Chapter 18
HARLOW
“Wow. This is your friend’s house?”
Glancing in the rearview mirror, I find my boys peering out the glass with their mouths hanging open like baby birds. “Well, I think he’s renting it while he’s here, but yeah. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Is it ever!” Alec squeals.
I turn off the ignition just as a text hits my phone.
5:58 p.m.
Harrison
I’m on the deck. Come on up when you get here.
A smile lights up my face, until I look back over my shoulder and question whether this is the right way to handle this. But he said he really wanted to know me. And this is the real me. Take it or leave it. “Justin, can you carry one of the pizza boxes for me?”
“Sure, Mom.”
“What about me? I wanna carry something.” Alec huffs.
“You can grab the bag with the salads in it.”
“Salad. Gross. Why would anyone want salad when they can have pizza?”
We make our way to the base of Harrison’s deck steps, and my knees start to wobble. I talk a big game. I admit it. Yet, I’m pretty darn nervous about this. It could be the most awkward pizza dinner in the history of Candy Cane Key, or it could be the start of something incredible. Keep your head up high, Harlow. Because you and the boys deserve the latter.
As we reach the top of the stairs, and Harrison comes into view, I clutch the pizza box a little tighter, as his face alters from smiling to stunned. His reaction would be priceless if I wasn’t so nervous about springing my kids on him.
I’m usually so good about shielding my kids from my dating life. But there’s something about Harrison that feels different. I know his life is as complicated as mine is. Yet, I have the feeling that if dating a single mother is more than he’s willing to consider, he’d at least be polite about it. And as disappointing as it’d be to have to walk away from him, I want him to really know what dating me would entail. I’m done hiding what’s important to me.
“Well, hello.” He grins widely at me. Watching him closely, I can’t read his expression. It doesn’t feel forced, but it doesn’t feel completely genuine either. Yet, what did I expect? Not only did I pull a fast one on him, but the speed of this could qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records.
“No way. You have a pool too?” Alec could reflect light to the moon and back he’s beaming so brightly. Tone it down a little, buddy.
“Yeah. I haven’t been able to use it much lately,” Harrison says, lifting the arm in his sling. He comes closer, crouching down to Alec’s eye level. “I’m Harrison. What’s your name?”
“I’m Alec. And this is Justin. Your house is awesome.”
Harrison lets out a chuckle, this response feeling a bit more relaxed. “Thanks for bringing dinner. You want to eat over here?” He nods to the outdoor kitchen area, and my mouth falls open. I hadn’t noticed this the other night when I was here, but then again, I couldn’t see past him.
We unload the pizza boxes, salads, and utensils, and the boys and I take a seat.
“What would you guys like to drink? I have water, milk, lemonade…
“Lemonade!” Alec blurts. “Is it pink or yellow?”
“It’s yellow.”
“Good. Real men don’t drink pink.”
There’s no hiding my irritation as my head whips to Alec. “Where on earth did you hear…” My eyes land on Justin, who’s shaking his head, his cheeks red. “Was it your dad?” I ask Alec before turning to Justin. “Or yours?” I realize I’ve just put all of my cards on the table and cringe. Boy, Harlow, just dump all of your bags in Harrison’s lap at one time, will ya? I’m afraid to witness his expression, but find he’s given me an out as he’s gone inside.
“Justin’s.”
“Well, you listen here, Alec, regardless of what the two of them say, a real man drinks whatever color he likes. Don’t you go making choices based on that silliness, okay?” I shake my head and notice Alec’s excitement over meeting Harrison and his swanky oceanfront home has fallen like a bad souffle. Guilt washes over me. I need to be more careful about reacting to the notions their fathers have put in their heads. It’s not the boys’ fault that their dads are ridiculous.
“I’m sorry, buddy,” I say, nudging Alec with my body. “I just don’t want you to ever limit your choices because someone tells you boys or girls have to be a certain way. You can have and do and be whatever you want.”
His grin returns, a fraction of what it once was, until it starts to cover his entire face as he looks past me.
Following Alec’s line of sight, I find Harrison walking toward us balancing a tray of drinks on one hand. They all look to contain a yellow liquid but have bright pink flamingo straws in them—that match his swim trunks. While I can’t recall what he was wearing before he entered the house to get lemonade, I’m almost certain he wasn’t wearing these. As he comes closer, he gives me a sexy wink, and I nearly melt.
As he places the tray down on the table, Alec eagerly reaches for a glass. “Cool!”
I’m so distracted by his glee, I almost miss the warm hand on my shoulder.
“Mom, hi,” Harrison blurts. “You remember Harlow, right?” Am I imagining it or is there a slight pink hue to his cheeks at the introduction? Has the memory of how we met caused this magnanimous man to blush? “And these are her boys, Justin and Alec.”
“Hi,” Alec greets with his mouth wrapped around his straw, giggling as the wispy little strands of pink fluff decorating the flamingo tickle his nose in the breeze.
“Hi,” my quiet, older son says, giving her a small wave. I place my hand on his arm, worried I’ve overwhelmed him with all of this. He’s such an introvert.
“Do you mind if Mom and Joyce join us?” Harrison implores with a hopeful exuberance that makes me fall a little harder for him.
“Of course! It’s nothing fancy. This one’s half cheese, half pepperoni, and this one is half veggie, half meat lovers. Because it cracked me up.” I giggle. “Plus, there’s salad.”
“Veggies on a pizza. Gross!” Alec shrieks as he leans over the table to reach for a slice.
Swatting his hand, I lean in. “Be polite, wild man. Let Harrison’s mother choose first.”
“Sorry. It just looks soooo cheesy.” He lets out a loud, infectious little boy laugh, and I swear for a moment, I can hear her laughing with him.
Joyce comes out to the deck holding two glasses of water, and Harrison jumps up to hold out a chair for her. “No, no. You guys enjoy yourselves.”
“No, ma’am. I want you to meet my friends,” Harrison says. There’s no chance she’s going to win this argument as he takes the drinks from her and places them on the table. “These are Harlow’s boys, Justin and Alec. They’re a couple of years apart, right? Just like me and my little brother, Matthew.” He looks to his mother, whose eyes are twinkling as they bounce between the two boys. Perhaps it was the way we were discovered, or the hour of the night, but she definitely didn’t seem this vibrant when I met her.
“Mom?” Alec whisper shouts.
“Yes?”
“When are they gonna pick theirs? ’Cause I’ve been dreaming about this cheesy pizza since this afternoon?” he whines. And now that I think about it, he’s right.
“Okay, baby, go ahead and pick one.”
“Yes! I want that piece.” He points to a slice opposite to where he’s sitting. It’s large and has a round area near the crust where it must’ve bubbled up as it baked. “It’s got a baseball in there.”
Joyce claps. “You’re right. It does look like a baseball.”
Alec beams with pride as Harrison slides the greasy triangle covered in melty cheese onto a plate and holds it out for him.
“Maybe after this, you guys can hit the pool.”
“Really? Oh, darn it. I’m not wearing a bathing suit.” Alec moans around a big bite of cheese.
“You can always go commando,” Harrison says, biting into a slice of meat lovers.
Alec’s eyes pop wide, his mouth falling open, looking like a cartoon owl. Everyone at the table bursts out laughing.
“We’ll try that some other time. I’ve got our beach bag in the car, boys.”
“Yay!” They yell in unison.
“You getting in?” I ask, my mind already picturing Harrison in nothing but those pink flamingo swim trunks.
He mouths, “I wish.” Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he takes a sip of his lemonade from the flamingo straw with a little extra flourish, causing my children to crack up. “I can’t.” He lifts his bum arm in the sling.
“I wonder why they put you in that old thing. I mean, they’ve come a long way with waterproof splints after surgery. And it’s Florida. I’m sure they could’ve switched you to something a lot more user friendly.”
“Truth? I think it was my little brother. I bet he warned them I’d never leave it on if it was made of Velcro.”
I’ve barely processed what he’s said before my mind is conjuring up our night together, Harrison banging the cast against the deck in his desire to touch me. A blush crawls up my throat, betraying my lascivious thoughts. Turning my face away, I hope the breeze will cool me down until I turn back, and Harrison gives me a devilish wink.
The rest of the evening is a mixture of storytelling and laughter as the boys frolic in the pool. Harrison is so good with them, tossing a football, even getting his mother to take a turn. Once it gets late enough that Joyce and his mom retreat to their rooms for the night, Harrison offers to pop popcorn and put on a Marvel movie for the boys so we can relax a bit before heading home.
As we sit on the couch, stealing touches under a blanket, the boys munch on popcorn and sit glued to the wide screen television like it’s the best night of their life.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“This could’ve gone all sorts of sideways. I had no right to bring them over unannounced. You would’ve had every right to politely end the night after pizza and say goodbye.”
“I’m glad you brought them. But can I ask why you didn’t warn me?”
Shifting uncomfortably in my seat, I twist to allow us to speak face to face. “Truth? I’ve made a habit of trying to keep my boys from anyone I date. Like I was vetting their character first or something. But the last guy… well, I dated him almost a year. And just when I thought we were serious enough to meet them, I discovered he thought I was trash.”
Harrison bolts up from where he’s been snuggled up beside me, with fury burning across his features.
“Don’t.” I hold up a hand. “Trust me. He’s not worth it. I’m glad I found out when I did. But when you were talking about your baggage and wanting to really get to know me earlier, I just yelled, Come on, boys, there’s been a change in plans.” I giggle. “If giving the last guy I dated the once-over for a year didn’t show his true colors, I figured this might.”
Harrison visibly relaxes, but still seems irritated.
“I’m sorry. It probably wasn’t the best approach.”
His free hand rubs my knee under the blanket. “I think the sneak attack worked just fine.” He gives me a playful nudge. “Besides, I had a great night. And I haven’t seen my mom that engaged in forever.”
“Aww. I’m glad. Well, I know the boys had—” my sentence stops short as I notice both boys are unconscious. “It’s like they’re in a pizza, pool, and popcorn coma.”
A chuckle rumbles beside me. Before I can wrap my thoughts around trying to wrangle these two into the car, a big hand grabs a fist full of my shirt and pulls me to him, his mouth slamming against mine. His warm, delicious tongue drags along the seam of my lips, begging for entrance, and I gladly invite him in.
Harrison’s free hand snakes through my hair, angling my head to deepen our kiss. Long, languid strokes of his tongue have me falling apart. But we can’t let this go on here.
Placing my hand on his chest, I push back far enough to whisper, “We can’t.”
He drops his forehead to mine. “I know. I’ve just been dying to kiss you all night.”
My cheeks are on fire. And it’s not just the lust he evokes in me. This man is tempting me to dive into this relationship headfirst. To stop sitting on the sidelines dreaming of a happily ever after. Not when I can live it. But is this smart? There’s still so much we don’t know about the other.
“Stay,” he breathes into my hair.
“What?”
“They’re comfortable like that for the night.” He nods toward the boys lying on blankets and pillows on the floor. “And these are comfortable too.” Harrison pats the undeniably comfy couches in his den. “I promise to keep my hands to myself. For tonight anyway.”
Taking in my sleeping children, joy fills my chest as I recall their laughter tonight. They’re good boys. Any man who wouldn’t want to be a part of their life isn’t someone I need in mine.
Harrison places a chaste kiss on my lips before standing to gather up the drinks. Watching him collect them to his chest with one hand, I straighten to help when I’m quickly interrupted. “No. I’ve got this. Just lie back and relax. Once I’m done, I’ll grab two pillows from my room and another blanket.”
“This one is big enough to share.”
“Baby, I can’t share that with you if I’m going to keep my hands to myself.” He winks. My eyes fall to the prominent bulge in his gray sweatpants, and I blush. “I swear you keep me like this. It’s going to cause permanent damage. You should be ashamed of yourself,” he whispers.
Snuggling back under the cover, watching the most handsome man I’ve ever seen clean up after my kids may be getting me equally hot and bothered. Perhaps it’s simply the first time I’ve witnessed a man doting on me and my boys. But I can already tell, it’s more. Baggage and all, Harrison is the whole package. I’m not sure I’ll ever recover if this doesn’t work out with him. Because I can’t imagine there’s a man alive that could top this.
I drift into consciousness to sounds clinking in the distance and the smell of fresh coffee. Am I dreaming? I attempt to lift one lid as someone’s foot grazes my ass. My eyes spring open, now wide awake as I look at the den to find all signs of last night’s movie party gone. And so are my boys.
Crap. Are they in the kitchen? They’re probably used to fending for themselves at Rob and Jimmy’s place.
I slowly shift my weight so as not to wake Harrison, who’s lying opposite me, his head resting on his pillow at the other end of the couch, his big foot gliding up and down my leg. I’d laugh if I didn’t need to make sure my kids weren’t about to burn down his rental.
Pushing myself up, I quickly try to tamp down my bedhead, thankful for the matching pillow from Harrison’s room. How did he manage to get that under my head without waking me up? The boys weren’t the only ones out cold after last night’s fun.
“Morning,” a voice deep and full of gravel greets me.
“Morning. I didn’t want to wake you, but I need to figure out what happened to the boys.”
Harrison’s head flies toward the floor, bolting upright when he notices all evidence of their blankets and pillows has been erased. “What the? Wow, you must be like a drill sergeant at your house.”
“No. They’re good about putting away their things, but I can guarantee you that wasn’t them,” I say, pointing to the floor.
We both peer at each other with matching concern and stand from where we’re seated, turning toward the kitchen, and freeze.
Both boys are seated at the kitchen island. Their backs are to us, yet based on their posture, it looks as if they’re each spooning cereal into their mouths. But the shocking part is that Carolyn is standing beside Justin, spreading Nutella onto toast. Alec has a plate with his beside him.
“Did she…?”
Harrison looks on, bewilderment etched all over his face as his mother places the toast next to Justin and lovingly runs a hand down his back.
“Matt, want some juice?”
A barely disguised gasp escapes Harrison as he continues to take in the scene.
“I’m Alec,” my sweet boy corrects. “Yes. Do you have apple juice?”
Oh… my hand flies to my mouth.
Carolyn walks to the refrigerator and opens it wide, appearing to take in the contents.
Gently placing my hand on Harrison’s forearm, I brace myself for the torrent of emotion he must be feeling.
“I haven’t heard her speak in so long.”
Blinking back tears, I turn back to the kitchen. I’m sure she feels right at home. Like she’s been able to turn back the hands of time over twenty years.
Harrison looks at me, his eyes shining. I’m certain he sees it too.
Wrapping my arm around him, I give him a reassuring squeeze.
I’d say our baggage looks pretty good together.