Harper
As we pull down Jackson’s long driveway, the front door opens and he steps out onto the porch.
He’s wearing shorts and a t-shirt, yet he still looks perfect.
His hair is a tousled mess, making me fall in love with him a little bit more.
I know it looks like that because he’s been running his hand through his hair all night, more than worried about me.
The car pulls to a stop in front of the garage and Jackson opens my door, pulling me into his arms immediately. He wraps one arm tightly around my waist and the other holds my head firmly against his chest. He buries his face in the crook of my neck and sighs with relief.
“I’ve been going crazy since you left. I was so worried about you,” he whispers.
“I'm so happy to be back here. To be in your arms,” I cry into his chest.
I don’t think I realized just how much Jackson feels like home until this second. How he feels like my safety and protector. How I never want to be without him again.
“As much as I’d hate to break up this little hug, we need to get Harper’s SUV into the garage and you need to get into the house,” Mason says.
“Yeah, I find it hard to believe you feel any guilt over breaking up our hug.” Jackson chuckles.
He releases me from his hold, but he places a hand on my lower back as he pulls out his phone and presses a button, making the garage door rise.
“C’mon, let’s get inside. I'm sure they can handle moving your car into the garage.”
We head inside and get comfortable on the couch. It’s almost midnight and I'm sure Jackson’s exhausted after his game tonight, yet he isn’t complaining at all.
“How was your game?” I ask as I snuggle a little closer to him.
“We won… I couldn’t stop thinking about you though.” He presses a kiss to my forehead.
I open my mouth to respond, but Mason and Dad walk in the door before I can say anything. They make themselves comfortable on chairs that face us.
“Peck said the cameras are up and working,” Mason says.
“We have Pauly stationed at the gate tonight with Pat. Our team had a meeting while you were taking your exam, Harper. We think the best way to protect you is for you to continue staying with Jackson. We’re not sure if Evan realizes this is Jackson’s house.
I think if he knew you were staying with Jackson, he would’ve made an appearance in Rosewood already. He would’ve felt more threatened.”
“We think he forgets where Mom and I live. He probably just saw you were in Rosewood and assumed you were staying with us,” Dad adds.
“So, what’s the plan? Am I Rapunzel? Do I get locked away in the house until we know what’s going on? Until we know he isn’t a threat anymore?”
“No.” Mason shakes his head. “If I had to guess, Evan’s either on his way here now, or he will be in the morning. Peck did a little hacking and got into Dennis’s email account. It looks like Dennis wants proof you two are engaged and he wants it soon.”
“But you don’t want me to stay locked away?” I frown at the man I’ve considered like family for most of my life. He can’t be serious, right?
“I don’t recommend you go out for dinner or go shopping.” Mason rolls his eyes. “But realistically, in the next week, you’ll go to the stadium or the bakery. Owen keeps his security locked down tight.”
“Just for fun, we’ve tried to bring things into his stadium or sneak in and we’ve gotten caught every time.” Dad smirks.
“The bakery is safe. We have cameras all over the place and Peck monitors them all day. There’s no way he’d put Sophia at risk of anything happening.
Plus, with that secret door between the bakery and our security company, we have a way of sneaking in there.
I’d suggest you stay in the back the entire time though.
The less people who see you, the better it will be. ”
“Ok.” I nod my head, liking the idea of everywhere being secure, but I'm still nervous.
“You’re not tracking him?” Jackson speaks up for the first time. “You had guys trail Jax’s stalker.”
“Yes, because he lived in Rosewood. We can’t send three guys to Pittsburgh, especially when we think Evan’s already on his way here. As soon as we spot him, we’ll place an entire team on him.” Dad meets Jackson’s gaze and doesn’t look away.
I think he respects the fact that Jackson’s worried about me and wants what’s best for me. He isn’t going to back down when he comes to my safety.
“We’ve got this under control, Jackson,” Mason adds. “This isn’t our first rodeo and I'm sure it won't be our last. I have complete confidence in my men and their ability to keep people safe.”
“Ok,” Jackson says softly.
“You don’t have a game tomorrow, right?” Dad asks Jackson.
“No, I have tomorrow off, then I have a three-game stretch.”
“Good. Cali and I expect you two to be at dinner tomorrow.” Dad grins.
“Oh, that sounds so fun.” I roll my eyes. “Scott and Lindsey will be there?” I arch a brow.
“Of course. So will Mason and Kelsey.” Dad’s grin transforms into a smirk.
“I’m sure Jesse and Faith will make an appearance. After all, they don’t get to see their nephew often enough.” Mason winks at us, making me groan.
“Why do I feel like an exhibit on display? Are you all so old and have such boring lives that my love life needs to be on full display for you to talk about?”
“Pretty much.” Mason chuckles. “We need some entertainment in our lives. We’ve been taking bets for years about who you’d end up with, Harper… I think someone owes me some money.” He rubs his hands together with a devilish grin.