Chapter Twenty-Four #2
Emmett paused and turned to her, surprising her when he put his arm around her shoulders and smiled at Shelley.
"Things are great. I know how close the two of you are, and I don't want you to feel like you have to whisper around what's really going on here.
" He gave Harper's shoulders a squeeze. "So, I'll come out in the open and say it: Things are good.
And I'm hoping they'll get even better."
Harper rested her head against him for a moment and smiled. "Thank you."
Shelley grinned at him. "And thanks from me, too. I didn't want to be nosy, but..."
"It's not being nosy," Emmett told her. "I know how close the two of you are."
Harper chuckled when she saw Blane arrive. He gave her a chin lift as he drove by them on his way to the parking lot.
"And I know how close the two of you are as well," she said. "So, I saved Blane the seat next to yours."
Emmett looked at Trip, who was chuckling.
"What’s so funny?"
"Just that it feels like we're the ones back in school again. Emmett and Blane always had to sit next to each other in class," he explained to Harper.
They were among the first people to arrive.
It seemed that Harper wasn't the only one of Emmett's group who'd wanted to get here earlier.
Most of the seats in the theater were still empty by the time their group was complete.
Travis and Retta had joined Trip and Shelley.
Deacon and Candy had arrived in Ace's truck with him and Ari, and Cash had brought Libby. Ford had brought his lady, Amelia, along with Nat; Nat’s little brother, Hunter, had gone over to Tanner and Everly's for the evening to hang out with Ashton.
Ty and Shana had brought Ari's daughter, Nessa.
Harper was amazed that so many people would come to see Alana. She loved it for her. And deep down inside, the little girl, who hadn't had anyone since she was nine, envied Alana a little.
The theater filled up quickly, and soon Libby came to sit down beside Harper. "Hey, you, how's it going?" she asked.
"I'm doing great, thanks, Libby. How about you?"
"I'm good, thanks. I'm glad I could come tonight. And I could move if you want Shelley here next to you, but I'm glad I got this seat."
"I am, too. Shelley and I catch up all the time. I'm glad you're here."
It was true, too. She thought the world of Libby, and as much as she loved Shelley, it seemed right that Libby, who'd been one of Emily's closest friends here in the valley, should sit with her and Emmett and Blane.
~ ~ ~
While they waited for the curtain to go up, Emmett kept looking around at all his friends, loving that they'd gone out of their way tonight to be here for Alana.
"You're quiet," said Blane.
He shook his head with a smile. "Just taking it all in."
"It's good, isn't it?"
"It is. I'm just thinking how lucky we are to have all of you guys."
"You got that the wrong way around, Mitty. We're lucky to have the three of you in our lives."
Emmett froze when a thought struck him. "Is Brooke coming?"
"Yeah, she's here, but she'd already bought her own ticket. She wanted to come with some friends."
"Friends or a friend?" Emmett had to ask.
"Friends this time. Some girls she went to school with."
"But is there a friend, as in boyfriend?"
Blane scowled. "I think there is one, or at least someone she's interested in, but she won't tell me."
"Can't say I blame her. If she likes the guy, she'll want to keep him safe. And we all know that he won't be, not with you around."
"He'll be safe enough — until he puts a foot wrong," said Blane. "But I'd rather he was safe somewhere else, just not around Brookie."
"She's gonna meet someone someday, you know, bud." He couldn't hide a smile as he added, "You're gonna have a brother-in-law."
Blane's eyebrows drew together. "Let's not even go there. Look, I think it's going to start. Tonight's all about my goddaughter, not my little sister."
A few moments later, the curtain went up, and Emmett settled back into his seat.
It wasn't the most comfortable seat, but he'd sat through many a night here.
Never with broken ribs before, but that was a small price to pay to see Alana do her thing.
She was fantastic. There was no question in his mind that she really was the star of the show.
Even the audience seemed to know it and responded to her whenever she came on stage.
He smiled to himself as he looked around at his friends.
To be fair, these guys may have something to do with that.
Harper turned to him with a smile. "Isn't she amazing?" she asked.
"She is. I'm so proud of her."
"And you should be."
He reached for her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. He was sure that Blane and Libby would have something to say about it later, but he didn't care. Harper had been so instrumental in getting Alana to tonight, nothing was gonna stop him from sharing this moment with her.
When it was almost time for Alana's big solo number near the end of the show, Harper sat up a little straighter, and Emmett tried to do the same.
"What's going on?" Blane asked on his other side. "Is this where she gets to sing her song?"
Emmett smiled at him. "Yeah, how did you know that?"
"I told you, I listen to my goddaughters."
Libby leaned forward on Harper's other side, laughing at them. "Would the two of you be quiet? We want to be able to hear her sing when she starts."
Harper sat between them, laughing silently.
When Alana came out center stage, Emmett's heart filled up.
He'd heard her sing this song so many times — he'd even seen her sing it from the stage that time when he came to see the rehearsal.
But tonight there was something different, something more.
Her voice rang out, sweet and clear. And it hit him again, just how much she looked like her mom.
Libby and Blane both leaned forward at the same moment. Neither of them said a word; their gazes were fixed on Alana. But he knew they saw it, too.
Harper gave his hand a squeeze, and he nodded. She didn't even turn his way, and he appreciated that. She knew what the moment meant to him; she was letting him know she was there with him — not trying to take it over.
~ ~ ~
Harper had to laugh when the whole cast came out at the end for the curtain call — and the curtain stuck again, just like it had in the rehearsal. Nobody made a big deal out of it. The kids who were working as stage crew ran around trying to fix it, while the audience laughed and called out advice.
In the end, the cast took their final bows and left the stage, grinning and waving to their families and friends.
Harper's eyes filled with tears when Alana blew a kiss to her dad, and Emmett struggled to get to his feet.
Of course, Blane was right there to help him, and Libby touched Harper's arm when Emmett blew Alana a kiss back.
Harper got to her feet only after Alana had left the stage.
By then, the others were getting up, turning around to congratulate Emmett, all smiling and talking about how great her performance had been.
Harper let herself be carried along with them as they moved out into the lobby, where they all hung around waiting.
The crowd thinned out as those who weren't waiting for kids to come out left, but she loved that none of Emmett's group of friends left — they all wanted to wait for Alana.
She hung back as some of the parents came over to talk to Emmett and the others. Shelley came to stand by her side, and Candy, Ari, and Retta drifted toward them.
"She's a very talented young woman," Candy said. "Emmett must be so proud of her."
"He is," said Harper. "And he has every right to be."
"She was the most talented person out there," said Ari. "She should have had the lead — she was far better than the girl who did."
Harper pressed her lips together. It was probably best not to voice her opinion.
Retta, who used to work in a high school, coaching the cheer team, gave her a knowing smile as she said, "It's true, but high school politics are often far worse than office politics."
Harper chuckled but still didn't comment.
She was surprised when Emmett came to join her and the women, while the guys all joked around about something or other. Libby came to give him a hug.
"I'm so glad I was here for this."
"Me too. Thank you," he said.
"You don't need to thank me, Emmett, you know that. I'm not only here for your sake."
She glanced at Harper, who got the impression that she knew what they both wanted to say but wouldn't in front of her, so she decided it best to say it for them. She smiled at Libby before turning to Emmett. "I wish Emily could be here. She'd be so proud of her."
A hush fell over the women, but then Emmett took hold of her hand, and they seemed to collectively exhale. "She would," he said with a smile. "She would have loved this."
At that moment, a woman who looked to Harper like she'd be more at home in New York than here in Paradise Valley came bustling toward them. She extended her hand toward Emmett, who shook it, looking wary.
"We haven't been introduced before now," the woman said. "I'm Vivian Sinclair."
Emmett shook her hand. "Nice to meet you," he said politely.
But it seemed that wasn't enough for Vivian.
"Yes, I'm Kennedy's mom — the lead. I believe you're Alana's father. Your daughter did quite well, didn't she? Of course, my Kennedy attended the arts academy back in Connecticut."
Emmett nodded and said diplomatically, "I hope she enjoyed her first performance here. This must be very different from what she's used to."
"Oh, definitely. It's much smaller scale, but at least some of the cast — like your daughter — were able to perform adequate supporting roles for her."
Harper was doing her best to keep her mouth shut, but she was on the verge of losing that battle.
Suddenly Vivian's gaze dropped to Emmett's hand, still joined with Harper's.
"Oh, I knew the local veterinarian was Alana's father. Forgive me, I didn't realize her mother was here as well. I didn’t think…"
The quiet that fell over their group of friends seemed sharper this time.
Vivian gave her a tight smile as she said, "It's good of the fathers to come along, but we both know it's a girl's mom who makes her what she is."
Emmett's grip on her hand tightened. She didn't know what that meant; all she knew was that she needed to shut this woman up.
Harper's smile stayed warm. "As much as I love her, I'd never claim to be Alana's mother.
Her mother was Emily— and anyone who knew Emily could see her on that stage tonight.
" She paused. "And you're right that Alana is a credit to her mom.
As for me, I'm honored to play a supporting role.
The real ones carry more weight than people realize. "
Vivian's smile faltered. "Oh, I see. Forgive me, I had assumed."
"It's not a problem. You'll find the valley has a way of catching newcomers up."
Vivien turned around sharply and walked away. The other women were smiling at her, and Emmett gave her hand a squeeze.
"Thank you."
"Oh, hell no, you don't need to thank me. I only spoke the truth, and it was my pleasure to say it. I know her sort."
Ari grinned at her. "And you handled her well."
"You did," said Libby. "I don't know if you intended it that way — well, no, I should say, I know damn well you intended it for her sake. But I don't know if you realize you stated out loud for the rest of us that you consider yourself part of the valley now."
Harper couldn't keep the smile off her face. "You know what? I believe I do."
It was late by the time they got back to Emmett's place. Tanya yawned loudly in the back seat before saying, "Are you coming in, Harper?"
"Not tonight. It's late, and you must all be exhausted."
"Thanks for everything you've done," said Alana.
"I couldn't have done it without you." She leaned forward between the seats and pressed a kiss to Emmett's cheek.
"And that's nothing against you, Dad, but there was a lot of girl stuff in this one.
I know if we'd never met Harper, we would have done great.
But with Harper, it was even better." She rested her hand on Harper's shoulder for a moment.
"Will we see you this weekend? I hope you'll come over. "
Harper looked at Emmett, and he smiled. "I'll tell you what — why don't you girls go on in? Harper and I will figure out when we can get together."
Tanya leaned forward between the seats and kissed Harper's cheek. "Good night, Mama Bear." She laughed. "You guys can all get mad at me if you want, but I heard Harper with Kennedy's mom. And she might not be our mom, but she's a real Mama Bear."
Emmett chuckled, and Alana gave them a puzzled look. "What happened with Mrs. Sinclair?"
Tanya looked proud of herself, happy to be the one in the know for once as she said, "Come on inside and I'll tell you; it was awesome."
After they'd gone, Emmett shifted in his seat as best he could. He reached out to touch her cheek. "Tanya was right, you know — you were awesome."
Harper shrugged. "I just knew what she was doing. Everyone in town knows that you're a widower; I can't believe she didn't. She was trying to take a jab at me, and that's fine — she could have done that. But she was using Alana to do it. No way would I let her get away with that."
He chuckled. "And you made that point clearly. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
He leaned in close and brushed his lips over hers before sitting back.
She shook her head. "As much as I'd like to make out in the truck with you, we both know that you're aching just sitting there.
And you don't need to be out here with me — you need to be in the house with the girls.
Alana's on a high after her performance. You need to be there for it."
"Yeah, I should go in. But will you come over tomorrow?"
"I'd love to, but see how it goes. I don't have any set plans. Just give me a call and let me know what'll work for you."
This time she leaned across the console to him. "Every time I looked at you tonight, there was something I wanted to say to you."
He smiled. "I wanted to say it too—I love you, Harper."
A rush of warmth filled her chest. "I love you, too. Goodnight, Emmett."
"Goodnight."