AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I turn over to face him. “I barely knew you that day you invited us over for dinner. I know I told you I was repelled when I saw the front of the house. But when I saw what was on the inside, I had a feeling. I was flooded with something inexplicable, and as much as I wanted to keep you at a distance, I knew something special was happening. The entire time, I kept picturing that house as a sanctuary filled with friends, family, and pets. Laughter, fun, and a soft place to land in difficulttimes. I wasn’t ready to embrace that vision. I wasn’t ready for you. But now I am.”
There. Finally. I said it.
And no matter how he reacts to it, I feel like a chain weighing me down has finally let go.
Cooper does that thing that I love him most for. Stays very quiet, very still, and watches me. My extroverted boy just lets me talk and lets me have my moment.
Saying what I want feels good.
chapter
nineteen
Six monthslater
Cooper
Harmony has an inkling of what the sledgehammer is for.
I can see it all over her face.
To be fair, I’m known for surprising her with big things, so she’s catching on to me.
First, it was the backyard fence.
Then, it was the puppy, Rusty, who I adopted for her on her birthday.
“Are we building a pool in my yard?” Harmony asks from the passenger seat of my car.
I laugh. “Wouldn’t we be heading toward your house if it were that?”
“Where are we going?”
“Take a guess.”
We’re headed to the mansion that she both hates and loves.
And I can’t wait to let her do the honors.
From the back seat, Rusty snores quietly. That dog loves riding in the car. He does his best napping on our 30-minutetreks between Fate and the house I still share with my twin brother.
“Share” is a bit of an exaggeration. Most days Carter spends with Summer either at Little Spoon, or at the job site of their new house in Fate. It’s almost finished, so some nights those crazy kids sleep there on the unfinished floor with no furniture. Lunatics.
We arrive, and Rusty leaps from the back seat and trots into the trees to do his business.
“Good boy, Rusty,” Harmony says.
I grab the sledgehammer from the trunk and hand it to Harmony.
“Cooper, what is going on?”
“Now’s your chance, baby girl.” I gesture toward the cupid fountain, which has been emptied of water.
The shock on her face is quickly replaced by fiendish glee. “Are you sure?”
“I think it’s too late if I say no,” I laugh. “My only requirement is you put these on.”
I hand her my safety glasses. She ties her hair back. She dons my work gloves.
