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ADRIAN
Going a week without Harper sucked badly enough. But going another five days, afterward?
That drove me pretty much out of my mind.
She hadn’t taken my calls. She hadn’t answered my texts. As far as I knew she wasn’t talking to Jax or Preston either, although she’d shown up to watch Emma on two separate occasions.
It wasn’t until now that she’d finally contacted me, in a semi-cryptic text message that left my head spinning:
I need to see you tonight.
My first thought was that maybe she’d made her decision. The very thought of it threw my stomach in turmoil. It could be good news, or it could be bad. It could also be that she had a blown fuse or a clogged sink and she just needed someone to come over and fix it.
Or it could be the worst news in the world.
If Harper had chosen one of the others, I knew it would devastate me. I’d have to keep my feelings secret though, because I was already committed to our agreement. If she didn’t choose me, I’d have to forget our time together and move on without her. Those were the rules.
The worst part though, would be knowing that I’d come so far. So achingly close to an actual relationship; with a woman, who I realized, perhaps too late, I’d truly loved all along.
I was more than nervous as I pulled up to her house and knocked gently. Harper let me in with warm hello. She embraced me, but didn’t kiss me. There was inner turmoil and conflict in the way she carried herself. I knew her well enough to sense these things without so much as a word.
Maybe she hadn’t made her decision yet at all.
“How’ve you been?” I asked.
“Busy,” she answered.
I took one look around and let out a low whistle. “I can see that.”
The house was a total disaster, as compared to the last time I’d seen it when I’d dropped Brayden off for a few hours. There were piles of electronic components, and spools of wires scattered throughout her living room. I stepped over scraps of black and red electrical tape, and around empty amazon boxes. I moved around a plethora of scattered tools and other assorted pieces of electronic equipment, only to nearly slip on one of the hundred pieces of bubble-wrap that littered the floor.
Her kitchen table had been dragged into the living area, and three different computers were now running on it, side by side. A fourth computer — this one a laptop — was open and also running. Entire rows of numbers and characters flashed by, so fast I could barely follow them. It reminded me of every computer hacking movie or TV show I’d ever seen.
“Please don’t touch anything,” she said needlessly.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” I said, putting both my hands up. “I’m afraid to even breathe.”
Harper’s face softened a little, and she even smiled. She slid deftly over to where I was standing, and took my hand in hers.
“Thanks for coming, Adrian.”
“No problem,” I told her. “I have to admit, I’m a little worried, though. When you stopped answering my—”
A knock at the door, much louder than mine, drew our attention away. She took her hand back.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
“The others.”
Harper crossed the room and opened the door. Jax and Preston stepped inside, accompanied by an intimidating blast of cold air. Their reactions to my presence told me they hadn’t expected me to be here.
“I’m glad you’re all here,” she said, once the door was closed. “I’ve got kind of an emergency.”
I stepped forward, suddenly concerned. The others did too.
“You got robbed, didn’t you?” said Jax, looking around.
“No.”
