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“We’d been on the road for sixteen hours straight and my mouth felt as furry as a bear’s ass. I’d left my electric toothbrush at the hotel we stayed in the night before, and I guess I was being obnoxious, because I insisted the driver stop the bus so I could grab a new one.”
Glancing at me like it was the most boring story on earth, I saw Harper stifle a yawn and I chuckled. “Anyway, turned out Grace was buying a toothbrush as well, and we both went for the only one either of us would use.
“Flashing her one of my best Cole Harkin rock star smiles, I gave Grace a sob story about being on the road and it being the only brand of toothbrush I used, and Grace handed me my ass on a plate about gentlemen and manners, then suggested she arm wrestle me for it.”
We both cracked up laughing about Grace’s sass and it dawned on me it was the first time since Grace had died I had given anyone who never knew her alive an insight into the funny side of her personality.
“So, who won?”
“I did, but I offered to swap the toothbrush for a date and she accepted. Three weeks later she gave up her job and came on the road with us, and I married her a month after that.”
“Wow, so in like two months you were married?”
“Yep, and it was seven weeks too long to wait for me. I asked her to marry me every morning until she gave in.” My smile froze on my face because I’d totally forgotten who I was talking to. I gave her a small smile and shook my head. “I can’t apologize for how I loved her, Harper, she was my world,” I stated, unashamed.
“I asked the question, Cole. I’m glad you loved her so deeply. It’s good for Layla to know all of this. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll love someone else in the same way. I’m not a fool and I’m not going into this blind, but if I do this with you, I expect you to respect me.”
“You deserve the world, Sweetheart, and I know you make my heart lighter,” I said, putting my wine glass down and moving beside her on the couch. “I’m broken, we both know that, but I’d never compare you to what I had with Grace. You’re two different people and you’re the two most special women I’ve ever known in my life… after my mom, of course,” I added, and winked again.
“Wow, how did I get included in there?”
“Grace gave my baby life, and you’ve given me the child we shared today. She’s an amazing little handful so far, and both Layla and I owe that to your dedication and support. The last few years in this household couldn’t have been fun to live in.”
“That’s not the way I saw it. Maybe in the beginning… yeah. You were in such a dark place for a while, I wondered if you’d ever bond with Layla. Watching someone so heartbroken with the responsibility for a helpless newborn baby was overwhelming at times.”
Staring into her eyes, I expected to see an element of anger or some other judgment for my lack of interest in Layla as I tried to come to terms with something that shook me to my core, but all I saw was understanding.
“Thank you for all you have done for us. I’ve never really voiced it before because I don’t have the right words. For someone who used to write song lyrics all day long, I have nothing in me which would adequately describe how I feel about the person you are or what you have done for my daughter.”
For a moment Harper’s eyes ticked over my face and she shook her head. “No words are needed. When I saw you with Layla today, it reminded me of how far you’ve both come. You’re developing a beautiful friendship with Layla, and to see this, is all the reward I need. You don’t need to say the words.”
As if our gaze became too much for her, she glanced down at her lap, her hair falling over her face.
“So, this guy of yours?” I asked taking the conversation back to her.
“He’s not my guy,” she replied giving me eye contact again.
“But he’s still a sore point,” I stated.
“Perhaps, but I don’t love him anymore.”
“No?”
“No. For the first two years here I never went home. I mean who does that? Cheats on their girlfriend with her next-door neighbor?”
“Yeah, which was the main reason I figured we were a bad idea,” I disclosed. Seeing her eyes narrow, I expanded. “Not the cheating part, but you know, being attracted to you, but the thought of me fucking up the status quo here in the house made me determined not to act on it. You have no idea how difficult it’s been, and it’s the main reason now why I want to take this slowly.”
“Thank you, and I get it now why you didn’t sleep with me. You were acting maturely while I was acting on impulse.”
Cupping her chin, I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers then pulled back without allowing it to turn into more. “Exactly, but now that we’ve spoken and cleared the air, I think we both know where this is heading.”
If I could have captured Harper’s secret smile as soon as I’d shared this, I would have locked it in a box for when I got old. Delight flooded my veins, and a happy feeling settled inside my heart, as I looked forward to getting to know her better. After what happened with Grace, it was something I never thought I’d attempt again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Lying in bed the following morning, I tried to think of the best way to take Harper on dates without it impacting Layla. It had been obvious from Matty and Stuart’s comments they knew something had gone down between us. I figured the best way to keep Layla out of the loop was to enlist the support of those in the house.
It felt weird calling a house meeting of the staff while Layla and Harper had left to go to kindergarten, and once Stuart came back, I had a word with him in private about it.
