by Sam Ayers
Harley gasped when she felt someone touch her shoulder, but she didn’t turn back when that someone whispered in her ears, “Hey, gorgeous!”
“Hey, handsome!” She grinned as he wrapped his arms around her shoulder from behind. Harley touched his arms and said, “You know I can’t thank you enough, for all this.”
“You don’t have to, Evans!”
Harley turned around and wrapped her arms around Connor’s shoulder with a grin. “You missed the meeting with the boss!”
“Gah! Boring!” Connor rolled his eyes. “I was starving, so I went down to the café to get something to eat. Brought you some coffee.”
“Thanks, it’s getting a bit cold out here!”
“Baby, get used to it! This isn’t California!”
“But this is home,” Harley said with a smile as she sipped her coffee.
Connor gave her his trademark grin and said, “We should head home! Time to celebrate the completion of our first project together. And Pads must be waiting for us!”
“Well, you do realize Padfoot has a new friend, Con?” Harley said with a mischievous grin. “Who knows, you might be a grandpa soon.”
“What the hell! I’m too young for that!” Connor cried. “No, I won’t allow Ethan to bring Cuddles home the next time he visits!”
“Connor! I was just kidding!” Harley chuckled. “Oh my, you are so cute!”
“No, I’m not!” Connor pouted causing Harley to grin and give him a quick peck. Throwing away their empty coffee cups, they left the office. Harley had been pleasantly surprised when she had first arrived in Vancouver. Connor, it seemed, wasn’t directionally challenged here. But seeing as he loved to explore the side streets and find new places, they seemed to get lost anyhow.
They still lived in Connor’s old apartment near Uncle Brandon’s home. Ethan had adopted a pup named Cuddles, and she had become Padfoot’s best friend. So Connor always kept complaining that Padfoot was growing up too soon.
When they reached home, Ethan was standing out with Padfoot and Cuddles, who were running around him. When Padfoot spotted Connor getting out of the car, he ran towards him and jumped on him, knocking him to the ground.
“Ow! Pads, my head!” Connor moaned. “Get up, boy. You are heavy!”
Padfoot then trotted off to Harley and gave her a big lick. He seemed to be curious why his daddy wouldn’t pick him up anymore; little did he know that he was growing so fast that all Connor did was worry about becoming a granddad at 25. After all, Padfoot was like his kid and one day he had to accept those little puppies too.
“Hey guys!” Ethan called. “Had a good day at work?”
“Absolutely!” Harley said with a smile. “We are finally done with our project. Time for a short break. Right, Connor?”
“She’s making me paint a room.” Connor made a face, making Ethan chuckle.
“Yeah, we should get going and finish that wall soon. Padfoot, come along,” Harley called and he woofed, following her.
Once they got inside the house, Connor moaned. “Harls, it’s 3PM! We can go out and explore the town! Why do you want to paint that freaking guest bedroom now?”
“Connor, it looks so bare! We need to paint and get some new furniture!”
Connor pouted and plopped onto the couch. Padfoot jumped up, too, and started playing with his chew toy. “Working those gums out, eh, Pads?” Connor asked, rubbing the dog’s head warmly. Padfoot licked his arm in reply.
“Come on, Taylor! Get your butt off that couch and help me paint that damn wall!”
“Aw, sweetheart, I love it when you are bossy.” Connor winked and followed her. They changed out of their work clothes and stood staring at the wall in shorts and t-shirts.
“Sunshine yellow,” Harley said.
Connor shook his head. “Too bright, I can’t stand it.”
“Okay, fine, the Straw color?” Harley asked him, showing the paint.
Connor shook his head again. Picking up the paintbrush, he dipped it into the yellow she suggested first and painted a patch on the wall, and then he took white and painted it over the yellow.
“See? Not too bright. Sporty yellow, like Marigold. Just lighter.” Connor grinned. “Anyway, why are we even painting this room? No one comes here! Are you doing this for Liam and Lillian? They aren’t coming here for another two months.”
“I know, it’s just . . . it’s nice! Imagine a nursery here.”
“Whoa! Evans, are you talking about a baby?” Connor asked in surprise.
“Yeah, I want a kid in future. It’s on my to-do list,” Harley said cheekily.
“Well, I can help you with that.” Connor winked at her. Just then, Padfoot came running in and dropped a small ball near Connor’s feet, waiting for him to throw it.
“What, Pads? You wanna play fetch with Daddy now?” Connor raised his eyebrow. When Padfoot whined loudly, Connor sighed and walked out of the room with him. He threw the ball and Padfoot dashed. “I’ll take you to the park tomorrow, Big Guy! You must be missing the beach! I miss it too.”
Harley smiled as Connor returned and picked up the paintbrush again. She started the painting the wall when she felt something cold touch her legs. She squealed and turned to face a chuckling Connor.
“Oh no, you didn’t!” Harley threw the paint at him. And that’s how the epic paint war of all paint wars started. Red. Yellow. Blue. There were handprints on their clothes, paint all over them, even in their hair. Connor jumped and pulled her down on the floor. Padfoot was now back and even he joined them. Harley and Connor lay down on the floor next to each other chuckling loudly. Connor looked at her and slowly moved on top of her. His lips pressed to hers as he gave her one of the best kisses of her life. She moaned as he pulled away and grinned.
Harley giggled, “This whole room is a mess, Con! We are a mess!”
“What a lovely mess!” Connor winked, helping her up. “Come on, Pads. You need a nice bath now!”
Connor and Padfoot walked out of the room, so Harley went to the bedroom to get a change of clothes again. She had a quick shower and stepped out to see a notification on her phone. It was a message from Lillian telling her they were going to meet real soon.
Harley was about to go to the kitchen when the huge picture hanging on the wall caught her eye. It was taken on the day of the wedding. Once the almost engagement party was over, they went to the paintball field again and knocked themselves out. In this beautiful picture, she stood with her arm over Connor’s shoulder, completely covered in paint, and he’d slipped his arm around her waist. There were a few more photographs taken after she moved to Vancouver with Connor. A huge collage was placed next to theirs that was a collection of Connor and Padfoot’s pictures taken each month, showing off his growth spurt very well.
Smiling to herself, she went to make some coffee and poured some milk in Padfoot’s bowl. She sat in the kitchen checking her emails and drinking coffee when a notification popped up. It was an email from Connor’s mother. She opened it to see something that made her grin widely. When Connor walked out the room, wiping his hair with a towel, he couldn’t resist smiling when he saw that grin.
“Connor!” Harley called. “Look at this!”
Connor walked towards her and looked at the email she was showing. Save the date, it read.
“Maxine Hawthorne and Carter Taylor. Whoop! They are doing it? They are really getting married?!” Connor exclaimed. “But wait, why is it always six months?”
“What do you mean?” Harley asked, confused.
“Look, he met you at a party and six months later you almost walked down the aisle. And now, six months later, he’s marrying Maxine!”
“Connor, you really have silly stuff to say, don’t you? Your mom says she didn’t send the invite by post because she wants us to be there before this weekend. She also knows we are done with our project and have some free time.”
Connor groaned. “But we were going to London!”
“The Wizarding
World of Harry Potter is in Florida, too!” Harley smiled. “We can go there after the wedding.”
“Carter always ruins my plans.” Connor pouted and looked away.
“Hey! Come on, I’ll make it up to you.”
Connor looked at the bedroom before turning back to look at her and nodded. “Now!” He bent down and picked her up in his arms, Harley squealed. Walking inside the bedroom, he kicked the door closed, shouting loudly, “We will be back soon, Padfoot!”
Padfoot woofed and walked back to the living room. He jumped on the couch and pressed the remote control. The black box showed him moving pictures; he sat there watching pictures that his daddy always saw. Yes, Padfoot had a great time watching the telly.
The next morning, Uncle Brandon’s house was bustling as everyone walked around packing their stuff, ordering pizza, the dogs running around. Caleb explaining to Harley how water was a weird substance because it didn’t behave like any other chemical. Harley looked at the little genius and nodded, not really understanding a single word.
Everything was happening so fast that they were heading to the airport one minute, and the next they were boarding. And a few hours later, they were in California again.
Harley was a bit nervous that she would be meeting her parents again. Connor grabbed her hand tightly and gave her a reassuring smile. He had managed to impress them. Harley’s mother, Amanda, was Connor’s new best friend, and he called her Mandy lovingly. Of course, no one could resist his charm, not even her aunts.
“And before we know it, we are back again!” Connor grinned.
“Welcome home,” Harley said and gave him a quick peck on his cheek.
To their surprise, the whole family was at the airport. Connor’s parents. Harley’s parents. Carter was also there with his hand resting on the small of Maxine’s back.
“Oh my Munchkin. Snugglebunny. Doodle-bug. You are here! Mommy missed you, baby boy,” Mrs. Taylor cried. Connor hid behind Harley in embarrassment. When he reached the gate, his mother came running towards him and pulled him into a big hug. “Oh, Cuddly-Poo, look at you, you are growing so fast!”
“Mom, no, not here! There are so many people out here!” Connor complained.
“So what? I don’t care what they think. Come on, Doodle-bug, let’s go home. Mommy has made all your favorite dishes. Oh, is that Padfoot? Oh my, he’s bigger than the last time I saw him. He’s growing faster than you, babykins!” Mrs. Taylor cooed as she pinched her son’s cheeks.
Everyone stood looking at the mother and son’s bonding, amused. Mr. Taylor turned to face them and said, “Alright, looks like she isn’t going to let him go anytime soon. Let’s go, guys!”
The ride back home was pleasant. Harley’s parents were delighted to see her again. Of course, they weren’t pampering her as Mrs. Taylor did Connor, but Amanda and Matthew were genuinely happy to see Connor and Harley again.
On the way back home, Mrs. Taylor sat in the back seat with Connor and Padfoot, and she kept telling him all that he missed in the past six months.
“So, it’s happening?” Connor asked his mother once she stopped cooing.
“You mean Carter’s wedding? Yes! Thankfully, you were able to knock some sense into him. He’s a different person now. And Maxine is a sweetheart. She knows exactly how to handle him. Like Harley does with you,” she added as an afterthought.
“Please, Harley loves me!” Connor grinned.
“Oh, snugglebunny, I’m so glad you are back!” Mrs. Taylor cooed and pulled him back into another hug.
Once they reached home, Mr. Taylor and Carter were able to greet Connor properly. Connor was glad that the relationship between him and his brother was mended. They were back to normal, still making fun of each other and arguing, but not fighting. And surprisingly, Carter and Harley weren’t awkward around each other either. Connor was glad everything was fine now, because both of them were really important to him.
“Congrats, bro! Second wedding invite this year,” Connor joked and hugged his brother. Then he looked at Maxine, who stood next to Carter and grinned. “I always knew you would be the best sister-in-law!”
Maxine chuckled as he hugged her. “Well, someone had to take the first step!”
“At least, I’m doing it right this time,” Carter said, looking at his fiancée warmly. “Maxine is great! We are so happy. Anyway, how’s Harley?”
“She’s great, too. She was here somewhere,” Connor said, looking around. When he spotted her, he called her name, “Harley! Baby, come here for a minute.”
Harley walked towards them with a smile. “Hey, Maxine, Carter,” she greeted them and gave them both a quick hug.
“Hi, Harley, how have you been? It’s surprising to see that my crazy brother hasn’t driven you crazy yet!”
Connor rolled his eyes. Harley chuckled and replied, “Oh, he loves me. Frankly, I’m surprised that I’m still sane, too!”
Carter patted her head lightly and smiled, “I’m glad you two are here. Connor mentioned you had to cancel your holiday to London to attend the wedding. I’m sorry this is happening so soon. Maxine and I didn’t want to wait anymore.”
Maxine nodded sadly, with an apologetic expression on her face. Harley glared at Connor and turned to face Carter with an apologetic smile. “No, Carter. We are really happy to be here. Connor here was just kidding. Weren’t you, darling?”
Connor muttered something and walked away. Harley groaned and followed him, and she dragged him back to talk to Carter properly.
Later that evening, the whole family sat discussing the wedding over dinner. Padfoot and Cuddles were playing in the living room with Zoe and Caleb. Everyone was so happy that Carter was finally settling down. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were worried Carter would never move on after what happened six months ago. But now that Maxine was in his life, the past was soon forgotten.
Harley was talking to Ethan about something when her phone buzzed loudly.
Waiting for you at the beach. It’s pleasant out here. Join me. – C xx
Harley smiled and went upstairs to the guest bedroom and pulled out the hoodie from her bag. She put it on and covered her head with the hood and sneaked out of the backdoor. Walking towards the beach, she saw Connor seated near the water. Harley remembered that day when she sneaked out to meet him at 1AM; things were far better now and peaceful.
“Hey, handsome!” she called, walking towards him.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Connor gave her a charming smile. “Did I ever tell you, you look hot in jeans and a hoodie?”
“Yeah, once,” Harley said, settling down next to him. “Gosh! It feels great to be here! Everyone is so happy!”
“Well, Mom is ecstatic! She’s already planning my secret birthday party for the weekend!”
“Yeah, she’s really happy to see you here.” Harley smiled. “You know my parents were happy, too? I thought Mom would be disappointed, but it’s better than before. I mean, she’s your fan now!”
“They love you, Harls. They understand what you wanted.” Connor smiled. “And Mandy and Matt are cool people, they needed proper convincing, and I mastered the art of convincing people at the age of three when I made Mom buy me lots of popsicles . . . in winter.”
With a grin, he stood up and brushed the sand off his jeans.
“What’s wrong? You are going back inside?” Harley asked, standing up, too.
Connor shook his head and moved back. To Harley’s surprise, he went down on one knee. She gasped.
“Harley Evans, six months ago you walked into my life and made it so fascinating that if someone ever sat down and wrote our story, they would be laughing right at this moment. Well, not in a funny way, just a happy way. You’re my best friend, Harls. And I don’t regret even a minute when I crashed your wedding. Back then, I loved you the same way I learned to ride a bike; scared, but reckless. You have bewitched my body and soul, and I love you. Be mine. Harley, will you give me the chance to be the luckiest man alive?”
Harley
gasped as he pulled out something from his pocket, what she expected was a ring but it turned out to be a fortune cookie. She raised her eyebrow, curiously as she broke it to see the words ‘Will you marry me?’ written in the tiny paper.
“YES!” she cried. “Yes, Connor, I’ll marry you!”
Connor winked and pulled out the ring from his pocket, slipping it on her finger, he stood up and pulled her closer by grabbing her waist. Harley didn’t wait another minute; she pulled his head down and crashed her lips on his. Connor smiled as he kissed her and when he pulled away, he said, “You do realize Mom will be freaking out when we go back into that house because her older son is getting married and the youngest is engaged?”
“My mom will freak out too, but in a really happy way.” Harley grinned. “But who the hell cares?”
“Well, I don’t,” Connor assured her. “Anyway, there’s just one thing I want to change about you.”
“What is that?” Harley asked, quietly.
“Your last name, Harls. As much as I like Evans, Taylor suits you better,” Connor said, kissing her nose lightly.
Harley giggled and threw her arms around his neck. “Then make me a Taylor soon, Connor! And this time it’s gonna stay that way for a lifetime!”
“You know, Harls, the first time I saw you, my crazy heart whispered ‘That’s the one!’ to me! So, I was planning to propose at the airport because that’s where we first met, then Mom started going all Doodle-bug and Cuddly-Poo, and I just couldn’t do it.”
“That’s okay, I still fall for you every day, Con-Con.” Harley chuckled. “You are the reason why running away feels so great!”
“Then run away with me again, Evans?” Connor asked with a smirk.
“Absolutely, Taylor!” Harley winked at him. Grinning, Connor turned around and ran towards the house. Harley chuckled and ran after him.
“Come back here, Taylor! We have unfinished business! You were proposing!”
