussels sprouts or dried cranberries in stuffing. It would be her first big family Thanksgiving, and she was determined to make it everything she’d ever dreamed of.
Finally, the day arrived. Harper dragged herself from bed at 4 a.m. and started her prep. She would make this the best Thanksgiving Luke had had in a long time.
***
He was lost in a dream. Dressed in his fatigues, Luke was on the bus coming home. Buoyed by the excitement of his men, he was counting the miles to Benevolence. To Karen.
They would share their news with the family today. A new Garrison baby.
And Luke had made a decision. He would be leaving the Guard. His business was growing fast enough that it demanded more of his attention. And he wanted to be the kind of father Charlie had been to him. Present. Involved.
The bus rounded a turn and Luke could see the lot. He could pick out the spot where his family would be waiting.
But someone was missing.
The bus braked hard. The impact was unavoidable. They pitched violently to one side and Luke felt the sickening crunch of grinding metal and shattering glass deep in his bones.
In the seconds that followed the crash, a tainted silence hung in the air. Luke dragged himself through the wreckage, over shards of glass and twisted metal.
There was no movement from inside the bus, just him and his driving desire to get out.
He kicked through a window and crawled out onto the asphalt. Acrid smoke clouded his senses. Still, he was drawn forward.
Karen’s car — the car they planned to trade in on an SUV for their growing family — was almost unrecognizable. The front end was smashed into the cabin. Smoke rose from the wreck. The windshield was shattered. The deployed airbag was slowly turning scarlet under the blonde head that rested on it.
Wait. That wasn’t right. It should have been Karen’s chestnut waves on the steering wheel. Not the blonde locks of ...
Luke raced to the car. His shaking hands reached through the broken window and touched her. The still form shifted and he saw her face.
Her beautiful face marred by a gash across her forehead.
Harper.
He knew with a sick certainty that he’d never again see the light in those gray eyes.
He heard screams and sirens, but saw only her lifeless face.
Luke woke with his heart racing, breaking. Instinctively, he reached for Harper. He felt raw with the dredges of the dream still clinging to him. He needed Harper’s touch to chase away the dark. But the bed was empty
He pushed into a seated position, pressing his fingers into the phoenix over his aching heart. When did he start needing her touch to steady him?
It was the problem he dreaded from the beginning. He didn’t have room in his heart for anyone. His memories of Karen took up all the space he had.
He shouldn’t be distracting himself from his loss with someone else. How had he stumbled so far down this road?
Luke shoved out of bed and turned the water in the shower to scalding, hoping to melt the ice in his veins.
By the time he made it downstairs, the kitchen was fully involved. Food prep was happening on every flat surface. Lola and Max were happily slurping up a gravy spill near the stove.
Harper, with the light of life in her eyes, breezed passed him and brushed a kiss to his cheek. “Morning, handsome.” She handed him a cup of coffee and turned back to the stovetop. “I know what you’re thinking, but I swear I’ll clean it all up. I just want everything to be perfect.”
“How many people are coming? This looks like enough food to feed a military base.”
“Twelve for lunch and then Mrs. Agosta’s bringing the kids by for dessert.”
He did the math. “Mrs. Moretta, Aldo, Gloria. Who’s number eleven?”
