The Wedding Secret (19 page)

Meg placed a bottle of champagne on the table. “I think you should go see them.”

“I told you, she doesn’t want me there,” he grunted.

Meg rolled her eyes. “Don’t be an idiot, Kevin. How did she sound?” Kevin didn’t respond. He couldn’t because Meg barely took a breath. “You didn’t go back and talk to her after your first fight. Or after Hill showed up. Both times you could have worked things out. Instead, you stuck your head in the sand and rationalized it. Well, where did it get you, Kevin?” Meg was on a roll and wasn’t stopping. “Go with your gut.”

“My gut, huh?”

Meg folded her arms. “Yeah. She’d never admit it, but she needs you.”

Jason looked at his watch. “You can be there in ten minutes. Five if you hurry.”

“Shit,” Kevin grumbled. He stood and grabbed the champagne. “Fine, but if she’s ticked because I showed up, I’m blaming you guys.” Swearing under his breath, Kevin walked out, seizing his jacket right before he slammed the apartment door.

Everyone in the kitchen exchanged glances.

Meg took Kevin’s beer bottle and put it in the recycling bin. “Should we call Harper and warn her?”

“Hell no,” Josh said with a grin. “Let it be a surprise.”

“Are you sure?” Caroline asked. “He’s in a piss-ass mood. She’s not going to take it too well if he shows up spitting at her.”

Jason sipped his wine. “He’s not mad at her, he’s mad at us. He’ll calm down by the time he gets there.”

“We should start a pool. How long they can keep their hands off each other,” Josh said.

Jason shook his head. “A week.”

Josh raised an eyebrow. “A week? I bet he gets lucky tonight.”

“God, you two are gross.” Caroline grinned. “I’m with Jason, a week. Meg?”

“No comment.” Meg looked out her kitchen window at the cold night sky. “I try to avoid discussions about my brother’s sex life. But the two of them are totally gone over each other. That’s all that matters.”

Kevin glanced at his watch as he stood on the street in front of Harper’s building. It was almost seven thirty and he was standing on a cold street corner in New York with people bustling around him dragging Christmas trees or heading off to parties.

The doorman and concierge both waved, never questioning his presence when he walked through the lobby. Kevin enjoyed the casualness that had developed over the past two months. Unlike his own apartment, coming into Harper’s building felt like coming home, and with all the moves and trades he’d endured since he left for college, Kevin wondered if he would ever feel at home again.

He boarded the elevator and considered his feelings toward her. Annoyed as he had been at his family for pushing him to ignore what Harper said, now that he was here, he was glad. Kevin had been looking forward to spending time with her ever since he’d found out she’d be at Meg’s party. His finding her again had created problems they’d never anticipated, but neither one of them really seemed to know what would happen next; their common bond was Anna. That made being together easier. It helped their friendship take hold, and concentrating on the platonic feelings helped Kevin deal with how much more he felt for her. Of course, once they’d fallen into bed with each other, everything had changed.

He had to look at this as a fresh start for both of them. No more problems.

***

Harper sat on the sofa in her pajamas with a bowl of potato chips and a diet soda. She flipped through the channels watching bits and pieces of the different Christmas shows. Nothing interested her—Frosty, Rudolph, and even the Grinch weren’t holding their usual appeal. It was still early, she lived in New York City, she was single. People were spreading Christmas cheer pretty much everywhere and she was alone and it was depressing. She adored Anna, loved her more than anything, but she still couldn’t help the wave of self-pity that overcame her.

The doorbell startled her and brought her to her feet. She hesitated, but then shook off the concern. One of her elderly neighbors probably needed something.

“Who is it?” she asked through the door.

“It’s Kevin.”

Harper’s heart shuddered before settling into a steady rhythm
. He came
, she thought. Turning to the mirror, she looked at her reflection.
Great.
Her plaid flannel pajama bottoms and navy knit top were clean, at least, but hardly attractive. Oh, well, nothing she could do about it now. She checked her breath, fluffed her hair, and opened the door.

“Hi,” he said. “Want some company?”

It was like a romantic movie, and Kevin was the perfect leading man. Clad in black from head to toe, he smiled as he leaned into the wall, holding a bottle of Dom Perignon. His complexion was ruddy from the cold air, and his hair was wavy, touchable. The scent of leather and cologne made her feel light-headed, and Harper wondered how long she could go without breathing.

“Harper? May I come in?”

“Oh, sure.” She stepped back from the door. “Why are you here?”

“Where else would I be? Anna is sick and you have to feel pretty crappy about missing the party.”

“You didn’t have to come.” She felt her voice crack and her eyes burn a little. It had been a hell of a week.

“Yes, I did,” he said. Harper wondered where the tenderness in his voice was coming from. Considering everything that had gone on, his ultimatums, the alpha male problems inherent to guys like him, Harper was genuinely happy he was there even though she should be really pissed. “How’s Anna?”

“She’s sleeping.”

“Can I look in on her?”

“Sure, of course.”

Kevin deposited the champagne on the dining room table, dropped his jacket on a chair, and they walked together to Anna’s room. Approaching quietly, Kevin leaned into his daughter’s crib and laid his hand on Anna’s forehead. The little girl stirred.

“She’s only a little warm,” Kevin whispered.

“The fever’s down some, it’ll probably be gone in another day or two.”

Anna opened her eyes and cooed at him. “Ahhh,” she sang.

“Hello, sweet girl, how are your ears?”

“She’s better, I think. She’s definitely cooler and she’s not in pain.”

“That’s good. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, I was going to change her.”

“I got it,” he said as he lifted her out of the crib.

“Didn’t want to stay at the party?” Harper asked.

“I was going to, but I received some good advice that I should come here.”

“You didn’t have to; I told you that.”

“I know, but on the walk over I was thinking the only reason I wanted to go to the Reliance party was so I could see you. You’re the reason I wanted to be there, not Jason’s clients.” Harper twisted her fingers and looked down—had he really said that? Feeling his finger slide under her chin, she looked up and gazed right into his luminous blue eyes.

“I’m sorry, Harper. I’m so sorry.”

Harper never considered herself overly sentimental, but seeing Kevin with Anna made her hope that maybe something could happen. She tamped it down because she’d gotten her hopes up too many times only to have her heart crushed.

“Thank you for coming, Kevin. It means a lot.”

“I was worried about her, and I felt bad that you were by yourself.” So he felt something for her, even if it was his own version of Daddy guilt. But there was something so different about him, something that made her see him in a clear light.

He looked resigned, more focused. Then he looked at her, his azure blue eyes telling her everything was going to be okay.

The beauty was, Harper actually believed it.

***

Harper folded her arms across her chest and started back to the living room. Kevin walked beside her with his own hands stuffed securely in his pockets. He stole a glance and took in the sight of her. She was so pretty in her snowy white socks and baggy pajamas. There wasn’t a woman on the planet who could make flannel look as sexy as Harper did.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“You told me.”

“I know I screwed up, and I’ll tell you I’m sorry a thousand times if I have to.”

“That won’t be necessary. I think we’ve all made mistakes in this. I’m certainly not perfect.”

“No?” He chuckled at the thought.

“You didn’t get the memo?” she joked.

He was so glad things were easy between them. He’d been worried about seeing her, and it felt okay. In fact, it felt damn good.

They put the champagne in the fridge and decided on beer and snacks and a hockey game. The long sofa was like all the furniture in the apartment: overstuffed, soft, and comfortable. He settled on one side; she was on the other.

“Part of me was sorry to miss the party, but part of me was glad to stay home. I don’t want her sick, but I really needed a break. That brother-in-law of yours is a tyrant.”

Kevin laughed. “I think you need to tell him that yourself. He values your opinion.”

There was a long pause as she considered what he’d said. “I know, but I’m not really into confrontation. Maybe I’ll just call him Atilla behind his back.”

He rested his ankle on his knee and laughed again. “You? You forget I saw you take out your stepbrother in a big way last week. That was impressive. I think you’re pretty good at confrontation.”

“Okay, so I can do my kung fu fighting when I have to, but that was not fun.”

“It was fun watching Hillbilly Harper make an appearance.”

She reached out and gently backhanded his arm. “That’s mean.”

“I’m sorry, but when you told him he was as, what was it . . .” He was searching for the phrase. “Oh, I know . . . as ugly as a mud fence . . . I didn’t know if I’d recover.”

“It wasn’t that funny,” she said.

“Oh, yes, it was,” he replied. “It was really funny.”

She didn’t respond, and he liked watching her. The moods were legendary, but he was seeing a very relaxed version of her. Then he remembered what he’d brought from his apartment.

“Oh, I have something for you.” He rose and went to the foyer, retrieving a very ornately wrapped gift. It was covered in silver paper and decorated with streaming ribbons, and he held it out and, seeing the shock on her face, waited for her to accept it.

“A gift? I don’t understand.”

“Open it,” he said.

She tucked her feet under her and tore at the paper carefully while Kevin stood by, anxious for her to finish. She opened the box and dug through the soft material and sighed.

As she lifted the vase from the box, her eyes met his and held. She recognized it. It was the one he’d broken. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I did. I’m sorry I broke it.”

“I think, considering the situation, you were justified.”

He was hoping she wouldn’t argue. The vase had cost almost a thousand dollars, but he wanted her to have it. It was almost symbolic. A fixed vase meant a fixed relationship. Okay, not really, but it was important to him.

“Thank you, Kevin.” She rose and put the new vase where she’d kept the original one. That was symbolic, too.

“I was Christmas shopping yesterday, and I had to buy it for you.”

“Are you done with your shopping?”

“Almost. I did just about everything yesterday.” She stood for a moment, keeping her distance, and he took her in. So pretty, so vulnerable, even though she didn’t want to be.

“Seriously? I still have a lot to do.”

“Not me. I’m pretty much done.”

“You don’t get a prize for doing it all in one day,” she teased.

He laughed. “It’s a guy thing, I guess.”

Harper shook her head and sat next to him. “I can’t wait for Anna to be old enough to really enjoy Christmas. In a few more years we’ll be taking her to see Santa.”

“That’s going to be fun.” His heart skipped a beat when she mentioned Santa because she said “we,” and it wasn’t lost on him.

“How old were you when you found out there was no Santa?” she asked.

“I think I was about nine when I found out.”

“Me, too. Did you believe it?” She tapped her fingers on the back of the sofa and looked at Kevin, who was staring at his hands. His eyes held a mischievous glint when he looked up.

“Harper, you may play a tough executive, but you still believe in Santa Claus.”

From anyone else it would have been an insult, but from Kevin it was just an indication of how well he knew her. Despite everything that had happened to her, all the bumps in the road, Harper had faith. Her heart always believed.

She shrugged and rose, collecting glasses and bowls putting them in the sink in the kitchen. Without asking, when she came back, she put a movie in the DVD player and pressed play. “You’re probably right.”

He took her hand, pulled her down next to him, and held on. Her heart flipped over in her chest as he pulled her close, and she could see herself with him fifty years from now. “I never realized that. I guess I am a believer.”

“Honey, from where I’m sitting, that’s not a bad thing.”

***

The crowd cheered and the sound of angels getting their wings drifted through the TV. George Bailey had his faith restored, the whole town came out, and Harper was snuggled next to the most gorgeous man watching
It’s a Wonderful Life
. The images on the TV screen celebrated the passage of time and the start of something new, good friends, and those who loved you. Kevin’s presence had been wonderful for Anna; it gave her daughter’s life a dimension, a fullness Harper couldn’t have imagined. She hoped they could fix things between them. She wanted it so badly, and it seemed things were off to a good start.

Kevin stood and stretched. “Hot cocoa?” he asked.

“Mmmm. Good idea. I’ll make it.” Harper rose, happy to have something to do other than figuring out a way to get him into bed. Bad, bad Harper.

He followed her to the kitchen and didn’t say anything. It should have been strange, but it was wildly comforting to just have him there, sitting on a barstool, looking at his phone. It was normal, and she wanted this to be their life.

“Is everything okay?” Crap, he’d caught her looking.

Harper nodded and took a chance, closing the distance between them and kissing him. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“Why are you thanking me?”

“Because you didn’t listen to me and came to be with us. Because . . .” She was tentative, unsure how to do this. So much had transpired between them, and they only had one more chance to make it work.

Reaching out, he took her hand. “You don’t have to do it alone, you know. I’m right here. Just don’t shut me out again.”

“I know.” She squeezed her eyes shut, crushed by the tide of emotions. Grief, sorrow, longing—everything she’d felt since she’d left home when she was eighteen, everything regarding Anna, and everything regarding him came back in a rush.

He stood and stirred the milk on the stove when he saw she was distracted, then he kissed her tiny hand, which was still caught in his. “We’ve both made mistakes, like you said. I think we should put everything behind us.” He paused and turned to her. “Honey, I’m not going anywhere.”

There was no way to control what happened next. Harper kissed him and kissed him and kissed him again. This was her heart talking and she didn’t want to wait for his kisses anymore. “Here’s to putting stuff behind us,” she whispered.

Kevin smiled against her lips. “Hear, hear.”

***

They started to watch another movie, but missed half of it because they were making out on the couch like two teenagers. Kevin didn’t know how they didn’t end up naked, but there was something fun about kissing. He planned on making love to her plenty over the course of his life. When she fell asleep on the sofa, he lifted her up and carried her to bed. Never once thinking about what he should do, he settled her under the covers of in her room and checked on Anna. After he undressed down to his boxers, he considered looking for another bedroom, and then decided against it. He belonged with her, and even in sleep, Harper agreed. As soon as Kevin climbed into the bed she nestled into the crook of his arm. It was normal, it was natural, and it was right.

Kevin awoke when it was still dark and checked the clock on the bedside table. Four forty-five. It would be light soon, and the new day meant he had some things to do. Like he had to figure out how to make this woman his wife. Harper was on her side, and he let his hand graze down her ribs, over her hip, and along her leg. She stirred and turned, reaching out for him, still in that blissful fog between sleep and wakefulness.