I mulled over his words as I sipped on my beer. Wes directed his attention away from me as he typed something out on his phone. My mind drifted to my mother and how quickly she slipped away from us. Life was unpredictable. Things could change in the blink of an eye. Wes was right. I needed to come clean with Harper and tell her how I actually felt about her, but it terrified me.
There was something about being that vulnerable with someone that was frightening. She already had the power to destroy me, she just didn’t know it yet.
From the moment I met Harper Jensen, I knew I needed to make her mine. Even after that night at the club, something about her had struck something deep inside me. I couldn't get her out of my head, and then it was as if the universe heard my thoughts and brought her back into my life.
I wasn’t looking for a relationship when I met her. What happened between us was just supposed to be something fun. She was a good luck charm that I knew I couldn’t lose; she was just looking for an escape. Our arrangement was supposed to serve two simple purposes. But things between us shifted into something more.
Harper was under my skin, she was in my heart and in my soul. I wanted her to be a permanent fixture in my life. I wanted to savor the moments between us and never let them go.
“I hate to be the one who eats and runs, but I’m going to head out.”
I looked back at Wes who was already standing up from the couch. “Since when do you have plans that I don’t know about?”
He glanced at me with a look of guilt in his eyes, almost as if he got caught doing something. “Who said I have any plans?”
I scowled at him. “You’re abruptly leaving to go home and hang out by yourself?”
A chuckle escaped him. “Touché.” He paused for a second as mischief danced in his irises. “I’m just going to go help a friend out with some research stuff.”
“You have other friends?”
Wes gave me the middle finger. “You’re a dick.”
I stared at him as I raised a suspicious eyebrow. “How do you know all my secrets, but I don’t know yours?”
Wes gave me a crooked grin. “Because I’m the vault, not you.”
“Please tell me it’s not Harper’s friend, Ava.”
“What?” His brow furrowed. “Absolutely not. I promise it’s no one you know. It’s just this girl I met and I promised I’d help her with some research for the books she’s writing—”
I held my hands up to stop him. “Forget I asked,” I laughed as I shook my head. “I don’t even want to know about the shit you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Wes laughed along with me as he headed toward the elevator door. “I’m not quite sure what I’ve even gotten myself into, but I’m along for the ride now. Wish me luck!”
“Good luck?” I spoke the words half in question, half in declaration as I heard the elevator doors open. He stepped inside and they quickly closed behind him before he began his descent down to the lobby.
Wes was definitely more of a free spirit than anyone else, so I wasn’t really surprised by his new adventure. It sounded pretty on-brand for him. It made sense why he was reading romance books on the plane now. I wondered if he was reading her books. I didn’t need to wonder about what kind of research he’d be helping her with.
As I began to clean up the pizza and the empty beer bottles, my mind drifted back to Harper. I needed to be honest with her. I had given her the watered-down version of my feelings, and she deserved to know the truth. Being so open and vulnerable with someone wasn’t the only thing that scared me about it. I was afraid I would scare her away too, and that was the last thing I wanted to do.
She deserved to know and I knew I had to tell her. It wasn’t something I could just do over the phone. I needed to tell her in person and just prepare myself for the possibility of sending her running in the opposite direction.
All I could do was hope for the best.
And hope she felt the same way I did.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
HARPER
As I stood in the bathroom, I tried to apply makeup to the bruise across the bridge of my nose and the ones that settled beneath my eyes. There was only so much I could apply before it was noticeable that I was just caking it on.
Nico texted me this morning and asked if I wanted to go get lunch with him. They had a home game tonight and then he’d be back on the road for about a week-long stretch for away games. I told Nico I needed to go see about getting a new camera lens and he was more than happy to offer to take me to the store.
I had meant to do it as soon as we got back from Vegas but I had spent the past two days fighting off gnarly headaches from the swelling in my face. Today was the first day I felt a little bit better and a little more like myself. I was surprised the pain had gotten worse than when it initially happened.
My phone vibrated from the counter as I applied my mascara and was finishing up my makeup routine. I gave myself a last glance in the mirror and shrugged. It wasn’t the best but it would do.
Nico
I’m outside. Did you want me to come up?
Harper
I’ll be right down.
I flicked off the bathroom light, grabbed my keys and purse, and slid my feet into a pair of sneakers before heading down to Nico. His sleek car was parked along the curb outside of my apartment building and he was leaning against the side of it with his hands tucked in the front pockets of his gray joggers.
A smile crept onto his lips as his gaze collided with mine. “Hey you.”
My mouth went dry at the sight of him and my heart pounded to its own beat in my chest. There was nothing rhythmic about it. “Hey,” I murmured and smiled back at him as he pushed off the car and opened the door for me.
I sat down and he waited patiently before shutting it behind me. I watched him circle around the front of the car before sliding into his seat. He slid his hand into mine before pulling the car away from the curb. He took us to a small coffee shop not far into the city. It was about two blocks away from the camera store.
“If I park here, would you want to just walk?” he inquired as he found a spot in one of the parking garages. “I needed to stop to get a new dress shirt and there’s a store on our walk.”
“That’s perfect with me,” I told him as he pulled into the parking spot and turned off the engine. He hopped out of the car in a rush while I was still getting my stuff together and he met me at my door as he pulled it open for me.
I smiled up at him and he took my camera bag from me. He slid it over his shoulder and his hand found mine once again before we headed out of the garage and to the coffee shop. Nico’s steps were light, almost as if he were floating. There was never a nervousness to him. If there was anyone who oozed confidence and was sure of themselves, it was him.
His energy was contagious. He wasn’t arrogant, he wasn’t cocky. He was simply just confident in the things he knew and believed in.
It didn’t take us long to eat our sandwiches at the coffee shop and we were heading down the street, walking past shops as we made our way to the camera store first. Nico carried my bag and held my hand until we reached the front door. He paused to open it for me and let me walk in ahead of him.
As we stepped inside, I was captivated by the different displays set up throughout the store. There were various cameras and styles, along with different lenses, attachments, and accessories. I turned to Nico and attempted to take the camera bag from him.