Chapter 19 #3
“Since when did he tell her what she was to him?” Travis asked.
“He hasn’t,” Maia said.
“Has anybody bothered to ask him who the woman was that he was with?” Riley asked.
“I think he’s busy searching for Harper,” Libby said.
“And Harper’s gone in my truck,” Maia said.
“And Summer’s out there just keeping the boy searching?” Travis asked.
“She thinks he hurt Harper by seeing someone else. She’s exacting a certain amount of revenge, I’d think,” Maia explained.
Riley rolled his eyes as he started toward his front door. “All I wanted was a few hours of fishing in the pond. Everything goes to shit…” he grumbled as he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. “Summer!” he yelled.
Summer was sitting on the back of her car playing games on her phone. “Yes, sir?” she answered immediately, her head coming up to look in Riley’s direction when she heard his voice.
“Find Clay, bring Richie, and y’all come in here.”
“I’ll do my best,” she said, sliding off her car. She texted Clay, then Richie, then gathered her purse, Harper’s purse and phone, and the rest of the food and started walking toward Riley’s.
Riley went back inside and closed the door behind himself. He winked at Maia and blew her a kiss.
She just shook her head as she looked at him.
“What? I’m being romantic,” he said.
“You’re continuing to spread your fishy mud bath all over the house. I’m not cleaning that.”
Summer came through the door and immediately stopped in her tracks. “Ewww. What is that smell?” she asked, as she sidestepped the muddy prints and splatters and made her way to the living room.
“Your Uncle Riley,” Libby said.
“If the water in the house is broken, there’s a pool out there you can jump in,” she said, as she hugged Libby and handed her the bag of food before going to hug Maia and perch on the arm of Maia’s chair.
“Hey, lady,” Maia said, patting her knee.
“Hi, Aunt Maia.”
“No hello for me?” Travis asked.
“I’m a little upset with you. You haven’t been very nice to my sister from another mister.”
Travis just looked at her.
“I don’t have to explain it. I know you understand it.”
“Summer…” Travis said, “I know I have a lot to answer for, but I don’t need you to be one of them.”
“Would you rather me be okay with whatever it is that hurts Harper because it makes it easier on you, or would you rather me stand unquestioningly beside her?”
“Unquestioningly beside her,” Libby said.
The front door opened and Richie walked in. “Hey, you asked for me?” Richie said. Then he got a good look at Riley. “You go swimming with the fish instead of trying to catch them?”
“You did! You fell in the pond, didn’t you?” Maia accused.
“Thanks, Rich,” Riley said.
Richie grinned and chuckled a little. “No problem, but more importantly, I’m guessing since everybody is over here relaxing, you’ve found Harper and she’s safe.”
“She was here with me. I spent some time with her and once she was calm, I gave her my keys so she could leave and get away from everybody.”
“And nobody told me or Clay?!” Richie asked.
“You were babysitting his new girlfriend. I figured that was more important to you than Harper was. And the fact that he’s the reason neither Harper or I ever had a single freaking date all through high school, would be enough to keep him searching endlessly, doesn’t help the situation.”
“I already told you she’s not his girlfriend. She’s his attorney. And what are you talking about?” Richie asked.
“Yes, you did. After the fact, and it’s a long story in which he threatened anyone who considered asking either of us out so no one did. Harper can tell you the details later,” Summer said.
“How would I know that anyone needed to specify exactly who the woman was during introductions?” Richie demanded.
“Maybe the tears she was holding back, or the shocked look on her face as she started trying to run from the restaurant?” Summer said, standing up to better make her opinion on the matter clear.
“Summer…” Richie said, gritting his teeth.
“Yeah, I know. You’re my uncle, not my equal, and you’re second to Riley so you deserve respect.
That doesn’t mean that no one has a right to be upset with you.
And I’m upset with you and Clay.” Then Summer decided that this was the perfect opportunity to throw Travis a little shade, too.
“And for the record, do you see how that works, Uncle Travis? I can disagree with my elders, and not get shamed or made to feel like I’m letting them down because we have different opinions.
Bet Harper can do that when allowed, also. ”
“Summer,” Riley said, a soft warning in his tone.
“Yes, sir. I know. But sometimes things are just wrong, and despite people’s positions and status, something should be said.”
“And you have. So, can we move on?” Riley asked.
“Yes, sir.”
The front door flew open and Clay rushed inside. “Harper?!” he asked, breathing heavy and sweating profusely.
“She’s safe. She came here to me, and I calmed her down and sent her on her way,” Maia said.
Instead of complaining, or asking why he wasn’t notified, or even questioning Summer, he just leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God,” he breathed out.
“You alright?” Richie asked.
“Yeah, as long as she’s safe, I’m alright,” Clay answered.
“Want to know why she ran?” Maia asked.
“I kind of think I know, but please, yes,” Clay said.
“She came to tell you that you are her mate and that she believes that you are already mated, though she knows it was accidental. And that she loves you. She found you having a late lunch with another woman who you introduced as ‘this is, well, this is Erica’. She assumed she was the woman you told her you’d met that you thought might be your mate, and it was the final straw in a long line of emotional upset that sent her over the edge.
She got away as fast as she could so you didn’t see her crying,” Maia explained.
“I realized when I was introducing her that I couldn’t say, ‘this is my attorney, Erica’. She’d want to know why I was with an attorney. It would have ruined the surprise.”
“And this is better?” Summer asked.