I nod, sort of embarrassed, sort of proud. “Yup, boob right out there in the open, jiggling with my dance moves for all to see.”
Griffin chuckles to himself and shakes his head. “If I know my brother like I think I do, I’m going to guess he wasn’t happy at all.”
“Not even a little.” I smile, remembering Rogan’s face a few weeks ago after that fateful Halloween. “Oh boy, was he mad. He pulled me off that bar as quickly as he could, but hey, I won a thousand dollars—so that’s something.”
“I hope you bought some bras with it,” Claire says, mirth in her voice.
“I might have gotten a little something to wear so I can make it up to Rogan.”
Claire nudges me. “Smart girl.”
Claire and Griffin drove down to Syracuse early this morning and arrived right before Rogan’s game. A few days ago, Griffin proposed to Claire, so we’re having a celebratory dinner after the game. I could not be happier for the two. They’re like the brother and sister I never had, have always been a constant in my life and a sounding board when I need them. To see them move on to the next step in their lives . . . it makes me so happy. Plus the ring Griffin got Claire—I have no idea how he could have afforded it, but it’s beyond beautiful.
“I’m so glad you two could take time off this weekend. I think Rogan really needs some family right now. His schedule has been stressful, to say the least.”
“He sounded tired on the phone,” Griffin says just as the crowd roars. Syracuse is down, there’s only a handful of seconds left on the clock, and Rogan—number thirty-six—stands on the sidelines, only playing a few minutes the entire game. But the yards he’s run and the passes he’s caught have been game changing—literally. I don’t know why the coach doesn’t play him more.
“He’s stretched thin, with school and training and trying to set aside time for me.” I nervously tuck my hair behind my ear. “I told him he doesn’t need to, but he refuses to let a day go by when we don’t see each other, even if it’s ten minutes.”
“You probably recharge him,” Griffin says. “At least I know that’s how it is with Claire after a long day at the fire station and the Landing.”
“Sometimes he just needs a hug, and he’s good.” Claire gives Griffin’s arm an affectionate squeeze, her engagement ring glinting on her hand.
“That’s how Rogan is,” I answer. “But I still feel bad. He looks worn out every time I see him at night.”
“He’ll get used to it. Being a student-athlete is never easy, but it’ll get more natural as time goes on. He just has to hit his stride. Don’t worry about him.” Griffin winks at me just as Rogan’s name is called out.
We all focus in on the field; he’s sprinting toward the end zone. When was he put in the game? I jump up and down, cheering him on, my hands clapping, my voice going hoarse from the chilly night air.
Touchdown!
The band starts up, the student section goes crazy, and Rogan’s teammates pile on top of him just as the scoreboard flashes the end of the game. Syracuse wins, just like that, thanks to my guy. I could not be more proud.
“He’s going places,” Claire shouts. “Mark my words, he’s headed for the pro field.”
“He is.” Griffin grins, squeezing Claire close to his side. “And when he’s receiving touchdown passes from Peyton Manning, I’ll be on the sidelines taking credit for all those hours I spent tossing him footballs.”
“Uh . . . what about me?” I ask, pointing to my chest. “I do believe I had something to do with it. My arm was basically a noodle after all the passes I threw him on the beach during high school.”
“You barely challenged him,” Griffin playfully answers.
“Hey.” I stick up my chin. “My passes were inaccurate and always a mystery. I continuously kept him guessing. What better training could you want?”
Claire pats Griffin’s chest. “She has you there.”
“Damn, I think you’re right.”
“Come on.” I nod toward the exit. “Let’s go meet up with him in the players’ parking lot.”
“There she is!” Rogan shouts, jogging up to me. He picks me up and spins me around. “My forever girl.”
Giggling, I link my arms behind his neck and plant a kiss on his lips. “Hey, stud. You looked good out there.”
“Yeah?” He wiggles his eyebrows. “Coach pulled me into his office after I showered and told me I earned myself a starting spot after tonight’s game.”
“Oh my God, really?” He nods. Momentarily forgetting that Griffin and Claire are standing right next to us, I wrap my legs around his waist, then bury my hands in his damp hair and kiss him, my tongue dancing across his lips.
“Uh . . . maybe you guys can do that later.”
Ignoring Griffin, I pull away and cup Rogan’s cheeks. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Harp. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“What did I do?”
He squeezes my butt and whispers, “Took the edge off.” He grins, and I quickly swat at his chest as he laughs.
Setting me down, he turns to Griffin and pulls him into a hug, offering him congratulations before doing the same for Claire.
“You’re getting married! Does that mean I’m your best man?”
“I don’t know . . .” Griffin frowns contemplatively. “I was thinking about asking Reid.”
Rogan scoffs. “So he’s finally come out of his room?”
“I’m hoping by the wedding.” We all laugh and head toward our cars. “Where should we go?”
“Want to take them to Dinosaur BBQ?” I ask, knowing it’s one of Rogan’s favorite places to eat in Syracuse.
“Hell yeah. Get ready to stuff your face, man.”
After a two-hour feast of delicious barbeque, good conversation, and endless ribbing, Griffin and Claire head to the hotel while Rogan drives me back to my dorm.
As we drive through downtown Syracuse, I lean into him. “Melissa is out of town. I have my dorm all to myself if you’re interested in coming up.”
“Seriously?” Rogan flashes a lifted brow in my direction. “Is that even a question you need to ask? Any night when we don’t have to deal with curfew and roommates means we’re glued to each other, Harp.”
“I didn’t know if you had any parties with the rest of the guys. I know the football team celebrates after a win.”
“Yeah, but they know my brother’s in town, so it’s fine. Plus, I want to spend some quality time with my forever girl.”
I can’t contain the smile that passes over my lips.
“You keep calling me that,” I point out, loving the way it sounds.
“Do you not like it?” He turns into my dorm parking lot and pulls into a parking space.
“No, I do. It’s different.”
Putting the car in park, he turns in his seat and takes my hand. “Well, it’s the truth.” His thumb passes over the back of my hand. “You know, I’ve been thinking. After Griffin proposed and everything . . . would that be, you know, something you’re interested in?”
“Getting married? Yeah, I’ve always wanted to get married.”
“But I mean . . . to me?” he asks, looking shy, his head tilted down, his hands fidgeting with mine.
Is he serious? As if I could think about marrying anyone but him.
“Rogan, there’s no one else I would even consider marrying. Remember? I’m your forever girl. Why? Do you plan on proposing?” I tease him, but when he looks up, his face is completely serious.
“Yes. I do. But I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
Taken aback, I blink a few times. “You’ve actually thought about proposing?”
He nods. “I know exactly how I would do it.”
“Wow.” I lick my lips, feeling thirsty and excited at the same time. “I had no idea you were that serious.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? We might be young, but I know what I want, and that’s you. Nothing has changed between us,
Harper. Nothing will.”
Head tilted to the side, I take in the man before me, my sweet, confident rock. How did I ever get so lucky?
“So you’re going to propose?”
He rolls his eyes. “Well, not right here. Give me some time, but I promise it will happen. If there’s one thing I know for sure about my life, it’s that you’ll be in it.” He gently pulls me into him, our faces inches apart. “I love you, and that’s never going to change.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ROGAN
“Fuck.” I slam my hand against the steering wheel of my car. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” How the hell . . . fuck!
That could not have gone worse. Not even a little.
Hours later, I’m still just sitting in my car outside my parents’ house, unable to move. Emotionally paralyzed, feeling like a Mack truck hit me straight in the chest.
The look on her face, the confusion and sadness in her eyes. There was no denying it—I’ve hurt her yet again.
After I dropped out of college and pushed her completely out of my life, I came back to Port Snow bitter, angry, and hating the world. The only things that made me not want to lash out irrationally were the houses she loved. They reminded me of the smile they put on her face, the stories they held, every single one of them. I wanted to hold on to that, remind myself that even though I broke her, I could have the memory of her smile.
I never expected her to move back here.
I never expected her to find out I owned Snow Vale Manor.
And I sure as fuck never expected her to figure out my company name.
Knock, knock.
Startled, I look up to find Brig standing on the other side of the passenger door, Reid right next to him. Hell, I don’t think I can take them right now. But before I can tell them to go away, they both hop into the car, Brig in the front, Reid in the back.
“Oh, it’s warm in here.” Brig puts his hands over the vents, heating them up. “The walk from the Landing was a bitch in this weather.” He turns to me. “What are you doing in here?”
“Yeah, what’s going on? You have that look about you. You know, resting whine face.”
“Ha!” Brig laughs. “He does. Look at the droop in his cheeks and the turndown of his lips. Resting whine face. Classic.”
And this is why I didn’t want them in my car.
“If you’re going to be dicks, just leave. I’m not in the mood.”
“Uh-oh,” Reid says. “Looks like someone has a case of the ex-girlfriends.”
“Dead on. No doubt this has to do with Harper.” Brig pokes my arm, and I swat him away. “We’re right, aren’t we?”
I lean my head back. “Don’t you have better things to do with your lives?”
“Not really. We’re waiting for Mom to finish up dinner. And you know she never wants our help.” Reid shakes my shoulder. “Talk to us, tell us your troubles.”
“We’re excellent at giving advice,” Brig adds.
“You’re shit for advice.”
“Not true,” Brig scoffs. “If anything, I know cars and love. I’m the most romantic guy in town; I can help any heartbroken hero find his maiden lady.” What an idiot.
“That . . .” I shake my head. “Don’t say shit like that.”
“It’s true. I read enough romance to know exactly how this goes. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. Simple. Your boy loses girl section is just a tad longer than normal.”
“More like an eternity,” Reid adds. “Do you really think he has a shot at winning Harper back? After everything he did to her? For fuck’s sake, he’s been acting like a douche in the schoolyard, pulling her pigtails and picking on her.”
“Yeah, not his best romantic showing lately, but he for sure still has a shot.”
“I was not pulling her pigtails,” I scoff. Well, I sort of wasn’t . . .
I don’t really know what I’ve been doing; I think a part of me wanted to give her even more reasons to hate me, further destroy any chance of ever getting back together. After all, I’d never have to truly own up to the past if I kept Harper at a distance. But look how well that panned out, especially after today. If anything, I just opened a giant wound that had barely healed.
Ignoring me, Brig turns toward both of us. “You see, it’s called groveling. It’s when the man crawls across hot coals to make things up to his girl. With Harper, it will take time, but it could happen. I mean, she’s been in town for a while, and not once has she even looked at another man. She’s holding out.”
Holding out. Really?
I chew on my lip, mulling that over. Would Harper really be waiting for me to make a move? At this point, probably not, not with what an ass I’ve been.
But then again, maybe . . .
Don’t say anything. Don’t fucking say anything.
But . . . what if Brig is right? What if she’s holding out? Would I actually want to start things back up with Harper if she were open to it?
I mean . . . fuck yeah I would. Losing her was the worst thing that ever happened to me, so much worse than losing my chance at playing pro; ever since I destroyed what we had, my personal life has been one shitty event after the other.
Rain starts to patter against the windshield as I stare into my brothers’ earnest faces. And for the first time in years, I look back at the breakup, let it wash over me. And I realize something: at the time I really believed I was doing the right thing in breaking it off—as twisted as that sounds. Ever since I’d known Harper, I told her I would protect her, take care of her, make sure that not only I accomplished my dreams but that she accomplished her dreams too. In the wake of my accident, I could barely see a future past my nose. All I saw was the present, and that meant I saw Harper taking care of me. I saw her skipping classes to be at my side, I saw her letting her future slip through her fingers . . . for me.
I couldn’t have that.
And the pity, the remorse in her eyes, the pure fear she had when she was around me—it was killing me. I was an ornery bastard with a penchant for saying the wrong thing in the crudest way possible at every turn. I was hurting, so I was projecting that hurt onto her, blistering her with my words—I couldn’t stop myself.
She deserved better, and I knew it.
So I said the worst thing I’ve ever said to a human being, convinced that by making her hate me, by breaking her heart all at once, I was saving her from the slow, torturous heartbreak of a life with me. It should have killed me, but I was already dead inside.
I couldn’t be the man she deserved.
But now? Can the person I am today possibly deserve Harper?
“Look, the wheels in his head are spinning. He’s thinking about it.”
“Will you shut the fuck up?” I snap at Reid, really not in the mood for his bullshit, not after running through my horrible self-reflection.
“Well, you are thinking about it, aren’t you?” Brig asks, hope in his voice.
I have changed. It took me a long time to grow accustomed to my new life, but I’ve put in the work, I’ve grown up, and I’ve learned what hard work really is.
I drag my hand back and forth over my forehead. “Sort of . . . fuck, I don’t know.”
“Tell me this,” Brig says. “Do you still love her?”
“Of course I do,” I say, without even thinking about it, knowing it’s the truest thing in the world. “Love has never been an issue for me. I’ll love her until the day I die.”
“Then what’s the issue?” Reid asks, his voice finally softening.
“I broke her, pushed her away when she needed me the most.” I shake my head. “I’m not sure she wants anything to do with me.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“She doesn’t have to. It’s all in her body language.” I let out a long sigh. “She saw the manor today.”
While drinking down in New Orleans—but before we ran into the palm reader and her curse bullshit—I confessed to my brothers, told them I wanted to buy all
the houses on Harper’s dream list so I’d have a way to be close to her, even though we were through. I vividly remember them oohing and aahing, especially Brig, over how “romantic” I was. At the time, I wanted to punch every single one of them in the face.
“She saw it? How?” Brig asks, now on the edge of his seat.
“She’s working with Lovemark, and they want to use it for the movie. I was there today to look over the last of the renovations, and when I came around the corner, she was standing in the middle of the ballroom. She was . . . overwhelmed with emotion but held it together until the rest of the Lovemark team left. Fuck, I wish I knew what she was really thinking. We didn’t talk about it much. She cried, I was short with her . . . I handled it completely wrong.”
“Why were you short with her? That was your chance to show her how hard you worked to preserve the memories you have with her, you moron.” Reid slaps my arm.
“Oh, okay, yeah . . . good idea. After a week of fighting, let me just tell her I’m still in love with her and throw down the fact that I bought the manor with the sole purpose of making sure no one else took the house, and my memories of her, away.”
“I mean . . . you could have,” Reid suggests with a shrug.
I roll my eyes. “No.”
“He’s right,” Brig agrees with me. “He has to ease her into it.” He suddenly holds up his finger, poking the roof of the car. “Oh, I got it. She’s going to use the manor in the movie, right? Well, use that to get close to her. Make sure you’re a part of every decision made about your properties. It gives you a good excuse to be near her, and maybe, just maybe, you can show her what it’s like to at least be friends again.”
“Oh yeah,” Reid cuts in. “And then once you’re friends, it will be impossible not to playfully flirt with each other.”
“And then bam!” Brig claps his hands together. “You do it in the back of your car, and the curse is broken.”
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, dragging my hands over my face. “You and that stupid curse.”
“Well, isn’t that why you’re not with Harper right now? Because of broken love?” Brig shrugs. “Just seems too coincidental. Remember what she said? Until your mind has matured, you will forever have broken love. I think it’s time for you to grow the fuck up, own your past mistakes, and make something of having Harper back in town. Opportunities like this don’t just happen, Rogue. There’s a cosmic force bringing you together, so don’t be a dumbass and mess it up.”
That Forever Girl Page 17
