It was the longest drive home, and I ran from the car into the house to find Helen in the kitchen, being hugged by a grey-haired man.
I tried to ignore the jealous stab that punctured my chest, which got worse when she didn’t seem to notice me enter.
“Sean,” the man said as if his name should explain his presence, and then I remembered Helen talking about how he worked with Thomas. “I brought Helen home when we heard the news. I’ll get one of the boys to bring her car back later.”
“Thank you.”
He twitched his head, telling me to come closer, and then twisted Helen in his arms and placed her in mine. “I need to go, Helly, but I’ll call you tomorrow. Take some time while we get our heads around this.”
“He can’t be gone… none of it makes sense.”
“I know, but he is. I’m flying out there now to speak to the police and to check the scene myself. If you need anything while I’m gone, call Tyler.” She sniffed and nodded. “I’ll see myself out.”
When we were alone, I guided her to the sofa and pulled her into my lap, stroking her hair while she fell apart.
I didn’t know when she fell asleep, but I laid her down just as Jasper opened the front door, which was obviously still unlocked.
He looked at me before his eyes landed on her. “Is she okay?” he whispered, and I could only shake my head. “Should I wake her?”
“No, let her sleep. She’s in shock.”
Jasper’s eyes narrowed. “When did you become such an expert on my mum?”
“I’m not. I’m an expert in seeing what people go through after an accident like that.”
“Sorry. Thanks for being here for her.” He wrapped his hand around the back of his neck. “Will you tell her I came by? Get her to phone me tomorrow or let her know I can come over after work.”
“Course.”
And with that, he left, and I carried Helen to bed, wrapping her up under the covers before taking her hand and laying down next to her.
Chapter 25
Helen
I woke with a jolt, covered in sweat but shivering. I didn’t understand why I was still dressed or why I felt like my heart had been torn out, and then I remembered.
Thomas.
Sean had gathered the whole team together and told us all that Thomas had lost control of his car—the car I hired for him—on a coastal road during his trip to Ireland. There was no sign of him or the car, but according to the police, there was evidence that he’d gone off the edge of the road and they concluded that there was no chance of him having survived the crash.
I didn’t remember much after that. The whole thing felt like a dream. Thomas was invincible. I knew the situations he’d been in over the years and I refused to believe it was the rain that killed him.
Moving so I didn’t disturb Jax, who was holding my hand, I slipped out of bed and walked to the bathroom. I liked the idea of a bath to wash off the memories, but the effort felt too much. In fact, the effort to do anything felt too much, so I turned on the shower, stepped in, and lowered myself to the ground.Pulling my knees up to my chest, I rested my forehead on them and closed my eyes, letting the force of the water pummel my back and mix with my tears that now fell freely, in loud, uncontrollable sobs.
Jax
I wasn’t sure what woke me, but the empty bed next to me had me getting up to search for Helen, only to find her fully clothed, sitting in the shower.
I could feel the chill in the air, telling me that she’d been in there a while and the hot water had long since run out.
“Helen,” I whispered, not wanting to scare her, as I turned off the water. She looked up at me, confused, her red-rimmed eyes searching mine. “You’re freezing,” I declared as I touched her arm.
I helped her up, stripping her out of her wet clothes as she stood there, unmoving.
“Come here,” I urged, wrapping her body to mine, trying to warm her up as I reached for a towel and secured it around her, putting a second over her shoulders and using a third to dry off her hair before I guided her back to bed, tucking the covers around her again. “I’ll be two minutes. I’m just going to get some dry clothes.”
Tears filled her eyes again. “Don’t go.”
