Chapter 40
Harper
Ford parks outside my parents’ house, and I’m still in shock.
This night has been wilder than I anticipated, and I expected it to be a bit of a disaster, to be honest. “I thought Kenzie and I were friends at first. I believed there was something that changed, but now I see that none of our friendship was real,” I say.
It shouldn’t bother me as much as it does, but I can’t wrap my head around it.
None of my memories of us are genuine. Everything feels fake and manufactured, and the pain cuts deeper than I expected.
I knew the later years were a facade; that was clear.
But those middle school sleepovers? The cheer practices where we gossiped instead of focusing on routines?
Preparing for our first school dances? None of it was authentic.
Ford takes my hand and exhales deeply. “Harper, I need to tell you something.”
My stomach drops. Those were the exact words Asher used before he called off the wedding, confessing his love for Kenzie. “What?”
“There was one piece of truth in what was said tonight.”
I frown. “What was that?”
He draws in a long breath, never breaking eye contact. “I’ve been in love with you since high school. Probably from the moment I met you.”
I can only stare at him, completely stunned. “What?”
“I was only friends with Asher to be near you. I’ve been jealous every single day he had you. He never deserved you, and I just waited for you to realize it.”
“But you’ve dated other girls—”
“Who I would have left the moment you came to your senses and left Asher. In fact, I did that when I heard the wedding was off. Janet pretty much hates me now, but it’s always been you.”
There were signs that he liked me, but being in love with me? That seems insane.
“When Asher called to tell me he proposed and you said yes, that you were going to marry him, I lost it. I drank myself into a blackout to forget that I’d lost you forever.”
This is too much. I can’t meet his gaze anymore and turn my eyes to the dashboard, pulling my hand away from his.
“Harper—”
“I need… I need some time to process this.”
He deflates beside me, murmuring, “Okay.”
My fingertips go numb first, then my lips, as if I’ve been standing in snow without gloves. The sound of my own heartbeat drowns out everything else, pulsing in my ears like I’m underwater. I blink three times but can’t seem to focus on anything.
Ford’s door slams shut. The passenger side opens with a creak.
His hand hovers near my elbow without touching as I step onto the curb.
My legs move forward only because they must, one foot mechanically following the other across the familiar concrete path while the warmth of his presence stays just behind my right shoulder.
“Maybe this wasn’t the best time to tell you, but I felt like I might explode if I didn’t say it soon. And there seemed to be an opening, but…”
“It’s… a lot.”
He leans in, his lips brushing mine with a gentleness that makes my knees weak.
His forehead rests against mine, warm and solid, and I can feel his eyelashes flutter against my skin as his eyes close.
“I’ll wait,” he whispers, his breath mingling with mine.
“As long as it takes. Please don’t run away. ”
The gravel crunches under his boots as he walks away. My feet might as well be cemented to the sidewalk. My fingertips touch my lips, still tingling, as his truck door slams and the engine rumbles to life.
When I finally stumble inside, Gina’s laughter cuts off mid-sentence. She’s curled against Lance on the couch, their honeymoon glow still evident in their sun-kissed cheeks, but her smile vanishes the moment she sees my face.
“Harper? What’s wrong? What happened?”
The rest of the family rushes into the living room, and I still feel paralyzed. “I was at the rehearsal dinner,” I manage to say.
“What did that wench do?”
“Gina!” Mom scolds.
I blink, and Eric moves to sit on the coffee table in front of me. “This must be bad. She didn’t even laugh when Mom scolded you for using a word you can say on every channel of cable now.”
“That was… but then…”
“Sentences, Harper. We need full sentences.”
Clearing my throat, I shake my head. “It was a disaster. I should have known. She accused me of trying to sabotage her wedding. I guess things have been going wrong.”
Gina laughs. “Darla told me Alex and Tracy changed the bridesmaid dress color to puke green instead of merlot.”
“Yeah, and there was something about flowers and her centerpieces. I hear there are things they did that she doesn’t know about yet.”
“That’s good!”
“No, it’s not. They told me when I first came home that they wanted to do it, and I specifically told them not to. Some things were already
in motion, but they went ahead anyway. Kenzie admitted in front of everyone that we were never friends.”
Mom squeezes my hand. “What?”
“She tricked me into going tonight because she wanted to beat me. To prove I’m the terrible person she thinks I am, and she aimed to humiliate me. She thought I was the one sabotaging her wedding.”
“She’s a moron,” Gina says. “And her goal was to steal Asher? At least choose something worthwhile.”
I’m surprised when Mom shares a knowing look with Gina, agreeing with her.
“Everything with Kenzie has been a competition for her, and I’m struggling to process that my memories are all lies. But honestly, I don’t care what she does anymore.”
“You don’t?” Lance asks.
I shake my head. “I told her she wins. She wants Asher? She can have him. I don’t want him. If she wants to steal the wedding I dreamed of? She did. I don’t care anymore.”
“Then why do you look like you just witnessed a mass shooting?” Eric asks.
Pointing at the door, I tilt my head. “Ford confessed he’s been in love with me since high school.”
Everyone stares, their expressions revealing that they’re not surprised. It’s as if I’m the only one who didn’t see it coming.
“Am I the only one who didn’t know?” I ask.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Eric replies. “We tried to tell you, but you always brushed it off. I don’t know how you were that oblivious; you’re usually pretty smart.”
“Eric!” Mom scolds.
Gina giggles. “It’s not just me anymore now.”
“What? Is it the truth?”
Mom turns to me, forcing me to meet her gaze. “Ford isn’t Asher, honey.”
“He’s waited over a decade for you,” Gina adds. “He’s not going to hurt you.”
“Yeah? I never thought Asher would, either.”
“Well, that’s because Asher was dropped on his head too many times as a child,” Dad interjects.
Mom scolds him, and laughter fills the room. Everyone except me. I’m still in shock.
“I just need to be alone and think,” I say.
No one stops me, and I feel suffocated. Overwhelmed and scared, I need to distract myself until I can gain some perspective. If I don’t, I worry I’ll slip into a semi-catatonic state.
On instinct, I open my laptop and upload the photos from Gina’s parties.
The engagement party folder loads first. I click through shots of Ford entering the room—casual stance, easy smile, eyes scanning the crowd.
Then frame twelve stops my breath. His pupils have dilated.
The corners of his mouth have softened. His shoulders have dropped half an inch.
The bachelorette party photos come next. There’s Ford in the doorway, his beer paused halfway to his lips, condensation beading on the glass. The exact moment he spotted me across the room, his Adam’s apple frozen mid-swallow.
My cursor hovers, trembling, over the wedding album. There he stands in the doorway with his jaw tight. Then—the frame where our eyes met across the room. His body relaxes. His eyes shine.
I lean back, pressing my fingertips to my lips. Three different days. Three identical expressions. Like someone had just turned on all the lights in a dark room.