This Was Meant To Be: BWWM Romance

by Ellie Etienne

  They had given him everything he needed, without ever trying to make him forget his own parents. They’d never insisted that he take their name. He had always been Harrison Bloom, and the Blooms had always been honored in that family, but he had also been one of the Wells.

  And of course, there was Leigh.

  If anybody could crack through a frozen shell of hurt and sorrow, it was Leigh. She was sweetness and light, with an irreverent sense of humor and a spine so strong she would never break, even when she was just eight years old.

  Her parents had told her to give him some time, and she’d managed to give him all of two days before she slipped into the room that was now his and sat down next to him. It was so easy to go back and remember it, as if it were yesterday. The grief had dulled over time, but everything he had felt that evening was still fresh.

  He could remember the scent of orange blossoms that wafted in through the window. He remembered the slight murmur of conversation during dinner, which he hadn’t been interested in, at all.

  He remembered the kindness in Martha’s eyes when she had nodded, squeezed his shoulder gently and told him that they were there for him, whenever he was ready.

  He remembered every single detail of that evening, because he had felt as if he couldn’t breathe, because he was being suffocated by grief… And then, Leigh had happened, and he had breathed again.

  Sliding back to that evening was as easy and as tempting as slipping into a hot tub after a long, difficult day.

  “Hey, Harrison,” she said.

  Harrison hadn’t said a word.

  “I saved you dessert. You didn’t eat dinner, so I saved my dessert, too. You can have dessert for dinner.”

  Her smile was so infectious that he couldn’t stop a little bit of his heart from opening.

  “Mom made apple pie because you always eat triple portion of it when she makes it. It’s really nice. I got ice cream, too. It’s chocolate. I think chocolate ice cream on apple pie sucks, but you like it.”

  She pushed the plate in front of him, placing it on his lap as he sat on his bed.

  He’d been sitting on that bed, staring at the wall where his posters had been put up.

  “You could have Joe, if you like. Joe makes me feel not alone when I’m afraid.”

  Harrison looked at Leigh.

  “But you never let me even touch Joe.”

  Leigh shrugged.

  “I think I’d be being very selfish if I didn’t lend you Joe. Joe likes you, he told me so.”

  Joe, the six-year-old teddy bear, was Leigh’s most favorite person in the whole world, and she would’ve scratched anybody who tried to tell her that he wasn’t a person.

  “I’d like Joe,” said Harrison, finally.

  “If you’re not sleepy, we could read. I got a couple of new books. They seem pretty nice, and I was saving them up to read with you, anyway.”

  Harrison didn’t smile, but he could feel that weight of sadness lifting, just a little bit. It wasn’t weighing him down so much anymore.

  “I guess we could do that,” said Harrison, finally.

  He hadn’t wanted to talk to anybody – not the grief counselors, not the police, not the Wellses, even if they had been so good to him.

  But Leigh was different. Leigh knew, even when she was eight years old, how to lift him up a little, share his load without asking that he share it.

  “I don’t know some of the words, though. You’ll have to help,” said Leigh, practical-minded as ever.

  Harrison nodded slowly.

  She turned to go out of the room, and paused, turning back to him. She looked like a little doll in her starry skies pajamas, her hair tumbling all over the place in wild curls, her eyes huge and mysterious.

  “I know they’re angels now, Harrison. I know they’ll look over you and take care of you. I know they will. They’ll be so sad that they had to go, but they knew you’d have us. They’ll be there with you, always. You shouldn’t forget that.”

  And she slipped out and into her room, to get the books she’d promised. But she had already begun to do what only she could do. She had already begun to help him heal, and he knew, in that moment, that one way or the other, Leigh would always be important to him.

  Always.

  Chapter 2

  Leigh was annoyed at everything. First, work wasn’t exactly going very well.

  Coleman was a demanding boss, but she didn’t mind that. She liked demanding bosses who challenged her. But Coleman was the lead counsel on the case, and a lot of details were being handed to William Trask – the junior Trask.

  His uncle was one of the name partners of Coleman, Trask and Miller. His uncle wanted him to be groomed to follow in his footsteps, of course, but it wasn’t working out very well, at least from what Leigh could see.

  There was something extremely annoying about William, apart from the general incompetence that comes from knowing that no matter what you do, you’ve got a safety net. If there’s absolutely no fear, no edge of nerves, you cannot do your best. But if that fear begins to leech into every decision you make, then you make mistakes.

  Leigh was beginning to worry that she might end up there, because she was not in control of what William Trask did, or didn’t do.

  He was also slimy and hitting on her, but she could handle that. She had been handling that for ages. She practically had a degree in it.

  Which was more than what the little slimy bastard would’ve had if his family hadn’t bought it for him. He was cunning, but not in the way that made it an asset in law. He was cunning like a snake, and one without the knowledge that made that cunning an advantage.

  But she was also beginning to get the feeling that he was sabotaging her after she rebuffed his advances. Coleman had told her that he’d been disappointed with her work. She’d been stunned, but then she had realized that she’d gotten her orders from slimy Willie, who had obviously set her up for a fall.

  Well, if he thought he could make her fail, he was wrong. She was going to work harder, and be more careful.

  Constant vigilance, she thought with a grin. Well, she had always wanted to go to Hogwarts. She could do constant vigilance.

  Second, Carl still hadn’t come around to accepting that she just couldn’t take the time off. There had been a couple of ugly fights that had left her drained, and she couldn’t afford that.

  That harmony that she’d always counted on between them seemed to have gone. It felt like they had reached an impasse.

  Carl wanted her to take that year off, and he’d be satisfied with nothing else. Every time she felt as if she’d made some progress with him, things got worse. It was as if Carl just couldn’t let go.

  Her suggestion that he do it himself had ended up in two days of sulking. She hadn’t thought it was a very good idea, but he’d seemed offended that she could even suggest it.

  Leigh was at a loss. She dreaded going home now – it was like going from one high-stress environment at work to another one at home. On balance, she thought she might even prefer work, to be completely honest.

  At least there, she wasn’t stuck with the antagonizing little Slimy Willie all the time. She had space to move, and to think.

  Third, and maybe most annoying, she had to go to a benefit. It was the last thing she wanted to do – not because she didn’t appreciate the honor of representing her firm, or her family, or even because she didn’t think building schools in Afghanistan was a worthy cause.

  No, she was just so tired that all she wanted to do was soak her poor feet in hot water, instead of shoving them into punishing heels that added more height, and squeezing herself into a dress that felt like it might cut off her circulation above her waist. Or below.

  But she hadn’t wanted to stay at home with Carl, or try and tell Coleman – or worse, Slimy Willie – that she couldn’t make it. She knew, of course, that her commitment would immediately be called into question.

  Still, she knew she looked incredible in th
e shimmering bronze gown with the cinched in waist and the slit halfway up her thigh. The neckline was demure, but the leg was not.

  She had invited Carl, of course. She’d asked him to come, as nicely as she could.

  He had refused in no uncertain terms, and it had pissed her off.

  But then, the fact that she would go to what he considered to be a work event after she refused to go on his gap year with him made him mad, too.

  So again, they were at an impasse.

  So now, there she was, in a cab, on her way to a benefit where she would be expected to mingle, make intelligent conversation and smile a lot.

  Maybe she could get away with the bimbo act, as she sometimes did when she was simply too out of it to make conversation and be interesting. You just had to open your eyes wide, look engrossed, nod a lot, smile, and laugh while tossing your hair.

  She was very good at that, too.

  But Slimy Willie would be there, and she wasn’t going to give Slimy Willie more to gossip about. She’d have to be smart and aware, and though her shoes were fabulous, her feet hurt so much.

  “Chin up, Leigh,” she told herself.

  The beginnings of a bad headache were beginning a drum solo in her temples.

  It was going to be a long and very annoying evening, thought Leigh with another sigh.

  She was beginning to sound like Carl – long suffering sighs and all.

  She tipped the cabbie well to make up for all the sighing that she was sure must have annoyed him.

  At least there would be free wine, though it would be bad. But if it’s free, you couldn’t be too demanding, could you?

  Walking up the stairs, handing her coat over, Leigh didn’t notice how she drew the eye. She wouldn’t have been very surprised if she had. She knew she was attractive – and striking enough to make an impression.

  But she didn’t think much of that. You get lucky with your genes, but that didn’t mean you worked for it. If Leigh was often proud, it was always for things she had worked for, not accidents of fate.

  Her stomach rumbled as she walked in, and she headed straight for a waiter holding a tray. With a sigh of relief, she snagged what looked like salmon mousse and fish fingers.

  Before she had to make the rounds and do what she was supposed to do, she gobbled up enough to keep her going, and washed it down with a glass of wine.

  She turned her smile on the waiter, who was young and immediately dazzled.

  “I’m not sure if this will get you a bonus, but you can tell your boss that you absolutely saved a life today. I was ready to swoon.”

  The young man looked delighted, and about ready to swoon. She didn’t bite back her grin.

  “So, how’s the party looking? There will be rubbery chicken later, won’t there? The hors d'oeuvres are good. Ooh, stuffed mushrooms? I love mushrooms!”

  “Let me get one for you, ma’am,” said the young lad, and he was back so quickly that Leigh wondered how he hadn’t gotten whiplash.

  “You must be putting yourself through college to get a degree in saving lives,” said Leigh, and she was only teasing a bit.

  He blushed, but looked very pleased.

  “Well, I wondered if I’d find you here.”

  Leigh felt welcome pleasure run through her as she heard the voice right behind her.

  “Thanks. I’m good for now, I think. I’ll signal you in Morse if I feel weak again. Watch my eyelids, I’ll blink,” she told the waiter before she turned around.

  The grin was instinct. It was the kind of grin Leigh didn’t often give people, and it was blinding. Harrison, though, would always rate that happiness, because seeing him made her incredibly happy.

  “Harrison! Now I don’t have to be bored stiff,” said Leigh.

  Harrison chuckled.

  “Been a while,” he said, handing her a glass of wine and slipping and arm around her shoulder casually, comfortably.

  Leigh let herself lean on him, just a bit. She needed a bit of support that evening. It wasn’t hard to admit that.

  “Too long. I missed you. But you’ve been doing very well, Harrison. We’re all very proud of you.”

  Harrison took the soft praise without looking for anything underneath it. He knew that Leigh said what she meant, most of the time. He’d often teased her that that, in itself, might disqualify her as a lawyer.

  Still…

  “Still going down that disreputable road?”

  Leigh punched him lightly on the shoulder.

  “It’s not going to be disreputable the way I plan to do it. Anyway, what’re you doing here? I tried to get you to come to one of these things once and I gave up. It takes a lot to make me give up, you know.”

  Harrison laughed.

  “I know. But apparently, I pledged quite a bit of money and I’m expected here. Anna told me so in no uncertain terms.”

  Leigh grinned. She liked Anna. She’d only met her a couple of times, but she was just what Leigh wanted to grow up to be, except that she also wanted to be in charge.

  “When Anna cracks the whip, there’s no escaping her will,” teased Leigh.

  Harrison nodded with a comical look of subservience on his face.

  Leigh could feel eyes on her. Harrison was incredible good looking, and had a way of being the focus of attention even if he did nothing to seek it. His deep blue eyes were emotive when he was relaxed. His dark blonde hair had just a hint of wave, and was often a bit too long. He was tall enough to make her feel small, and he had a lean, rangy build that was stronger than it looked.

  He had never lacked for female company. Even in school, once he’d started growing into his limbs, he had found himself extremely popular.

  When he put on his glasses to work, though, he was irresistible. The look of intense concentration in his eyes made women think of what that kind of focus on bringing them pleasure could do.

  Well, women in general, Leigh told herself hastily. Not her, of course. He was her annoying big brother, and that was that.

  Adoptive big brother, perhaps, but they’d known each for all their lives. Her job was to tease him and be a pain in the ass, and she was exceedingly good at that.

  “I bet she made you wear the tux, too!”

  Harrison fidgeted.

  “She did! Well, she chose well. You look very handsome. You should probably let it be known that I’m your sister, I don’t think a lot of them know that. You’ll have to go home alone if they think I’ve already got my claws into you.”

  Harrison shuddered.

  “Please! You know I hate making conversation with them. You are my cover for the evening.”

  Leigh raised her eyebrows at that declaration.

  “You know that you’re technically one of them, right? Somebody with enough personal wealth to join their ranks? I’m just a representative, and I’m expected to mingle and get business. And say the right things to all the right people.”

  Harrison sighed.

  Leigh found that the mocking, exaggerated sigh didn’t irritate her like the long suffering ones did.

  “All right, half an hour. I’ll make your job easier by making the rounds with you for half an hour, and then we catch up. How’s that for a deal?”

  Leigh’s eyes twinkled.

  “That’s an excellent deal. Come on, then,” said Leigh, and steered Harrison through the crowd skillfully, making sure she hit all her talking points, and even making sure that Harrison hit enough of his to make Anna happy.

  She was surprised that the half hour went by much faster than she’d expected. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed Harrison’s company, and that irreverent sense of humor she’d always found so engaging.

  Finally, Harrison called time.

  “That’s it, Leigh. I’ve done my time, now I want my fun. Let’s go find a spot where I won’t be hounded by a million people with a billion worthy causes that seem to need trillions that I definitely don’t have,” said Harrison, and Leigh saw that he really was tired.

/>   Poor guy, thought Leigh. He really didn’t like affairs like this.

  “We’ve done enough, I think. I’ve definitely earned my pay, such as it is. Once I suffer through the rubbery chicken – I’ve confirmed that we’re going to have to suffer through rubbery chicken – I’ll have paid my dues for many of my sins, too.”

  Harrison chuckled, delighted by Leigh, as always.

  As they wandered through the banquet hall, he watched Leigh, and knew that she was finally relaxed enough to take in the perfectly elegant décor, the flowers, the carefully arranged orchestra who were doing a pretty good job, all the people – everything.

  He knew what her reaction would be, and watched for it. Right on cue, she wrinkled her nose.

  He had always thought that Leigh was extremely cute when she did that. She had beautiful eyes and a stunning smile, but her nose was tip-tilted and didn’t follow the classical lines of her beauty. He knew that she had always disliked it, but he’d always found it endearing.

  It reminded him that she was fun and sweet, not unapproachably beautiful.

  But then, Leigh didn’t often seem to be aware of just how lovely she was.

  They finally ducked out between two of the many imposing and rather intimidating pillars in the hall, and found a terrace where there was nobody.

  With a glad sigh, Leigh boosted herself up on a convenient ledge that didn’t leave her at risk of tumbling down.

  “Boy, I’m glad to get off my feet. These heels make my ass look incredible, but they kill my feet. I’m going to need a long soak tonight before I sleep, or I won’t be able to sleep.”

  Harrison grinned.

  “I’m sure you can impose on Carl to give you a foot rub. That is his name, right?”

  That was just posturing, and Harrison disliked himself for doing it. But he didn’t like Carl. He didn’t think Carl deserved Leigh.

  If there was a part of him that asked him, mockingly, just who did deserve Leigh, he chose to ignore it.

  He couldn’t be attracted to Leigh, of course. It was out of the question, so he was not attracted to Leigh. He would never be. He was Leigh’s big brother – well, as good as, though there was really no right word for what they were – and it would be out of the question for him to even consider wanting to be anything more.