She Loves Me

by Foster, Melissa

  “I hope not. But we’ll see.” She started to get off his lap, but he pulled her back down. “Harley, the adhesive will dry.”

  He released her, and as she went to work, he said, “I wish I could go back however many years it would take to erase all that shit from your past so you wouldn’t worry. But since I can’t, I’m going to just keep being me, and hopefully one day you’ll see that this guy, he’s the real thing. The only people who change on you are the ones who are pretending in the first place.”

  Her hands stilled, her head bent forward, and her back rose with a deep inhalation. She set down the tile and moved onto his lap again. Her arms circled his neck, and she said, “You’re a pretty kick-ass guy.”

  “You’re just realizing that?”

  “I’ve known it for a long time. I don’t hang out with losers.” She brushed her fingers through his hair and said, “I’m crazy about you, Harley.”

  The emotions in her voice made her words even more powerful.

  “I don’t think I’ve been pretending to be one thing or another my whole life,” she said softly. “But I hope I can make a few changes, because I want to be able to tell you how I feel without fighting the walls that stack up inside me every time I think about it. I obviously have shit to work through.”

  “Like not spending time together at your place?”

  She frowned. “I’m sorry. It’s not you.”

  “Pipe, it’s okay. I saw you cringe when I mentioned it this morning, and I heard what the girls said about your house. I’m okay with it. I’ll never pressure you to do anything you don’t want to. When you’re ready, we’ll spend time there, or we won’t. That’s up to you. I adore you, and I know I said I needed you to throw me a bone once in a while, but maybe that means I have some changing to do, too. I don’t want to ever make you feel like you have to say things you’re uncomfortable with. Just going out with me and letting us be a couple is huge. Having you stay over last night was like Christmas came early, and seeing you fall asleep with Jiggsy? I’m embarrassed to say that I was jealous of my own dog.”

  They both laughed.

  “I love being with you, and yes, hearing you say you’re crazy about me makes my entire world brighter,” he said honestly. “But if you never say it again, it won’t change how I feel about you.”

  She nodded. “In my heart, I believe that. But my heart has been wrong before.”

  “The great thing about hearts is that with the right care, they can heal.” He pressed a kiss over her heart and as he kissed her belly, her stomach growled.

  She covered it with her hand.

  He moved her hand and kissed her there. “I’d better go make you dinner.” He kissed her slow and deep, then said, “Don’t worry about saying the right things. Just do what you feel and you can’t go wrong.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “HEY, HARLEY, I need a round of Sam Adams for table ten.” Murphy Daly was from New England, and Harley came out as Haahley. She was a few inches shy of six feet tall and as outgoing as she was beautiful. She was always doing different things with her long blond hair, and today she wore it in four thick braids, secured in a thick mass at the base of her neck.

  “Coming right up.” It was late Wednesday afternoon, and Harley’s ankle was significantly better. When he spent too much time on his feet, he had twinges of pain, but for the most part, he was doing well and was glad to no longer need the walking boot or the crutches.

  Murphy leaned on the bar, watching him as he filled the order. When he set the drinks on the bar, she collected them on her tray, her hazel eyes sailing over him. “I like this new look on you.”

  Harley rubbed his beard, which he’d trimmed that morning after leaving too many whisker burns on Piper’s thighs.

  “Not the beard,” she said. “Although I do like the trim. I meant the I’m-way-too-happy-for-my-own-good vibe you’re giving off these days. Piper must not only be good to you, but good for you.”

  “That she is,” he said, and as Murphy went to deliver the drinks, he thought about Piper. She’d spent the night Saturday and Sunday, but Monday she’d insisted on going home to find her own headspace again.

  Harley was learning that finding her own headspace really meant she was scared and needed to try to rein in her emotions. Good luck with that, he’d thought at the time. He knew there was no going back for him, but he hadn’t been quite as certain about Piper when she’d shown up at the pub last night with Kase and a few of the guys they worked with and had barely given Harley a kiss hello. She sat at the bar watching the playoff game and joking with the guys as Harley tended to customers, just like old times. He’d started to wonder if she was making a statement, drawing some sort of line in the sand between work and their relationship. But he needn’t have worried, because he’d felt the difference through her sexy glances and stolen touches across the bar. When she’d excused herself to the ladies’ room, the secret invitation in her eyes had been seen only by him. They’d barely made it into his office before their mouths had collided. They were insatiable in the bedroom and out, but last night they’d kissed for only a minute before she’d said she missed him and Jiggs and that it had felt weird to sleep without him. She said she’d found her headspace and was free later if he wasn’t too tired to see her.

  As if that were even a consideration.

  He’d realized that when she’d come into the pub, it hadn’t been a line she was drawing in the sand that had her keeping her lips to herself. She’d been finding the courage to jump over that line.

  Their insatiability had bled into all parts of their lives. They craved time together for more than just sex. When she’d come over last night, they’d taken Jiggs for a walk and then they’d driven out to an overlook on the edge of town and sat in the back of his truck on a blanket talking and kissing for hours. It was then that he’d realized there was no going back for her, either.

  His cell phone rang, startling him from his reverie. Delaney’s name appeared on the screen. “Hey, Dee. How are you feeling?”

  “Good. It’s going to take a while for the pain and fatigue to subside, but I’m better every day.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Not a day passes that I don’t thank God for clear margins.”

  “Me too,” she said. “Want to hear something weird? I was sitting outside with the girls. Jolie was kicking a soccer ball around and Sophie was playing songs she thought I’d like on Spotify, and suddenly I was hit by this overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I’ve been grateful every day—you know that—and the doctor had warned me that I’d go through a range of ups and downs, but this was overwhelming. I hadn’t expected it to hit me so hard.”

  “Do you want me to come over?” Harley asked.

  “No, I’m good, thanks. It was an incredible feeling. I’m so lucky, Harley. I get to see my girls grow older and see you fall in love. Hopefully the cancer won’t come back anywhere else, so Mom won’t have to bury her daughter.”

  “Aw, sis, don’t talk about that.” Harley walked around the bar and sat down at a table. After losing their father so quickly, they all knew just how lucky Delaney was. He’d been petrified when he’d learned of her diagnosis, and he hadn’t been able to breathe right until after the surgery that cleared her.

  “It’s big, and I knew that. But now it’s real.” She sniffled, and he knew she was crying.

  “You sure you don’t want me to come over?”

  “Yes. These are happy tears. But it made me miss Marshall. What if I hadn’t gotten lucky? I could have died without ever seeing him again.”

  “That didn’t happen, and it’s not going to.”

  He wanted to remind her that their brother had abandoned them a long time ago, and that he hadn’t even been man enough to come back when their father had gotten sick and they’d needed him most. And although he’d never mention to Delaney that Marshall was probably the biggest reason Piper didn’t trust men, the thought ate away at him with a vengeance.

  �
�I know,” she said. “It’s just all so sad. When I was staying with Mom, she talked about him a lot. She misses him, and I think she worries that she’ll grow old and die without ever seeing him again.”

  His mother never spoke of Marshall to Harley, and he knew it was because she had heard their argument the day of their father’s funeral. What Harley wasn’t sure of was whether she blamed him for Marshall leaving and never returning after their fight. That wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have.

  He didn’t regret a word he’d said to Marshall.

  “I don’t know what to say about that.” Harley pushed a hand through his hair.

  “Neither do I, but I didn’t call to bum you out. I wanted to ask if you sent me a gift in the mail.”

  “No. Why? Do you have a secret admirer?” he teased, knowing someone would have to go to a lot of trouble to keep a secret in Harmony Pointe or Sweetwater.

  “I hope so.” She laughed. “I just received a beautiful rose-gold warrior bracelet in the mail. There was no card and no return address, and the bracelet was wrapped in purple tissue paper.” Delaney wrapped every gift she gave in purple tissue paper. “I bet it was one of the girls at work.”

  “Probably,” he agreed.

  “One last thing—can you be at Mom’s a little early next Sunday for Mother’s Day?”

  “Sure. I ordered both of your presents a month ago. They’re all wrapped and ready to be torn open.”

  “You’re always so good about gifts. You know you don’t have to get me anything. I’m not your mother.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” Harley had picked up where her no-good ex had left off. He wasn’t about to let a single Mother’s Day pass without celebrating his sister as one of the best mothers he knew. “Why are we getting together early?”

  “Mom said she wanted to go out to brunch instead of having us make it. I figured it’s her day, might as well do things her way.”

  They talked for a little while longer, and then Harley got back to work. There was a steady flow of customers, which made the time pass quicker. When Ben Dalton walked through the door with his adorable daughter, Bea, in his arms, he was glad to see them. They hadn’t played basketball in a few weeks, and Ben rarely came around the pub now that he had a daughter. Like his father, Ben was tall, dark, and serious, but he had a snarky side his father didn’t, and he usually had a smile at the ready. But Ben’s eyes were locked on Harley, and his face was all business. He wondered what was up. He’d checked the stock market that morning, and he knew he hadn’t caused Ben any bad investments.

  “How’s it going, Ben?” Harley said as he came around the bar.

  “It’s going a’right,” Ben said.

  Bea bounced in Ben’s arms, her chubby cheeks split by her babbles, “Ha, Ha,” which was what she called Harley.

  Harley tickled her chin, earning muffled giggles as she buried her face in Ben’s neck. “And how are you, sweet thing?”

  Bea was precious, with her daddy’s big brown eyes, and wispy light brown hair that curled at the ends around her ears and the collar of her red-black-and-white checked dress. She had Ben—and Harley—wrapped around her tiny finger.

  “I meant to get here a week ago, but kids have a way of screwing with even the best-laid plans.” Ben kissed Bea’s forehead. “Totally worth it, you know.”

  “After spending a couple weeks taking care of my nieces, I get it.”

  “I never got to thank you for letting Sophie spend the night. Bea had the time of her life, and Soph is just incredible. She acted like a big sister.” Ben brushed another kiss to Bea’s forehead and said, “There’s something awesome about seeing your own child making friends.”

  Harley was looking forward to doing that one day. “Sophie had a blast. She’s still talking about it. Piper and I appreciated the break, too.”

  Ben’s face turned serious again.

  “What’s up, Ben? Is something wrong?”

  “Just doing my brotherly duty,” he said in a voice Harley imagined took control in many boardrooms. “You know how this goes down.”

  Harley chuckled. “You’re here to give me the talk? Shake down the new boyfriend? Man, I did not see this coming. Isn’t that usually Piper’s job?”

  “Yeah, but someone’s got to have her back.”

  “I’m sure you know I do and have for a long time. Hell, everyone in this damn town knows how I feel about her. It just took your sister a while to realize it.”

  “She’s a stubborn one,” Ben said.

  “She is. But I’ve got to tell you, Ben, bringing a cute little sidekick takes down your alpha cred. Give me that little princess.”

  He reached for Bea, and she thrust out her grabby little hands. “Ha, Ha.”

  “That’s right, princess. Come to Uncle Harley.” Harley loved children of any age, but he missed when his nieces were that small. He settled Bea in one arm and lifted her hand to his mouth, covering it with kisses. She giggled, pulling her hand away, then pushing her hand back to his mouth, urging, “Muh, muh!” which was little-girl speak for more.

  “As you were saying,” Harley said to Ben, noticing Murphy watching them from across the room.

  “Just a minute.” Ben stretched his neck from left to right, rolled his shoulders back, and crossed his arms, lowering his chin with his eyes trained on Harley.

  It was all Harley could do to pretend his chuckles were all caused by Bea’s playfulness as she tried to tug on his beard.

  “Listen up, Dutch. Piper might seem tough, but she’s more sensitive than you think. I can only remember seeing her cry once, and that was when we were little kids. I killed a caterpillar and she bawled . . . for like a minute. I was only about six, which means she was around five, and I remember thinking that was the worst minute of my life, because she never cried. But that wasn’t the worst, because after those tears, she turned stone cold and beat the crap out of me. I haven’t seen her cry since, but I know she’s got tear ducts.”

  Harley laughed, then looked at Bea. “Your daddy is not very good at this shakedown stuff.”

  At hearing the word daddy, Bea reached for Ben. “Dada, Dada!”

  “In a minute, Bea. I have to finish.” His jaw clenched as he eyed his daughter. “Aw, hell. Give her to me.”

  Harley handed Bea over. “I get it, Ben. Don’t mess with Piper’s feelings, or I’ll have you to deal with. I respect that. But I also respect Piper. I’d never purposefully hurt her, and we both know that if I did, she’d have my balls in a vise before I knew what hit me.”

  “You’ve got that right.”

  “Anything else you need to say? Because I’ve got a surprise planned for your sister, and I’d like to roll out of here in a few minutes.”

  “Yeah,” Ben said with that snarky grin Harley knew so well. “If anyone asks, I rattled you, maybe shook you up a bit, left you thinking about things, like how you’re determined to treat Piper right.”

  Harley nodded. “Of course.”

  Murphy came up behind Ben and said, “I’ll back you up on that, Ben. You were freaking badass. I saw Harley shaking in his boots.”

  “Traitor,” Harley teased.

  Murphy turned her palms up. “Hey, he has hot single friends.”

  Harley looked at Ben and said, “I think this one needs both of us looking after her, or she’s going to get herself in trouble.”

  “Maybe that trouble can be with Fletch.” Murphy waggled her brows. “Or that big, broad, and broody guy who came in with you a few weeks ago, Porter.”

  “Don’t you have customers to tend to?” Harley said, remembering the way Piper’s face had lit up when Felicity had brought up Porter in the hospital.

  Murphy tapped Ben’s arm and then backed away, making the call-me signal with her hand to her ear.

  Ben shook his head and said, “Please tell me we weren’t ever like that.”

  “I was gone for years and have no idea what you were like then, but since I’ve been back? No way. We both knew who we wa
nted. We just had to play the game until they came around.” Harley thought about that for a second and amended his comment. “Well, I had to. You got in your own damn way, waiting for the right time to suddenly make itself known before coming clean to Aurelia about how you felt. If it hadn’t been for Bea, you might still be waiting.”

  “And if you hadn’t hurt your ankle, you’d be keeping me company.”

  Harley cocked a grin and said, “Let’s hear it for babies and bandages.”

  Piper’s phone rang on her way to Harley’s house early Wednesday evening, and Talia’s name flashed on the screen. Piper knew exactly why she was calling. Her sister liked things tied up in pretty ribbons with perfect little bows, while Piper was cool with frayed edges and knotted strings. They’d disagreed often when they were younger, but her oldest sister didn’t argue—she reasoned—while Piper’s approach was more visceral and usually involved a loud voice. Their disagreements almost always ended with Talia looking at Piper like she was some type of alien with whom she simply couldn’t relate and walking away. They’d gotten better at communicating with age.

  She answered on Bluetooth. “Hi, Tal. What’s up?”

  “You know what’s up,” Talia said, sounding exasperated. “Every time I text you about how things went with Harley the other day, you reply with ridiculous texts that I don’t understand.”

  Piper chuckled. As Piper had matured, she’d learned how to argue more rationally, but Piper would always be Piper, and in addition to frayed edges and knotted strings, she liked to rile up her siblings from time to time.

  “Come on, Talia. I thought ‘Can’t text, I’m in a meat coma’ was very clear.”

  “Yes, if you’re on the keto diet!” Talia complained. “I know you guys worked things out, but did you find out why Harley wasn’t sleeping with you?”

  Piper turned onto the road that ran past the marina and realized if it weren’t for Talia, she might still be stuck in a quandary with Harley.

  Either that or she would have tied him to the bed and had her way with him.