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She grins as I open the door to the ballroom and she sweeps in with confidence in her step, all elegant grace. God, I love her.
At the formal dinner, she speaks with ease with my mother and sister, who introduce her to their friends. A live band plays, and as the hosts of the evening, we’re the first people to take the dance floor. I walk onto the circular area with a swell of pride, with the knowledge that I’m here for the first time with my wife on my arm. A bold declaration, claiming her as my own.
She stands by my side during the auctions and raffles and other fundraising activities and in the end, we trump Mikhail and Aria’s efforts last year, and I let him know it.
“You’re not competitive atall,are you?” Harper asks with a laugh on our way out. “Speaking of which… should I just go ahead and take a pregnancy test?”
I freeze with my hand on the handle of the car door.
“Say that again.”
“Oh, my period might be a bit late,” she says with a teasing lilt in her voice.
“Is it? But Harper, you were drinking tonight.”
“I only had sparkling water, I promise you,” she says in a throaty whisper. “I didn’t have any alcohol.”
“Where do we get a test?” I ask. I don’t know shit about these things.
“Any pharmacy,” she says as I open the door for her and buckle her in. “We’d need to find a twenty-four hour one…”
“I’ll fucking break into one and get one?—”
“Aleks, for God’s sake, save the heroics for when it’s needed,” she says, pulling up her phone. “Look, there’s one right down on the corner.” She grins. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Harper
We come out laterwith six different brands of pregnancy tests and a ridiculously huge family-sized bag of peanut butter cups because I justhappenedto say I love them, and he didn’t know.
“I can’t eat all these.”
“You could be eating for two,” he says seriously. “I’ll help you. I love that shit.”
At the stoplight, I lean over and kiss him. The moment his lips touch mine, I sigh, a flutter of lightness filling my lungs I haven’t felt in so damn long.
At the next set of lights,hekissesme.While my kiss was tame and tentative, his is unfettered. Hands tangled in hair, fingers on my scalp, our tongues touching. I moan when the light turns green and we pull away.
“Go take the test,” he says, when we park in the driveway.
I like to tease him a little. “They say early morning is the best time. Let’s check on Ivy and then maybe just take it?—”
“Don’t try my patience, Harper,” he growls. I stifle a giggle and do what he says.
“What does it say?” he asks through the door. I stand up and unlock it, letting him in. Ivy’s fast asleep, her babysitter sent home for the night.
“Nothing yet. Takes a few minutes.”
“Minutes? Are you fucking kidding me? I thought it was instant!”
I shake my head at him. “You do know that if it’s positive, it takes nine months to have the baby, right?”
He slaps my ass, but not too hard, likely because he thinks I’m pregnant. I’m sure a good ass slap doesn’t hurt a thing, but I don’t tell him. Not yet. I’ll distract him while we wait.
“So our…prisoner. What are your plans tonight?” I ask. “Are you keeping him in holding, or?—”
“Do you really want to know what I have planned?” he asks. He’s stripped out of his suit coat and tie but still wears his dress shirt and pants. He’s sex personified with his tousled hair, burning blue eyes and chiseled looks.
