by Wilder, L.
“Oh, yeah. The woman who reads for you. What about her?”
She motioned to a figure covered with blankets on the sofa. “Well, that’s Oliver, her husband.”
From there, she went on to explain everything that had happened, and while I understood why she felt compassion for the man, I wasn’t as understanding as she had been. “Harper, we need to call the police.”
“Max, he’s just a sweet, lonely, old man,” she pleaded. “He didn’t mean anything by it.”
“He came to your house with a gun! Damn, Harper, he could’ve killed you!”
“No, Max. Once you talk to him, you’ll see what I’m talking about. He needs help, not the police,” she explained.
“So, what do you suggest we do about it? Just let the guy go?” I asked sarcastically.
She rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. “No. I just told you he needs help. Maybe we can find his daughter and tell her what happened. Maybe she can come to get him or something.”
“Any idea how we find her?” Ryder asked.
“I wish I did. All I know is her name is Sabrina, and his name is Oliver Tolbert.”
“Give me a few minutes, and I’ll see what I can come up with,” Ryder told us as he headed to the bedroom to make a phone call.
Once he was gone, Harper placed her hands on my chest and said, “I know you’re upset, Max, but there’s something going on with Oliver that we just don’t understand. It’s not all his fault.”
“I get that, sweetheart. I do. But he put the one thing I care about most in the world in jeopardy. That’s not something I’m going to get over. I might find a way to forgive the guy, but I certainly won’t forget. We’ll do what we can to get his daughter here, and hopefully, she can get him sorted. But Harper … you gotta know, when it comes to you, I’m gonna do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Everything and everyone else comes second.”
“So, what exactly does that mean?”
“That means as soon as we get this thing settled with Oliver, you’re moving in with me.” I placed my hands on her hips and pulled her towards me. “Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah, I’m good with that.” She smiled as she lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against mine, kissing me briefly before she asked, “Does that mean I’m moving into the condo with you?”
After everything that had happened over the past few days I’d been thinking about making some big changes in my life, which included where I would be living. I hadn’t told Harper about my job and what it entailed, but I knew it was something I would have to discuss with her. I wanted to be open and honest with her, like she’d been with me. Knowing that, I told her, “We’ll talk about it.”
“I found her,” Ryder called out from the bedroom. As he walked back into the kitchen, he said, “She lives in Hope, Canada. It’s about four and half hours away from here.”
“You got a number for her?”
“Yeah.” He handed me a slip of paper with her number on it and added, “This is the most recent one I could find.”
As I reached for my phone, Harper placed her hand on my arm. “It’s kind of late. Maybe you should wait to call her until tomorrow.”
“It’s not that late, babe,” I told her as I dialed the number. When a lady answered, I asked, “Is this Sabrina?”
“Yes. Who’s this?”
“My name’s Max Lanheart. I’m calling about your father, Oliver Tolbert.”
After I explained everything that had happened with her father, she told me that they’ve been trying to find him for several days. His caregiver had gone to check on him and contacted her when he wasn’t at home. She also informed me that he’s been battling depression since he’d lost his wife, and the medication that his doctor prescribed didn’t seem to be helping like she’d hoped. We arranged for Ryder to meet her husband the following morning. Considering everything that had happened, he would be staying with them until other arrangements could be made.
When I got off the phone, Harper asked, “What about tonight? We can’t leave him here alone.”
“I’ll stay here with him,” Ryder volunteered. “You can come back tomorrow and tell him goodbye before we leave.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
Ryder shrugged his shoulders as he replied, “It’s not like I’ve got anywhere else I’ve gotta be.”
“Thanks, man. We’d appreciate that.”
“No problem, and I’ll call Nitro to let him know everything’s okay.”
I nodded as I reached for Harper’s coat. Once she had it on, I led her towards the door. Just before we walked out, she went over to the kitchen counter and picked up her red notebook and flash drive and snuggled it close to her chest. With a smile on her face, she followed me back over to her cabin. The snow was finally starting to ease up, but the temperature was still dropping. Inside the cabin, it was freezing cold, so while she turned up the heat, I started another fire. Once I had it going, I looked around at all the mess and asked, “Did he do all this?”
“No. That would’ve been me.”
“Why?”
“I went a little nuts when I was looking for my journal,” she admitted. “But I found it at Oliver’s, so it’s all good now.”
“Except now we have to clean up this mess.” I snickered.
“I’ll clean it up tomorrow.” She sauntered over to me with a devilish look in her eye. “Right now, I’m cold … and I need you to warm me up.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah. That’s right.” She wound her arms around my neck. “Do you think you’re up to the task?”
“Oh, baby. I’m definitely up to the task.” I lifted her into my arms and as I carried her into the bedroom, I waggled my eyebrows and added, “I’ll warm you up in ways you can’t even begin to imagine.”
CHAPTER 22
Harper
A s soon as my feet touched the floor, he reached for the hem of his long sleeved t-shirt. With a teasing look gleaming in his eyes, he slowly and painstakingly pulled it over his head, revealing his chiseled abs. He grinned mischievously as he watched my eyes wander to the perfect V peeking out from the waistband of his jeans. He tossed his shirt to the floor, the smirk never leaving his lips as he lowered his hands to the button of his jeans. His eyes darkened with need as he watched my reactions. The heat and desire building within me were obvious, and he reveled in it. As I was his, he was mine—every glorious inch of him.
I watched eagerly as he freed himself from his jeans and boxers, letting them fall to his ankles before kicking them to the side. Unable to wait a moment longer, I quickly removed my sweater, throwing it aimlessly in the air, and with an eager smile, I unfastened my jeans. As I looked at him standing there watching me, I couldn’t imagine loving him more; but with every moment that passed, with every second, my love for him continued to grow. He was my everything, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life showing him just how much he meant to me.
His eyes zeroed in on my hands as they lowered my pants down my legs, leaving me standing before him in only my lace bra and panties. I stepped towards him, pressing my mouth against his. His lips were so soft, so warm, and as his tongue brushed against mine, a deep moan vibrated through his chest. Max’s hands were on my body; roaming, squeezing, and pulling me tightly against his muscular frame. The kiss quickly became hungry and demanding, and I felt myself being led backwards as his strong hands slid up my back, releasing the clasp of my bra. When my calves met the bed, he slowly lowered me down on the mattress and tossed my bra to the side. My breath became ragged as my body begged impatiently for his next touch.
Max looked down at me, smiling appraisingly as he watched my breasts rise and fall with each heaving breath. “You’re so damn beautiful.”
I gasped as his fingertips gripped my thighs and he parted my legs to sink between them. His soft lips hungrily dropped to my breast, raking his tongue across my nipple. I could hear my whimpers echoing through the room as his hand slo
wly slid between my legs. He took his time caressing me while his other hand cupped my breast, the rough, calloused pad of his finger stroking me. His mouth moved back to my breast, swirling my nipple with his tongue before taking it in his mouth and sucking hard. He alternated between them, repeating this pattern over and over, all while his hands began to deftly slide my panties down my thighs. He gently tugged them down with agonizingly slow movements, reveling in the impatience building within me. My hands wound in his hair as I pulled his mouth closer to me. “Yes!”
The storm of delicious sensations flooding through me was almost too much. I could feel the smooth fabric of the lace slipping over my skin as my panties finally reached my ankles. His warm breath caressed my skin as he began to shower my abdomen and thighs with tantalizing kisses. I closed my eyes and let the warmth of his touch wash over me, making the bitter cold cabin a distant memory. I smiled with satisfaction as he centered himself between my legs and the tip of his cock brushed against me. Max’s hot skin against mine sent lust-filled chills down my spine as I opened my legs wider, and he slowly slid inside me, filling me completely. My breath caught in my throat as he pulled back and entered me again, hard and steady. Instinctively, I arched into him as he drove deeper and gasped as his cock rubbed against my G-spot. Again, I couldn’t keep my nails from clawing into his back. His mouth found mine as he thrust forward over and over, claiming what was his.
Waves of ecstasy crashed over me as my body was flooded with the all-consuming rush of my climax. Max continued to drive into me, relentlessly, until he found his own release. His fingers dug into my hips as he held me in place with a long, sated groan. He collapsed next to me, pulling me to his side, and as I nestled myself in the crook of his arm, I whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
Remembering the panicked look on his face when he showed up at Oliver’s cabin, I whispered, “I’m sorry about tonight.”
“Nothing for you to be sorry about, Harper. None of it was your fault,” he assured me. “I’m just glad everything turned out okay.”
“Me, too.”
“Now, get some sleep.” He pulled the blanket over us and settled back on the pillow. “We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”
I knew he was tired, but I felt like there was something he was keeping from me. “We do?”
His eyes were closed as he nodded, “Um-hmm.”
“Why? What are we doing?”
“You need a list?” he asked with his eyes still closed. “For starters, we have to deal with your friend, Oliver. Then, we’ve gotta get this place cleaned up. I figure you need to get some work done. I’ve got to go have a talk with Nitro. And then, you and I are going to talk about some things.”
“Oh.” I had considered letting him go on to sleep, but when he mentioned that we had things to talk about, I quickly changed my mind. I was too curious to wait until morning, so I asked, “Do you think we could talk about some of those things now?”
“It’s been a long day. You’ve been through a lot. It might be best to—”
“I’m good. Really,” I pushed.
“Harper.” His eyes opened and he looked over to me and said, “I’ve got some things to tell you that you’re not going to like to hear, especially after everything you’ve been through tonight.”
Panic washed over me as I propped myself up on my elbow. “Oh, well, now that you’ve said all that, we’ve got to talk about it. Otherwise, I’m never gonna be able to sleep tonight.”
“I was afraid of that.” He let out a deep breath as he eased up on his pillow. “Remember how I told you that I worked for a guy name Nathan?”
“Yes.”
“Well, there’s something you should know about that.”
As I listened to Max explain everything that was involved in the trafficking of illegal weapons, my mind had a hard time believing what he was saying. When we were growing up, Max was the boy who always tried so hard to be good. He always put others first, and he never once stopped trying to make his father proud, even when he knew there was nothing he could do to please him. He was the same boy who decided to become a U.S. Marine, even when it had brought his father such misery, because he wanted to make a difference in the world. That was the boy who was now helping a man sell illegal guns to common criminals, and it was a hard pill for me to swallow. I looked at him, and I could see the anguish in his eyes as he told me about the first years after leaving the military. It was clearly a difficult time for him. I could understand that there was a level of camaraderie between the men he worked with, that they would work together and help keep each other safe, much like the men he served with in the military, but the level of destruction they could cause was unfathomable. I just couldn’t understand why he would risk his life for something that was so wrong.
He’d been vague about his career for a reason. If he was proud of what he was doing, he would’ve been upfront with me from the beginning. I had no doubt that he was worried how I might react. It would make sense for me to be mad or disappointed, and I was, to some degree. That didn’t mean I didn’t love him. I would always love him, but when he looked at me, waiting for my response, all I could say is, “I don’t know. This is a lot to take in.”
“I know it is.”
“So, why are you telling me all of this now?”
“It was something I thought you should know. I don’t want to keep things from you, Harper.”
“I’m glad you told me, but honestly … I just don’t know what to think. I don’t know how you could do this. This isn’t something I thought you could do.”
“Harper, you’ve got to remember, when I started this, I didn’t have anything to lose. I didn’t care if I lived or died because there was nothing in my life that I truly cared about. That’s changed now.”
“Okay, so what does that mean?”
“It means everything’s changed. I’ve got something to live for now. I’m walking away from the job, Harper. Because now, you’re my priority . It’s as simple as that.”
“So, you’re done?”
“I’m done. I done with all of it.”
“You’re sure about this?”
“No doubt in my mind.”
“Okay … then, what happens now?”
“I want us to find a place away from all of this—a place of our own.”
“Alright.” I smiled. “Do you have any ideas on where you want to get this place of our own’?”
“Nope. Doesn’t matter as long as I’m with you.” He leaned back against the mattress with his head against the pillow and eased me back over into my spot. As I curled up close to him, I thought about the things he told me, and while it concerned me, there was nothing I could do to change the past and neither could he. We could only move forward and try to be better, and that was exactly what Max was trying to do.
“Maybe we can find a place like this … a little spot by the water where our kids can play on the beach.”
“With a screened-in porch,” he added.
“And a swing.”
“And a dog.” Max chuckled.
“A dog?”
“Yep. A big one … like a Great Dane named Otis.”
We continued to share our hopes and dreams for our future life together, until we both dozed off. The next morning, I woke up to Max poking me in the side. When I finally rolled over, he reminded me that I needed to go over and say goodbye to Oliver. I pulled myself out of the warm, comfortable bed, and after we got dressed, we headed over to his cabin. When we explained that he would be riding to the border with Ryder, he didn’t complain. He was too excited about seeing his daughter to care. As we all started walking out to Ryder’s truck, Oliver came over to me with a mournful expression. He reached out and gave me a hug as he said, “I really am sorry about everything.”
Hugging him back, I told him, “I know, Oliver. It’s really okay. Just enjoy spending time with your daughter and focus on getting better. That’s the only thing that matters.�
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He nodded as he took a step back. “Thank you for everything. I hope that I will hear from you. I really do want to read the ending of your book.”
“Absolutely. I’ll get it to you as soon as it’s done.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
I watched as he got into the truck and waved as they pulled away. Once they were gone, I followed Max back to the cabin. As I was taking off my coat and gloves, he looked around the cabin and chuckled under his breath. “You made a real mess of this place.”
“I know. Don’t rub it in.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you’ve got me to help.”
Once he took off his coat, he went into the living room and started pushing the cushions back into place on the sofa and putting things where they belonged. I focused on the kitchen, closing all the cabinets and drawers, and was about to fold up the empty grocery bags, when I spotted the small square package that was sitting on the front steps a few days earlier. With everything that had been going on, I’d forgotten all about it. Before I started to tear at the paper it was wrapped in, I picked it up and studied it for a moment, wondering if it was really from Claudia. Once I had it unwrapped, I lifted the small white lid and found a handwritten note tucked inside.
Harper,
I found this almost a year ago. It was right after you’d lost it. I know I should’ve given it back to you then, but I just couldn’t make myself do it. I thought if it stayed lost, you might eventually forget about it and in turn, you might forget about him. After seeing you today and hearing the way you talked about him, I realized that’s never going to happen. He is the man you love. I just hate that it wasn’t me.
I wish you the best. Now and always.
Love,
Daniel
Under the note, I found the promise ring Max had given me, and it was still attached to the silver chain that I’d worn around my neck. I thought I’d lost it down the bathroom drain, and seeing it again, brought tears to my eyes. As I lifted it out of the box and held it in my hand, it seemed strange that a little piece of metal could mean so much to me.
