Chapter 43
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Harper
As soon as Ace’s story pops up on my feed, I click on it. And holy shit. I’m nearly done with writing up Ace’s family report for Gianna. But after Ace told me about his fight at the auction, I’ve been on edge. I just want to see him, make sure he’s okay.
I clench my thighs when his story loads. Shirtless. The cut in his eyebrow looks cleaner than when he showed it to me earlier. He’s doing push-ups with one hand. Looking so fucking hot, it should be illegal.
And the comments floating up my screen agree with me. Shit. They are coming in thick and fast, about how they wanna ride this cowboy. They’d climb him like a tree. They want to lick his abs. One even leaves her number on a public story. Jealousy coils in my stomach before I can stop it.
He’s my man. Those are my abs.
I watch it again. And again. Leave a heart on it, and then pull up our text chain.
ME: I just watched your push-up story…
He’s already typing.
Acey: Did you lick your screen?
I giggle typing back.
ME: It did things to me, Ace. But next time, the shirt stays on, those abs are mine.
It’s a half-joke. He’s hot. He can share whatever he wants to promote his career.
But there’s a little part of me that hates him sharing that kind of content with the world.
I know it isn’t him, it’s Jett for the sponsors.
But I keep going back and looking at all the comments on his post. They. Are. Wild.
Acey: Whatever you want, pretty girl. I’m all yours.
ME: Do I get my own video now? One just for me…
Acey: Shirt on or off?
My cheeks burn up.
ME: All of it off. Push-ups, but say my name while you’re doing it, please.
There’s a minute of nothing. I’m biting on my nail, staring at a screen.
Acey: Do you have some toys? You might need it for this.
ME: Ohhh. Is it going to make me wet?
My phone pings, and the video comes through. I press play. He’s in his living room, completely naked.
“Harper. Harper. Goldie,” he grunts out between push-ups.
And then he looks at the screen, moving to one hand, then the other, and winks. “Love you.”
I replay it one more time and save it. I’ll be using that.
ME: I want to be the floor.
Acey: Get your pretty ass here then, I’ll pin you down and do my work out on top of you.
I chew on my lip. I just have to finish this document for Gianna, then I’m free. My phone buzzes, and my stomach sinks when I see Hudson’s name flashing on the screen. I’ve ignored his messages. Hoping he’d fuck off.
“Hello?” I answer.
“I’ll be at your parents' house in ten minutes,” he says bluntly.
I jump off the bed. “What the hell do you mean?”
“Don’t ignore me, Harper,” he says and cuts the call.
Fuck.
Acey: I think now is the right time for you to use good boy on me?
This man. He somehow manages to put a smile on my face no matter what.
ME: You’ve been a very good boy, and I’ll reward you later.
Acey: Or now?
ME: I’ll call you in a minute, baby.
I have a shit head to deal with before I can continue this. I run down the stairs to find my dad in the kitchen. “Hey, Dad. My boss is coming here; he needs to speak to me about my report,” I say, playing it off as nothing.
Luckily, I’ve already covered the bite marks that are on my neck.
“Hudson? Richard’s son?” my dad asks.
“Yeah. That one.”
“Oh, are you in trouble at work, sweetie?” my mom asks. I didn’t even see her.
“N-no. Not that I know of,” I say.
Not the kind of trouble they mean. I’m in trouble that involves being fake-engaged to your boss and trying to half lie to a mafia princess in LA because I’m protecting another mafia family, of which I’m in love with.
There's a knock at the door, and I stop in my tracks.
My dad is already moving. I'm skidding down the hallway in my socks, trying to beat him, but he's got the door open before I can get a word out.
Hudson. White shirt. Black tie. Smiling like the gentleman he plays so well. Well, lesson learned. Don’t ignore Hudson’s texts.
"You must be Mr. Jones," Hudson says, extending his hand.
"Dad," I huff out, breathless. "This is Hudson. My boss."
Hudson frowns, glancing between us, but keeps his mouth shut. My dad shakes his hand and steps aside.
"I'll make some coffee!" Mom calls from the kitchen.
I rub my hands over my face. This is not happening.
"Pleasure to have you. How's your father doing?" Dad asks, leading him in.
My dad knows his father from years back, that’s how I got the job, and probably how I got the scholarship to study journalism in LA. Small world, I guess.
Hudson clears his throat. "Not good. Declining every day. But he's strong—he's got a while left in him yet."
Dad nods. "Tell him I said hello. Now come in, we've got coffee brewing."
"We'll be in in a minute, Dad."
He heads to the kitchen. I grab Hudson's arm and drag him into the living room, shutting the door behind us.
"This is cute. Love the ranch lifestyle, Harper," Hudson says, scanning the walls. Family photos. Horseshoes above the mantle. A cross-stitch my grandmother made that says This ain't our first rodeo.
I roll my eyes. "Why are you here? And how the hell did you know where I live?"
He straightens his tie. "I texted you yesterday. You ignored me, and we have some things to discuss, Harper. And my father had your parents' address; it was quite easy."
I chew on my lip. I was meant to see Ace tonight. This is a disaster. A monumental fuck-up. And I need to make sure Hudson doesn't cross paths with him, because all hell will break loose.
Dad taps on the door and opens it. "We're heading to the bar shortly. You two want to join us for a few beers?"
"No," I say, at the exact same time Hudson says, "Yes."
Dad looks at me. "Come on, Harper. It's been a long time since we've had a family night out."
I miss that. I miss it so much it aches.
"Uncle Bert is going to be there," he adds.
I nod. "Okay. Only for a couple. I have to work tomorrow." I glance at Hudson.
Technically, I do. I think Hunter is going to agree to a meeting with Gianna, finally.
"Ten minutes," Dad says, and closes the door.
I turn to Hudson. "I need to get changed. Just wait here."
I go to leave. He grabs my hand and pulls me back.
"Your ring, Harper." His voice is low.
I snatch my hand back. "Engagement doesn't extend to Arizona."
He laughs and pulls something from his back pocket. The diamond catches the light as he holds it between his fingers.
Fuck. Shit. Fuck.
"No," I blurt out.
"My dad is watching my every move, Harper. It wouldn't surprise me if he had people following me. You cannot go out with me without that ring. Especially not after your little dinner performance."
I shake my head. "This is getting ridiculous, Hudson. I am not your fiancée. This—" I motion between us. "—is not real. What am I supposed to tell my parents?"
He shrugs. "Not my concern. If we go out, you wear the ring.
That's part of the deal. You break it, you're off the case, and I'll insert myself right back in. And I'll take the money I know Gianna is paying you, and I’ll write the story exactly how I damn well please. And in this one, I won’t hold back on Sterling Ranch. "
I glance away. He knows he has me. That I won't hand over this case. Not with everything riding on it.
“What do you know about the Sterlings?” I ask, keeping my cool.
He grins. “Enough.”
He pushes the ring towards me again.
"Fine." I snatch the ring and head upstairs, slamming my bedroom door shut.
I press my back against the wood and pull out my phone.
Ace answers before the first ring finishes.
"Is my Goldie on her way?" he says, and that warmth in his voice hits me so hard I have to close my eyes.
"Ace. I—"
"I was gonna put some steaks on. Dinner, then I’ll pin you against the floor? Sound good?"
I press my forehead against the door. Sounds perfect.
"Ace."
"What's the matter, darlin'? Are you okay?" The worry in his voice is clear.
I inhale slowly. "I'm going to have to rain-check tonight. Something came up with work. I can't. Tomorrow night, though?"
He sighs. "It's alright, baby. I get it. I can come to yours."
"No," I snap.
A pause.
"Harper. Tell me what's going on."
"Hudson turned up at my house, Ace."
His sharp intake of breath cuts through the phone.
"He's stayin' with you? At your parents' house?"
"No. But we're going out. My dad invited him to the bar before I could stop it. He texted me yesterday, but I didn’t reply, and here he fucking is."
He laughs. Not the warm kind. "Goldie, did you call me to tell me you're blowing me off to go for drinks with your fake fiancé?"
I rest my hand over my chest. It hurts. Everything about this hurts.
"I'm not handling this well, am I?" I whisper.
"You told me the truth. I appreciate that, Harper. More than you know." His voice softens. "And I know you're coming back to me, alright? It's fine."
"I have to keep this case, Ace. He threatened to take it back and my link to Gianna. I think he knows more about your family than he’s letting on, too."
"He fucking threatened you?” he spits, not disguising the fury.
I take a breath. “Not threatened like that. It’s okay, Ace. I’m okay.”
“This ain’t okay, Goldie. No one makes you feel like that. You hear me?”
Tears sting in my eyes. “I know, Acey. I love you. You know that, right?”
He half laughs. “Not as much as I love you.”
"I'll see you tomorrow?" I ask, praying he says yes. That we can go back to what we started before I had to fly home for the weekend.
"I mean… I guess I could clear my schedule for the love of my life, yeah."
I giggle, a blush spreading up my neck.
"I'll send you a picture of my ass if you want? Keep you going?"
He chuckles. "Ass and tits, baby. I deserve it for this one."
"Deal, Acey. Deal."
"Call me when you're home? Or better yet, sneak into my bed." He says.
"Always."
I cut the call and stare at the ceiling for a long moment. Then I pull on a cute tank top, grab one of my favorite brown hats, and my boots to match. A little lip gloss, a few curls in my hair.
I can hear Hudson's voice downstairs, winning my parents over the way he wins everyone over. The performance that never stops.
My fingers shake as I slide on the engagement ring.
I look down at it. Wrong. It just feels wrong.
But it's okay. Ace understands. He knows it isn't real. He knows I want him. That I never stopped wanting him.
We just have to navigate this shit show and see if we can make it out the other side.
Maybe that second chance we've both been aching for is real.
Before we push through the doors of the bar, my feet are stuck on the spot.
I've kept my left hand hidden from my parents the entire walk here. It's behind my back now, the diamond pressing into my palm, heavy with a lie I don't know how to explain.
"Harper?" Hudson hisses beside me.
"I-I—"
I can't move. Every instinct is screaming at me to turn around and run home. This town is too small. Everyone knows everyone. And if the wrong person sees this ring—
Hudson's hand lands on my back and pushes me forward. I blink, dodging out of his grip.
"Don't touch me, Hudson. Okay? Not now. Not here," I whisper.
He holds up his hand. "Sorry."
I nod and lead him inside.
The place is rowdy. A typical cowboy bar, absolutely packed. Men in hats at every table. Straw on the floor. Country music thumping from the jukebox. The smell of beer and leather and sawdust.
"Over here!" Dad calls out from across the room.
Uncle Bert is off his stool in a heartbeat, wrapping his arms around me so tight he lifts me off the ground.
"Missed you, Harpie."
And that hurts my heart. I walked away from so much. Searching for something that never truly made me happy.
Arizona is where I'm happy. With my family. With Ace.
A loud crash echoes through the bar, and the room goes silent—then erupts into cheering. I glance over to the far end and see a man up on a table, waving one hand in the air, dancing with his beer held high.
Jett. Dressed like an actual cowboy this time. Not whatever the hell he was wearing when he kidnapped me.
"Yeah, it's wild in here. The Sterlings are lettin' loose, it appears," Uncle Bert says.
I straighten my spine. The hairs on my arms stand on end.
Oh. Shit. No.
I look to Jett's left. And my eyes collide with Ace's.
He's leaning against the table. His face is unreadable. Everything else around me blurs until there's nothing but him.
Ace finishes his shot and slams the glass down on the table. A smile twitches on his lip.
His hand comes up. He kisses his palm and blows it right to me with a wink.
I take a step toward him, I can’t help it, my feet just move. We’re magnets.
"Harper. Your father has asked what you're drinking three times now," Hudson hisses behind me.
My mouth drops open. My shoulders slouch.
"Whiskey, please," I say back.
I'm sorry, I mouth to Ace across the bar.