by Jaci Burton
“But now I have hurt her. I hurt her all along by keeping this secret from everyone she cares about. I hurt her, I hurt you and I hurt your mother. And for that I’m deeply sorry. I ask you to forgive me. And then I’m going to go ask your mother to forgive me. After that I’m going to beg Harmony to forgive me. I’m in love with your sister, Drake. And I’m not giving up on her until she lets me back in.”
Drake breathed in, then let it out. “Man. You’re in love with my sister.”
“Yes.” He was going to stand there and take whatever Drake handed out.
“I have to own some of this because I have a rep as a Class A dick where she’s concerned. All of it has come from a place of love. I’ve felt the need to protect her since she was a baby. But Mama has finally opened my eyes to the fact that Harmony is now a grown woman. And she can make her own choices, even if those choices end up with her getting hurt. And if she ends up getting hurt, I need to learn to stand by and support her without getting involved.”
Drake’s lips ticked up. “It’s obvious she loves you, or she would have never put up with this bullshit from you, man.”
“This is not making me feel better,” Barrett said.
“Good. I respect you for coming here and laying this down with me. I love you, man. I don’t like things to be off between us.”
“I don’t, either.” Barrett took a step forward and put his arms out.
Drake hugged him, and they slapped backs.
He’d never felt more relieved.
“We’re good?” Barrett asked.
“Yeah. We’re good. Now you need to go make it right with my sister.”
“I intend to. And we need to figure out how we fucked up that game with Dallas so that shit never happens again.”
Drake nodded. “You got that. We’ll be back in the game in no time. Now that we got our personal shit settled.”
“Almost settled. I have to go get the woman I love to forgive me.”
Drake laughed. “Good luck with that, my man. Harmony’s tough.”
Yeah, he knew that. It was one of the reasons he loved her.
Thirty-Eight
Harmony had decided to paint one of the walls in her living room to give the room a pop of color. No doubt it was some form of breakup therapy.
She had tarps down, the baseboard was taped, and there she was on a Tuesday night, wearing her raggiest set of shorts and T-shirt, wielding a paintbrush.
She was halfway through when the doorbell rang.
Dammit. She laid the brush against the roller tray, grabbed the rag to wipe her hands and went to the door, shocked to see her brother there.
She hadn’t yet gotten past her anger.
“Hey,” she said.
He had the decency to look crestfallen. “Hey yourself, baby sis. Okay if I come in?”
“I guess.” She stepped aside and led him into the living room.
Drake surveyed the living room wall, then looked over at her. “Doin’ some painting?”
“A little. What brings you here, Drake?”
He turned to face her. “I’m here to apologize for acting like such an ass around you for so long. I guess I have to realize you’ve grown up, and I haven’t come to terms with that. I was wrong to attack Barrett, but more importantly, I’ve been wrong about you for a lot of years now. I need to let go and let you live the life you choose.”
Big admission coming from Drake. “I appreciate that. But words only mean so much to me, Drake. It’s actions that’ll mean more. Which means that you need to step back, let me make mistakes, let me make choices that might hurt me. Because I need to own my life.”
“I know that. And I’ll work on it, I promise. But you know that if you need me, if you’re ever in trouble, I’ll always be here for you.”
She realized then that he was afraid for her, just as he’d been afraid for her when she was a little girl and she’d crawled into his lap and cried when she’d fallen down and bloodied her elbow. He loved her and he always would.
She walked into his arms and hugged him. “I love you, Drake.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “I love you, too, Harmony.”
Tears pricked her eyes. She really did love her brother. And when he squeezed her tight, she realized how much he loved her, too.
She pulled back and he smiled at her.
“We’ll always be the devilish duo, like Mama used to call us.”
He laughed, and she saw tears in his eyes. “Hell yeah.”
“Did you and Barrett talk?”
He nodded. “Yeah. We’re good.”
“I’m glad.”
“He come talk to you yet?”
“No. I’m not sure that can be fixed.”
He reached out and took her hand. “Sure it can. Give it some time, and when he calls, listen.”
She shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“Well, I gotta go. Got a hot date tonight.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you always?”
He grinned as she walked him to the door. “Got a rep to maintain, ya know.”
They hugged again at the door and she closed and locked it.
Okay, she felt marginally better now that she and Drake had straightened things out.
She went back and picked up the roller, attacking the wall again. Not twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang again.
What the hell now? She laid the roller down, grabbed the rag to wipe her hands and went to the door, looking out to find Barrett there.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to answer it. She’d had enough emotional upheaval already tonight.
But finally, she pulled the door open. “What are you doing here?”
“I’d like to talk to you.”
“I’m busy.”
He arched a brow. “You have paint all over you.”
“Aren’t you the observant one. I said I was busy.”
He looked around her. “Painting the living room?”
“I’m painting a wall. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to it.”
“Are you painting because of me?”
“Of course not.”
He arched a brow.
She lifted her chin. “I’m giving the living room a pop of color.”
“Sure you are.”
“Is there something else you need, Barrett, or are we done now?”
“I could help you paint.”
“I don’t want your help.”
“Oh, come on. Painting is fun.”
Before she could shut the door in his face, he was inside.
“Barrett.” She followed him into the living room, where he was examining the wall color.
“This is . . . interesting. Purple? Really, Harmony?”
Okay, so it had been a rash decision. “It’s not purple. It’s called Plentiful Plum.”
“Looks purple to me.”
She was about to shred the rag in her hands. “Why are you here?”
He pulled his attention from the wall and onto her. “I want to talk to you.”
“I think we’ve said enough to each other.”
“No, we haven’t.” He took the paint rag from her hand and took her hands in his. “I haven’t told you how badly I messed everything up between us. I haven’t told you how I should have told your mother and your brother from the very beginning that you and I were seeing each other. That was my mistake. I should have put you first, because you’ve been the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think about before I go to sleep at night. Your eyes are my sunset and your smile is my sun. You make my heart beat faster every time I lay eyes on you. Having you sleep next to me is like having the other half of me feel like a whole.
“I didn’t even know anything was missing in my life until you came into it. You’re in my heart, Harmony Evans. I’m in love with you and I’m so afraid of losing you that I can’t even take a deep breath. I don’t deserve your forgiveness for screwing this all up, but I hop
e like hell that you’ll offer it.”
Harmony’s breath held, her pulse raced and she wasn’t sure if she was breathing or not. As a declaration of love, it was one she’d spent her entire adult life dreaming about.
“You love me.”
“One hundred percent. Though I’ve done a shitty job showing it. I promise I’ll do better in the future if you’ll give me the chance. I’ve had a talk with Drake, apologized to him for not being straight with him from the start. He and I are good now. I apologized to your mother as well, because I should have talked to her, too. You were the last person I came to because you’re the most important person in my life, Harmony. You’re the woman I love, the one I want to spend my life with. You’re my future.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “Dammit, Barrett. I’m painting my wall.”
His lips curved. “I can see that. Do you need to finish it?”
“You don’t understand. It’s my way of getting over you.”
He looked over at the wall, then back at her, giving her a look of utter sympathy. “It’s a pretty awful color.”
“I know.” She let out a sob and fell against him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, and God she needed that.
When she pulled back she lifted her gaze to his. “I love you, Barrett.”
He brushed her tears away with his fingers. “Forgive me?”
“Yes.”
He kissed her, and her world spun right on its axis again. Having his lips on hers had always made everything right.
He swept her into his arms and carried her upstairs to her bedroom.
“I need to make love to you,” he said, lifting her tank top and bra off and flicking his tongue over her nipples.
She threaded her fingers into his hair. “Yes.”
He pushed her down on the bed and pulled off her shorts and underwear. “And I need to tell you that you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”
He always made her feel beautiful, and when he touched her body with his hands and his mouth, cupping her sex and making her ready for him, she felt worshipped.
He stripped, spread her legs and entered her, his amazing body rising above hers. She snaked her hands down the corded muscle of his arms, reveling in this man who was hers, who would always be hers, as he lifted and drove into her, taking her into a spiraling orgasm that made her cry out his name. And when he went with her, she wrapped her legs tightly around him and claimed him as he shuddered within her.
After, they lay together, entwined together. She rested her head against his chest and let her fingers travel over his expansive chest.
“What now?” she asked.
“Before I royally fucked everything up, I was going to ask if you’d be interested in moving into my house.”
She splayed her hand over his chest. “I don’t know. I really like my town house, especially with the new purple wall in the living room.”
He raised his head. “Really?”
She laughed. “No. Are you kidding? I’d love to move into your house. I love that house. I might have even subconsciously designed it with the thought of someday living there.”
“It’s the steam shower, isn’t it?” he asked.
She grinned. “Of course.”
He laughed, then rolled her over onto her back, kissing her so thoroughly her body ached for him again.
“It’s yours. I’m yours, Harmony. Forever.”
An unexpected rush of love and tenderness filled her. “And I’m yours, Barrett. Always.”
Thirty-Nine
Dinner at mama’s house was chaotic as usual. The guys had an away game this weekend, which meant it was a full house tonight. Everyone wanted home cooking before they headed out on the road.
Mama and the aunts had made meatloaf and mashed potatoes, along with salad and green beans. Aunt Paula had baked homemade biscuits.
Harmony was starving. She’d put in a full day of work, and though she’d snacked all day, she hadn’t had a full lunch, so she was more than ready to dig in.
Plus, tonight was the first night Barrett was going to be here as her man, out in the open, no skulking around. She intended to enjoy every minute of that.
She laid her purse on the table by the door and made a beeline for the iced tea in the kitchen. Alyssa was already there and, as soon as she saw her, she poured her a glass.
“You’re my savior,” she said, hugging her friend.
“You look worn-out,” Alyssa said.
“Long day.”
“Hey, baby sis,” Drake said, coming up next to her and giving her a short hug.
“Hey yourself. How did practice go today?”
“Good.”
“Where’s Barrett?”
“He texted me a little while ago and said he had to make a stop on the way, but he should be here soon.”
“Okay. And did you bring the entire team with you tonight?”
Drake laughed as he looked around the living room. “Seems like it, huh?”
She went into the dining room and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. “Hi, Mama.”
Her mother gave her a sweet smile. “Hello, baby girl. How was your day?”
“Intense. And I’m hungry.”
“Go get yourself a snack. Dinner will be ready in a little while.”
“Okay.”
She went over to the refrigerator and opened it up. Inside was a white envelope with her name on it.
“Okay, this is weird.”
“What’s weird?” Alyssa asked.
“There’s an envelope in here. And it has my name on it.”
“What?” Alyssa got up and looked over her shoulder. “What is that?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well, open it.”
She grabbed the envelope and opened it. Inside was a plain white card that read: Walk out to the front yard.
“Huh.” She looked up at Alyssa. “What do you think this means?”
Alyssa shrugged. “I have no idea.”
She was going to go over to her mother to ask, but her mother had disappeared. So had everyone in the house.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Again,” Alyssa said. “I have no idea.”
Something strange was going on. And she was tired and hungry and cranky as hell.
“I’m going to get to the bottom of this.” She went to the front door and opened it.
And there, on her mother’s front porch, was Barrett. In the yard stood her mother and Drake and—wait. Barrett’s parents? And was that Mia, too?
What were they all doing there?
And everyone held white balloons in their hands. And Barrett was dressed—really nice—in black slacks and a white button-down shirt.
Her throat went dry.
Alyssa gave her a warm smile and pushed at her back. “Go on outside, honey.”
She gave a quick glance over her shoulder to Alyssa and then took a step onto the porch.
Barrett stepped up to her and smiled. “Hi, Harmony.”
“Hi, Barrett. What’s going on?”
“I started off our relationship on the wrong foot. Instead of shouting to the world how I felt about you, I made you keep it secret. And I kept it a secret. And that was a big mistake, because the way I feel about you is something I want everyone to know. So in front of everyone who’s important to me—your family and mine, and our friends—minus my brothers, because they’re all off playing baseball and football, I want everyone to know how I feel about you.”
She shook her head. “This isn’t necessary, you know.”
“It is necessary, because I have a very important question to ask you.”
Oh, God. “Barrett.”
He rubbed his thumbs across her hands. “Harmony Evans. I love you. I fell in love with you from the minute you asked me to date you. And I should have known it right then, and I should have acknowledged it right then, but you know how guys are sometimes. We’re a little slow to pick up on the obvio
us. Like how your hair picks up the sunlight and glows like midnight at noon. And how your smile makes my stomach clench, and how smart you are and how talented you are and how you’ve made a beautiful home for both of us to spend the rest of our lives in.”
She could not breathe right now.
He pulled a black velvet box out of his pocket, and then he got down on one knee. And at the same time, everyone turned those white balloons over, and written on them was “Barrett loves Harmony.”
“I love you, Harmony. Will you do me the great honor of marrying me?”
She finally exhaled, tears pooling in her eyes. “Yes. Oh, God, yes, I’ll marry you. I love you, Barrett.”
He put the most beautiful diamond ring on her finger amid the cheers from her family and his family and their friends. Then he stood, pulled her in his arms and kissed her.
And it was the best kiss of her life.
She looked forward to getting a lot more kisses like that in the years to come.
LOOK FOR THE NEXT
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Brady Connors was spending the day doing one of the things he enjoyed the most: smoothing out dents in a quarter panel of a Chevy. As soon as he finished, he’d paint, and this baby would be good as new.
It wasn’t his dream job. He was working toward that. But with every day he spent working at Richards Auto Service, thanks to Carter Richards, he was pocketing money that got him closer to his dream. And someday he’d open up his own custom motorcycle paint shop.
Somewhere. Maybe here in Hope. Maybe somewhere else. Probably somewhere else, because this place held memories.
Not good ones.
A long time ago—a time that seemed like an eternity now—he had thought maybe he and his brother Kurt would start up a business together. Brady would do bodywork and custom motorcycle paint, and Kurt would repair the bikes.
That dream went up in smoke the day Brady got the call that his brother was dead.