Chasing After You | 18+ | ✓

epilogue

I drag my surfboard onto the sand, absolutely exhausted from the last hour I've spent with Henry shredding some of the best waves we've ever had on this beach. It's too bad that JJ is in France for spring break with Mom and Dad and that Hunter is with Kaitlyn in Mexico with Uncle Chris and Aunt Penelope.

Bailey stayed here with me, not out of choice, but basically because Mom and Dad said they weren't going to reward his behavior with international trips.

It's been seven months and he's barely speaking to any of us still.

I look back just in time to see Henry fall off his board and I erupt into laughter. He pokes his head up from under the water and climbs back on the board before paddling in.

"You fell again." I tease, sitting down in the sand once he's close enough to hear me over the roaring of the waves.

"You fell too," Henry retorts, setting his board next to mine and I giggle again.

"Yeah, but I only fell once whereas that was the fourth time you fell."

He shakes his head like a dog and sits next to me on the beach. "Yes, you're right. I fell four times." Henry laughs before looking over at me, a dopey smile on his face.

"You fell four times, but I still love you." I say with a smile and his smile somehow gets brighter. I lean over to kiss him briefly on the lips, deliriously happy to be here with him.

"Je t'aime aussi." I love you too.

I shift to sit between his legs, laying against Henry's chest as we watch the large waves roll in.

"I could get used to this."

Henry presses a short kiss to the side of my head, "Me too. It's a nice change of pace from the craziness during season."

"Definitely," I agree. "Do you think we should invite Bailey to surf with us?"

"If you want to, but I'm not sure he'll say yes."

I've tried repeatedly to talk to him, but I haven't been able to get through to him. I don't know how to. Bailey is a shell of who he used to be.

I hear Henry sniff behind me and I turn around to look at him, "Are you smelling me? That's kinda weird babe."

There's a flash of amusement on his face, "No, I'm not smelling you. Do you smell smoke?"

I inhale, the familiar smell of salt filling my lungs, but Henry's right. There is smoke. Fear fills my body because what if the house is what's on fire and Bailey is trapped in there.

I leap up, Henry a mere second behind me as we sprint up the beach to the stairs that lead to the backyard.

There's a blazing fire in brush right next to the beach house and standing in front of it is Bailey.

"Bailey, what are you doing?" I yell, grabbing his arm to pull him back before he gets burned by the flames. "Henry, call 911!" I shout over my shoulder as Henry dashes up the deck stairs to get one of our phones that we left inside.

His eyes are rimmed red, "Nothing. I'm doing nothing." Bailey slurs and my brain feels like it's working overtime to understand the situation.

"Are you drunk?"

I look closer at the fire, noting all of the soccer apparel in the thick of it. It's then that I notice the box of matches in Bailey's hand.

"Did you light this?" I ask, staring at him in horror.

"You guys need to move further away from there. The fire department is on it's way." Henry calls out to us and I look up at him. He quickly zeros in on my face. "Mira, what is it?"

"Did you light this fire?" I ask Bailey, and he wobbles.

"You don't understand Mirabelle!"

"What don't I understand? For fuck's sake Bailey, we can't keep going around in circles like this!"

"Everyone is a fucking liar and I can't stand it! You left and started lied about Henry. It's like you didn't care about us anymore, you only care about him! Mom and Dad have been lying for our entire lives, Hunter lied about Kaitlyn! The only one of us who isn't a liar is JJ." Bailey seethes, and I take a step back from him.

I wanted him to talk and he's finally talking.

"What exactly are Mom and Dad lying about?" I ask, understanding now why he's upset with me, but I wish he would have told me this months ago.

"Dad was engaged to someone else and then he cheated on her with Mom. He left her and refused to help her with anything. He is horrible and walks around acting like he's kind of the fucking world. I hate him, I hate Mom, and I hate you."

Henry wraps a protective arm around my waist. "First of all, I'm not sure where you got any of that information, but it's not true. That's not what happened with Mom and Dad, but even if it was, that doesn't give you an excuse to burn all your soccer gear! What if the house catches on fire? What am I supposed to tell our parents?"

It's only then that the truth hits me.

"You're the arsonist." It leaves me breathless and Henry's grip on me tightens.

"It was me and I'd do it again. Maybe it all deserves to burn." Bailey confirms, staring at me with anger painted all over his face as the siren of the fire trucks are audible in the background.