Chapter Twenty-Five #2
It took Harper a moment to understand what he meant. Spider and Rocket, who owned the bakery, were sweet, in her mind, but she knew damn well that wasn't what Jim meant. But then she remembered Bree, the girl who'd been working there for a while now.
She raised her eyebrows at Banner, and he nodded happily. "She won't give me the time of day yet, but I'll keep going back until she comes around."
~ ~ ~
"Dad, can I ask you something?"
"Sure you can. Come on in, Button. What is it?"
Emmett was sitting on his bed. He'd called Harper a while ago, and she was coming over at three. The girls had been doing their own thing while he took a shower. He was getting better every day, but he still needed to sit for a while once he was dressed.
Tanya came in and plunked herself down on the bed beside him. "I want to ask you something while Alana's not around."
He turned to give her his full attention. "What is it?"
She flopped back on the bed, then rolled onto her stomach, tracing her finger over the pattern on the comforter. "I don't want to upset Alana, and I don't want to upset you, but I want to call Harper Mama Bear."
Emmett didn't answer immediately. He did his best to support both his daughters, and he knew he was fortunate that mostly their needs didn't conflict, but he had a feeling this time might be the exception. Before he dismissed the request, he needed to understand where it was coming from.
"Do you know why you want to call her that? You call her Harpsichord, too. Isn't that just as good? It still means that the two of you share something special."
Tanya nodded slowly before faceplanting into the duvet and heaving a big sigh. He couldn't help smiling as he rested his hand on her back.
"I'm not saying no, I'm trying to understand what it is that you really want."
She rolled over onto her back. "It's because…" She let out a breath. "Harper was the one who started calling you Papa Bear. That very first time we met her. Do you remember?"
"I do." It was months ago now; Brooke had been helping him with the girls for years, but she’d just started working for Trip.
He'd called her at the clinic to see if she was finished for the day, because he needed her help to get the girls while he was stuck on an emergency call.
Harper had been right there with Brooke and Shelley and had volunteered her services to go and get the girls and bring them home.
He hadn't liked the idea of some stranger going to get them, and she'd reassured him in her own inimitable style that she understood how protective he was—hence, the Papa Bear—and that she would take great care of the girls until he could get home. He smiled. She had.
"Well," Tanya continued, "I like you and her together, and if you're Papa Bear and she's Mama Bear…
" She found his hand and slid her little fingers through his.
"It sounds like family. I want you to be happy, Dad, and Harper makes you happy, and…
She makes me happy too, and I do still love Mom. But…"
"It's okay, Button. You said it earlier. I know you don't really remember her now."
"I feel bad about that."
"You shouldn't. There's no need. She wouldn't want you to do that. She'd want you to be happy too."
"So you don't think she'd mind if I call Harper Mama Bear? Or that I want to do it because… because that's kind of Mom, but not the same."
Emmett carefully lay back on the bed beside her, the two of them staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know if I've ever told you before, but your mom made me promise her that when I was ready, I'd find love again. Before Harper, I didn't think I wanted to. But now that she's here, I know I have."
He turned to smile at Tanya and touched the tip of her nose.
"Your mom was smart like that. She always knew what was best, and she…
" He had to swallow a couple of times before he continued.
"Part of what she wanted for you was that you should have a woman in your lives.
" He winked at her. "She knew I'd do okay, but… "
Tanya rolled over and wrapped her arm around his waist. "You do great, Dad. I don't want Harper because you don't do enough. You're the best dad in the world."
He closed his eyes and nodded. "I do the best I can. I think we've done okay. But your mom was right. Especially now that you're older. Both of you. You don't need… It's better for you to have a woman too. And I think Harper is the right one."
"Hey, what's going on?" Alana appeared in the bedroom doorway. "I didn't know where you guys were."
Tanya sprang up while Emmett struggled. "Don't get up," she told him. "You should come with us," Tanya told her sister. She pointed to the space on Emmett's other side. "We're just talking."
Alana only hesitated for a moment before she came in and lay on her back. The three of them stared up at the ceiling. "Is everything okay?" she asked after a little while.
"I don't know," said Tanya. "I wanted to ask Dad if he minds me calling Harper Mama Bear."
Alana turned to look at Emmett. As he searched for words, she gave him a small nod. "And you don't know what to say because you're worried about me, right?"
"Not so much worried as—"
"I know. You don't want to hurt me. But it's okay, Dad." She popped her head up so that she could see Tanya. "It is. It's okay. I've been thinking about it. About what you said. That there's a difference between Mom and Mama Bear."
Emmett watched her face, wondering if she was just saying what she thought they wanted to hear. She grinned at him. "And I talked to Uncle Blane. He said the same thing."
Emmett silently thanked his friend and had to wonder if Cash had had anything to do with that conversation. He'd been the one who suggested that they could use the name Mama Bear to smooth things over somehow.
"So it won't bother you?" Tanya asked.
"No. I don't think I'll say it myself." Alana looked up at Emmett.
"And you don't have to," he told her.
"Maybe it'll come someday," she said. "But not yet."
"So it's all okay, then?" Tanya asked. "I don't want to upset you guys."
"And you won't," said Emmett. "It's all okay."
Alana sat up. "She'll be here soon, won't she?"
"She should."
"We should move," said Tanya.
Emmett needed to roll onto his side to push himself up. They both helped, and once he was upright, he hugged them both to him. "I don't think I tell you enough, but I'm so lucky to have you girls. I love you, you know."
"And we love you too," said Alana.
Tanya chuckled. "And you tell us all the time. Come on, let's go get ready for Harper."
~ ~ ~
It was almost midnight by the time the movie finished. Emmett sat up and made a big deal out of checking his watch. Tanya grinned at him.
"Hey, you started the movie late."
"It's true, Dad," said Alana. "It's not our fault we're up so late."
He chuckled. "You're right, but now that it's over, it's time for bed."
Harper pushed to her feet and gathered the dishes from the coffee table. The girls had each had ice cream with the blondies she'd brought for them.
"You don't need to do that. I can get them," said Emmett.
Alana took the bowls from her hands with a smile.
"I'll get them. Come on, Tanya, you can help.
In fact, wait." She set the bowls down again and went to kiss Emmett's cheek, then surprised Harper by coming to kiss hers, too.
"I'll put these in the dishwasher, then we'll go up to bed. So, good night."
Tanya hugged Emmett before coming and wrapping her arms around Harper's middle. "Good night, Mama Bear. We'll see you tomorrow."
Harper's breath caught in her chest, and she eyed Alana warily. Something in her chest loosened when Alana smiled.
"It's okay, you don't need to worry. We talked about it. Tanya wants to call you that, and I don't mind."
Harper's eyes filled with tears when Alana smiled at her dad and added, "Papa Bear likes it, too. Come on, Tanya. Good night, guys."
After they'd gone, Emmett came to her and slid his arm around her waist. "I should have warned you, but I didn't get the chance."
"That's okay. There was no need. It's not me I'm worried about."
"Well, like Alana said, you don't need to worry about her either. It's all good."
She rested her head against his shoulder. "I'm glad. And you don't mind?"
She laughed when he made a little growling noise and said, "Papa Bear doesn't mind in the least."
He looked back over his shoulder guiltily and took hold of her hand.
"Come on," she told him. "You can walk me out to the truck."
"I hate that you have to drive back to that cottage in the dark by yourself. I wish you could stay."
"I do too, but… do you really think that two weeks is long enough?" she asked once they were outside.
"I think it's too long, personally, but… you know what I mean."
"I do."
"All we can do is play it by ear. It was Alana's suggestion. We'll see how it goes."
When they reached her truck, he closed both his arms around her waist and leaned her back against it.
She raised her eyebrows. "Your right arm seems stronger."
He nodded. "Because it is. Blane's been helping me rehab whenever we have a minute between appointments."
She chuckled. "He's a good friend to you."
"The best. But I don't want to talk about him right now. I want to talk about you and me."
Her arms came up around his shoulders. "And what exactly is it that you want to say?"
He lowered his head and claimed her lips in a long, deep kiss that left her breathless.
"So, there's one part of this relationship that we haven't gone near yet."
"Only because I didn't want to pounce on you while you were incapacitated," she said with a chuckle.
He threw his head back and laughed. "And here I've been worrying that it might be an issue."
She shook her head vigorously. "No issues on my part. I've just been a good girl waiting for you to be up to it."
He rested his weight against her, and his hardness pressed into her stomach. "I'm up for it right now."
She pressed a quick peck to his lips. "And I'd love to do something about it right now." But her smile faded. "I guess that's one more thing we're going to have to figure out, isn't it? It was easy when I was here before. You had to sleep on the sofa, and I had your bedroom."
"Yeah. But when you come back, you can have my bedroom on one condition."
"And what's that?"
"Do I get to share the bed with you?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way. Do you think the girls will be okay with that part?"
"I hope so. I'll talk to them about it."
She reached up to touch his cheek. "They're lucky to have you. You know, I love that you're so open with them."
"It's my way," he said. "I wouldn't know how else to do it."
"I know. That's what I mean. What I'm really saying is, I love you."
He rested his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes. "I love you too."
"But go on. You should go in and say goodnight to them."
"All right. But text me when you get back to the cottage. I need to know you made it safely."
"Okay. Will do."
Harper watched him turn and go back inside. Just as she climbed into her truck, she caught movement in the upstairs window—Alana's window. She inhaled sharply, hoping Alana hadn't watched them kissing. Or at least hoping she hadn't felt bad—that she hadn't hated seeing it, if she had.
She let herself breathe again when Alana grinned at her and waved. When Harper waved back, she blew her a kiss.