Chapter 24
“I blame the fork.” ~ Kai
Kai
H arper answers her door and frowns at me. “What are you doing here?”
I press my lips to hers and kiss the frown off her face. “I think the words you’re searching for are. Hello, sexy demon, how are you this morning?”
She snorts. “Sexy demon?”
I step closer and lower my voice. “Do I need to demonstrate again how much of a sexy demon I am?”
Her eyes flare and she bites her lower lip. “Maybe?”
I groan. “You are a temptress, Slugger. But the sexy times will have to wait. We’re expected at Mom’s house in fifteen minutes.”
“We were going to meet you there.”
“You’re cute.” I tweak her nose before pushing past her into the house. “Henry, my man, are you ready to eat your weight in potato salad with a side of hamburger and hot dogs?”
He perks up. “Let’s go. ”
I chuckle as I roll his wheelchair over to him. “Hop in. Your chariot awaits.”
“Hold on,” Harper says. “I told you we can meet you at the barbecue.”
“Why would we do a fool thing like that?” Henry asks. “Your boyfriend has a nice big SUV and he can carry me down the porch steps instead of trying to kill me by dragging me down them.”
Harper growls. “If I was trying to kill you, you’d be dead, old man.”
“Involuntary manslaughter then.”
Harper groans. “You and those BBC detective shows.”
I help Henry into the wheelchair. “Which one is your favorite?”
“There’s one set during the war and the detective solves murders on the home front in England.”
“Sounds interesting.”
We reach the top of the steps on the porch and Harper rushes to us. “Let me help you.”
“You can help by ogling my muscles as I carry your dad down the stairs.”
“I don’t ogle.”
“Sure, you don’t.” I wink before lifting the wheelchair and carrying it down the stairs. It’s not an easy task, but it’s better than letting Harper help. I don’t want her hurting herself.
“Why don’t you have a ramp?” I ask once I’m driving toward Mom’s house .
“They’re expensive. I tried to get a subsidy but it wasn’t approved.”
I frown. A subsidy should have been approved. How is Harper supposed to get her dad up and down those stairs without a ramp?
We arrive at the ranch house where Mom and my step-dad, Stuart, live five minutes later. They live a little out of the town of Smuggler’s Rest. Mom said after raising six boys, she needed some peace and quiet.
“Is this the house you grew up in?” Harper asks as I push her dad toward the back yard.
I shake my head. “Eli bought Mom this house when he earned his second million.”
“What did he do with his first million?”
“He took all of us on this exclusive beach vacation for two weeks.”
“Holy mermaids,” she whispers when we reach the back yard.
It’s a pretty cool area. There’s a pool with a slide and hot tub attached, a fire pit where we hold competitions for best s’more, a lounge area with a television to watch games on, and an outdoor kitchen with a barbecue, refrigerator, and outdoor stove.
Mom spots me and she elbows Stuart, who’s manning the grill. He captures her hand and they make their way to us.
I kiss Mom’s cheek. “Mom, Stuart, this is Harper and her dad, Henry. ”
“Thank you for inviting us,” Harper says. “I’m sorry I’m arriving empty handed – I do know better – but Kai insisted you had everything covered.”
“You’ll thank me later. She wanted to bring homemade coleslaw.”
She elbows me. “You did not just tell your mom, who I met three seconds ago I’m an awful cook.”
“It’s not a lie,” Henry says. “She can ruin a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
Harper fists her hands on her hips. “I guess you’ll be making your own food from now on. Oh wait. You can’t because you broke your arm being foolish.”
“It’s not foolish to not want to be a burden.”
“Dad, you’re not a burden.”
“Which is why you have your first boyfriend at the age of thirty-two.”
Harper’s cheeks darken as she glares at her dad. “Kai is not my first boyfriend.”
“First one I’ve met.”
I throw my arm around her shoulders. “At least you’re admitting I’m your boyfriend.”
“You’re not…” She blows out a breath. “Whatever.”
Mom smiles at us. “I’m happy for you, Kai. I admit I was a bit worried when I found out my baby boy is dating a woman eight years his senior, but you two are perfect for each other.”
“I’ve been trying to tell her as much for months but she wouldn’t give me a chance until recently. ”
Mom nods in approval at Harper. “Good. Things come too easily to Kai. He needs a woman who challenges him.”
“If everyone is done approving my daughter, who is a pain in my ass but deserves the best in life, I’m hungry.”
Harper rolls her eyes at her dad. “Of course, you are.”
She starts pushing him toward the tables and chairs set up next to the outdoor kitchen, but Stuart nudges her out of the way.
“I’ve got this. Henry and I will get better acquainted.”
“As long as acquainted comes with potato salad and a hamburger, I’m in.”
Zane saunters toward us. “Did someone say potato salad?”
“Zane, this is my dad, Henry,” Harper introduces. “Dad, this is one of Kai’s brothers. He has five.”
Henry’s eyes widen. “Six children? All boys? I could barely handle one daughter.”
“Dad,” Harper grumbles. “I was a perfectly pleasant daughter.”
He points at her with his broken arm. “The police brought you home after you got caught sneaking out of Rumrunner. ”
Zane rubs his hands together. “Excellent. Henry can tell us all about Harper when she was young. I need some blackmail material for the next time she cuts off my drinking at the bar.”
Harper glares at him. “If I cut you off, I cut you off.”
“I thought your employees were kidding about the Siren’s Scowl. They were not.” Zane shivers.
“No giving my daughter a hard time at the bar,” Henry orders .
“Welp. We know where Harper got her grump from,” Zane mutters before wandering away.
“Being grumpy isn’t hereditary,” she hollers after him but he ignores her.
“I was promised potato salad and a burger,” Henry says and I bark out a laugh.
We make our way to the tables and chairs where the rest of the family is gathered. Pearl notices me and rushes my way.
“Uncle Kai!”
I pick her up and throw her in the air. She giggles, and Harper’s eyes soften.
Pearl points at Henry. “Who is he? Why is he in a chair?”
I set her on her feet and Harper takes her hand. “This is my dad, Henry. Dad, this is Pearl. She belongs to Rhett and Dakota.”
“Why are you in a chair? Can’t you walk?”
Dakota gasps and rushes over. “We don’t ask those sorts of questions.”
Pearl’s nose wrinkles. “Why not?”
When Dakota appears to be at a loss, Harper steps in. “Because sometimes the reason why someone is in a chair or can’t walk is very sad and makes them sad.”
Pearl’s bottom lip trembles. “I don’t want to make anyone sad.”
Harper squeezes her hand. “It’s okay. You didn’t make my dad sad. He’s a grump. He doesn’t get sad.”
“I’m not the only grump,” Henry grumbles and Harper glares at him. “What? Kai’s brother said it. Not me. ”
“Dad, don’t make me throw you down the porch stairs.”
I chuckle and Harper switches her glare to me. I lift my hands. “Sorry.”
“Do you want a ride in the wheelchair?” I ask Pearl.
Her eyes light with excitement. “Can I?”
I situate Henry in a chair at the head of the table before wheeling the chair toward Pearl. “Hop on.”
Rhett stands. “Out of my way. You are not pushing my daughter around in a wheelchair.”
Pearl tugs on his jeans. “Don’t be a grump, Daddy.”
“Do you remember the time he pushed you around the house in my office chair? You had to get stitches.”
“It was one stitch. One,” I argue but I move out of the way so he can give Pearl a ride with Henry’s wheelchair.
I grab two plates and fill them with food. I tuck two beers under my arm before nudging Harper. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?” she asks but she doesn’t hesitate to follow me.
“There.” I nod toward a set of Adirondack chairs at the end of the yard.
She sits and I hand her the plate of food and a beer before settling in the chair next to her.
“Wow. The view of the ocean is amazing from here.”
“It’s the reason Mom wanted to build on this land.”
“Your mom is a smart lady.”
“Stuart built this seating area for Mom. He proposed to her here.”
“Why is there a growl in your voice? ”
“Sorry.” I clear my throat. “Stuart messed up when he first started dating Mom. She forgave him, so I did as well but I haven’t forgotten.”
“It must be difficult. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if Dad started dating again. He loved Mom so much.”
“My dad wasn’t as devoted to my mom. He left her with six kids and started a new family somewhere else.”
She squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry.”
I shrug it off. “I was ten when he left. I’m over it.”
“I was fourteen when Mom died. I’m not over it.”
“Sorry, I—”
“I’m not begging for sympathy. I’m just trying to say I understand how the loss of a parent at a young age can affect your whole life.”
“Losing Dad hasn’t affected my whole life.”
She smiles at me and I can’t resist those lips. I lean over the armrest and meld my mouth to hers. The armrest digs into my waist but Harper is worth a little pain. She’s worth everything. She’s my everything.
If she left me the way Dad left Mom, I’d be devastated. I wouldn’t be able to go on. I wouldn’t want to find another woman to love and marry. Never.
The thought of losing her has me grunting and Harper pulls away. “What’s wrong?”
“I poked myself with my fork.” It’s not a lie, although it’s not why I grunted.
“We should probably eat before the rest of your cutlery joins the fork.”
We relax back in our chairs. Harper stares at the ocean as we eat, but I can’t keep my eyes off her.
“Do you want to stay living in town or would you enjoy a place similar to this?” I motion to the ocean.
“This is lovely, but I can’t imagine ever leaving the house I grew up in. Although, a pool would be awesome. Dad did aquatic therapy after his stroke and now he loves to swim but navigating the sand to get to the ocean is too difficult.”
“You can use Mom’s pool whenever you want.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you ask your mom first?”
“Nope. You’re family now. You don’t need to ask.”
Her breath hitches. “I’m not family, Goofy.”
“What do you think of this beer?” I ask since I don’t want to argue with her. But she is family. She’s just not ready to hear those words yet.
I understand. She’s been alone with her dad for a long time. She’s not used to having a big, rambunctious family.
What she doesn’t realize is, a big family means there are more people to share the load. I’m honored to be the person to introduce her to how wonderful having a family means.