Pretend You're Mine: A Small Town Love Story (47 page)

“I wanted you to have the perfect Christmas. I figured more is definitely more.”

“It’s perfect.” She turned back to him and started to reach for him, but stopped.

He shook his head and pulled her closer. “You don’t have to be scared, Harper. You can touch me, I’m not going to go away again.” His grip tightened on her arms. “And I’m not letting you leave either. I owe you so much, and the biggest apology in the world is just part of it. Come on.”

They got out of the truck and walked up the front porch. “Before we go in, I need to say some things.”

Harper crossed her arms against the cold and nodded. “Okay.”

Luke took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for pushing you away. I’m sorry for hurting you on purpose. I was scared. Down to the bones. I felt things for you that I never thought would be possible to feel again and some things were completely new. I thought that by loving you, I was being unfaithful to Karen. When I lost her, I thought it was my fault that she died. I vowed that I would never forget her and the price she paid for my decisions.”

Harper reached out to him and put her hand over his heart.

He covered her hand with his own. “I thought that meant living my life alone. Never loving again. But it was so easy to love you. I don’t even remember ever not loving you. I think I loved you the second I saw you launch yourself at Glenn. Something in me said ‘she’s finally here.’ You’re what I’ve been waiting for. You’re the light that got me through the dark, and I’m not willing to go back to a life without you.”

He let out a shaky breath. “I know that you don’t owe me anything and that even though I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to make this up to you, it still won’t be close to enough. I know all that, but I’m still asking you to please forgive me. I love you. I want you. I need you. And I’m so sorry for hurting you, baby.”

Harper launched herself at him. She pressed her tear-streaked face against his chest and just let herself breathe him in. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. “I’m so sorry, Harper. I’m an asshole. But I’m an asshole that loves you more than anything in this world.”

“I love you, Luke.”

“Do you forgive me?”

“I did that ages ago.”

He shook his head. “How the hell did I ever get so lucky?”

“You might not think that when I tell you this,” Harper said, pulling back.

“You can tell me anything.”

“I can’t stay here.”

“Why the hell not?” he gripped her shoulders.

“It’s not safe. There are things you don’t know —” she started.

“Baby, do you really think a 62-year-old with a failing liver can get through me to get to you?”

Harper took a step back. “How did you ... I don’t understand.”

“Clive Perry will never be a threat to you again.” Luke gently brushed her hair back from her face. “He’s never getting near you. We made sure of it.”

“We?”

“Melissa says to call her tomorrow.”

“Oh crap. Are you kidding me? You met Melissa?”

“Oh yeah. She wasn’t impressed with the ‘asshole’ who dumped her friend at first, but we’re good now. He’s never getting out, baby. And if you’re okay with it, tomorrow we’ll file a PFA with Ty so he can’t send you any more letters. We can do it after we pick out a Christmas tree.”

“How —”

“I’ll tell you later, okay?” He hugged her closer and buried his face in her hair. “I meant it when I said I wouldn’t leave you again. Aldo and I officially retired.”

“Oh my God, I don’t think I can physically handle any more surprises.”

“Let’s go inside.”

“Why? Is there a marching band and the Publisher’s Clearing House guy in there?”

“God I missed your smart mouth.” He laid his lips on hers. “Let’s go in. You’ll freeze to death if I start taking your clothes off out here.”

Luke kept a tight hold on her hand until they crossed the threshold. He closed the door behind them and pulled her in to his arms. “This is where you belong.”

He kissed her on the top of the head and slowly turned her around.

She spotted the framed pictures on the wall next to the door.

One was Karen, laughing in the sunshine. The other, Harper and her parents.

“You framed them.” Her breath caught in her throat. The picture that had followed her from place to place carefully tucked in an envelope was framed and hanging on a wall.

“You’re home, Harper.”

“Luke.” Tears clouded her vision and she turned back to him.

But he wasn’t standing behind her anymore.

He was down on one knee.

“Harper Wilde, I don’t want to spend another day of my life without you. I want to wake up with you wrapped around me every morning. I want you pushing me to do things I’m scared to do. I want to grow our family. I want to spend the rest of my life protecting you from yourself and thanking my lucky stars that you drove east instead of west. Be my wife. Grow old with me.”

He opened the velvet box to reveal a stunning ring. “It’s an eternity band because that’s how long I want to spend with you. And you have to say yes because I bought it in town and everyone knows by now.”

The tears flowed freely down her cheeks. For the second time that night, she could only nod her answer.

“I really need you to say it, Harper,” he teased.

Harper sank down to her knees and fell into his arms. “Yes to everything with you, Luke.”

H
arper cheered with the rest of the crowd at the crack of the bat and then laughed when she realized the toddler in her arms was still sound asleep.

“I can’t believe she can sleep through this,” Harper said to Claire.

“She feels safe,” her mother-in-law smiled. “And why wouldn’t she? Look what you two have done for her and her brothers.” Claire nodded towards home plate where Luke leaned over, giving a serious pep talk to 11-year-old Robbie.

Harper dropped her nose to Ava’s wispy dark hair. “I think it’s more what they’ve done for us.”

“Mom!” Henry, in untied sneakers and a grass-stained t-shirt, rushed up to them, stopping just short of barreling into Harper’s folding chair.

“Henry!” Harper answered with as much enthusiasm.

“Mom, can I spend the night at Tyler’s? Can I, huh? Can I?”

“Let me check with his parents, and if it’s okay with them, it’s fine with me.”

“Wooo!” Henry zoomed off again.

“What in the world are you and Luke going to do with four of them?” Claire laughed.

Harper patted a hand to her slightly rounded belly. “We’ll find out in five months.”

“You’d better get all the rest you can now.”

Harper laughed. “Joni and Frank are taking all three of the kids tomorrow, so we can have a quiet night in.”

“Well if it’s a quiet night in, at least you won’t have to be picking leaves out of your hair,” Claire teased.

Harper blushed scarlet.

“Oh don’t be embarrassed,” Claire laughed. “Garrison men aren’t known for being tentative in bed.”

“Or woods ...” Harper supplied.

“Or the back parking lot of the hardware store.”

“Claire!” Harper hissed, pretending to cover the sleeping Ava’s ears.

They fell silent as Robbie stepped up to the plate with a swagger that was all Luke. He brushed off the first pitch, a wide ball. But Harper could tell from the set of his thin shoulders that he had the swing away signal from Luke. The pitch rocketed toward Robbie, and he swung for it, connecting with a satisfying clink. The ball arched high over the outfield, and he was sprinting for first.

Harper and Claire cheered as the Garrison jersey rounded the bases, Robbie streaking home to vault into Luke’s arms.

The adoption was finalized two weeks after they found out they were pregnant, but Harper still had to pinch herself sometimes. She had the life she had always dreamed of. Luke had seen to that.

There were no more shadows between them. A fact illustrated by the rising sun Luke had tattooed on his chest around the phoenix. She felt his gaze on her now and lifted hers.

He strode toward her, a grin splitting his face. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder where Robbie was celebrating his home run with the team.

“Nice coaching,” Harper called to him. She rose and handed Ava over to Claire and met her husband on the slope of the hill.

He brought his hands to her waist and placed a hard kiss on her mouth.

“Hi, beautiful. Let’s go home.”

Lucy Score was born in rural Pennsylvania, land of chicken and waffles. Obsessed with books since kindergarten, Lucy began penning her own fiction in the second grade when the teacher assigned "My Life on the Mayflower" essays. She enjoys cooking, yoga, and napping. A marketing lackey by day, Lucy dedicates her evening hours to crafting steamy romance stories so hot her family can't look her in the eye.

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Pretend You're Mine: A Small Town Love Story
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