by Jeannie Moon
“It is her fault,” Jason said. “She did fuck up.”
“Yeah, but . . .”
Josh smiled. “You’ve gone down for the third time, haven’t you?”
Kevin stopped and thought about what Josh said. Really let it sink in. “I’m so gone, it isn’t funny.” Kevin rested his head on his arms. “What the fuck? I wasn’t supposed to fall for a woman who doesn’t want me. She’s so damn independent, and I’m still figuring out how to trust her.”
Jason pushed his beer toward him. “She wants you, and you can say all you want that you kept pursuing her, but you left, man. You threw up the walls and left. My guess is she’s coming to grips with forgiving you for leaving, just as you’re trying to figure out how to trust her. You said it, she’s independent, it’s part of her DNA. But you need to beware—you’re going to catch shit from your sisters and your Mom for this.”
“Don’t they want me to be happy?” Kevin lifted his head. “Aren’t they supposed to care about that?”
Josh and Jason laughed. “That’s the mantra. But the answer is no,” Josh said. “They’re pissed at her, for you, and they aren’t ready to let it go. I’ve tried talking to Caroline, and she’s having none of it.”
“Meg’s hurt. She feels like Harper betrayed her, and I don’t know if I can disagree. I think Meg has a right to be pissed.”
“Maybe so, but I think there should be some limits. Your wife told her today that she wants her to be fired from Reliance.”
“Shit, did Meg talk to her?” Jason obviously hadn’t heard about their conversation. Kevin really wanted to know everything Meg had said that made Harper so upset.
“Yeah, and she held nothing back. Harper is ready to resign.” Kevin scrubbed his hands over his face. “Can you guys just ask them to back off for a little while so the dust can settle?”
“We can ask,” Josh said before taking a healthy bite of his burger. “No promises.”
Jason leaned in. “What is it? Why are you willing to take a chance on her? She’s put you through hell, man.”
“I know.” And Kevin had to agree. For the past year he’d wondered what the hell was wrong with him that caused Harper to walk away from what they had going. That she’d walked away because of Anna still blew his mind.
“It’s a million little things. I love being around her; I never know what she’s going to say, but I can’t wait until she surprises me.” He thought for a second before he continued. Pulling every little thing about Harper from his memory.
“Her smile and her laugh are infectious. She’s always so serious that when she smiles, you know it’s the real thing.” He paused and closed his eyes letting all the little things about her fill his mind before he continued. “Her mouth twists up when she’s angry and a little crease forms at the bridge of her nose when she’s thinking. She chews on her lower lip when she’s worried. She’s got a temper, but knows how to use it.”
He smiled and saw that Josh and Jason were taken aback by the simplicity of the things Kevin noticed. Looking down at his fingers, he continued, his voice becoming husky as he thought about being close to her.
“When she says my name, my heart still speeds up a little, and did you know that her perfume clings best right here?” Kevin saw Josh’s stunned face as he pointed to a spot just behind his right ear. Restless, Kevin changed position and glanced down at his hands while he finished. “Her lips are soft, and she still feels the same when I hold her, and she’s the mother of my daughter. That’s the kick in the ass right there.”
Jason downed the last of his beer and called the waitress over. “Kris, we need three shots of Jameson.”
“Coming up,” she said.
“Why are we getting shots?” Kevin asked.
“We’re celebrating you losing your man card, because that . . . that was just beautiful, man.” Jason blubbered and mopped at his eyes. “Wasn’t it beautiful?” He smacked Josh on the arm, who was dabbing his own eyes with a napkin.
“Beautiful.” Josh sniffled. And the two of them burst into a round of fake tears of joy. “Oh, my God, I’m just overcome.” Josh fanned himself.
“Both of you can bite me,” Kevin said, disgusted.
Kris brought the whiskey to the table and Jason proposed a toast. “To the women who own us.”
“Shit,” Kevin said. “I’m so screwed.”
The three of them clinked glasses and downed the amber liquid, gasping as it burned their throats.
Jason was right about one thing, Harper owned him, heart and soul, and Kevin just had to convince her that she should give him a chance. Because she may have been sorry, but he wasn’t the only one having trust issues.
Chapter 8
“Meg, the guys are going to be pissed,” Caroline said as she tied the scarf around her neck.
“Like I care about them being pissed.” Meg actually lived for Jason getting good and mad. He was always so damned controlled, he needed a good emotional outburst from time to time. The side bonus to that was that there was nothing like make-up sex. “You want to meet the baby, right?”
“Yes.” Caroline still hadn’t met Anna, neither had her mother, and both would being doing just that today. She had no idea why her brother thought introducing Anna to the family slowly was a good idea, she’d missed too much time with them already.
They walked through the lobby of Meg’s building and reached the concierge desk just in time to see their mother step out of a cab. This whole ordeal had really taxed Mom, who hadn’t been feeling well and was devastated that she had a grandchild she didn’t know about.
Years earlier her father’s death had taught all of them that life was precious and you didn’t let anything slip away, and Meg didn’t know why Kevin hadn’t made arrangements for Mom and Caroline to meet Anna. When Meg made the call, Harper couldn’t have been more amenable to a visit.
But that appreciation of Harper was short-lived. Her mom looked upset, nervous almost, and that got Meg’s back up. How could Harper do this to them? Over the past year she’d been treated like a member of the family, and she’d betrayed all of them.
“Hey, Mom.” Meg bent in and kissed her mother’s cheek, and Caroline did the same.
“Do you think surprising her is a good idea?” Caroline, picking up her mother’s vibe. “You know how bitchy Harper can be.”
“It’s not exactly a surprise. I called. She’s working from home this week because her nanny went on vacation. The timing couldn’t be better.”
“She didn’t balk?” Caroline asked.
“It wasn’t a problem,” Meg responded. In fact, Meg was pleasantly surprised at how agreeable Harper had been.
Caroline nodded and Meg noticed her mom relaxed as they oriented themselves to make the walk to Harper’s apartment.
“She lives on Eighty-Sixth, right?
“Uh-huh.” Meg nodded. “It’s not that far.”
And it wasn’t. Within ten minutes they were talking to the doorman in Harper’s building and he was calling up to announce them.
His call was short.
“Ms. Poole said to go right up,” he said.
“Really?” Caroline responded. “No delay? Not going to make us wait?”
The doorman smirked. “No, ma’am. She said it took y’all long enough to get here.”
Meg smiled. “Oh, this is going to be a fun visit.”
***
Finally. Harper couldn’t believe Meg and Caroline hadn’t brought their mother to see the baby weeks ago. Kevin wanted to take things slow, although she had no idea why, but he hadn’t taken her up on any offer to have his mom come over to meet Anna. It took his sisters to make it happen.
Figures. Typical man. And he wondered why she wanted to do this alone.
The doorbell rang and Harper smiled down at her little girl, who was lying on her back on a quilt on the floor giggling at her play gym. At the moment she was batting around a caterpillar, but the rattle looked to be next in her sights.
�
�Okay, kiddo. Grandma’s here.”
Harper wondered how she should act. Cool and collected? Gushy and happy? She was feeling all those things. As much as she was nervous about having the women in Kevin’s life here to meet their daughter, she was happy about it. It was starting to dawn on her that family mattered and they were Anna’s family.
Flipping the lock, she opened the door to see three very anxious faces staring back at her. Caroline, who’d never liked her, smiled weakly. Meg, her friend, had a twinkle in her eye indicating a little more respect than Harper probably deserved. And Mrs. Rossi, who was wringing her hands nervously.
“I’m glad you’re all here. Come in.”
They looked around as they entered the living room and she could tell Caroline was impressed. “I love your space. Really nice.”
“Thanks.”
“This is a lovely apartment, Harper. It reminds me of the one Mike and I lived in before we moved to the estate.”
“I was lucky to find it,” she said. The building had high ceilings, lots of open space, and lots of rooms. It was impossible to find apartments like this, with all the character, in the new high-rises.
The squeal from the floor, however, killed all talk of the apartment.
“Oh, my . . .” And that was that. Meryl Rossi dropped to her knees next to her grandchild and fell in love, just like her son did.
Grandmother and granddaughter locked eyes and examined each other. Mrs. Rossi was tearing up, but Anna burst into a peal of laughter as she looked at her grandmother. “Oh, Harper, she’s beautiful. She has Kevin’s eyes.” The baby squealed again and blew a raspberry, and soon Caroline was on the floor next to her mother.
Meg stepped next to her. “You wanted to know what took us so long?”
“I thought you’d be here sooner. I know Kevin wanted to ease the family into all this, but you’ve never been one to follow directions.”
“True. I tried to respect him on this, but I’m sorry, my mother needed to see her.”
Mrs. Rossi had Anna’s little fingers wrapped around her own. “Can I hold her, Harper?”
“Of course!” Harper lifted the play gym and in seconds Anna was in her grandma’s arms.
“Oh, she’s perfect. Isn’t she, girls?”
Holding the baby close, Mrs. Rossi stood and walked around the room, whispering in Anna’s ear. Harper watched as her daughter rubbed her face on her grandma’s shoulder. The little one was going to be lethal, manipulating everyone she came in contact with. She was going to own hearts wherever she went.
This was what her own mother was missing, and Harper’s heart ached for it. The pleas to come and visit, the questions about the baby weren’t real. The interest was just her mother following Hill’s directions. Harper wondered what her mother would do if she ever found out what Hill had really done to her. Harper couldn’t take the risk. She’d done it one other time, trusted her mother and Hill, and she’d regretted it and hated herself for being so gullible.
No, they weren’t going to do that to her again. There was no way she could subject Anna to that kind of crazy.
“I could smack you for not telling us.” Now she was surrounded. Caroline had taken up position on the other side of her, and unlike Meg, she and Caroline were not friends. Caroline barely tolerated her. “How could you not tell him, Harper? I mean, I get that you aren’t all that nice, but I had no idea you were heartless.”
Ouch. “I’m not heartless, Caroline. You may want to believe that, but I’m not, and even though I had my reasons for keeping everything secret, I know it was wrong. I was scared. Plain and simple.”
“Scared?” Caroline said, incredulous. “You’re a shark.”
Harper had to chuckle. “In business, yes, but with Kevin? No.”
No, with Kevin, Harper was at a total loss and while she’d never admit it to anyone, breaking it off with him had been miserable. But at the time she’d felt it was the only solution.
“How can you justify it?” Caroline wasn’t the type to let up. She had been the quieter of the Rossi sisters, but pregnancy hormones had really upped the sensitivity of her bullshit meter.
The thing was Caroline had a right to know. They all did. “It was the perfect storm. I felt a little tucked into the background after we started seeing each other, he was fielding all these contract offers, and I kept remembering how he said that a relationship and his career didn’t mesh. I broke it off with him before I found out I was pregnant.” Caroline and Meg were listening, and maybe even softening a little. “Once I did find out, I was thinking of how to tell him because I didn’t want him to feel trapped. I was a wreck, and on the day I was going to call, I watched him break the news. He signed a contract that would take him to the other side of the country.”
“Oh, man.” Caroline shook her head. “I guess I understand, but—”
“No, there’s nothing to understand.” Harper said. “I was wrong. He should have known. You all should have.”
“That’s true, but my son is not completely without fault in this.” Mrs. Rossi had wandered back with Anna and sat in the big armchair closest to them. “We should have known about you two from the start.”
Harper shrugged and took a deep breath to compose herself. “I’m glad you’re here now. You can see Anna whenever you want. All of you. She needs her family.”
Mrs. Rossi smiled and rocked the baby, pressing her cheek against Anna’s curly hair.
“I want to know when you and Kevin got together.” Meg shot a look in her direction.
“Megan!” her mother exclaimed.
“Me, too,” Caroline said. “I always thought he’d end up with some groupie or an actress like Kari Martin. You know, be part of a hot celebrity couple. Was it really at my wedding?”
“Oh, please. Give your brother more credit,” Harper chided, making a point not to answer the wedding question. “He likes women who can form complete sentences.”
“I can’t believe this whole thing,” Caroline said.
“Me either,” said Harper. “I keep trying to walk away, but he keeps coming back.”
“You have his baby!” Meg smiled. Maybe things were getting better. “What did you think would happen?”
To be honest, Harper didn’t know. But put that way, it sounded like she’d trapped him, and that wasn’t her plan. It’s not that she didn’t want Kevin—she did. No one had ever affected her like he did. But she didn’t want him unless he loved her. Right now, he didn’t.
The doorbell rang and Harper left Anna in the capable hands of her grandmother. When she pulled the door open, there was a very angry man standing in the hallway. Gorgeous, without a doubt, but Kevin was pissed off.
“Are they here?”
“Yup. How did you know?”
“Jason called me. Shit. Why doesn’t anyone fucking listen to me?” he growled. “Can you tell me that? You don’t. They don’t.”
Harper grinned and leaned into the wall and folder her arms while he ranted. “Are you listening to yourself? What century are you living in?”
“That’s not the point.”
“What is the point, then?”
Kevin ran his hands though his hair. “God, Jason and Josh were right about you, Meg, and Caroline being together. There’s no controlling any of you.”
Harper didn’t know if she should be angry or amused by his observation because she never liked the idea of a man controlling her. But watching Kevin lose his shit simply because she and his sisters were kind of on the same page was pretty funny. “Control?”
He seemed to realize immediately that he’d said what he was thinking out loud and that he was in trouble for it. “Shit. Please don’t repeat that. They’ll kill me. I don’t really mean it.”
Harper turned and went back to where his sisters and mother were playing with Anna and she thought about giving up his secret, but only for a split second. They were going to have a lot of things between them if they were going to raise Anna together, things that his fa
mily wouldn’t necessarily be privy to. If she wanted him to keep her secrets, she was going to have to keep his.
This seemed like a good place to start.
Once Kevin entered the room, there was a lot of talking all at the same time, but for the most part, there was a lot more fawning over the baby, and if Kevin wasn’t sure about bringing everyone together, nothing showed as he sat with his daughter and his mother on the sofa.
This gave Harper a chance to slip out of the room and give her emotions a rest.
The Rossis were everything she ever wanted in a family. Big and messy, they loved with all their hearts, fought with one another and for one another, and never let any outsider break the bond they’d forged over the years.
Did they have problems? Sure. Meg could be overbearing. Caroline was more passive about things but just as stubborn, and Kevin, alpha male that he was, had some latent male chauvinism that he fought to keep under control.
But beyond all that, they loved one another with a ferocity she’d wished for once upon a time.
She’d become part of their world, adopted almost as a member of the family, when she’d helped Jason and Meg recover their daughter Molly from a fraudulent custody order his parents had gotten issued. Harper had done such quick work, the order was overturned in less than two days, and everyone was eternally grateful.
Sitting on her bed and listening to the sounds of a close family from a distance was hard, but Harper had to get used to it. Getting close to people was too risky. She’d learned that with her own mother, and now she was learning it with the Rossis. It wasn’t that she felt sorry for herself. Harper wasn’t into self-pity, but she was into self-preservation, and the wall she’d built around herself was being refortified brick by brick.
God, her head hurt. She stretched out on her bed and pulled the throw over her shoulders. And she was cold. Why didn’t she realize this earlier?
The commotion from her living room started to fade out and Harper let herself sink into the sleep that was claiming her. She’d close her eyes for a few minutes, take a power nap, and then she’d feel better.