Peachy Keen (23 page)

“Hi, I’m Georgia,” I said.

She reluctantly took my hand and breathed, “Shit.”

“Mom!” the twins barked in unison again.

“Sorry, girls,” Heather said over her shoulder, dropping my hand before looking at me once again in disbelief. “Are you and Harry…?”

The door swung open, revealing Harrison, and a sigh of relief rolled through me. He pinned me with a stare and I knew the look was a silent question of whether or not I was all right. I wasn’t sure. The sound of cookies crunching in the twins’ mouths was the only thing pulsing in my ears aside from my ever-increasing blood pressure.

“Heather,” Harrison started carefully. “This is Georgia…”

“We’re friends,” I interjected. “I didn’t have anywhere to go and since Harrison thought he’d be alone we decided to make the most of it together. What a nice surprise that you all came.” I glanced up at Harrison and saw his face had fallen. “Maybe I should go so you can spend time with your family.”

Heather looked back and forth between Harrison and me; it was easy to see she was a touch skeptical about my insistence that we were friends. Harrison began shaking his head back and forth, his deep brown eyes filled with concern.

“No,” he finally said. “You’re staying.”

“Of course you should stay,” Heather confirmed weakly. “It’s Christmas.”

The kitchen suddenly grew smaller as Holly entered, shooting me the same look of concern Harrison had. I forced a smile and wondered if it would be in poor taste to stay in the kitchen all day. Harrison’s apartment was big but I knew we couldn’t fit too many more people inside. Maybe I’d avoid ever meeting Hilary, Hannah, and his parents that way. He had three bedrooms—where the hell was everyone going to sleep? Where would I sleep? I’d just claimed to be his friend…had I unknowingly just secured myself a spot on the couch? Shit. Merry Christmas.

“Mom and Dad brought bagels if everyone’s hungry. They’re on the coffee table,” Holly said.

The twins rushed out into the living room again and Heather trailed behind them, giving Harrison one last worried glance. Holly followed to the door and put her hand on Harrison’s forearm. “I’ll keep them out of here for a minute,” she whispered.

When she was out of sight, he covered his face with his hands and sighed heavily. “I am so sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

I didn’t know either so I stayed silent. Opening my mouth in stressful situations hadn’t gone well for me lately.

He closed the distance between us and took my hand in his at his side. “Why did you lie? Why did you say we were friends?”

Words jammed up in my throat, unmoving and unformed, while my mouth opened slightly. I didn’t know why I’d said it. Harrison huffed and dragged his hands along his jaw once more in pure frustration.

“What do I have to do to make you mine? To be yours? Are you embarrassed to be happy? In love? Monogamous?”

“Harrison, stop it.”

“I don’t understand you,” he snipped.

“Won’t it just be easier to be friends? Keep the drama from tainting your family Christmas? We can tell them another day. This doesn’t seem like the time or place.”

Harrison’s dark eyes immobilized me and I felt a shiver roll up my spine. “I get it. You’re a peacekeeper. You ran interference between your parents and you don’t ever want to rock the boat. But I don’t know what it’s going to take to make you see that you aren’t inconveniencing anyone by being happy. I’ve waited a long time to feel the way I feel about you and now I can’t share it with anyone because you’re too worried about everyone else.”

He could’ve said more, but he didn’t have to. I saw that he was pissed. Hurt. Wondering why I couldn’t be more concerned about what he thought. He’d done it again. He’d looked right through me, observing my flaws in all their damaged glory. Someone called his name in the other room and he glanced over his shoulder before meeting my eyes once more.

“I love you, Georgia. No matter who you try and hide it from, I’m always going to love you.”

He swung the door and greeted his family, leaving me with the echoing reminders of the weakness and fear I’d thought I’d overcome by showing up at his door.

I can do this
, I told myself. With a deep breath, I pushed through the door and my feet led me slowly to the living room. The moment I entered, all eyes fixed on me, including Harrison’s vaguely brooding ones that, even when angry and disappointed, gave me butterflies in my stomach. His sisters all looked vaguely the same. Hilary, Heather, and Hannah were all tall while Holly was the runt of the litter. Each of them, aside from Holly, wore a furrowed brow and tight mouth as they looked me over. Sizing me up.

“Everyone, this is Georgia,” he said. The room was silent as I smiled weakly. If I had any sort of clue where I’d ended up parking my car, I would’ve sprinted there. “She’s Danielle’s roommate,” he added coarsely.

I’d been the one to call us friends—to lie—but hearing him quantify me only as Danielle’s roommate, hurt.

His father, who didn’t look as much like him as I would’ve thought, flipped his gaze to Harrison with raised brows. “Evan’s Danielle? Boy, she’s a looker. Saw her picture online,” he said with a low whistle.

I smothered a laugh by pressing my lips together but couldn’t hold it in as Harrison dropped his head, shaking it.

“Yeah, Dad, Evan’s Danielle,” Harrison said before he quickly pointed out each member of his family, their children and spouses, and gave me the rundown of their names.

His father looked back at me and grinned. “Welcome, dear.”

It wasn’t his father who I was worried about being welcomed by. I continued to feel the eyes of his mother and sisters boring into me, scrutinizing my every detail, and sickness rumbled low inside me. A hand slipped in mine and yanked me down on the sofa and when I realized it was Holly I breathed a sigh of relief. Her glossy lips shot me a smirk and she patted my knee. I had one ally.

“You couldn’t be with your own family for Christmas?” Hilary asked.

I always marveled at the way some women could ask a normal question but make it sounds as hateful as
fuck you
. I swallowed hard and stared at Harrison from across the room, his nephew, Jack, settled comfortably in his lap. His silence hurt me but I knew I’d done this to myself. I’d been silencing him since our first night together, a thought that pained me deeply. I flicked my eyes back to Hilary and saw her husband, Mike, avert his eyes--avoiding the scene. Heather and Hannah’s husbands seemed equally as uncomfortable as the Simms sisters waited for my response. I wondered how often these men had to sidestep drama. The words I prepared to speak felt like razors travelling up my throat, sliding sharply across my vocal chords.

“No, they went out of town.”

“So you could come to New York, but not wherever they went? Aren’t you from Pennsylvania?” she clipped back.

“What’s with the third degree, Hil?” Heather asked, laughing lightly.

Hilary’s brow rose at her sister and she shook her head, turning from me to her son. “Aunt Holly told me she talked to Santa just for you and your cousins to make sure he knew to come to Uncle Harrison’s apartment with your presents,” she cooed, squeezing one of his tiny feet.

With that, I became invisible. A complete outsider in an intimate crowd of people who shared blood and history. Chatter engulfed the room again as the family members began catching up with each other. Holly spoke to me a few times but the kids clearly adored her the most, stealing her attention every chance they could.

The hours passed agonizingly slowly and not one word left my mouth. I wasn’t invited into conversations and I wasn’t asked a single question. When Holly stood up, I looked at her like a shivering Chihuahua.

“Come on, help me with lunch. You look like you could use a break,” she whispered.

I followed her quickly and the second I made it to the kitchen, I huffed and put my hands on my knees. I didn’t expect to get so worked up and I didn’t expect Holly to be so caring, but the feeling of her hand coming to rest softly on my back as I bent over to steady my breath made my eyes prick with tears. I stood and met her stare.

“You okay?”

“I should leave, right?” I asked without answering her question.

Her dark brows knit together. “No. Not at all. I’m sorry Hilary is such a bitch. She’s always been protective of Harrison.”

“And she wants him to be with Meredith,” I added.

“But he doesn’t want that. This kitchen isn’t soundproof; I assume you heard him. He loves you. Meredith is old news. She’s been old news for a long time. Hilary just thinks she knows what’s best for him, but the truth is she’s just as bad as Meredith was—trying to control him all the time.”

Absently chewing my bottom lip, I felt another wave of emotion choke me. “Am I honestly any better? Forcing him to keep his mouth shut about us? God, I came here to attempt to recover from the mess I made of us a few weeks ago. I can’t seem to stop screwing things up. I don’t want to hold him at arm’s length anymore. He doesn’t know how happy he makes me. I just want…I just want to be happy.”

Her face fell and she touched my shoulder. When her mouth opened to speak, my phone vibrated in my front pocket, startling me. I sniffed back tears and looked at the phone.
Danielle.

“I have to get this,” I said. I pushed through the kitchen door before making my way down the hall into the privacy of Harrison’s bedroom.

“Hello?”

“He asked me to marry him,” Danielle whispered.

I smiled and held in a sob at the same time. Swallowing my problems, I let the grin win. “I hope you said yes, Mama.”

She laughed and sighed. “I did. Of course I did. God…it’s so freakin’ surreal.”

I shut my eyes and took a seat on the floor, leaning back against the mattress, and asked her to tell me every detail of how he did it. Her dreamy voice, the joy in her words soothed me and I felt my heart swell for her.

“Did you know?” she asked.

I smiled. “Yeah, Harry told me Evan bought a ring.” My eyes flashed open after my words had fallen out.

“Harry?” Danielle laughed. “I didn’t realize you two were on a nickname basis. In fact, I didn’t even realize you two talked…”

“We don’t. I mean, we have. Just once or twice.”

Fuck. One more lie. One more fucking failed attempt at seeming cool and collected.
Peachy.

“Can I just say thank you?” Danielle said softly.

I laughed lightly. “For what?”

“For getting me drunk and helping me make vacation plans. I’m gonna
marry
him. Spend the rest of my life with this amazing man. I wouldn’t have even met him if it weren’t for you. I kinda owe you like forever.”

“You don’t owe me! Tequila and reckless decisions, that’s what I’m here for. Happy looks good on you. You deserve it, Mama.”

 My head dropped into my hands and I felt a rush over my skin. Harrison had explained it over and over, yet this was the moment I wised up.

“You deserve it too,” she said carefully. “You deserve whatever you want to make you happy.”

“I love you, Mama.”

She told me the same with a smile in her voice and we hung up.

It was time.

Jumping to my feet, not completely prepared for what I was about to do but fully committed to it, I stopped when my hand reached the barely cracked door. I heard mumbling down the hall and when my name was uttered clearly, I leaned in to listen.

“He’s such a nice guy,” Hannah said. “I’m not surprised. Maybe he likes her.”

Hilary scoffed. “He probably just invited her as a favor to Evan. She was just desperate enough to actually show up. God, his entire life revolves around that job and now it’s getting in the way of us having a nice family holiday.”

My teeth lined up in my mouth, my shoulders rolled back and then from the crack in the door, I saw Harrison approach his sisters with fire in his eyes.

“You are unbelievable,” Harrison barked. “You think she’s the reason we can’t have a nice family holiday? Check your fucking attitude. You’re not exactly the spirit of Christmas, Hilary. I’m not doing Evan a favor. She’s not here because of my job. She’s—”

Hilary laughed. “Jeez, calm down already.”

Her flippant tone was my undoing and I took one step, putting my hand on the door. Harrison turned to me and his expression crumbled. His head rolled back and he blew a breath out toward the ceiling as I came all the way into the hall. Hannah pulled in a gasp and averted her eyes. Surprisingly, Hilary looked shamed but it didn’t keep her from looking down her nose at me once more, folding her arms across her chest.

I’d always wanted a sister. Danielle was the closest thing I’d ever managed to have. When my father remarried, I gained a brother via my stepmother, Linda, but I always envied my friends with sisters. Sure, women were catty and could be downright cruel to each other in the most intricate and precise ways, but the bonds that formed between women were powerful—momentous. I struggled for years to find close girlfriends and I’d never understood why it was so difficult. My friendship with Danielle formed and solidified in a split-second. She became my sister and she’d always be that.

Holly was a sweet girl and we had so much in common; I saw the potential there. If my wildest, deepest buried dreams came true then I wouldn’t just have Harrison filling my life with love, family and friendship…I’d gain sisters and nieces and a nephew and two parents who still loved each other. Even silenced among them in the living room, I loved the way they made Harrison smile and laugh. I wanted to be a part of it.

Looking at Hilary, scrutinizing me as she stood tight-lipped without as much as an attempt at an apology to me or her brother on her tongue, I feared the whole package would always be just beyond reach. But fear wasn’t stopping me anymore.

I stepped in front of Harrison and smiled when his eyes widened. My hands captured his face gently and I pushed up on my toes, pulling him down to kiss me. He sighed and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as the sweet kiss claimed us both. We parted but I kept one palm against his cheek, staring up at his stunned face for a sweet moment before turning to his sisters.