by Mj Fields
Harper stood, and he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into him, resting his head against her naked chest. She ran her fingers over his head, and he moaned.
They stayed like that, just holding each other for a very long time. She laid her head on top of his and rubbed his back and neck.
���You better go before you change your mind,��� Maddox kissed her and laid down.
She stood in the mirror looking at herself. Her cheeks were flush and lips red and swollen. And her hair was an insane mess from his hands. She smiled and took a deep breath. She was nervous but knew he was without a doubt the only one she ever wanted or ever would. She decided to take a very quick shower.
She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. She walked out into the dark room and walked to the bed. She dropped the towel and slid under the covers beside him. She wrapped her arms around him, and he held her tightly.
���I have missed you, are you alright?���
���Yes, I just wanted to shower.���
���Okay.��� He rubbed her back and kissed her head and laid back.
Harper ran her hand down his stomach, and he grabbed her hand, ���No.���
���Oh, okay. Did I do something wrong?���
���All I want is to hold you. You have been through enough tonight.���
���So we are not going to������
���No. Go to sleep. I���ll protect you. You���re safe tonight, Jane.���
���Maddox, wake up.���
���Shh Shh Shh, Jane I am here���
Harper opened her eyes as they pulled off the road onto the long driveway. She looked over at Tomas and he smiled, ���Glad to be home?���
���Yes. Thank you Tomas— for everything.���
���It���s not just my job Harper, it���s my pleasure.���
���You are the best,��� Harper smiled.
They pulled in front of the house, and Harper jumped up and ran in. Tessa was walking out of the office and hugged her tightly, ���I missed you.���
���I���m so glad I am here,��� Harper held on tightly to her mother.
���I am too. Hey��� Dad and the boys are at the Cape now. What do you say we leave tonight and drive up?��� Tessa smiled.
���Oh, okay!��� Harper looked around.
���Unless you don���t want to?��� Tessa stepped back and looked at her.
���No, that���s cool. Can I shower first?���
���Of course.���
Harper walked into her room and walked into the closet and saw the sweatshirt hanging.
She was wearing it the night Tessa showed up out of the blue at her apartment.
���Hey lets go grab dinner,��� Tessa smiled when Harper opened the door.
���Hey Mom, we just went out last night. I still have leftovers. What���s the occasion?���
���Thought I would mix it up. You know Wednesday and Saturday are so typical. I thought a Thursday would be just the thing we needed. Hurry up, grab a sweatshirt— we can eat outside.���
They sat on the deck at the restaurant, and Harper pulled the sweatshirt over her head.
Tessa looked at it and back up at Harper���s face.
���So why did you really come?��� Harper took a bite of her mashed potatoes.
���To see you. I missed you.���
���Okay, the real reason?���
���I���ll only tell you if I can have a sleepover,��� Tessa smiled and sat back.
���A sleepover?��� Tessa nodded. ���I���m over it Mom. Whatever it is I am okay.���
���Just, well he moved out of Brody and Emma���s and into his own place in London.���
���Okay are Emma and the girls alright?���
���No. London was crying when she called.���
���I should call her.���
���I figured you would. Hey, look. He didn���t move into his new place alone.���
���T?���
���No, Harper not T.���
Harper looked at her plate and pushed the food around, ���A girl?���
���Yes, Harper I���m������
���Seriously Mom, it���s no big deal. I hear all the girls talking about how he leaves clubs with different women all the time. I hope he is happy.���
���Okay, I am still spending the night.���
���No, I can do this.
���Well, I can���t. No argument. Pedi, mani and sleepover. Do it for me?���
Harper had given her mother the sweatshirt the next morning before she left. She thought it would reassure her that she was over it. Over it, by The Brody Hines Band, Harper smiled and pulled the shirt from the hanger and smelled it. It didn���t smell like him— that was a very good sign.
Harper bounced down the stairs feeling refreshed from her shower and Tessa stood at the door.
���Dad left you a gift,��� Tessa smiled.
���Great!���
���Grab your bag and whatever else you need and let’s cruise to the Cape. If we get tired we can stop and sleep at a swanky hotel,��� Tessa smiled.
���No way,��� Harper gasped and then laughed out loud, ���This is absolutely perfect.���
���We thought it was time,��� Tessa threw her the keys.
���I love it,��� Harper danced around and laughed.
���I had one just like it when I was your age, except it was blue, standard shift and������
���I think the word you are looking for is vintage,��� Harper laughed from her belly.
Tessa smiled and laughed too. Her eyes filled with tears, and she hugged Harper. ���I have not heard you laugh like that in two years.���
���I���ve been busy, Mom,��� Harper smiled sweetly.
���I know. Okay, let���s go before Tomas catches us with the top down and calls your father,��� Tessa hoped in the passenger side.
���Why is he my father now? And when you are not annoyed by something he���s obviously������
���Good God, Harper, let���s go!��� Tessa reached her foot across the Jeep and punched the gas.
Harper and Tessa both laughed and waved to Tomas who was still looking for the keys as he stomped around.
They pulled over to grab dinner about an hour from the Cape. Tessa had ignored Collin���s calls and simply texted him back that they were busy and safe and having fun.
Harper���s phone rang when they sat in the booth at a little diner on the side of the road.
���Hello Daddy, thank you for the Jeep���No, she can’t talk right now. We have the top off and she is standing up flashing everyone who drives by,��� Harper laughed and then gasped, ���Mom, Dad wants to talk to you.���
���Hello hot stuff���you said WHAT!? Collin that was more than twenty years ago get over it!...Fine!...Of course I didn���t, but I may do it now!...Fine���what?...oh I see���alright then.���
Tessa hung up the phone and took a drink.
���What���s wrong?��� Harper asked eating a greasy fry.
���Well, nothing, I just,��� Tessa looked at Harper.
���Out with it, then I want to hear what you did twenty years ago that still has Daddy all hot and bothered,��� Harper ate another fry.
���Well Emma, London, Lexington and Brody are in town. They will be coming over to stay with us for a c
ouple days,��� Tessa smiled.
���Cool. I feel awful that I haven���t spent any time with London in the past couple years. And Lexington won’t even remember me,��� Harper nibbled on a fry.
���Harper, Maddox has an interview on the Today Show in the morning. He kicks of his US tour in Madison Square Garden in four days.���
���Very cool,��� Harper took a drink and sat back.
���He���s coming to see us for a couple days,��� Tessa whispered.
���Oh my God,��� Harper whispered back and rolled her eyes.
Tessa smiled.
���Mom do you think you will be okay? If it���s too much, I could take you back I mean I know it���s been������
���Harper, I really want you to talk to me.���
���I am,��� Harper smiled, ���I���m fine. Excited to see London, let���s go!���
���Don���t you want to eat anymore?���
���No, I am ready to go see���Hey Mom, I have an idea. I promise if you do me just one favor I���ll be fine.���
���Anything Harper, you know that.���
Harper laid on the horn when they pulled into the parking lot, ���Come on Mom you promised!���
���I did. Let’s do this.���
Tessa stood up as Harper honked the horn, Collin ran out the door, and Tessa smiled and lifted her shirt. Harper laughed when she saw her father���s face.
���Hey Collin,��� Tessa jumped out of the Jeep. ���Did you miss me?���
Harper was laughing so hard she could not get out of the Jeep. She also could not hear her father scolding Tessa, but she did see her mother turn and walk back towards the Jeep and then turn around and flash him again.
Tessa jumped in the Jeep, and Harper could not stop laughing. Collin took only four strides to make it to the Jeep where he grabbed the keys and scowled at Tessa, kissed Harper and walked away.
Harper looked up, and the entire Hines family was standing on the back porch of Ann���s house smirking, ���They���re here, Mom.���
Tessa���s jaw dropped, and she looked at them and laughed out loud.
Harper started laughing again.
���You did this!��� Tessa laughed.
���I didn���t— it was your boobs hanging out there.���
Tessa jumped out, and London ran into her open arms.
Harper jumped out and joined in their hug.
���I missed you.���
���I missed you more,��� London hugged her tightly.
���I���m sorry, I have been so busy with school,��� Harper kissed her face a million times.
London laughed.
���Come on girl, are going to take a ride in my new Jeep!��� Harper smiled and hugged Emma, ���Is that okay?���
���Sure,��� Emma smiled.
���Cool— lets go get some ice cream. But first I need to go beg my Daddy for my keys.���
Harper walked out of the house and handed her a pair of shades, ���Gotta get you dressed up girl.���
She opened the back of the Jeep and grabbed cowboy hats, ���Come on!���
London sat in the passenger seat and put the hat on and stood up, ���Hey Brody, check me out!���
���We have only just arrived, and your neck is turning red Miss London,��� Brody laughed.
Harper turned on the Jeep and cranked up Zach Brown���s Toes and pulled out.
Harper and London laughed as they drove slowly down the main strip with country music blasting.
They played the song on repeat until London knew all the words. She of course said ���butt��� instead of ass.
Harper pulled over at an empty beach, ���Let’s go put our toes in the water, London.���
���And our a—butts in the sand,��� London laughed.
���Oh yes, and sing at the top of our lungs and dance!���
And that is just what they did. They made up moves and sang loudly.
They jumped in the Jeep after an hour, ���Do you have Taylor Swift?���
���Of course, who doesn���t?��� Harper laughed as she thumbed through her music.
���We don���t, Brody and Maddox are not big fans.���
���Oh no?��� Harper laughed.
���Nope, they say its boy bashing bubble gum music.���
���Well then let���s go get ice cream and buy some bubble gum.���
London laughed, and that is exactly what they did. They drove around singing ���I don���t know about you, but I���m feeling twenty- two.���
���Ready?��� Harper laughed as they pulled back into the parking area at the beach house.
���Both songs?���
���Of course!���
They stood in the seats and cranked the tunes and sang and danced until everyone was outside watching them. Emma was videotaping them on her phone and laughing. Brody was pretending it was awful and Lexington ran up to the Jeep, and Harper got out and picked her up and placed the hat on her head and danced with her in her arms.
London was singing at the top of her lungs and stopped abruptly. Harper was too busy twirling in circles and singing to Lexi, to see London run smiling into the crowd. The music stopped, and Harper turned off the Jeep and grabbed her phone.
She turned around, and she and Lexi were still laughing. She looked up, and saw Maddox holding London.
She grabbed the bag out of the back and took a deep breath, ���Hey everyone, we brought back ice cream. You want to go see your Mommy? I have to use the bathroom.���
Emma took Lexington and watched Harper continue to smile.
���Hello, Maddox,��� she waved as she walked by.
She opened the door to the house and almost ran to the bathroom. She leaned against the door and took a deep breath. Seriously, get over it!
She looked in the mirror and laughed out loud and covered her mouth quickly. She was definitely going to stick with that hat. Who cares that she looked ridiculous. Nobody here would. She brushed her teeth and washed her hands and walked out into the kitchen. Tessa walked in from outside.
She smiled at Harper, ���You okay?���
���Yes, are you?���
Tessa laughed and nodded, ���Yep. I���m going to start dinner, would you like to help?���
���Sure.���
Tessa stood on the deck watching her sons docking the boat and talking to their father. She smiled when CJ looked up and waved her down. She ran down the stairs, and Brody and Maddox stopped talking and looked up at her.
���Sorry,��� Harper smiled and ran past them down the beach, and into CJ���s arms.
���Hey, look at you!��� CJ took her hat off and put it on his head, ���Country girl, huh?���
���Taste���s change,��� Harper smiled and hugged Matthew.
���Thank God,��� Matthew stepped back and looked at her.
���We have dinner ready.���
���Shouldn���t we take a swim first?���
Matthew grabbed her arms, and CJ took her heels and she screamed at them to stop as they swung her back and forth and flung her into the water.
���Assholes!��� He laughed as she popped up out of the water and pulled herself onto the dock.
���Some things don���t change,��� Matthew laughed and handed her a towel.
They all sat at the table. London sat next to Harper, and Lexington climbed on her lap.
�
����See, she remembers you,��� Tessa laughed as she sat down.
���You are very beautiful, Lexington,��� Harper smiled and hugged her tightly.
London led the conversation as usual. She talked about England, her new school, and of course music.
���Harper listens to country music don���t you?���
���I do,��� Harper smiled at her, ���And I am going to make you a Taylor Swift fan before you leave.���
���Please don���t do that,��� Brody laughed.
���She bought bubble gum, Dad,��� London laughed.
���Well isn���t that perfect,��� Brody grinned.
���We should crank up some dinner music, Harper.���
���Sure, London. Come on Lexi,��� Harper stood up to walk inside.
���Oh no, we can���t do that. It would be rude to our guests,��� CJ shook his head, ���And to our poor ears.���
Harper laughed and sat down, ���After dinner you and I can listen okay?���
Harper looked up, and Maddox was looking at her. She quickly looked away.
���So Harper how is school?��� Emma asked.
���Good, very good.���
���Harper finished three years of course work in two years. In the fall she will do an internship, and then she graduates,��� Collin beamed with pride, ���Matthew and CJ will be continuing their education and Tessa and I will be��� what will we be Tessa?���
���Empty nesters,��� Tessa made a disgusted face.
���I���m sure we will be busy following them all over the place,��� Collin leaned forward and rubbed her hand. ���They will be fine and so will we. The only problem we have is that Tessa will not be able to make three trips a week to visit Harper every week.���
Harper smiled at Tessa, ���Time to let me go, Mom.���
���Never,��� Tessa smiled back.
���Shouldn���t we feel bad about this?��� Matthew asked CJ.
���Oh, no. I actually feel pretty good about Mom hovering over Harper and not us,��� CJ laughed.
