“They can’t be any worse than my sister,” I said, then immediately regretted it. “Sorry. That was mean. I actually love my sister. I just don’t always like what she does.”
“I get it,” he said. “Families are complicated.”
I shifted to face him. “Why are you doing this?”
He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
I twisted the tissues in my hands. “Darien called in a favor to get you to look into who was stalking my sister, but you’re helping me instead.”
“Not instead,” he countered. “As well.”
I nodded. “As well. I guess I just don’t fully understand why.”
“Does there need to be a reason outside of it being the right thing to do?”
“No.” I shrugged. “I guess I’m just not used to people doing the right thing. The lines have become super blurred and I’m finding it harder to separate the colors.”
Jaxon smiled and I swear my panties melted. “Wendy’ll help you separate the colors, Harmony. You’ll see.”
I sighed. “I’m ready.”
Jaxon climbed out of the truck, then helped me down and grabbed my bag, carrying it to the front porch. I followed him, the fact that I was walking into a stranger’s house just now hitting me.
What the hell am I doing?
“You okay?” he asked.
I realized I’d stopped moving and looked up at Jaxon. “Sorry. Yes.”
“I know you don’t know me, but Patrick and Wendy are going to make you feel like you’re another daughter. You’re safe here, Harmony, and I’ll be close. If you need me, text me.”
“You’re staying?”
“My parents live on the property next door.”
I glanced around. “Oh, I didn’t see any other homes.”
“There’s over forty acres between.”
I bit my lip and nodded. “That makes sense.”
“I’ll pick you up in the morning and take you to breakfast, sound good?”
“How about lunch? If I’m gonna be able to sleep, I’d actually like to sleep in.”
He grinned. “I can do that.”
He turned back toward the door, and I reached out and grabbed his arm. “In case I haven’t done so already, thank you for going above and beyond. You’re incredibly kind, Jaxon.”
“You’re welcome.”
Before we made it to the door, it opened and a beautiful older woman walked out, her hair blonde and curly and she looked like she smiled a lot. “Welcome,” she said. “You must be Harmony. I’m Wendy.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you,” I said. “Thank you so much for your hospitality.”
“Any friend of Jaxon’s is welcome here.” Wendy smiled, pulling Jaxon in for a hug. “Especially, if it means we get to see him.”
“I’ll be here all week,” he said. “So, you’ll be sick of me before you know it.”
