Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(83)

Clarissa saw the potential disagreement and added a more positive note. “Or maybe it symbolizes that they are now joined forever,” she said, glancing at Brady. “We can’t change the past. We’ve all made mistakes in judgment.”

Landen squeezed me tighter and kissed the top of my head. I could sense turmoil inside him. He didn’t want his family to fight over any of this. My father nodded in Clarissa’s direction and let the matter go.

The current in the string began to flow more aggressively, and the hum grew a little bit louder. Landen looked at my father. “You don’t have long to convince them to come. The storm will pass here in less than six hours,” he warned.

“I don’t think it’s going to be hard. Grace told me that both Jessica and Hannah’s parents wanted the girls to go with Willow to Paris,” my father said.

Landen held me tight and led us forward. Everyone lined up behind us, and we passed through the green wall together. The passage led to a wooded area just fifty yards from my house. I could still smell the smoke in the air.

We causally walked to the road, and in the distance I could hear hammers and saws. As we approached the house, trucks lined the street in front of the shell of a home that was left. People were rushing in every direction.

We walked into the front yard, and I looked up at the home in which I was raised, the one in which my mother was raised, the brick remained in place. The roof was gone, and so were all the windows.

It didn’t take long for someone to notice us. On the front porch was Josh’s father, Mr. Campbell. He owned a very successful construction company. Mr. Campbell saw my father and grinned from ear to ear.

“Well, now, I didn’t expect to see you back so soon,” he said to my father, once he reached our side.

“We’re just passing through. Grace wanted me and Willow to see if there was anything that could be saved before we went overseas,” my father said, clearly not comfortable lying.

“Now, Jason, I told you the night it burned that I was going to fix this for you, and I meant it,” Mr. Campbell said looking over his shoulder, then back at my father, feeling proud of what he’d accomplished in such a short time.

“Really, it’s not necessary,” my father said, raising his hands.

“Look, Jason, I had doctor after doctor tell me I needed open heart surgery, but you took one look at me and told me how to heal myself. I vowed then to repay you. All these people here, they don’t work for me. They’re volunteers, your patients, Grace’s friends, and Willow’s friends. I’ve never known a man as good as you before, none of us have. This is our way of saying thank you.”

“I really do appreciate this. This town will always be a part of me and Grace,” my father said humbly.

“Well, there isn’t a lot that can be salvaged. We have a few storage containers in the back of the house. Anything that we think you’d still want or use, we put in there,” Mr. Campbell said, looking at all of the people my father had with him. His eyes landed on Dane. “Son, your mother is going to be happy to see you.” He then looked around at the trucks lining the street. “How did all of you get here?”

“Cab,” my father said quickly. “We’re actually on a layover, and we don’t have very long before our next flight,” he continued, getting better at lying.

Mr. Campbell nodded as my father talked; that was a trait about him that I’d always found funny. “Well, I’ll tell you what,” he said, pulling his keys out of his pocket. “Dane, take my truck go and introduce that pretty thing you have with you to your mother.”

Clarissa blushed, not knowing how to respond to Mr. Campbell. Smiling, Dane took the keys then glanced back at Landen and me before he left; it was clear he was amused by how blunt Mr. Campbell was.

“I tell you what, Jason. They’ve been hoping you would show up. Seems two girls showed up at the hospital, and they don’t know what to make of what’s wrong with them,” Mr. Campbell said.

“Are they still at the hospital?” my father asked.

“No, I believe they sent them home,” Mr. Campbell answered, waving his son, Josh, over to us. Josh walked over to all of us and looked at Landen and Brady, confusion all over his face.

“Are you a doctor, too?” Mr. Campbell asked Ashten.

I felt my father’s embarrassment as he looked back at us, realizing he hadn’t introduced anyone. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me. This is Ashten. Yes, he’s a doctor; he taught me everything I know,” he said.

Mr. Campbell reached over and shook Ashten’s hand. Everyone else was trying not to laugh at the idea of Ashten being a doctor.

“And these are his sons, Brady and Landen, and his nephews, Chrispin and Marc,” my father said.

Mr. Campbell shook everyone’s hands, saving Landen’s for last. It was not hard to see that we were a couple. Since the pain in the string, Landen had made sure that one part of him was always touching me.

“You must be a lucky man,” Mr. Campbell said to Landen. “I told my son Josh here that girls like Willow are rare.” Mr. Campbell looked back at Josh, shaking his head in a teasing manner. “Maybe next time he’ll listen to me.”

Josh rolled his eyes at his father then nodded in Landen’s direction, still confused.

“Josh, let Jason take your truck. He needs to go and check on those girls,” Mr. Campbell said. Josh complied without complaint.