Page 51 of Capture The Moment

Chapter 13

Two days later, on a Saturday afternoon, Harper pulled onto the long gravel driveway that led to Nikki and Nate Collins’s house. The house looked more like a manor, with its impressive brick and stone front perched high on a rise overlooking their expansive property. Harper had to be buzzed in at the black iron security gate that had been installed to protect the celebrity couple’s privacy. But when Nikki answered the door a few minutes later, she looked anything but pretentious in her black yoga pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt, with her hair arranged in a messy bun and not a stitch of makeup on except lip gloss. She looked just like she had in high school except happier, and when her handsome movie-star husband came up behind her and rested his hands on her hips, it was obvious why.

“Harper, this is my husband, Nate,” Nikki said proudly while Nate reached around her to shake Harper’s hand.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Harper. Thanks for coming out on a Saturday on such short notice,” Nate said.

Harper tried not to stare too hard while she shook his hand, reminding herself that aside from his celebrity status, he was a regular guy who appeared to be madly in love with his wife. Julia had practically begged to accompany her today, but Harper had declined. She knew how important privacy was to Nikki, who’d been hounded by the press, especially when she’d first become involved with Nate. The locals had settled down some since then, but there were still the celebrity chasers out there who were vying to get close to them. Not that Julia was one of those people, but Harper thought it would be best if she did this shoot on her own.

“It’s nice to meet you too, and it was no problem coming here today. I do a lot of my work on the weekends.”

“Me too,” Nikki said, “although I’ve become better at delegating these days.” Nikki was a successful real estate broker who hadn’t given up her job to be a celebrity’s wife, and Harper admired her for it.

Harper followed them into the living room, where their son, Max, was sitting on a blanket in the middle of the floor, playing with a stack of blocks. When he saw his parents, his adorable face broke out in a toothless grin, and he flapped his hands excitedly.

“Max, this is Miss Harper. She’s here to take your picture,” Nikki said, squatting down to wipe the drool off her baby’s chin.

Harper wasn’t sure how much a one-year-old could understand, but Max smiled at her, which she took as a good sign. “He’s a cutie,” she said as she bent down to hand him a block. She had always loved kids, and they were her favorite subjects for photo shoots, mostly because they were so uninhibited. Their emotions were genuine and unfiltered, and she strove to capture that in her photos. Of course, the downside was they often ran out of patience before she could take all the shots she wanted. Hopefully, this sweet little guy would cooperate for the next half-hour or so.

“I just fed him before you got here, and he already took his morning nap, so he should be good to go,” Nikki said somewhat fretfully.

Nate hugged his wife into his side and said, “Don’t worry, honey. I’m sure Harper’s used to dealing with children.”

Harper knew he was referring to her job, but his statement struck a chord of sadness in her. By now, she’d hoped to have a child of her own—with Blake. They’d discussed it at length just before he’d died, and she’d been looking forward to embarking on the next chapter of their life together. Being around this happy family of three reminded her of all that she’d lost and the moments she might never get to experience.

Donning her professional mask, Harper smiled and said, “I’m anxious to get started. Where do you want me to set up?”

An hour later, satisfied with the shots she’d taken, she bid goodbye to the Collinses with a promise to contact Nikki as soon as the proofs were ready. When she backed down the driveway, the three of them stood in the doorway, waving goodbye, Max’s chubby little hand included. It wasn’t until she was back on the dirt road leading toward home that she let her tears fall.

“Damn it, Blake. Why did you have to leave me so soon?” she said, angrily swiping the tears away.

By the time she’d returned home, her tears had dried up, and her emotions were back under control. She’d taken numerous photos of children since Blake’s death, and she hadn’t had a reaction like that in months. Her emotions were still in upheaval thanks to what had happened with Finn. If she hadn’t kissed him, she wouldn’t know what she was missing, and she wouldn’t have been able to be rejected by him. Even though he’d probably thought he’d been doing her a favor by backing off. Some favor!

And then her phone rang, breaking her train of negative thoughts. Glancing down at the number, she sighed.

“Hey, Will.”

“Hi. Are you free tonight?”

She racked her brain for an excuse but came up empty. It was time to face Will and tell him the truth. “Yes.”

“Great! How about if we meet at the Union for a drink?”

“Sure. What time?”

“Can you be there in an hour?”

“Ok. See you then.”

After they hung up, Harper sighed again. She hated the idea of letting Will down, especially since he was such a nice guy. But she didn’t think it was fair to string him along. She only hoped that he wouldn’t take the news poorly.

When she arrived at the Union an hour later, it was already crowded. Standing on her tiptoes, she searched the crowd for Will and found him sitting on a stool at the far end of the bar. They locked eyes at the same time, and he smiled and waved her over. Turning sideways, she squeezed through the mass of people who were waiting for tables and went to join him.

“Glad you could make it,” he said.

She hadn’t seen him in a while, and she thought he looked particularly handsome that evening. His eyes were sparkling, and she caught a whiff of nice-smelling cologne as he swiveled around on his stool to face her. Did he do all this for me? I hope not. But it was obvious that he had.

“What would you like to drink?” he asked as he waved the bartender over.