Chapter 20 #4
“And I got pictures of the whole thing, so many pictures! So you can watch your proposal later! Well, I might have missed the first bit, but I didn’t realize it was an actual proposal until Clay made you close your eyes.
I got most everything from that point,” she explained as she held up her phone and waggled it in the air to show Harper.
Harper laughed. “Thank you. My mind is so blown, I’m kind of in a whirlwind right now.”
“A good whirlwind, though,” Summer said.
“The best, absolute best.”
Summer grinned at her, then quickly turned to Clay. She grabbed him and hugged him tightly. “Sorry I sent you searching in the heat.”
“No, you’re not,” Clay said laughingly as he accepted Summer’s hug and hugged her back.
“No, I’m not. And just because you two are together doesn’t mean I won’t do it again if you ever hurt her.”
“I’ll die before I ever do that,” Clay said.
“We should be all good, then,” Summer said.
“Harper, baby, I’m so sorry,” Travis said from a couple of feet behind Summer. “I just thought I was doing the right thing. I never stopped to consider that what I wanted for you might not have been the right thing for you.”
“I know,” she said. “I know you never wanted to hurt me, you just thought you knew better than me.”
“It’s just so hard to let your children make their own paths. You always think you know better. It doesn’t make what I did right, and there’s nothing I can say to make up for it. And then the thing with Joel…”
Harper shook her head. “I just wish you’d have listened, and trusted me.
What hurt the most was that you didn’t put faith in anything I said, but took his word for truth.
If I hadn’t been as strong as I am, I might have given in.
How would you feel then if Joel, who was personally invited by you to get closer to me, assaulted me, fully assaulted me? ”
“I’d never have forgiven myself. And I’ve have gladly spent the rest of my life in prison after I removed his head from his body — very slowly.
But as to my unwillingness to see what you tried to tell me.
I have nothing to defend that. It’s hard as a male, as a father, to accept that you’ve been so wrong in the way you’ve treated the most precious thing in your life, and that under the guise of protecting them, you drove them away.
If you could just find it in yourself not to hate me, to give me a chance to prove that I do love you and only ever wanted the best for you.
Despite everything you might think, I love you so much.
I’m so sorry. No excuses. I’m owning my mistakes.
I’m just so angry at myself for putting you through all that I did…
” Travis started tearing up as he struggled to express himself.
Clay’s face seemed tense as he hesitated to interrupt this obviously healing moment between his mate and her father, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Hold on, who is Joel and please tell me that he didn’t assault you. Because if he…”
Harper turned to Clay, gently laying her hands on his chest. “He didn’t. He would have if I’d have given into his coercion, but I didn’t. Nothing happened other than disrespect, and it’s all over. Nothing to worry about, I promise,” she said as she looked up into his eyes.
Clay’s gaze momentarily flicked past Harper to Travis.
Travis mouthed the word, ‘Later’ and nodded at Clay to let him know he’d tell him everything.
Clay looked down into Harper’s eyes. “I want to know more about this.”
“I’ll tell you, but it’s not worth letting it cloud our day. Please?”
Clay nodded and kissed her lips. She held onto him briefly before turning back to her father.
“Dad, I don’t hate you. I never hated you.
I just wanted to be seen. To be respected as an adult who has the right to their own choices.
Most of everything I’ve done all my life is because I love you and wanted to make your life easier.
But now it’s time for mine,” Harper said.
“Past time, and I can’t wait to see you live it with your mate at your side. I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too,” Harper said, hugging her father.
Travis hugged her with one arm as he pinched his eyes closed to try to stop his tears and wiped away the ones that escaped anyway as he held his daughter and silently thanked the fates for another chance with her.
“Let’s see you ride that beast,” Mr. Bigsby said when Travis finally released her.
“Yes, let’s see that,” Clay said, leading Harper, who led Festus to the pasture gate.
He opened the gate and stood back as Harper led Festus into the pasture.
She looped the lead around his nose to fashion a makeshift bridle and then led him over to the fence so she could climb up and slide onto his back.
Clay went back outside of the gate and pulled it closed as they all watched Harper easily ride the giant horse around the pasture. It was hard to tell which was happier — the horse or Harper, as they trotted through the grass with the wind in their hair.
“Look at her,” Travis said. “How could I ever think anything else would make her happy? I guess I’ve never taken the time to really see her like this.”
“I have. I’ve always seen Harper. And now, I’ll get to see her all day, every day, as we build tomorrow.”