Page 58 of Capture The Moment

Harper gave Finn a sideways glance and found that he was looking at her too. This time, she detected a softness in his eyes, almost as if he were trying to apologize to her without words. And it would be so easy to let him. But they still had a lot to discuss, and she wouldn’t let herself get sucked in by his crystal-blue eyes, his day-old scruff, his thick, wavy hair, or his hard-packed body. No, sir. She had a lot more willpower than that!

“Well, I’m glad we had this talk. Am I free to go now?” Liam asked, breaking through her reverie.

Finn reached over and whacked him on the shoulder. “You’re not going anywhere. We just got here.”

“More pizza, anyone?” Julia asked, trying to run interference between the three headstrong brothers.

Whoever ends up with these guys is certainly going to have their hands full, Harper thought. She must have had a funny look on her face, because Finn suddenly said, “Harper? Something on your mind?”

“Yes. I’d like to make a toast.” Holding up her beer bottle, she said, “To Julia and Connor. May your relationship be everything you want it to be.”

“Here, here,” said Liam, raising his bottle.

Finn joined in too, and after that, the tension seemed to dissipate. For the next hour or so, the five of them talked comfortably about a variety of topics, until Liam stood up and announced that he had to leave.

“What’s your hurry?” Connor asked as Liam tugged on his boots.

“None of your damn business,” Liam replied. And then, without missing a beat, he added, “Ladies. Nice to see you both.”

At the sound of the door closing behind him, Harper became uncomfortable again. Now that it was down to the four of them, it felt a little too much like a double date for her liking.

“I should probably get going too,” she said, forgetting that she didn’t have her car.

“I guess that means I have to drive you home,” Julia said, sounding disappointed.

“That’s not necessary. I’ll take her,” Finn said, and he pushed himself up off the couch.

“What? I mean, no thanks. I don’t want to put you out,” Harper replied.

But Finn was already putting on his coat and walking toward the door. “Come on. Let’s leave the two lovebirds alone.”

Harper weighed the alternatives and decided she had no choice. Later, she wondered if Julia had orchestrated the whole thing. Why else would she have insisted that they drive together?

When Finn opened the passenger door of his truck for her, she started to climb up, and he put his hand on her elbow to help her.

Jerking out of his grip, she said, “I got it.”

“Suit yourself,” he said and went around to his side to get in.

They were quiet for a few minutes, until Harper broke the silence. “I don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“I don’t get what you’re mad about. You were the one who told me I should see Will, remember?”

“I remember.”

“And what about the woman you hooked up with at the bar? You don’t hear me giving you any guff about that.”

Brows raised, Finn said, “So, calling her a bimbo doesn’t count?”

He’d pulled into her driveway, and he shut off the truck and started to open his door.

“Where are you going?” she asked, her voice sounding unusually high-pitched.

“Inside, where we can finish talking.”

“Why can’t we talk out here?”