The Wedding Secret (20 page)

“Kevin?”

“I’m here.”

“You stayed?”

“I said I would.”

“What time is it?”

“Almost five.”

“You tucked me into bed?”

“I did, and I behaved and left you in your pajamas.”

“I noticed that.” Harper started wiggling, and soon he felt her bare leg twisting with his. No more flannel pants. God, she felt good.

“You were a very good boy, but I’m going to be a bad girl, Kevin.”

“Cool. I’ll help you.”

***

He flinched only slightly when she sat up and ran her hand over his arm. The skin was tight and smooth across his shoulders and back, and each band of muscle was visible. Without any thought, Harper kissed the hollow of his throat, and he shuddered. It was so good when she could see how he felt, when she could feel his reactions. Her hands, seemingly with a mind of their own, caressed the defined ridges of his abdomen, and he drew a quick sharp breath as she pressed her body against his.

“What are you doing?” he gasped.

But she didn’t answer him, because she wasn’t quite sure herself. All Harper knew was that her body and her heart were in control. Her logical mind had no say in what was about to happen. Turning his body so he faced her, Harper saw his eyes ask the question. Should he stay or should he go? Whatever happened in the next few seconds could change their relationship forever. How could she let him go? The need was so raw, so plain, she couldn’t fight it any longer. It wasn’t just about sex. It was Kevin; she needed him and everything he meant to her as a friend, a lover, and the father of her child. She rubbed her hands over his shoulders and let go of her worries about what could happen. All she wanted was to feel him, physically and emotionally.

His hands came up and settled on her waist. She felt them moving slowly up her sides until they drifted under her T-shirt. He moved deliberately, never breaking eye contact but arousing her at a gradual and sensual pace. Harper felt her bones and joints start to soften with each touch, and finally Kevin leaned in for a deep, drugging kiss. She didn’t know what was happening, only that she no longer had control over her body. Easing away, Kevin pulled the T-shirt over her head, and his gaze wandered over her nearly naked body.

As he asked the wordless question, his fingers stroked her breasts and instinctively she arched her back at the sensation.

“Please make love to me,” she whispered.

It was the only thing he needed to hear.

***

Kevin scooped her into his arms and pulled her hard to his chest. She gasped as their bare skin touched, and any inhibitions fell away. His mouth devoured hers with strong possessive kisses that stole her breath. The quiet darkness of the room swirled with the passion of a love born in such different circumstances, that there was no telling where one of them began and the other ended. They were merged, feeling with one heart and joining together to become one body. He eased her down into the mountain of soft pillows and skimmed the length of her with his hands. Each twitch and moan made him want more of her. Her breasts ached for attention and he teased her into ecstasy with the slow movement of his tongue over the hard peaks. He sucked the tips gently first, then more feverishly, making her cry out and writhe in his arms. Finally his fingers wound in the strings of her lace panties and eased them down, exposing her entirely. He pulled back enough to gaze at her. She lay on the bed completely naked. Her arms extended up over her head. Her hair was fanned out around her like a dark halo and her tongue traced a gentle outline over her swollen lips. He let his hands glide gently down her body again. Over the soft alabaster skin of her breasts, the ladder of her ribs, and finally to the thatch of dark hair between her legs, where he found proof of her wanting.

He smiled. “I seem to have you at my mercy.”

Harper’s mouth turned up at the corners, and her arms extended toward him. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the pillow as he took her mouth.

“I want you,” she whispered.

“I know.” He stretched out next to her on the bed. “I need to touch you first. It’s been too long.”

She drew in an unsteady breath. Each pass of his hands was featherlight, almost imperceptible. She was arching, moving, and moaning with pleasure. His mouth dropped to her breast again and he touched the nipple with his tongue and then took it in his mouth, sucking greedily as she squirmed.

Looking in her eyes he saw nothing but passion.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes, but go slow. I want it to be slow this time.”

He nodded, touched by the honesty of her admission. So Kevin took his time. His mouth left a trail of heat down her neck, through the valley of her breasts, and across the flat plane of her stomach. He moved down with such care he surprised himself. He kissed the inside of each thigh and then let his tongue add to the wetness he found at her center. She moaned with pleasure, her hands fisted in the bedclothes, and began to move so frantically he grasped her hips to hold her still while his tongue continued its slow, deep torment. He knelt beside her and let his fingers enter her core, slowly easing and stretching the warm flesh.

He could feel the blood pounding in his head when her words penetrated the haze.

“Kevin, please. Now.”

Her legs opened as he lowered himself and linked his hands with hers. He took his time easing into her, but when he’d entered her fully, he trembled and then raised himself up so he could see her face.

Their eyes met with total awareness and understanding, and as they moved together the frantic pace slowed to a gentle rhythmic rocking. Each of them felt the eruption beginning. It crept through them, building and building with each stroke, each caress, each kiss. Harper’s hands moved through his hair and her legs wrapped around his waist pulling him deeper inside. The feelings came crashing to the surface as their bodies exploded.

“I love you,” she cried out as the climax sped through her body, and then slowed to a steady, heated pulse.

He collapsed on her supporting just enough of his weight so she wasn’t smothered and let the words fill his mind.

“What did you say?” he asked desperately, hoping he hadn’t been hearing things.

Reaching up, her hands caressed his face and she looked deep in his eyes. “I said, ‘I love you.’ I’ve loved you from the first moment you touched me.”

He shifted a little and wrapped his arms around her so tightly he thought he would crush her.

But he couldn’t say the words. He couldn’t get them out because he was so floored with knowing what she felt for him.

He’d tell her. Tell her in a way that would make her head spin.

Being in love was like having a wonderful secret and Harper was ready to burst. She had a lunch date with her mother, and she knew she should just keep it to herself, but it was hard because she was so damn happy. Harper felt like one of those cartoon princesses with little birds fluttering around her head. It was weird. If someone had met her a year ago, she never would have been that princess. She would have been the sidekick, the loyal lady-in-waiting, but never the princess.

Harper decided she loved being the princess. Except that her prince hadn’t declared that he felt the same way. And it left her with a few less birds circling over her head.

“Hey! You never called me.” True to form, Meg was at her door to get the full scoop of what went down with Kevin on Saturday. The thing was she didn’t know if she wanted to tell her. She hadn’t heard from Kevin on Sunday after he left and other than a quick text today about stopping by tonight, she hadn’t heard from him.

Shit.
Some of her circling birds just flew south.

“What are you doing here? Do you work?”

“My school is two minutes away. I’m on my lunch and I wanted to talk to you.”

“I don’t know what you could possibly want to know.”

Meg plopped into the chair across from Harper and grinned. “Seriously? How did it go with Kevin?”

“Oh, it was okay.”

“Okay?”

Harper looked down at her hands. “It was better than okay. He apologized, endlessly, and we made up.”

“Like ‘How’s breakfast, honey?’ made up or you slugged him in the arm and told him there were no hard feelings made up?”

Harper hesitated again, and then it burst out on a giggle. “Breakfast made up.”

“Ahhhh. He stayed! I’m so relieved.”

“I love him, Meg. I told him. Blurted it right out there.”

“Harper, he loves you, too. You two are going to be so happy together.”

So how did she do this? Did she tell Meg that Kevin hadn’t professed his undying love to her? He’d done so many things: made her feel safe and loved, helped her understand so much of herself, but maybe he just hadn’t crossed over yet. Maybe it was too hard or maybe there was still something about Harper that was holding him back.

Dammit.
One of the little singing birds just died.

The more she thought about it, the more she worried that maybe Kevin still wasn’t ready to commit.

“I think we’re going to take things slow. You know. See what develops.”

Meg squinted at her. “Is something wrong?”

Harper was trying to be diplomatic. Meg had been a great friend, but this was still her brother, her blood. Family loyalty ran deep.

“No, nothing. I just don’t think he’s ready for that step, and I worry I might have spooked him.” That was the truth. And it was something that had her truly worried.

“He didn’t tell you how he feels?” Now Meg was surprised.

“No. He didn’t.”

“Oh. Oh, okay. I’m sorry if I asked too many questions.”

“It’s okay. I could have not answered. I guess, maybe he’s still thinking about how he wants this to go. In the meantime, I’m going to move forward with some plans, and I’m seeing my real estate agent this afternoon to look at some houses.”

“You’re seriously going to move?”

“I think so. With the office being out here, it makes more sense to be close by. I don’t want to commute too much. I want her to have a normal life. I don’t want to treat going to preschool like college admissions. To be honest, I may already be behind on that. I think she had to get on some lists for the best schools while she was in the womb.

“I love the city, and I know a lot of people raise kids there, but I don’t want to.”

Harper had her eye on a few houses. One was in Oyster Bay, one was in Locust Valley, and one was in Cold Spring Harbor, where Meg and Jason lived. It was a little more east than she wanted to go, but it was walking distance to the prettiest little town and Harper loved the whole area.

She was going to mention the idea to Kevin, but when he didn’t return her feelings, she kept her house hunting activities to herself. She’d already dropped the
L
bomb on him; she didn’t want to throw a white picket fence in his path as well.

And it was then that Harper understood that his lack of admission, no matter how he’d acted, was throwing her more than she’d thought. She wanted the words. He may have felt things for her, but that wasn’t enough. She knew he cared for her and respected her, and she knew that he loved their daughter, but she didn’t know if he loved her. And if he did, she wanted him to say it.

If he didn’t, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be great parents to Anna, but she’d have to work really hard to keep her broken heart away from their relationship.

Meg came around the desk and looped her arms around Harper’s neck and hugged her. Really hard. “He’s going to come around. Just be patient. Boys are dumb. Oh, are you still using our real estate broker?”

“Yeah, Ellen. She’s been great.” Harper tapped her watch. “You’d better get going. Munchkins await.”

“I know. I’ll talk to you later.”

***

Kevin was looking at diamond rings when his phone rang. The caller ID told him it was his sister and he hoped she had information.

“Hey. What’s she doing this afternoon?”

“You’re not going to believe this. She’s house hunting. Has an appointment with Ellen, our broker.”

Kevin hadn’t thought about it, but that could be perfect. He knew Ellen Adair. She’d sold him his house, and he could call her and get some help. This could be the proposals to end all proposals. “I just had the best idea.”

“Are you going to show up at one of the house tours?”

“No, I’m going to have Ellen bring her to my house. Text me the number of your florist. I have to work fast.”

***

Harper met Ellen at her office in the village of Oyster Bay. It was such a great town, small, almost untouched by time. She could live here. There were two houses she saw on the listing website and she’d printed out the information. She knew Ellen would have some ideas, too, but Harper was looking past the house and thinking about making a future for her and Anna.

“I have some great properties on the list,” Ellen said as she walked out of the office. “There’s one not too far from here in the Cove that you are going to love. Like seriously love. But we’ll go there last.”

“Okay, let’s get to this.” They climbed into Ellen’s white Mercedes sedan, a staple with agents and brokers with this firm, and they pulled away from the curb.

“It’s a pain buying and selling this time of year,” Ellen said. “But the houses are all done up for the holidays, and it’s so much fun. One day a seller baked gingerbread cookies and the house smelled divine.”

Harper smiled. “I can’t wait. I cook a lot more than I used to, so a big kitchen is on the list, even if I have to renovate.”

“No worries, I know what you like.”

***

Two hours later, Harper wondered what Ellen was smoking when they pulled up in front of a very large Victorian in Oyster Bay Cove that was definitely undergoing some serious renovation. It was obvious new windows had gone in and the landscape had been cleared, but there was clear evidence the house was loved. Christmas wreaths adorned the windows and garland was draped along the porch with bows.

“It’s some house. I mean, it’s going to be beautiful. Why are we here?”

“You need to see this place.”

“It’s not on the listings, and I didn’t see a sign.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re going to fall in love.”

Walking up the front porch, Harper felt an eerie comfort, something warm settled around her heart. It was weird and she hadn’t felt this anywhere else, so rather than resisting, she gave in and stopped thinking too much.

When Ellen opened the front door, she went into a grand entry foyer with a staircase that dominated the space. It was still a work in progress, but the moldings were in place, and the floors were ready for finishing. “I can’t believe the amount of work being done. Why would the owner do all this work just to sell?”

“Oh, it’s not for sale.” Her phone buzzed. “Go look in the great room. I have to take this call.”

She brought her to a house that wasn’t for sale? It must have been okay because she did have a key, but what the hell? She wandered around the foyer and could picture Anna, older, with dark curls flying, running up and down the stairs with a dog behind her. It was perfect. On the left side of the foyer, the great room dominated, and it was stunning. Floor-to-ceiling windows pretty much enveloped the room and let in the light, and a large Christmas tree, fully decorated, was placed near the front of the house. Next to it, there was a small table, and on it, a gift bag.

She walked over and, being the big kid that she was, she looked at the tag and almost choked. It said:

To Harper, Merry Christmas! Love, Santa

Okay, this was strange, but it didn’t stop her from opening the present. Reaching in, she pulled out a small item that was wrapped in tissue. As she unwound the gold paper, her heart lurched. This was not happening. Romantic, beautiful things did not happen to her.

But as she took the tiny crystal snowman into the palm of her hand, Harper started to cry.

It was the same little snowman Kevin had brought to her the day she’d told him about Anna. The same one he’d broken in anger, and holding the replacement mended every crack in her heart. “Oh, Kevin. I love you so much.”

“That’s good.” The deep voice startled her, but when she turned around all she felt was happiness. Kevin was standing in the archway between the great room and the foyer, his dark hair wavy and his blue eyes telling her everything she ever wanted to hear. “It’s good that you love me, because I love you so much, I ache.”

“You do?”

“I do. I love you, Harper. Don’t ever wonder about that again.”

She walked to him and threw her arms around his neck. He held her tight, and Harper never wanted to let him go. She tilted her face up and kissed him. And then kissed him again.

He stepped back and took her hand, walking her to the Christmas tree. “Look,” he said pointing at an ornament. It was a pair of pretty pink china baby shoes, and it said
Baby’s First Christmas
, along with Anna’s name and the year.

“I don’t understand. I mean, I get that you staged this, but the ornament . . .”

“Belongs here. This is my house. I bought it months ago, and I’ve been renovating it.”

“What made you buy such a big house?”

He shrugged and took the snowman from her hand and placed it on the table. “I think,” he said, as he went down on one knee, “I think I bought it for you. You are my home, Harper. You are everything. Marry me, make more babies with me, let me love you forever. Bring all you are to this house and make it a home. Please?”

He released her hand and fished in his pocket. When he pulled out a black velvet box, the tears fell from Harper’s eyes again. “Oh, Kevin. Oh, I can’t believe this.”

“Believe it.” He stood and opened the box, revealing a beautiful round-cut diamond with a halo of smaller diamonds around it. “Marry me, Harper?”

She nodded, overcome with every emotion she could imagine, but the dominant one, the one that mattered, was happiness. Kevin made her happy. “Yes. I love you, and I will marry you.”

Right as he slipped the ring on her finger, there was frantic knocking on the front windows. When she turned she saw Meg and Jason, Josh and Caroline, and Harper and Kevin’s mothers. They were smiling and waving like fools, and if Harper thought she couldn’t be happier, she was wrong. She had her family, the one she’d always wanted.

“They’re going to drive us nuts,” he said, kissing her.

“Maybe, but it’s going to be great.”

Kevin pulled her close resting his cheek on the top her head. “I love you, Harper,” he said into her hair. “I love you.”

And with those gentle words, with their family knocking at the window, in the big house with the beautiful tree, Harper got what she’d always wanted.