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I walk to the front door, pull it open and find Sunday’s newspaper on the stoop. I grab it and toss it onto the kitchen table as I grab a cup and fill it before the coffee maker beeps. As the boys chat and eat, I flip through the paper, and nearly spill my coffee when I come across the local entertainment section and see the photo of Harper and me.
“Shit,” I grumble and glance over my shoulder. For a split second, I think about hiding it, but she’ll likely hear about it from her friends sooner or later. This is the last thing Harper wanted but there we are, under the caption that says, House Broken. “Jesus.” I scan the article, and it showcases Harper as a single mother dog walker, and leaves the reader wondering if the Rule Breaker has finally been broken.
“What’s wrong?”
I turn to find Harper dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, standing in the archway staring at me. I exhale with a groan, and give the paper a shove. “You’re not going to like this.”
“Like what?” she asks and pushes off the door. She sees the paper on the table, and her face pales. “Liam…?”
“Sit.” I pull a chair out and she drops into it. “Have your coffee first.”
I snatch another mug from the cupboard, and cringe as she flips through the paper and I know the exact second she finds the article when a little whimpering sound reaches my ears.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I know you didn’t want this.”
“This picture,” she says. “It’s from the day we went to the ice cream shop.”
“Yeah, I don’t know how the paper got it.” She scans the article, and her throat makes a noise as she swallows. I hand her the mug of coffee and she takes a much-needed sip.
I fall into the chair across from her. “It’s not so bad, right? They didn’t really say too much, other than I might be house broken.”
She pushes the paper away. “It’s bad. It’s really bad.”
I shimmy closer and take her trembling hand. “What’s going on? Why is this so bad?”
“My ex,” she says, and looks away, but not before I catch the worry in her eyes.
My muscles tighten. “Gavin’s father?”
She shakes her head no, and I give her hand a little squeeze. “I…I was involved with a guy a few years back. I thought he was a good guy. He was there for me when Mom and Dad died, and Gavin was only one. I bought this house, and he moved in, and…”
“Did he hurt you?”
“Yes, no…sort of.”
I take a big sip of coffee. My brain is going to need to be wide awake for this, I’m sure. “If he hurt you, Harper?
?”
“Devon’s not a good guy. He was using me, and I didn’t know until it was too late.”
“Too late?”
“He drank, and gambled, fooled around on me, and you see…you…”
I nod, understanding completely. “You were afraid of bringing me into Gavin’s life because of the drinking, and my reputation.” It’s not what she thinks, but right now this is about her, not me.
“Yeah, I couldn’t go down that road again.”
“What did he do?”
“I feel stupid.”
“This is on him, not you. You were the victim obviously, and I’m not going to let you victim-shame yourself, Harper.”
She nods. “Before I knew what was happening, he had drained my entire inheritance. I had been saving to open my own pet store and grooming business, and for Gavin’s future, but he took it all, and he threatened my life, telling me he’d find me and kill me if I pressed charges or anything.” She leans forward and presses her palms into her eyes. “I’ve been keeping a low profile, you know, and I’m worried that if he thought you and I were…you know…”
“Together,” I say finishing her sentence, “Then he’d come sniffing around, looking for money.”
