Chapter 55
I t hurt to look at him. The perfect face, the body that had been so familiar. Now he was someone that she used to know. It broke her heart all over again.
He was watching her, oblivious to everyone else in the bar.
“I’d like to dedicate this song to one of the women I’ve been lucky enough to love in this lifetime. I don’t deserve you, Harper, but I hope you won’t hold that against me because I love you with every piece of me.”
The crowd whistled and whooped, but Harper didn’t notice. There was only Luke standing there, telling her he loved her.
She could barely see him through the tears.
He cleared his throat as the first bars of “Angel Eyes” played. The women in the crowd aw-ed. Harper brought her hands to her face. He was her dream come true.
She watched Luke as he sang the words she had longed to hear.
Her heart filled until it felt like it would burst. As the last guitar note faded, Luke held out his hand to her.
Harper stood, but the crowd was so big, there was no way to get to him.
Ty and James solved the problem. They lifted her onto the table, and Luke met her on the other side, plucking her off and holding her against him, her feet dangling.
“I love you, Harper, and I’m done hiding. Can you forgive me?”
Words failed her, but she could nod, which she did until she felt like her head would snap off.
Luke grinned up at her. His dimple winking into existence. He let her slide a little lower so his lips could find hers in a salty, sweet promise.
Neither of them noticed the crowd erupting, the lack of dry eyes, or the way that the couples in the audience scooted a little closer to each other. They only had eyes for each other.
Luke said he wasn’t ready to let her go for the ride home, so they left her car at Remo’s, and a different circle closed.
When they pulled into the driveway, Harper grabbed his arm in a death grip. “Christmas lights!”
The entire front of the house was covered with white lights. Candles burned in the windows. A cheery wreath adorned the front door. Harper’s green garland on the porch’s railing was threaded with more lights. There was a giant inflatable Santa waving at the street from the front yard.
“You put up lights.” Harper couldn’t drag her eyes away from the perfect spectacle.
“I wanted you to have the perfect Christmas. I figured more is definitely more.”
“It’s perfect.” She turned back to him and started to reach for him but stopped.
He shook his head and pulled her closer. “You don’t have to be scared, Harper. You can touch me, I’m not going to go away again.” His grip tightened on her arms. “And I’m not letting you leave either. I owe you so much, and the biggest apology in the world is just part of it. Come on.”
They got out of the truck and walked up the front porch. “Before we go in, I need to say some things.”
Harper crossed her arms against the cold and nodded. “Okay.”
Luke took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for pushing you away.
I’m sorry for hurting you on purpose. I was scared.
Down to the bones. I felt things for you that I never thought would be possible to feel again and some things were completely new.
I thought that by loving you, I was being unfaithful to Karen.
When I lost her, I thought it was my fault that she died.
I vowed that I would never forget her and the price she paid for my decisions. ”
Harper reached out to him and put her hand over his heart.
He covered her hand with his own. “I thought that meant living my life alone. Never loving again. But it was so easy to love you. I don’t even remember ever not loving you.
I think I loved you the second I saw you launch yourself at Glenn.
Something in me said ‘she’s finally here.
’ You’re what I’ve been waiting for. You’re the light that got me through the dark, and I’m not willing to go back to a life without you. ”
He let out a shaky breath. “I know that you don’t owe me anything and that even though I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to make this up to you, it still won’t be close to enough.
I know all that, but I’m still asking you to please forgive me.
I love you. I want you. I need you. And I’m so sorry for hurting you, baby. ”
Harper launched herself at him. She pressed her tear-streaked face against his chest and just let herself breathe him in. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. “I’m so sorry, Harper. I’m an asshole. But I’m an asshole that loves you more than anything in this world.”
“I love you, Luke.”
“Do you forgive me?”
“I did that ages ago.”
He shook his head. “How the hell did I ever get so lucky?”
“You might not think that when I tell you this,” Harper said, pulling back.
“You can tell me anything.”
“I can’t stay here.”
“Why the hell not?” He gripped her shoulders.
“It’s not safe. There are things you don’t know—” she started.
“Baby, do you really think a 62-year-old with a failing liver can get through me to get to you?”
Harper took a step back. “How did you… I don’t understand.”
“Clive Perry will never be a threat to you again.” Luke gently brushed her hair back from her face. “He’s never getting near you. We made sure of it.”
“We?”
“Melissa says to call her tomorrow.”
“Oh crap. Are you kidding me? You met Melissa?”
“Oh yeah. She wasn’t impressed with the ‘asshole’ who dumped her friend at first, but we’re good now. He’s never getting out, baby. And if you’re okay with it, tomorrow we’ll file a PFA with Ty so he can’t send you any more letters. We can do it after we pick out a Christmas tree.”
“How—”
“I’ll tell you later, okay?” He hugged her closer and buried his face in her hair. “I meant it when I said I wouldn’t leave you again. Aldo and I officially retired.”
“Oh my God, I don’t think I can physically handle any more surprises.”
“Let’s go inside.”
“Why? Is there a marching band and the Publisher’s Clearing House guy in there?”
“God I missed your smart mouth.” He laid his lips on hers. “Let’s go in. You’ll freeze to death if I start taking your clothes off out here.”
Luke kept a tight hold on her hand until they crossed the threshold. He closed the door behind them and pulled her in to his arms. “This is where you belong.”
He kissed her on the top of the head and slowly turned her around.
She spotted the framed pictures on the wall next to the door.
One was Karen, laughing in the sunshine. The other, Harper and her parents.
“You framed them.” Her breath caught in her throat. The picture that had followed her from place to place carefully tucked in an envelope was framed and hanging on a wall.
“You’re home, Harper.”
“Luke.” Tears clouded her vision, and she turned back to him.
But he wasn’t standing behind her anymore.
He was down on one knee.
“Harper Wilde, I don’t want to spend another day of my life without you.
I want to wake up with you wrapped around me every morning.
I want you pushing me to do things I’m scared to do.
I want to grow our family. I want to spend the rest of my life protecting you from yourself and thanking my lucky stars that you drove east instead of west. Be my wife. Grow old with me.”
He opened the velvet box to reveal a stunning ring. “It’s an eternity band because that’s how long I want to spend with you. And you have to say yes because I bought it in town, and everyone knows by now.”
The tears flowed freely down her cheeks. For the second time that night, she could only nod her answer.
“I really need you to say it, Harper,” he teased.
Harper sank down to her knees and fell into his arms. “Yes to everything with you, Luke.”