by MJ Summers
“Aww, you make it sound so sad, Wes. But you know, just because none of you have ovaries doesn’t mean you’re not capable of putting a turkey in the oven,” Harper teased, earning herself a light punch on the arm from her brother.
“Still a sassy brat, I see. Some things never change.” Wes shook his head with a little grin. “Now, what’s this shit I hear about you and Donovan carrying on?”
“Mrs. Morley has a long reach. I didn’t know she was providing direct intel to the military now. Or is she one of your Facebook friends?” Harper retorted in an indirect admission of his charges.
Wes looked down at her with an exasperated expression. He was an intimidating figure in his fatigues, with his perfectly straight posture and crewcut. “Dad told me, dummy. He treatin’ you right, or do I have to kill him?”
“Well, he never calls me dummy, so I guess you could say he does treat me right.”
“Touché. I’m sure you’ll understand that I’ll still be putting him on notice.”
“I figured you would.”
* * *
Evan arrived just in time for supper, bringing both beer and wine as his contribution to the meal. Wes answered the door and led him into the kitchen as they exchanged hellos, and Evan remarked upon how good it was to see him home in one piece. It didn’t take long for Wes to harden his eyes at his old friend. “What’s this I hear about you tapping my little sister? You do realize I know at least twenty ways to kill a man with my bare hands.”
Evan matched the look on Wes’s face. “Careful, now. I don’t appreciate you talking about anyone tapping her, even if it is me. You do realize I know at least thirty ways to kill a man with my drill.”
Wes let his face relax into a grin. “Just making sure we understand each other.”
Harper glanced over at them. She couldn’t quite make out their conversation over the one Craig and Roy were having at the table, but she felt a bit of hope at the casual appearance of things on the other side of the kitchen.
“She seems really happy, so I’m okay with the whole thing—as long as you understand that if you hurt her, I will tear your limbs off and feed them to you,” Wes said, looking over at his sister, who was heaping potatoes onto plates.
“I’d expect nothing less.”
Wes gave him a hard slap on the back. “Good. Glad we got that straight. Now, what are the chances we can eat in the living room so we can watch the game?”
“It’s up to Dad,” Harper interjected. “But first, he has some big news to celebrate.”
All eyes were on Roy, who pretended to be annoyed. “It’s nothing. I got cleared to start driving again.”
“That’s not nothing, Dad,” Wes said. “That’s great news. Good for you!”
Roy waved off the congratulations from the rest of the group. “Well, I’m guessing it’s nicest for Harper. She won’t have to chauffeur my sorry ass around anymore.”
Harper’s face dropped a little. “I’ve actually been enjoying it. I’m going to miss the terror in your eyes when I run a yellow light.”
“Well, I’m sure as hell not going to miss it. She treats every road like it’s the Indy 500,” he teased. “I’m starving. And, since it’s apparently my choice, I say we watch the game while we eat.”
* * *
“So, Wes seemed to take it pretty well. I mean, for Wes.” Harper’s voice was loud so that Evan could hear her over the sound of the shower. She stood in front of the sink, flossing her teeth.
“Yeah, other than the part where he promised to tear me limb from limb if I hurt you, he took it pretty well.”
Harper laughed. “What a goof. Sorry about that.”
“I’m not offended. It’s his job, really.”
Rolling her eyes, Harper slipped off her dress, followed by her bra and panties. Moving the curtain aside, she stepped into the tub with him. “You men are so silly. As if threatening violence ever helped anything.”
Evan gave her an appreciative once-over before picking up the soap and going straight for her breasts. “Hey, you’ll kindly remember that I’m not the one threatening violence.”
Stealing his spot under the shower head, Harper lifted her hands to her hair, letting the spray of the water relax her. “Never even with one of Karen’s boyfriends?”
“Karen is four years older than me. It’s different with big sisters. You grow up knowing they can kick the shit out of you, so you tend not to worry about them.” Pause. “God, I like watching you wash your hair.”
Glancing down at his obvious show of appreciation, she pressed her lips together to hide a grin. “I can see that.”
* * *
The next evening was a long-overdue poker night for the guys. Craig was hosting, and Evan, Wes and a few of their other friends were going to attend as a sort of welcome-home party. Roy was invited but had turned them down, saying he’d rather pick out his own eyes with a toothpick than spend an evening listening to that bunch of hens natter on. He had passed the better part of the afternoon watching hockey with his sons anyway, so for him it had already been a perfect day.
Around eight in the evening, Evan arrived at Craig’s, his arms loaded with cases of beer and grocery bags filled with chips and several varieties of beef jerky. Wes answered the door, taking the beer from him as he held the door open with his foot.
“Put the beer outside on the step,” Craig ordered. “I’m out of room in the fridge and it’s colder out there anyway.”
Evan and Wes did as they were told.
“Why’s the fridge full?” Evan asked. “You normally have one bottle of ketchup and some expired orange juice in there.
“Craig’s been seeing someone,” Wes answered. “Apparently, he wants to trick her into thinking he’s an actual grown-up.”
“You’re seeing someone, Craig? Good for you. What’s she like?” Evan asked.
“Yeah, Craig, tell us. What’s she’s like?” Wes asked, motioning with his hands in front of his chest as if attempting to determine her breast size.
Craig levelled him with a dirty look. “And he says I’m still a child. She’s nice. Her name’s Rita. She owns a clothing store on Pearl Street. Harper dragged me in for some new shirts a few weeks ago and we hit it off.”
He opened the fridge and took out a premade tray of cheese, crackers and pepperoni.
“Wow. We’re getting the royal treatment tonight,” Evan observed. “Must be in your honour, Wes.”
“Really makes every day on the front line totally worth it,” he answered.
Once all six men had arrived, the poker game got underway. The evening flew by as the friends smoked cigars, drank beer and ribbed each other in that way men do. One of the attendees, Todd, was cleaning everyone out, and clearly loving every minute of it.
Todd stretched and got up for that one beer too many. “So, Evan, I hear you and Harper are an item these days. I wish I had known she was back in town before you found out. There’s one skirt I wouldn’t mind getting into.”
“Heyyy!” Wes and Craig hollered in unison as Evan scowled and said, “Don’t be a shithead, Todd.”
Todd’s eyes widened at the reaction. He put his hands up, signalling surrender. “Okay. Touchy subject. Won’t happen again. Unless she’s single again and she wants to. Oh yeah, then it’ll happen,” he said out of the side of his mouth.
“Don’t make me kick your ass, Todd. You really won’t enjoy it as much as you think you will,” Evan said. “Besides, aren’t you forgetting about your fiancée?
“Aww. I’m just kidding around. A guy can dream, can’t he?”
Wes, Craig and Evan all shook their heads at him. Craig leaned toward him ominously. “No. You can’t.”
Wes took his cigar out of his mouth and blew a ring of smoke into the air. “It’s bad enough we’ve got this fucker hanging around her. We should have shipped her off to a convent when she was fourteen. Married her off to Jesus. That would have been a lot better for my blood pressure.”
“You do
realize you are abnormally overprotective, right?” Evan ventured. “I mean, she’s almost thirty-six, for God’s sake. And she can take care of herself, believe me.”
Wes looked at his friend. “You know all that stuff last night about me tearing your limbs off was just for Harper’s sake, right?”
“It was?” Evan asked, seeming unconvinced.
“Yeah.” Wes puffed on his cigar and fixed Evan with a steely glare. “If I ripped your limbs off, you’d bleed out too fast. I’m going to make you suffer for a real long time if you hurt her.”
Their friend Geoff, who had always been the voice of reason, cut in as he watched the men stare each other down. “Are we here to play poker or are you ladies going to sit around and talk about relationships all night?”
His words managed to restore harmony.
* * *
That night, as Evan stumbled into bed beside Harper, she woke and turned to him. “How was poker night?”
“It was fun,” he slurred, his words so thick with beer she imagined she could see them floating in the air. “Your brothers are fucking psychos when it comes to you, though. I can see why you moved to New York to get away from them.”
“Shit. Were they giving you a hard time?”
“Yeah, but not the whole night. Only when your name came up.” His eyes closed and his breathing became heavy. “Stay away from Todd, by the way,” he mumbled as he drifted off to sleep and left her wondering.
Twenty-Nine
The next day was Christmas Eve. By the time Evan got up, it was close to noon and Harper had been up for hours, wrapping presents and singing along to festive songs on the radio. He looked a little rough as he lumbered down the hall in his boxer briefs, scratching his bare chest. His eyes looked like they wouldn’t be opening fully for a while, and he headed straight for the coffee pot. Harper turned down the volume on the radio and gave him a sympathetic look, trying not to laugh.
“Hey,” he said, his voice hoarse as he grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and filled it.
“Hi, honey. I would ask how you’re feeling but I think I can see for myself.”
“I’m fine. I just need a coffee and a shower.” He sipped the hot drink with one eye still shut. “Fucking bright in here, though,” he muttered.
Harper could no longer contain herself and broke out into a giggle.
“What? You laughing at me?” he asked. “That’s okay, wait till it’s your turn. See how funny it is after you and Megan go for a ladies’ night out.”
“Oh, I don’t get hungover like that. I discovered my limit a long time ago.”
“Really? I’m going to remember you said that.”
Harper laughed. “I doubt you will remember. You probably killed thousands of brain cells last night.” She knew that would get under his skin and just couldn’t help teasing him. Feeling a twinge of guilt, she walked over to give him a little kiss on the forehead. “Can I get you some toast?”
“That would be spectacular.”
She popped some bread into the toaster, saying, “Merry Christmas Eve, by the way.”
“You too.”
“I need to run these gifts for the kids over to Megan and Luc’s a little later. I’m sure they’d love to see you if you’re up for it. Then we’re going to my dad’s for our new Christmas Eve tradition of ordering Chinese food.”
“Oh, nice to see that the Young family spends Christmas Eve the same way Mary and Joseph did, eating pineapple chicken balls and fried rice.”
“Oh, that coffee must be kicking in. Your sense of humour is coming back.”
“I took two Advil in the bathroom before I ventured into the light.”
* * *
A couple of hours later, Evan held his arm for Harper to steady herself on the icy walk from the Chevaliers’ door to his truck. They’d just delivered presents for Elliott and Amelie, staying for a quick visit to watch Elliott tear open the gifts. They’d left as Amelie was about to go upstairs for her nap and Elliott and Luc were getting started on building the Star Wars Lego set Harper had given him. It had been a cold, sunny day but as evening fell, clouds moved in and started blanketing the city with fresh snow. They drove for a few minutes in contented silence, enjoying the Christmas lights that gave the city a festive glow. Evan glanced over at her. These were the little moments that created a life together. He put his hand on her leg.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, seeing the expression on his face.
“Nothing. I’m just really happy.”
“I’m glad.”
“No, I mean it. I’ve never been this happy before. This is just one of those days you don’t forget, you know?”
“You mean spending the day really hungover?
He laughed. “No.” Reconsidering, he said, “Well, yes, I guess. This all feels very real to me. It’s just been such a fun afternoon, and now we’re going to spend the evening with your family. Just being together, you know?”
“Yes, it has been a great day.” Harper fiddled with her bracelet, suddenly feeling uneasy.
“I wish you were coming with me tomorrow. I don’t want to go to Tucson without you,” he said, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze.
“I know,” she answered, resting her head against the seat back. “But it’s the right decision. If I went to visit your family, especially at Christmas, it would send the wrong message.”
“I don’t know. Would it?”
Not knowing how to answer, Harper let the question hang in the air.
* * *
When they got home, Evan unlocked the door and ushered Harper inside and out of the chilly air. “Let’s open each other’s gifts now.”
“Deal!”
The pair scattered to get the presents they’d bought each other and met back in the living room. They flopped onto the floor in front of the small tree they had put up earlier in the week.
“You go first,” Harper said, beaming at him.
He tore the wrapping paper off a box to reveal a tote for his hand tools. “Is this the Klein Tough Tote with durable feet to protect the bag from the elements?” he asked, quoting the product description from memory.
“Yes,” Harper confirmed excitedly. “I remember you stopping to look at it when we were at Lowe’s. Open the box. There’s more inside.”
“More? This is already more than enough,” Evan said, pulling the tote out of the box to find each pocket filled with a wrapped gift. “What’s all this?”
He unwrapped the presents quickly, his face lighting up each time he opened a new gift. He stopped after every one to tell her how much he liked the item or how much he needed it.
When he finished, he leaned over and gave her a long kiss. “Thank you, Harper. I love it all. You clearly put a lot of thought into it.”
“I did, actually,” she agreed, clapping her hands together. “Okay, my turn. Let’s see who out-thoughtfulled who.”
“I had no idea this was a competition. You really bring new meaning to Christmas spirit,” he teased, watching as she ripped open the paper on her gift. Her face fell.
“It’s the Nikon D800,” she said quietly. “Holy shit, Evan. This is way too expensive. No. I can’t take it. You have to return it.”
“Why?” His face dropped, along with his heart.
Harper put her hands out, palms forward as if trying to stop what was happening. “Lots of reasons. First of all because this is way too much for you to spend on me. Second, I could buy it for myself if I needed it, which I don’t. This is a professional photographer’s camera. I’m not a professional photographer.”
“Have you been earning money taking pictures for the past few months?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then you’re a professional photographer. You need the equipment to go with that.”
“Evan, that would be necessary if I were going to make photography my permanent job, but I’m not. It’s just something I’ve been doing to help Meg and fill my time while I’m here. I’m sorr
y, but I can’t accept it. Please don’t ask me again.” Harper got up and walked down the hall into the washroom, shutting the door behind her.
* * *
Evan waited a few minutes before making his way down the hall and gently knocking on the bathroom door. “Harper? You okay?”
The door opened in response to his question. She gave a quick nod and moved past him. “Fine. Just freshening up so we can get going. My dad’ll be expecting us.”
“Hang on,” he said, following her to the front door. He placed his hand gently on her arm when she stopped to open the closet. “I think we should talk about this before we go.”
“What’s to say?” Harper turned to face him. “It was very thoughtful of you. I appreciate the gesture, but I can’t accept.”
“Harper, I can see you’re really upset. I’d like to know why.”
“I’m not upset. I just overreacted. It’s a big gift and it made me panic a little, thinking maybe there was some expectation behind it.” She smoothed her hand over his chest and patted it.
He gave her a hard stare for a moment, saying nothing. Finally, he shrugged. “It was just an impulse buy. I couldn’t think of anything, so I picked it up last night when I got off work. I thought you’d like it. In light of the fact that it doesn’t mean anything, I hope you’ll decide to keep it.”
“I won’t, but I hope you can see why,” she said, pulling away from him and putting on her coat. “We should go.”
* * *
“To being together!” Roy held his glass in the air.
The sentiment was shared around the table and everyone had a sip of their drink.
“Since we’re all together, I want to say a couple of things.” Roy swallowed hard. “I want to thank Harper and Craig for everything. Especially Harper, who gave up her career for her old dad. I’ve been through a lot this year and as it comes to an end, I feel lucky. I’m alive. I have a wonderful family and we’re doing a lot better than we ever have. In fact, going through this was worth it, because I got my family back. We’re mending, just like my spine is. Might have a few tender spots, but we’re getting stronger.”
