Chapter 71
HARPER
With the press camped outside the main gates of Frazer Manor, Dan drops me at the edge of the estate, despite risking the wrath of The Seamstress.
“You take care,” he says as I clamber out of the car, grabbing my phone and bag.
The Seamstress finally returned my phone after our final debrief, late last night.
This morning I gave him an ultimatum. Either take me home, or I’d find my own way there.
He agreed, and we snuck out of the safe house they moved me to immediately after we landed.
I shoot him a grateful smile. “You too, and don’t be a stranger.”
The chances of seeing him again are remote as I know he’s about to be reassigned.
I unlock one of the many hidden entrances and slip through the gate, careful to secure it behind me. Security is now number one on my agenda.
After I woke up this morning, I decided enough was enough. It was time to take my life back. I sent a message to The Seamstress after we left, telling her my plan, so she knows where to find me when she’s ready.
I head to the water tower, the place my brothers used to bring their girlfriends.
I need some time to calm my racing heart and come to terms with the changes that have happened virtually overnight.
During the debriefing, they updated me on their findings and what they expect to happen next.
I’ll still have to remain vigilant, but they think the immediate threat has passed with Peregrine’s arrest.
Now, a few hours later, I’m sitting quietly in my big sister’s bedroom, like a scaredy-cat, waiting for her to come to bed.
I relax in Kat’s favourite wing-back chair. I remember when Mum was going to throw it out. Kat nearly had apoplexy and demanded Elijah and Jaxson carry it up to her room, directing proceedings as they went. It’s lived here ever since, although I’d swear Mother or Kat has had it reupholstered.
Closing my eyes, I let the peace and tranquillity of home seep into my bones.
I’ve missed this. The silence of the country, the fresh air, the closeness to nature. I didn’t realise how much until now.
My time in New York has been amazing. Not that I got to see much of it, squirrelled away in my apartment or Alex’s. I may not have been able to enjoy the nightlife or sights, Broadway shows or shopping… but I had my work and… Alex. My heart constricts.
I sigh.
Don’t go there. You need to let him go.
There’s something magical about coming home. Especially here. No car horns, no shouting, no roar of the subway. How had I forgotten?
I’m beginning to realise I haven’t. I’ve merely protected myself. I couldn’t dwell on thoughts of home. Not without driving myself completely insane. I smile. Kris was right. I had a choice to make, to make the most of my time there, and that’s what I did.
Sneaking into the house earlier wasn’t hard, especially with no one expecting me and with secret passages and hidden door keys at my disposal. Betsy nearly discovered me, but I managed to hide in the wall panel outside Caleb and April’s room.
My family are all gathered downstairs, no doubt playing Monopoly.
I can see Kat and Gabriel going head-to-head, their competitive natures taking over, while Jaxson and Leah keep the peace and Caleb and Elijah do their best to thwart them all.
It’s not what I was expecting when I arrived, and it’s why I’m now here, hiding and taking a moment to compose myself.
My siblings and their families lead such busy lives… but they’re here, waiting for me and tomorrow afternoon’s press conference, which will announce The Rebel’s return and Montague Peregrine’s arrest.
We’re Frazers. We stick together through thick and thin. How could I have forgotten? It’s who we are. And now, with all the children, it really is a case of the more the merrier.
My heart skips a beat. The children. I can’t wait to meet the new additions, baby Amelia and the twins, Ava and Isla. I’ve missed so much over the past nine months. My hands drop to my still-flat stomach, cradling the life I know is nestled and growing deep inside me.
Just you wait, little one. You’ll have so much fun here with all your aunts and uncles, not to mention cousins. They are going to love you.
I inhale a shuddering breath as voices approach.
“I love you,” Kat’s voice echoes through the door. I close my eyes briefly, then open them and turn towards the sound.
Showtime.
“I don’t think I’ll ever tire of saying those words,” she continues.
Silence descends, and I cringe. I get up, move towards the bed and sit on the edge.
Kat’s going to kill me. Talk about baby-sister, passion killer.
The door opens, and my sister and a man I love like another brother enter, their arms wrapped around one another and their lips fused.
I click on the bedside light, wanting to stop them before things get too heated. They spring apart, turning sharply to face me.
I stand, allowing Kat and Jax to see my face.
“What the? Rebel, is that you?”
A wide grin lights up her face as her eyes travel over me, her delight palpable.
She rushes forward, pulling me into a sisterly bear hug, one I return with gusto.
“Surprise…”
I sigh, leaning into her embrace, letting her big sister strength ease my recent stress, at least for this one moment.
“I… we weren’t expecting you until the morning. What the hell are you doing hiding up here? Why didn’t you come down and see everyone?”
Pulling back, I gaze into my sister’s face. Before I can stop myself, my face crumples and racking sobs overtake me.
Kat pulls me hard against her.
“It’s okay, Harps. I’ve got you, little sis. You’re safe now.”
She manoeuvres us to the bed and sits, rocking me, just as she always did when I was little and my emotions overwhelmed me.
“It’s okay, everything will be okay,” she says over and over, her cheek pressed against my hair.
Jax must have raised the alarm as my siblings appear one by one.
Caleb rushes through the door first and grabs me in a bear hug. “Oh, Harps,” he says, his voice catching, his eyes glistening in the light from the lamp.
“Hey, you,” I say, burrowing into his chest, before I’m pulled away and into another embrace.
“Why are you hiding up here?” Gabriel asks, gripping my chin so I’m forced to meet his gaze.
“I needed time to decompress,” I say truthfully, earning myself a nod, before I’m pulled once again into his arms. Of everyone, he knows best what that means.
I turn my head as a hand squeezes my shoulder, before a kiss is dropped on the top of my head. I look up to find Elijah standing next to us.
“Harper,” he says, his voice catching.
I bite my lip to stop it from quivering, but it’s impossible to miss the look of alarm on his face.
Mum enters in a flurry. Gabriel relinquishes his hold as she pulls me into her arms.
“We’ve got you, my darling,” she says, kissing my temple. “Everything will be okay.”
She looks up at my brothers.
“There will be time for questions in the morning,” she says firmly and I watch each of my brothers open their mouths to protest before closing them again. Mother is not someone we argue with.
I wrap my arms around her waist and let her move us to the bed, burying my head against her stomach, loving the way her hands instantly smooth over my hair, just as they did when I was a child.
I don’t know how long I sit cocooned between my mother and sister, Kat having remained when the others left, but I don’t push them away.
I let them take some of the trauma from me and offer me their strength.
I’m tired of being brave, of trying to stand alone.
Tomorrow will be a new day, one we will face together.
The press is waiting, and questions will need to be answered. I’m back in the fold.
Back where I belong.