Page 37 of Take This Heart (Windy Harbor #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY

DAYS OF OUR LIVES

MILO

I’m working on the east side of the pavilion when I hear something. I walk around and see Ava holding a gas can, her arm swinging back like she’s winding up to pour it against the pavilion. And then to my horror, she does.

“What the hell are you doing?” I roar.

She startles and drops the match I didn’t see her holding and a flame flickers.

I jump into action, running to the nearest hose and dragging it over.

I douse the flames, but they’ve multiplied in the time it’s taken me to get back, the smell of smoke sharp and bitter in my throat.

My shirt sticks to my back as I shout for Siri to call 911.

I give the address to the dispatcher and she says help is on the way.

Smoke billows around me, but in a few minutes, I manage to put out the fire. I’m nervous that it’d take very little to start another fire though, with all the gasoline she poured.

“I can’t believe you started a fire. What the fuck were you thinking?”

“Don’t start with me, Milo,” she snaps, her dark hair whipping across her face. “The Whitmans aren’t who you think they are.”

I blink, chest still heaving. “So you set fire to their property?”

“They don’t deserve all this.”

“Well, why don’t you enlighten me? Who does?”

She takes a step forward, too calm for someone who just committed arson.

Then she says the last thing I expected.

“Me. I’m your girlfriend’s sister.”

I stare at her, the words not computing.

“What? No. You’re mistaken. Goldie doesn’t have a sister. And you just tried to burn down her property? It doesn’t add up.”

Her jaw clenches. “It’s complicated.”

“Arson is not complicated.”

“I’m telling you, I’m their sister. I have just as much right to this property as Goldie and her brothers,” she says. “One big happy family, right?” She laughs, but tears are running down her cheeks.

“Hey!” A voice cuts through the haze.

I whip around to see Tully charging toward us.

“What did you just say?” he asks Ava.

“You heard me. This land is as much mine as it is yours. I’m your sister,” she yells.

He looks frozen as they stare at each other. And then his eyes shoot to the scorched corner of the pavilion, the gas can, then to me and Ava, like he’s trying to puzzle it all out.

“I don’t understand,” he says.

He takes out his phone and texts someone, his fingers shaky.

“I managed to get the fire out, but the fire department is still on the way…” I tell him.

Ava tries to back away and Tully blocks her path.

“You’re not going anywhere. Who started the fire?” he asks.

Oh shit. Does he think I have something to do with this?

“She did. She lit it up like it was a damn bonfire,” I say, glaring at her.

Sirens wail in the distance. The sheriff arrives first and then the firetruck rumbles to a stop, red lights spinning across the clearing. Firefighters leap out and rush toward us, coming to a stop when they don’t see a fire.

I point to the scorched corner. “The fire was there and a lot of gasoline was poured all along there.” I point to the side of the pavilion.

They nod and douse every side of the pavilion and the surrounding brush for any stray embers. One of them sends word to the other firefighters that it’s under control.

The sheriff asks a few questions and then goes to talk to the firefighters.

My pulse is still thudding when I hear tires screech, and a few minutes later I see Goldie, her long legs eating the distance between us as she takes in the chaos.

Her eyes land on Ava.

“What’s going on?” she asks.

Behind her, the rest of the brothers arrive. Camden, Dylan, and Noah spill out of Noah’s truck. Ava doesn’t flinch under their stares. If anything, she seems steadier now. But then Everett appears, walking slowly toward us. His face is pale and he looks like he ages ten years in ten seconds.

“Dad—” Goldie says, rushing to help him the rest of the way.

But Tully stares at Everett and it’s the most anger I’ve ever seen from him, even off the ice.

“Dad, Ava is saying some outrageous things,” he says.

Ava’s voice shakes and she tilts her head toward Everett. “Tell them the truth. Tell them how you kept the truth from them all these years.”

Goldie turns to her dad, confused. “Dad, what is she talking about?”

He looks at her and then at each of his sons. He looks heavy. Like he’s been carrying this weight so long, he’s not sure how to unload it without shattering everyone.

“I was going to tell you tonight. I wanted to tell you as soon as I suspected, but I wanted to be sure. Once it was confirmed, I wanted all of you together when I did…” He takes a deep breath. “Ava is your sister.”

No one breathes.

Goldie’s eyes fill with tears. “You…had another child?”

“No, Ava is…your mother’s daughter.”

“Dad, what are you saying?” Noah asks, stepping closer to his dad. “Mom had an affair?” There’s disbelief and hurt in his voice.

Everett exhales, his shoulders sinking. “No, your mother would’ve never done that.”

Ava scoffs and my jaw clenches as I will her to shut up with my stare.

“Your mom went out with Bruce Granger briefly in high school. She was sixteen and she got pregnant. When she told Bruce about it, he said they were too young, his parents would disown him, and he gave her money for an abortion.”

“That’s…not what he told me,” Ava says.

Everett continues, “Instead of getting an abortion, she went to a house for young girls in Rhode Island, and as soon as she had the baby, she was given up for adoption. Your mom never even got to hold you…which broke her heart, up until the day she died.” He looks at Ava when he says those last words and I can tell they hit her hard.

She looks confused and she’s shaking. If I weren’t so upset with her, I’d feel sorry for her.

Everett moves closer to Ava and bends slightly so she’ll look at him.

“It was the one thing your mom never got over. She wrote you letters,” he tells her. “After you came to the house the other day, I started looking for them. I think they’re at the Summit house, but I’ll find them and give them to you.”

Ava swallows hard.

“So you knew about this all these years?” Noah asks.

Everett turns toward Noah and nods, his eyes glassy.

“Before your mom and I got engaged, she told me everything. She carried so much grief and guilt about it and she wasn’t sure I’d want to be with her anymore if I knew the truth.

It didn’t change anything for me. I wanted to look for her child, but since she had agreed to a closed adoption with no contact, she knew she wouldn’t be able to find her daughter.

But then all these DNA websites came about… and she really wanted to try.”

“How did you find out?” Camden asks Ava.

“23andMe,” she says, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

Goldie stares at Ava and then her eyes find mine like she’s just realizing I’m here. The color bleeds from her face.

“And you’ve known all this time,” she says softly.

She backs away like she’s been hit.

“Goldie!” I move toward her, but she takes off running.

I want to follow her, but the sheriff moves next to me, his thumbs in his pockets.

“I’d like to bring you each in for questioning, starting with Ms. Piper and Mr. Lombardi here.”

“We’ll be happy to cooperate, Sheriff Daniels,” Everett says. “We won’t be pressing any charges. This is just a big family misunderstanding and a mistake.”

Ava looks at him in surprise and then she bursts into tears. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I was just so angry. I’m still so angry. And I don’t know what the truth is anymore.”