by C. A. Harms
My eyes grew wide as I worried I was definitely going to be arrested or be forced to pay for the damages to his precious car. Now that Molly knew, I couldn’t hold telling her over Ian anymore, so what would stop him?
“Don’t worry, my father owns the firm Ian works for, and the tape is safely tucked away. But just so you know, what you did to his car was nothing compared to what I inflicted on his car. It was sort of…” She shrugged and smiled brightly. “Extremely gratifying.”
“I’m sorry, for all it’s worth. I didn’t know he was married, but I still feel the need to tell you how very sorry I am that I had any involvement with him.”
“I don’t expect us to be friends, but I just hope that we both take something important away from this whole thing.” For the first time, I saw a small tinge of heartache in Molly’s face. “In the end we both need to be a better judge of character and take just a little more time to choose who we share our hearts with.”
Easton’s gorgeous eyes flashing in my mind, I nodded. “Take care of yourself, Molly.” I wished her the best, along with her beautiful children. Molly was a class act. She was strong and had way more compassion and empathy than I’d given her credit for. Ian was lucky to have been given the chance with a woman like her; he was just too damn stupid to accept the gifts he had been given.
“You too, Harper,” Molly said before exiting my office.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Easton
I was tired of waiting and was beyond the point of losing patience, teetering on the edge between asshole and full-blown prick. I was continuously snapping at anyone who crossed my path, I couldn’t concentrate, and the littlest things pissed me off.
It’d been six days since I submitted my DNA for a paternity test. Six very long, excruciating days of the torture of not knowing if I was the father of Sarah’s baby.
The tension was thick and unavoidable, and it was starting to interfere with Harper and my relationship. It was all my fault, because she was being pretty fucking amazing about the whole thing, but damn it, my mood swings were surprising even me.
First I picked a fight with her because she hung a towel on the rack with the tag visible. Of all the damn things to get pissy about, I chose that. Which only led to her telling me what a dick I was being and how I could spend the night with my hand instead of her warm body.
Thirty seconds later, I’m chasing her ass down the road in a towel. I’m sure my neighbors just down the street enjoyed the show, because I was groveling with a very pissed-off blonde in broad daylight.
But last night was definitely the lowest of the low. I was, in fact, one of the biggest assholes known to man—at least in Harper’s eyes I had reached that level.
She came straight from the salon to my place. I had just gotten home myself, and the day I had was enough to put me in a shitty mood. I had a buyer for the club in New York, but it fell through at the last minute, and I was now forced once again to deal with a club I was almost ready to give away.
When she knocked on the door, I was already downing my second glass of scotch, and it had not yet calmed my irritation.
Once the door was open, she flew in, rolling out the drama. In true Harper fashion, she was rambling faster than I could keep up with. The only words I heard were, Ian, Molly, and something about him being given the chance at an amazing life and just throwing it away.
It was the last thing I wanted to talk about, hear about, or fucking think about. When she just kept going and going, I lost my shit, something I am not proud of.
“Enough.” My voice boomed off the walls of my living room, and I slammed my glass down on the bar top. “Ian.” I gritted my teeth at the agitation the mere mention of his name evoked in me. “I don’t give a flying fuck about that dumbass or whatever the hell is going on in his life.”
I turned around to face her, and damn if she wasn’t ready to fire back in an instant—like I should expect anything less from my fireball. She was glaring back at me, probably murdering me seven different ways in her mind.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” She spit right back at me. “I have sat next to you every fucking night for the last five nights. I have listened to you go on and on about Sarah and your long road of fuckups. At times I spent the entire conversation with the ugliest knot in my gut while hearing details I don’t need to hear. But never have I told you to shut up. Never have I once told you that I didn’t want to hear the bullshit, because I want to be here for you.”
I started to say something, but her hand shot out and she pointed directly at me, as if daring me to continue. “Go ahead, Easton, push my fucking buttons just a little more. See what happens.”
That was not the time to get turned on, but fuck if she wasn’t the sexist pissed-off woman.
She jerked her purse up off the chair and narrowed her eyes. “I’m going to turn around and walk out that door. If you even think about following me to grovel or, hell, to even bitch at me, I will drop you. And the chances of you ever being able to have a child after that point will be a goddamned miracle.”
I hung my head in shame as she turned and walked out. That was definitely one of those times I had to let her cool down, because Harper was more pissed off than I had ever seen her before. The idea of not knowing the test results was fucking everything up, and I was allowing it to happen.
***
By the next morning I’d developed a plan to initiate groveling, phase one, but a voice mail changed everything.
“Mr. Black, this is Heather from Dr. Sadler’s office. I’m calling to let you know that we have received the test results regarding the paternity of Ms. Warren’s baby. If you could please return my call at your earliest convenience. Thank you.”
My heart was beating unbelievably fast. I had just stepped out of the florist holding a dozen roses meant for Harper. When I saw I had a voice mail and hit play, everything flew into overdrive.
I rushed toward my car and tossed the roses onto the passenger seat. After taking a few deep breaths, I tapped out the number of the clinic in Miami, my hands shaking with each key I hit. When the phone began to ring, I felt my stomach tighten.
“Thank you for calling Sadler Women’s Health. This is Breanna, how may I help you?”
“Yes,” I croaked. Clearing my throat, I attempted to speak once more. “I’m returning a call to Heather. This is Easton Black, and she has some test results for me.”
“One moment, please.” Breanna placed me on hold, and it was the longest two minutes of my life. The cheery tone playing in my ear made me grind my teeth.
“Hello, this is Heather.” The same voice from the message made my pulse jump.
“Um, yeah,” I rushed forward. “This is Easton Black, you called with results from the paternity test. From Sarah Warren.” I was shaking with the need to know. “Just tell me if the baby is mine.”
“The results have been uploaded to the site for your viewing. Unfortunately without you being in the office, I cannot verbally give you the results,” she stated. “I’m just calling to let you know that you can visit…” She began rambling off some website address. I scrambled around my car for a piece of paper and asked her to repeat it.
“If you visit that site and type in the access code you were given on the day we originally performed the test, you will be redirected to the results.”
I wanted to demand she tell me now, but I knew I would get nowhere. “Thank you,” I said before quickly hanging up.
It took me three attempts to type the website address into my phone. Once again time ticked by slowly as I waited impatiently for the site to load, then frantically scanned the page for the place to put my code, and then entered it in the bar on the right-hand side. Tapping my foot nervously, I took in a deep breath when the results filled the small screen of my phone, and in that moment my heart felt like it could beat out of my chest.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Harper
By the nonstop calls coming in from East
on, I assumed he had gotten his test results back. Yes, a huge part of me wanted to know what they were, but the stubborn part was still pissed at him for being an ass.
I was at the bridal store with Quinn, Avery, and Callie, where we were trying on our dresses for the final time before the wedding ceremony. I muted my phone and tossed it in my purse before I exited the small dressing room to meet the others girls.
Quinn stood in the middle of the lounge area just off the dressing rooms, and her expression broke my heart. She stared at her reflection with tears rolling down her cheeks. Avery stood at her side, continuously telling her that her mother was with her.
Quinn’s wedding would be just one of the events in her life that her mother would not be a part of. The realization was setting in as she smoothed the silk covering her waist with her hands.
“I just wish she could see me, even if just for a few minutes,” she whispered. “She’ll never see me dance at my wedding.” She sniffled. “I wish I could have shared this day with her.”
There was not a dry eye in the room. I stepped up to Quinn’s side and leaned my shoulder against hers. We all knew that this wedding was not only going to be one of the best days of her life but one of the hardest.
“I’m sorry she can’t be here with you, but she’ll always be a part of you. She may not have always been the easiest woman to deal with, but Quinn, she was proud of you,” I assured her.
“Thank you.” She cleared her throat and wiped at the tears on her cheeks.
“That’s what sisters are for,” I said as I winked at her, and she returned my smile. I turned back to face the mirror. “Now enough of this girly-goo shit. Let’s talk about how hot I look.” Quinn laughed along with Avery and Callie. “And you three look pretty damn hot yourselves.”
Emotional breakdown averted, for now.
***
I did my best to stay busy for the rest of the day. I didn’t want to deal with the continuously vibrating phone jumping around in my purse. I was more than positive I had a number of text messages along with a few voice mails waiting for me. But right now, I truly had no desire to deal with them. Okay, well, that’s a lie, but I chose to be stubborn and pretend otherwise, at least for a little while longer.
It was well after seven at night when I pulled up to my condo. I was exhausted from my day of shopping with the girls, followed by anything and everything I could come up with that could help me avoid Easton. Yes, I was being a baby. Yes, I was going overboard, but I was still pretty pissed at him, and I wasn’t ready to let him off the hook for being an ass.
I had just placed my key in my door when a deep voice startled me.
“You done avoiding me yet?” Easton had been waiting for me, sitting in the darkness just to the side of the front porch. His words caused a smile to pull at my lips. He knew me well. I forced myself to frown though, because, well, it was just the kind of mood I was in.
“Nope, so you can go home now.” I twisted the handle, and I heard a screech of a chair against the patio.
Before I knew it, Easton had his hands on my hips and was leading me inside.
“What the hell are you doing?” I barked out in aggravation.
Brutus came rushing toward us and nudged me out of the way. I still had no idea what his fascination was with Easton, but he had grown quite attached. In fact, when Easton was around, I was no longer his most favorite person.
He let go of my hips and sunk to the floor next to my dog. His next move surprised me. He gripped Brutus’s head, leaned in, and nuzzled the side of his face. “Hey, buddy,” he cooed. “You ready to come home with me?”
I arched an eyebrow at Easton and he chuckled. “I just figured if I stole Brutus, you would be forced to show up at my place, which means then I could force you to stay.”
“No one can force me to do anything. You should know that by now,” I corrected him.
Easton stood and took a step in my direction. “You care to place a bet on that?” Another step brought him within inches of me. “Because I’m feeling the need to prove you wrong.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stepped back, placing some distance between us. “You’re an asshole,” I stated. “And I’m still mad at you.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
“‘Okay’? That’s all you’ve got?”
He smiled, and I narrowed my eyes at him. I wasn’t ready to let go of my anger, but he was making it really hard to stay mad at him right now.
Something was different. He was more relaxed—in fact, he almost seemed playful.
“I’m not going to argue or deny that I was an ass. I was wrong and you called me out on it. I’ll admit I screwed up.” He reached out, pulled my hands apart, and threaded our fingers together. Slowly he curled our joined hands around my back and brought his body flush with mine. “Forgive me,” he whispered as he skimmed his lips over mine.
“Maybe,” I breathed back, because being this close to him sort of scrambled my brain. In fact I was having difficulty remembering exactly why I had been so mad at him in the first place.
“I love you,” he said against the curve of my neck. “I was a jerk, and now I need to make it up to you.”
Chills flowed over my neck and arms. My body became very aware of him and the way he licked and kissed his way down my neck and shoulder. “You can’t just show up here and sex your way out of trouble,” I said, but even I knew it was a lie. Easton knew how to test my limits. He had grown quite accustomed to my body and the way it reacted to him. He was skilled, and at the moment I knew I was a goner.
“I’m not trying to make you forget, but I do want to sex you.” He smiled against my neck. “I want to touch you, taste you, and make you scream my name.” He sucked softly at the base of my neck. “Most of all, I want to show you just how much I need you.”
I tilted my head down toward him, and his blue eyes met mine. “It’s over, Harper,” he said. “I got the results of the paternity test. The baby isn’t mine.”
A big rush of relief filled me, and I couldn’t help it this time. I smiled back at him.
“You know I would have been by your side either way, right?”
“I do.” He kissed my lips softly. “Now it’s time for me to make everything up to you, though. I’ve been an ass, and my girl suffered right along at my side. I need to thank her for being the best damn thing in my life.”
“How do you plan on doing that?” I grinned, because I already knew the answer.
“I’m going to make you forget all about it with my super powers. After all, I know how to make you forget your own name.” He winked and gripped my thighs, then lifted me from the floor.
I curled my legs around his waist and held on tight as he carried me toward my bedroom.
Easton did just as promised and he did it very well. As I fell asleep, I forgot all about our spat, and thoughts of Easton and his ability to pleasure me right into a comatose state were the only things filling my mind.
Epilogue
Easton
“You ready for this?” I asked Jett as he paced the floor. We had been locked in this tiny-ass room at the back of the church for close to an hour. The walls were closing in on me. I felt like a caged animal.
“Fuck yeah, I’m ready. In fact, if this don’t get moving soon, I’m gonna go find Quinn and drag her off to Vegas. This shit’s for the birds. I’m ready to get married.”
Kade chuckled, and Jude just sat at the opposite side of the room, a sly grin on his face.
“You’re just ready to consummate the marriage,” I declared as I straightened my tie.
“Hell yeah I am. I told Quinn we’re out of here once I hear the words, ‘You may kiss the bride.’” It was his turn to smile with a coy gleam in his eye. “I have a limo that is ours for the night. It has privacy glass on all the windows, not to mention between us and the driver.” He turned around to face the guys. “I have every intention of consummating the hell out of my marriage at least twice before we make it
to the reception.” He shifted his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, and it even made Jude chuckle.
***
We exited the room and made our way to the front of the church. I was ready to see Harper. It had been more than twenty-four hours. Last night, the girls all stayed at Jett’s place while Jett shacked up at mine. Not my idea of a fulfilling night.
When the doors opened at the back of the church and Callie stepped forward, I swore I heard Jude groan. There was something about that guy and the way his eyes devoured her every time he looked her way. He had never come out and said it, but I could tell he was into her.
When I looked back toward the door, I swear my heart almost beat out of my chest. The light coming in from outside highlighted Harper. Her blonde hair was swept up with random strands curving down around her face. Her lavender dress hugged every curve of her perfect body, and now I was the one moaning.
Fuck if she wasn’t the most gorgeous woman I had ever laid eyes on.
“Dude, that’s my sister,” Jett whispered. “Stop eye-fucking her in front of my parents.”
I smiled, still devouring her ever so slowly as she took graceful steps in our direction. “Then you might want to look away, man,” I told him as she closed the distance. “Because once she is within my reach, I plan on making it known that she’s mine.”
Before he could speak, I stepped forward and gripped her hip.
“What are you doing?” she asked. A smile covered her lips, and she bit her lower one in attempt to hide it.
“It’s been twenty-four hours since I tasted those sweets lips, and I’m hungry,” I explained just before placing my lips to hers.
She pulled back and I nipped at her lip. “You’re ridiculous,” she stated as she stepped away. Her body told me something else, because she fucking loved it as much as I did.
