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Unable to sit still anymore, Harper finally breaks the silence. “Okay, guys, what’s going on? You’re really stressing me out. I thought we were having a nice morning. What happened in the ten minutes between breakfast and now?”
The three of us exchange glances, silently trying to figure out which one of us will be the one to tell her. Harper lets out a frustrated sigh. “Whatever brotherly telepathy shit the three of you are doing… knock it off. Use your words.”
Ronan curls his lips in, fighting to hide his smile. Mac stops pacing and sits in the armchair closest to Harper. He reaches out, firmly gripping her exposed thigh. “Princess. You know we’d do anything to keep you safe, right?”
She quickly glances at Ronan and me before meeting Mac’s worried stare. A crease forms between her brows before she hesitantly replies, “Yes…”
He lets out a heavy sigh. “Okay, good. Remember that when you hear what we’re about to tell you.”
She quickly looks at Ronan, who’s staring directly at Mac, silently pleading for him to explain. Mac and I both know Ronan’s temper is hanging on by a thread, a thread that has only been made thinner by the fact that she’s about to become even more involved in our life. But we all agreed that this was for the best. Mac drops his chin, agreeing to Ronan’s request.
Harper must notice the apprehensiveness on Ronan’s face. She tries to stand from the couch and move towards him. I reach my hand out and clamp down on the thigh opposite the one Mac is still holding, keeping her in her spot. We know him well enough to know he won’t want to be touched right now. “Guys, you’re starting to scare me. What’s happening?”
“Just listen to what Mac has to say, Angel.” I begin stroking the inside of her thigh with my thumb. I glance over, and Mac is mindlessly doing the same. I’m not sure whether we’re trying to calm ourselves, her, or both.
Taking a deep breath, Mac begins to explain. “While we were at Kings last night, our Dad came here to speak with Ronan.”
“Okay… About what? Oh no. Is it something bad? Did he find out what happened at the club? Is he pissed you guys took me out? I’m so sorry! I’ll tell him it was my fault. I’ll—”
“Harper,” Ronan bites, his hands clutching the armrests of his chair. “Don’t interrupt. Let Mac finish what he has to say.” I instantly see a look of hurt flash across Harper’s face, disappointed that the Ronan I know she experienced last night and this morning at breakfast is gone. I understand where she’s coming from. Harper must have whiplash from dealing with all of our multiple personalities. But I also know that Ronan is doing everything he can to keep his temper at bay. Ronan has always had the privilege of being able to say what he wants to anyone without worrying about the consequences. He’s not used to factoring in someone else’s feelings, let alone someone as special as Harper.
“It has nothing to do with the club, Princess. And we won’t tell you again,” she stiffens at the seriousness of Mac’s tone, one he rarely uses on her, “That man putting his hands on you was not your fault. We won’t talk about it again. That scum isn’t worth your time or energy. Do you understand?” I notice Ronan tense even further at the mention of what happened at the club. If he’s not careful, he’s going to puncture the leather of his chair with his fingernails.
He laid into the two of us this morning before he told us about Liam. Mac and I know we fucked up. We shouldn’t have left her alone. When Ronan asked why the asshole wasn’t dead, Mac simply said, “Because she asked us to stop.” Surprisingly, Ronan didn’t argue. After we told him how guilty she felt and how upset she was, he promised he wouldn’t bring it up again. After all, there are more important things going on.
“Yes,” she weakly replies.
Mac’s face softens, “Good. But you’re right about one thing. He did come here to talk to Ronan about you.”
I watch Harper’s face carefully as Mac goes over Liam and Declan’s deal with one another. Each minute that passes, I watch her build up one wall after another. Of all the people I’ve been able to read over the years, I don’t have the slightest clue what’s going on in that gorgeous head of hers. I can only imagine what she’s thinking. All I can do is brace for impact as we wait for her reaction.
Once Mac is finished laying everything out on the table, the three of us wait. We wait to see her reaction. We wait for questions I know she has. We wait for her to cry, scream, or do anything really. Minutes go by, but it feels like hours. Silence fills the room as we stare at Harper. My Angel. But there’s nothing. I look at Mac and Ronan, and I can tell by the look on their faces that they’re just as confused and worried as I am. Never have I seen her be so… so still.
A single tear rolls down Harper’s cheek. Before I can wipe it away, she abruptly stands and walks to her room without so much as a word, not even a glance. The soft click of her door closing feels like a bomb going off. I think I would have rather she screamed at all of us and slammed her door. Anything would have been better than this.
“Fucking hell.” Ronan slides his hand down his face and leans back in his chair. “So much for coming up with a plan today.”
“Now what?” I ask Ronan out of habit.
Mac and I sit on the edge of our seats, waiting for Ronan to assess the situation. Except we’re all well out of our depth here. None of us know what to do, but it doesn’t stop us from waiting for his instruction anyway.
Ronan nervously taps at his lips a few times before he takes a deep breath. “Go,” he reluctantly tells Mac. “She needs you. You’ll be able to take care of her best right now.”
Without a word, Mac nods and rises from his chair. Once he makes his way to the end of the hall, we hear him knock twice, followed by the opening and closing of Harper’s door. While her door is open, we hear the soft muffles of her cry. It’s like a dagger straight to my heart. Judging by the look on Ronan’s face, he feels the same.
I wish I could be the one to comfort her. To hold her and tell her that everything is going to be okay. I’m sure Ronan does too. But he’s right. That’s not something we can provide her, at least not yet. Mac can.
And I think for this to work, for us to work, that’s what we need. We need to understand what each of us can give her. We each need to overcome our own battles. Because if we don’t, Harper, our light, will be snuffed out. She’ll be sent into the darkness. Before, we were all living in the shadows. I didn’t know it, but we were barely existing. Like we’ve been walking through life dealing with the fallout of other people’s decisions rather than making our own. Now that she’s here, now that she’s brought her light with her, it feels possible to chase away our demons and create our own paths.
Just like that, I’ve decided. Right here and now. No matter our past, no matter my past, I will do everything in my power to protect her and never hear her cry ever again. That’s what she deserves. She deserves everything. And we can be the ones to give it to her, if she’ll let us.
29
Harper
This cannot be happening. There is no way that this is happening. Nope. No fucking way. Not happening.
But it is Harp. It is happening.
