Chapter 39 Harper
HARPER
My phone pinged at six the next morning, and my heart jumped into my throat.
This was it. Maggie warned me it would drop early, and I’d been on pins and needles since four a.m. I lunged toward the side table and grabbed my phone, almost dropping it in my haste to unlock the screen.
Notifications pinged so fast the vibrations blended into one long hum. Oh shit. That might be bad.
Elevate Executive’s Unconventional Love Story: A Deeper Look at Harper Bloom
Maggie’s headline stared back at me, and my heart stuttered. The moment we’d been waiting for had arrived and I almost chickened out. “You can do it.” I gave myself a quiet pep talk and tapped the headline, stopping in my tracks as I scrolled through the article.
Maggie had kept her word. Every quote, every detail I’d laid out, painted our relationship as complicated but genuine.
She didn’t shy away from the complications or the unconventional idea of loving three men, but she didn’t sensationalize it.
Maggie presented facts and let readers draw their own conclusions.
Comments popped up at the bottom of the article. I covered my mouth as I read.
Oh shit, they were actually drawing the right conclusions.
Most comment sections were a cesspool of judgment and cruelty, but they shifted on Maggie’s article. Not completely. There were still assholes spouting their opinions about my morals and character, but the others drowned them out.
I hadn’t expected to gain the public’s support, but it poured in through those comments.
I pressed my hand over my mouth, tears blurring the words on screen. We’d done it. We’d fought back and changed the narrative.
“Harper?” Dante called my name from the hallway. His slow steps prowled my way, and he kissed my shoulder. “What’s wrong?” He wrapped both arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest.
I held up the phone. “Nothing. Everything’s going right.”
The last bit of sleep fled his face, and his arms tightened. His expression shifted as he read, and when he looked from the phone to me, a smile bloomed. “You did it. You saved us.”
“We did this together.” I patted his hands where they rested on my belly. I leaned into him. “I’m going to check the stock. It might not have made a dent, but let’s find out.”
I clicked over to the site and Elevate’s numbers appeared on screen. Up five percent. The article hadn’t been up for half an hour yet.
The last bit of tension fled and I wilted in Dante’s arms. The business would recover.
My phone rang, an unknown New York number flashing. My heart shot into my throat. I hated unknown numbers, and I’d been harassed by too many reporters trying to get follow up quotes to change that opinion anytime soon. But I answered anyway. If it was bad, I’d give the phone to Dante.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Bloom, this is Catherine Carl. I’m the director of this year’s Women’s Empowerment Summit happening next month in Manhattan. I’m calling to invite you to be our keynote speaker.”
Numbness relaxed my hand on the phone. “I’m sorry, what?”
She chuckled a rich laugh that calmed my nerves.
“We’d love for you to share your story. How you stood up for yourself and your relationship despite public scrutiny is exactly what I’m looking for.
You took control instead of hiding away and letting others define you.
That’s exactly the kind of message we want to promote. ”
Wow. I mouthed the word at Dante, who kissed me and rocked us side to side.
“I’d be honored.”
We finalized details and I hung up, clinging to Dante and laughing so loud Julian and Alexander spilled from the bedroom, still rumpled and sleepy with pillow creases on their cheeks.
Julian ran a hand through his hair. “What happened?”
“Harper’s a badass who saved the company.” Dante handed me off to Julian, who swung me around in a bear hug. “And I think this calls for a celebration. I’m thinking Marcel’s.”
“Definitely.” Julian patted my ass and grinned. “There are new dresses in the closet.”
“Can Lila come too? I want her to celebrate with us.” I clutched my phone to my chest, the giddy excitement fizzing in my veins like champagne.
Alexander twirled me toward him. “Of course. She is always welcome.”
Hours later, we entered Marcel’s to a fanfare of welcoming smiles.
Lila lingered behind me in a stunning burgundy gown, her brown eyes going wide. “Wow. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Me either.” I tried to keep my mouth from hanging open, but the Michelin star restaurant lived up to its reputation. Exposed brick warmed with the shifting flickers of candlelight. Soft music played in the background and the wineglasses probably cost more than my rent.
A man in a tux led us to a private table at the back, away from prying eyes and curious stares.
Dante sat on my left, Alexander on my right, and Julian across from me with Lila beside him.
I ran my finger down the edge of the gold-embossed menu and sighed. “It’s all so pretty.”
“You’re pretty.” Julian cupped his chin in his hands and winked at me. “Green is a good color on you.”
I blushed and picked at the emerald green skirt. I’d almost gotten lost in the closet, the sheer number of dresses turning my brain to mush. I’d settled on the green because of the flowing skirt and I liked how the material felt against my skin.
Lila caught my eye and wiggled her eyebrows.
I reached for my water glass and caught Dante watching me with that intense expression that made my stomach flip. “What?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged, but one hand found mine under the table and laced our hands together. “Just thinking about how lucky we are.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Julian sipped his wine and grinned at me over the rim.
Alexander cleared his throat, and I glanced his way in time to see him sliding a hand behind me. He gripped the back of my neck and ran his thumb across the exposed skin, sending a shudder of heat down my spine.
“Harper,” Dante said my name in that commanding tone that never failed to make my knees weak. “These last few months have been the hardest of our lives. Losing you, then finding you again and fighting to keep you has forced us to reevaluate everything we thought we knew about love.”
“And what we’re willing to do for it.” Alexander tapped his fingers along my spine, the slow cadence delicious against my bare skin.
“I spent my entire life making sure every decision was the right one. You walked into our office and turned everything upside down. You made me realize that being safe does not equal happiness.”
Julian lowered his hands from his chin and met my eyes across the table. “I’ve always been the reckless one, but you’re fearless in ways I’ve never known. You stood up to the world for us, for our family.”
Our family. I loved the sound of that. My throat tightened, keeping me from responding.
They moved as one, bringing their bodies closer and closer until all three knelt in front of me. Three gorgeous, powerful men on their knees in front of me while Lila squealed and clapped.
I’d never experienced anything more surreal. This could not be happening.
Dante reached into his jacket and pulled out a small velvet box.
He opened it facing me, and I forgot how to breathe.
Three rings nestled inside the box, each one unique but designed as a set.
A sapphire surrounded by diamonds sat between a ring with a pearl center in an intricate gold setting and another with an emerald that caught the candlelight and twinkled.
“We are not traditional, so we decided to keep up with the theme and offer you this.” Dante held the box out in the palm of his hand.
Alexander tipped his head toward the box. “We wanted you to have something from each of us that represents our commitment to you.”
“We love you, Harper. More than we thought possible to love anyone. You’re our everything.” Julian placed a hand on my knee.
Dante shifted, and my attention yanked back to him. “Will you marry us? Let us spend the rest of our lives proving how much you mean to us. Let us be the fathers our child deserves and the partners you’ve always needed.”
“Say yes. Please.” Alexander stroked my cheek, his sincere plea wrenched a nod from me.
“I want to marry all of you.” I ran my thumb over the edge of the ring. “I want that very much.”
“Legally, there might be some hurdles, but in every way that matters, we want to be yours. Forever.” Julian leaned past Dante to kiss my cheek.
Dante slid the rings onto my hand, the three of them sitting together in a beautiful display of craftsmanship that could have looked ostentatious but ended up being beautiful.
They kissed me one after the other, lips claiming mine with tender touches that made my soul ache. They were mine, and I was theirs.
Lila’s squeal cut through the air when they all sat back. “Oh my god, you’re getting married. This is incredible. I knew it. I knew you’d propose tonight.”
I laughed through my tears and hugged her. “You did not.”
“I did, and I’m always right about these things.” She pulled back, gripping my shoulders. “You deserve this. All of this. All the happiness, the love, the ridiculous fairytale ending with three Prince Charmings.”
“And a baby.” Julian grinned. “Don’t forget the baby.”
“And the baby.” Lila laughed and hugged me again.
When she released me, I pressed a hand to my stomach. This tiny person would grow up surrounded by so much love and protected by three fathers who would move heaven and earth for them.
We’d faced scandal, judgment, and public scrutiny. We’d weathered threats and blackmail and the possibility of losing everything.
Now we had the rest of our lives to build something beautiful.
Dante pulled me back into his arms, resting his forehead against mine. “I love you.”
“I love you too. All of you. So much it hurts.” I kissed him, then Alexander and then Julian.
Alexander rested his hand on the small of my back, and Julian tapped his foot against mine under the table.
This was my family. Unconventional and absolutely perfect.