Chapter 32
Ford
Every time I got close to Harper, she slipped away. If I tried to engage her in conversation, she would invent an excuse and leave without so much as a goodbye.
“What happened?” Gina asks, her eyes bright with curiosity. “You two finally got together.”
“I don’t know,” I reply, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach. “We had a great time last night. At least, I thought it was great.”
Now I can’t help but wonder if I misread the signs.
The way she arched her back, the soft moans escaping her lips, the way her fingers dug into my shoulders—was it all an act?
Did she fake that flush across her chest, the trembling in her thighs?
Maybe the intimacy that left me feeling like my world had finally clicked into place meant nothing more to her than a night to forget.
Was every whispered “yes” just a figment of my imagination?
“She enjoyed it, too. I know she did.”
“You do?”
Gina smirks, confidence radiating from her. “I know all, remember? She even said you’re better than Asher. So why the cold shoulder?”
I lean against the wall, frustration bubbling inside me. “Was I just a rebound?”
“That’s not Harper’s style. You know that.”
“But everyone has to have one, right? After a significant breakup?”
Gina shakes her head and leans against the counter. “Not everyone. If that were true, Asher and Kenzie wouldn’t be getting married. You don’t marry the rebound.”
“Then what could it be?”
Maybe she thought she was over Asher, but seeing him last night—his jaw clenched, eyes glistening with unshed tears, fingers trembling around his drink—made her realize she still wants him.
And it’s clear from the way he followed her movements across the room, how his voice softened whenever he said her name, the lingering touch on her elbow when they passed in the hallway, that he wants her back.
“Don’t go there.”
“How can I not, Gina?”
“Harper is over Asher. I know she is.”
“Then why am I being treated like a pariah?”
Thoughts swirl in my mind like debris caught in a tornado.
My stomach knots as I picture her face twisted with regret, thinking she made a mistake.
Maybe she felt my hands trembling against her skin and mistook eagerness for pressure.
Perhaps she only wanted one sweaty, tangled night to forget Asher—a bandage over her still-bleeding wound—while I’ve been drafting our future in my head for years.
Or maybe when I whispered how beautiful she was, she heard only hollow words from another man who just wanted her body. Or worse, maybe when she closed her eyes and arched against me, behind those fluttering eyelids she was seeing Asher’s face instead of mine.
“Harper isn’t good with big changes or strong feelings. Given everything that’s happened recently, we can’t blame her. Just wait her out.”
“For how long, Gina? I’ve already waited twelve years.”
“So what’s a few more days?”
She’s right. I can endure a few more days. Hell, I could wait a few more years if it means being with her. It’s disheartening to feel this chill after what we shared.
“Hey, Ford,” Joel says, bumping my shoulder. “What happened last night?”
“I finally got my dream come true.”
He frowns. “Yeah, I usually look like someone just put down my dog when I think of a dream come true, too.”
“It was the best night of my life, and today has been the worst.”
Joel gives me a knowing look, but I shake my head. “Okay, second worst.”
“What happened?”
“Forget it.”
Harper may have confided in Gina about our night, but that’s different. Girls share things differently. I doubt she’d want me spilling to Joel how incredible she was.
“Are you sure you laid it down as well as you think you did?”
Growling, I reply, “I did everything right.”
“Did she come?”
“I’m not discussing this with my little brother.”
“It’s just a question,” Joel says, hands raised defensively. “Maybe she faked it.”
The thought crosses my mind, but I dismiss it. Her body responded to me, just as much as her moans did.
“That’s not it. Last night was great; she initiated it, and she enjoyed it. We fell asleep, and then everything fell apart this morning.”
“I’m sorry, Ford. I know how much you wanted this.”
“Maybe I am just a rebound.”
He bursts into laughter. “After Asher? No way.”
“Then what could it be? I instigated things with Asher, but that shouldn’t make her avoid me like the plague.”
“Asher and Kenzie crashed the party last night.”
I glare at him. I know. We were all there. “Yeah, I know.”
“Have you ever considered what it must be like for her? She’s constantly facing the man who caused her so much pain.”
“Maybe.”
“No, really think about it. She planned to marry Asher. Everything was set, and he cheated—with her best friend. She was betrayed by the two people she should have trusted most.”
I’ve thought about it—more than I’d like to admit. “Yeah, I get it.”
“If last night meant to her even half of what it meant to you, she might be scared.”
“Scared of me?”
“Scared of letting another man get too close because it puts her in a position to be hurt again.”
It makes sense, even if it doesn’t comfort me. “I would never hurt her.”
“You know that. I know that. But how does Harper know that? Did she ever think Asher and Kenzie would betray her?”
“No,” I concede.
“She’s still damaged.”
Great. She’s damaged. What does that mean for us?
“Be patient. Don’t push her. If you do, you’ll scare her away, and you’ll never get what you want.”
I narrow my eyes, studying him. “When did you get so wise?”
“I’ve always been smart. You just never noticed. Now, let’s go. I came with Eric, but he left. I need a ride back to town.”
“Yeah, okay.”
She’s scared. I don’t like it, but it makes sense, like a wounded animal retreating to lick its wounds.
How do I give her space after everything that happened between us last night?
The way her fingertips traced constellations across my skin, how her breath hitched when I kissed that spot below her ear?
It meant the world to me, twelve years of longing finally satisfied in those dark, breathless moments.
All I want is to be close enough to count her eyelashes again, to feel the curve of her smile against my chest. It’s all I’ve ever wanted since sophomore year when she borrowed my chemistry notes and accidentally returned them with a sketch of me in the margins.