“HARPER, ARE YOU absolutely certain you want to do this?” Josie asked Harper the next evening, handing her a program and staring earnestly into her eyes.
Mia had texted, asking that everyone meet outside the gym at the high school fifteen minutes early for Delilah’s dance recital. Harper and Kyle were early for being early, and Josie had already arrived because Delilah had to be even earlier for group photos.
Harper studied the booklet. “An Evening Dance Showcase,” she read out loud. “What a lovely title. I adore the ballet.”
“Hold up,” Josie said, hands up, palms out. “Harper, this is not the ballet. Don’t let that title in that fancy font fool you. This thing lasts like three hours and is essentially organized chaos. A veritable menagerie of tulle and satin.” Josie added a helpless shrug. “Don’t get me wrong—I love it. But one of those little tutu-wearing whirling dervishes is mine.”
Laughing, Harper reached out and squeezed Josie’s forearm. “Josie, please relax. I rarely do anything I don’t want to do.”
“I feel like Dee put you on the spot.” She’d invited Harper at the photo shoot.
“She’s six years old. Do you honestly think a six-year-old could talk me into doing something I don’t want to do?”
“Wait, you’ve met Delilah, right?”
The two women shared another laugh.
Harper said, “Besides, I’m no stranger to dance recitals. Ballet is about the only thing I was ever good at that can be considered at all athletic.”
Kyle gave her a curious sidelong glance. “You were a ballerina?” he asked, his brown eyes dancing with mischief. Harper was glad to see it. After yesterday’s photo shoot, he’d been quiet for the rest of the afternoon, which had lasted all evening and into today. Not that he’d been visibly angry, just…broody. Harper considered apologizing, but she wasn’t sorry. She felt bad that she’d upset him, but the family pictures had been the right thing to do. And everything she’d said to him was true.
“I was.”
Josie waved at Nora, Mia and Laney, who were all walking across the parking lot. Lagging behind them were with Jay, Levi, Craig and Dean.
“How long?”
“Twelve years.”
“Twelve years! You were a ballerina for twelve years? How did I not know this?”
“I have no idea, you’ve seen my bare toes.” Years of dancing en pointe had taken a toll on her feet.
“Are there photos?”
“No,” she lied.
“So if I ask your dad, he wouldn’t be able to produce a single photo of you with your hair in a bun and wearing a fluffy skirt and dance gear?”
“I’m afraid not.” Harper tried not to laugh. “And for your information, we don’t wear gear. Those fluffy skirts are called tutus. Which are worn, along with leotards, tights, slippers and pointe shoes. Gear,” she joked, “is for hooligan-type sports like football and hockey.”
Kyle’s grin was about a mile wide. “I don’t believe you about the photo. And I’m so happy right now that I may have a line on my own pictorial gem. Possibly even a counter in case I’m ever blackmailed with unseemly photos.”
“Go ahead and try,” she bluffed. “Not a single photo exists.” That’s because there was an entire wall of them. Including a few that were definitely worthy of a little blackmail.
“You made it!” A delighted Nora approached and wrapped Kyle and then Harper in huge hugs. Harper tried not to squeeze her too tight, but there was something singularly wonderful about a hug from Nora Frasier. Harper had never met anyone who conveyed as much joy and love as this woman did. Josie was next. Laney and Mia followed suit until greetings were exchanged all around.
Laney said, “Uncle Kyle, I want to show you something real quick.” Laney produced her phone. “What do you think? Is this possible? Or is this like CGI?”
Kyle watched the martial arts video mash-up, and said, “Bogus. Can’t be done.”
“I knew it! Thank you. I just won a bet.”
“Hey,” Nora said to Kyle, “that reminds me. It’s a total bummer you’re not going to be living here on a more permanent basis. Coby asked me if there was any chance you’d want to teach a class at the studio. Bring in more male clientele.”
Harper was momentarily distracted by the vision of Kyle teaching yoga. She didn’t know about more male clientele, but the place would be jam-packed with enthusiastic single women. An irrational spike of jealousy bloomed inside of her at the idea of perky Mandy making eyes at him from the front row.
The guys approached. Kyle whispered something to Levi that made him laugh, and Harper could see the admiration in the teen’s expression.
A radiant Mia said, “Okay, now that we’re all here, Jay and I have an announcement.”
Harper pointed at the entrance. “Would you like me to wait inside?”
“No, Harper, stay. It’s not a secret. Or at least it won’t be in a minute. I realize yesterday would have been the perfect time to do this, but I wanted to wait until my doctor’s appointment this afternoon to confirm. And since it’ll probably be a week until our next gathering and Kyle will be gone by then, we decided tonight would work fine. I’ll have to tell our tiny dancer after the show. But we’re excited to share the news, so here goes… I’m pregnant. Jay and I are having a baby.”
Laney squealed. Nora let out a happy scream. More hugging ensued. Nora and Laney both cried and hugged each other.
Nora said, “I’m finally going to be a grandma. I can’t believe it.”
“I like Nana Nora,” Laney said. “Or Nano! Or something. You’re too cool to be just plain grandma.”
“Oh, you sweet girl,” Nora said, and hugged Laney again.
“How far along?” Josie asked. “Let me tell you right now that we are throwing you the baby shower I never had as an expectant big sister.”
That produced more laughter.
“Due around the middle of November. Kyle, I hope you can make it home for Thanksgiving or the holidays so you can meet your new little niece or nephew.”
“I’ll make sure of it,” Kyle said, and Harper wondered if everyone else could see how touched he was by Mia’s words.
More questions were asked. Harper took it all in and felt honored to be a part of such a joyous occasion. Telling her “family” she was pregnant would constitute an audience of exactly one. Which was okay, of course. She wouldn’t trade her dad for a thousand relatives, but she’d like more of them because this was unbelievably fun. She loved Kyle’s family almost as much as she loved him.
“Hey, Kyle, any chance you could do me a favor?” Jay asked a little while later as they all made their way inside.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I’ve got a client who wants to install a top-of-the-line security system. I’ve worked with some companies that do standard systems, but nothing like this guy wants. Mia said you might know about them.”
Kyle nodded. “Yeah, I do.”
“Do you think you could meet him with me and talk it over?”
The two men proceeded to discuss security systems as they all trooped inside to find their seats. Harper felt gratified that Kyle finally seemed to be accepting the love and respect his family had for him. And he seemed comfortable giving it right back. As happy as she was for him, for all of them, it also made her long for more. She couldn’t stop herself from wishing that Kyle loved her, too.
* * *
SEATED BETWEEN LEVI and Mia in a rigid, uncomfortable folding chair, Kyle contentedly watched the dance performance. It helped that from his vantage point he could also watch Harper. She’d spoken with one of the instructors, offered to take photos free of charge and proceeded to score two seats in the front row. Kyle insisted that Josie take the other spot next to Harper.
Harper was crouched in front of her tripod, completely focused on capturing this special moment for each and every parent. He was blown away by her generosity. Extreme wealth ensured that she could have or do anything she wanted. She could literally be in the south of France or lounging on a yacht somewhere. If she wanted, she’d never have to work again. And yet she chose to make her own way in the world. She was here, with him and his family at Delilah’s dance recital in Pacific Cove. Volunteering at Lucky Cats, going to track meets, sharing family meals, taking photos… She’d chosen his family many times. She’d chosen to try and help him fix his relationship with Mia.
Imagining Harper as a ballerina wasn’t difficult. He thought about what her recitals must have been like, with just her dad in the audience. She called her upbringing “nontraditional” and Kyle thought that must be an understatement. As the only child of a brilliant eccentric scientist, he’d told her she couldn’t understand family dynamics. That had been unfair, too. She’d had her own share of difficulties. She’d talked about her childhood a little, the traveling, the lab equipment and microscopes that had been her toys. He remembered the discarded camera, a “friend” that had fueled her love of photography. He knew she’d been lonely. How had she endured it? Kyle had a million questions of his own and he was done denying himself the answers.
An hour into the performance, a pink-and-white-sequin-clad Delilah came prancing out onto the stage. Kyle was grateful for her bright red bun, making her easy to spot and keep track of in a sea of similarly dressed dancers. In a matter of seconds, she saw her big sister–mom Josie in the front row and lit up like a moonbeam. She proceeded to blow kisses to both her and Harper. Mia grabbed his hand and squeezed, and Kyle felt it right in the center of his heart.
Mia had wanted him there when she announced that she was having a baby. Kyle had nearly cried right along with his mom and Laney. His sister was having a baby. He was going to be an uncle to this little one, and he felt nothing but pure joy. And acceptance. More than acceptance. Mia wanted him home for the holidays. There was no way to explain that away or make excuses about not deserving her love. He had it, and now he needed to deliver.
And he had Harper to thank for forcing him to see it. An apology, a thank-you and a baring of his soul in one fell swoop. He was going to need to bring his A game.
That’s when he realized that the answer to Mia’s complicated question about what he wanted was, in fact, extraordinarily simple. He wanted Harper. His heart already belonged to her. He was sure she felt something for him, too. Mia was right; she wouldn’t be doing all this if she didn’t. Then there was that kiss… That kiss had told him everything he needed to know; he just hadn’t been listening.
He’d find a way to make this work. He wished he could just be honest with her. But that was the one thing he couldn’t be. Dahlia’s instructions were clear, and he’d understood them at the time. But he knew Harper now, and there was no way she was involved in anything untoward with or without Owen. If he could just prove Owen’s innocence, then Harper would be cleared, too. And then maybe…? Maybe he didn’t have to choose.
What if Harper never found out about his involvement? Especially if there was nothing to find? He wasn’t sure about those answers. But maybe the more important question was whether he could live with knowing he hadn’t been completely honest with her. If that was the only way forward, then yes. With this assignment complete, he could spend the rest of their life together showing her how much he loved her.
He would spend the rest of his life deserving her trust.
* * *
SOMETHING WAS DIFFERENT, Harper could tell. All the way home, Kyle had been quiet. But not angry quiet like he’d been about the photo shoot. And not brooding quiet like he was all day today. He’d been giving her strange glances all evening and staring when he didn’t think she was looking.
Like most evenings, Harper headed into the kitchen where she intended to put a pan of milk on the stove for hot cocoa.
Kyle followed her.
“Hot cocoa?” she asked him, removing a tin from the cupboard.
“Harper, we need to talk.”
“Okay, what’s up?” she said with way more bravado than she felt. Setting the tin aside, she faced him.
“Well, first off, I owe you an apology for the way I acted about the whole family photo thing. I’m sorry. You were right. It was great. And everyone loved it. Including me.”
Harper was relieved to get this out in the open. “I appreciate that, but I understand, or at least I think I do, why you were upset. I don’t regret arranging it, but maybe I shouldn’t have sprung it on you like that. And maybe—”
“Nope,” Kyle interrupted. “You were right to do it that way. If I’d known, I would have bailed, just like you said. More than that, Mia and I had a conversation that cleared a lot of things up, and I owe you a huge thank-you for that.”
“Oh, Kyle, I’m so glad.” A wave of relief flowed through her.
“Me, too. She told me you guys talked and that it was really helpful to her. And now I feel like a jerk for accusing you of getting in my business.”
“You were right to accuse me. I did get in your business, but only because I want you to be happy.” Because I love you, she added silently.
“I know, and I appreciate that. I’m… It’s weird how well you seem to know me. We haven’t known each other that long.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. Her stomach did another nervous dip because he was looking at her funny again. His eyes seemed to be asking a question that she couldn’t decipher much less answer. What was going on here? She attempted to joke, but her voice was a little too wobbly to pull it off, “But add up all the hours we’ve been together. Most married couples don’t spend as much time together as we have in the last few weeks.”
With purposeful steps, he closed the distance between them. “True. But you’re also extraordinarily observant and incredibly kind and…” His eyes traveled over her and lingered on her mouth. Her neck went hot. Now she was nervous for real. Accelerated-heartbeat, rapid-breath, fluttery-butterflies nervous. “Well, um, being observant is who I am. I’d say it’s part of my job, but I think it’s the other way around for me. I turned what I’m already good at into my job.” She stopped babbling when she realized he hadn’t finished his thought. If he was going to pay her another compliment, she kind of wanted to hear it. “And, what? I’m sorry—I think I interrupted you.”
One more step and she could smell his enticing, comforting scent and feel his heat. As if that wasn’t enough, he bent his head so that his lips were practically brushing her ear, sending her pulse racing all over again. “And I was going to say beautiful, but then I changed my mind. Stunning is the word I’m using because beautiful doesn’t quite cut it. You are stunning.” Then he kissed her neck.
She inhaled a little gasp and tipped her neck to make it easier for him to reach. “Kyle, um…” But she couldn’t finish the thought because his mouth was moving, lips brushing softly up the column of her neck and along her jaw and cheek until his mouth met hers. He kissed her and… And then she had no thoughts at all.
“Harper,” he finally said after a good long while that wasn’t nearly long enough.
“What?” she muttered in a smoky movie star voice that would have embarrassed her if her emotions weren’t already in such upheaval.
He smiled against her lips. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know yet. Are you going to tell me this was a mistake?”
“No.”
“Okay, then I’m fine.”
He chuckled. “I do need to tell you something though.”
“Oh, no,” she said. “Are you quitting? Is this my goodbye?”
“No. Harper…”
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Open your eyes, please.”
She did.
“It’s not bad news, or at least, I don’t think it is. I’ve been trying to deny my feelings, but I’ve done a lot of thinking the last couple of days. My conversation with you and then my discussion with Mia and something Levi said made me realize a few important things, and I don’t want to push them away anymore. Even though I know this isn’t ideal, logistically speaking, I just… I love you.”
The rush of joy Harper felt at those words was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It quickly combined with a dose of shock to leave her…stunned. And thrilled. And overjoyed. And shocked. And…
“You, we, I…” She held up one finger in a “just a sec” gesture.
“It is indeed a rare occasion that renders Harper Jansen speechless.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Nope. That’s not what this is. I have all the words. They just keep colliding with my feelings, making it difficult to arrange them in speakable form.”
His eyes danced with humor and his expression was so full of affection that it set her back again. Harper didn’t think it was possible for her heart to feel any fuller than it did at that moment.
She was wrong.
“Okay. Maybe, just start with three little ones, then? If you feel inclined, that is.”
“Kyle.” She gripped his shoulders because that made her a little weak in the knees. “That has got to be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said in a moment like this. And I mean anyone ever. Greeks, Romans, love-struck medieval knights, Renaissance poets, I’m counting them all. If I wasn’t already smitten, I would have fallen. Just now. With that one sentence.”
Eyebrows nudging up, he said, “I’m waiting.”
“I love you, too. So. Incredibly. Much.”
He gave her a playful frown. “You couldn’t just stick with the traditional three, could you?”
“What can I say? I’m an overachiever.”
“That you are, and I like that about you, along with about a million other things.” Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, he turned serious. “Listen, I know we’re facing some complications here, with me leaving soon, but I think we can work through them.”
Harper desperately wanted that last part to be true. Nodding, she said, “Before this goes any further, I need you to know something.”
She felt his muscles tense beneath her fingertips, but his voice was calm as he said, “Okay?”
“I was never in love with Owen. I had feelings for him that I recognized later were infatuation. He was charming and smooth-talking and good at putting his best foot forward. Later on, I learned things about him that I didn’t like and ultimately, I realized that I never actually knew him. He only let me see what he wanted me to see. I would never have married him. We broke up, and no matter what he led you to believe, we would have stayed that way. Forever.
“This might be difficult to believe considering my romantic track record, parts of which I clumsily and embarrassingly divulged to you at Rhys’s, but I’ve never felt like this before. I’ve never loved anyone like I do you. I wanted to be in love, which I realize sounds a bit silly, but I don’t think is all that unusual. But more than that, I trust you. And that is so huge for me. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to say that to another man again.”
“I trust you, too.”
Harper felt something unfurl inside of her, comforting her right at her core. She hadn’t considered that aspect before, how it would feel to have Kyle trust her, too. But it was what prompted her to tell him everything.