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I swing her off her feet as she latches herself around my hips.
“Yes, Harbor is upstairs, but she’s taking a shower. She’ll be down later.” If she doesn’t sneak out the back and disappear by shimmying down the drainpipe. She didn’t want anyone else to know. What if this sends her running back to San Francisco?
“What’s going on between the two of you besides the obvious sleepover? Is this one sleepover? Or multiple sleepovers?”
I brush past my sister in search of my caffeine fix. Not that I should probably drink it with my stomach churning.
“We’re seeing each other but not telling anyone.”
“Which is why I thought you were alone and came in. Otherwise, I would’ve waited and definitely wouldn’t have sent Sofia up to wake you.”
“Thanks for the coffee.” I kiss Sofia’s temple and pour a liberal amount of coffee into a white mug. The swirls of steam waft upward. I turn around while blowing into the liquid and rest my backside against the counter.
“You’re welcome.” Emilia opens her mouth to say more and snaps it shut. She slings a dishtowel over her shoulder and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
I take the first sip and sigh. Last night was amazing, but I’m drained, and I must go into the station in a couple of hours. Caffeine is the only thing that’s going to save me at this point.
“Sofia, go to the playroom and see if you can find the Barbie with the red dress.”
“Yes, Mommy.” She climbs down as I deposit her feet on the floor. And she’s off.
“Is it serious?” Her eyes are solemn as she surveys me and moves across the kitchen until there are only a few feet between us.
“Yes, it’s serious.” I frown as I consider my answer while sitting the mug down. “Or at least, I hope it’s serious. We haven’t talked a lot about what the future looks like. Just that we want to see each other and determine whether we’re good together before telling everyone.”
“Yeah, good idea.” Her eyes grow darker. “Connor will be pissed so you want to make sure this is what you want before dropping this bombshell on him.”
“Yeah.” Tension settles between my shoulder blades. “I don’t want to lose him as a friend. But….”
“You won’t.” She straightens her spine and rolls her shoulders back. “I’ll–”
“You’ll what?” Harbor walks into the kitchen with a freshly scrubbed face and damp, straight hair while wearing a white top paired with skintight jeans. “Bend his arm?”
“Okay, you have a point.” My sister rolls her eyes as she turns to greet Harbor. “He has no respect for me. So he won’t listen. You’ll have to elicit a different strategy to help win him over.”
“We’ll figure something out.” Harbor walks toward me, and my heart drops to my feet. This is what I want. I want her here in my house every morning.
When she’s close enough, I pull her to me and kiss the top of her head before leaning down and whispering, “You look gorgeous.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.” She winks and lays her head on my chest as her arms lace around me. I inhale the scent of my shampoo and soap. On her, it smells even better.
“Nope.” I grip her chin with one hand. “Only you.”
She bites her bottom lip and sighs.
“God, you two are cute together. It makes me sad, sappy, and happy.”
I glance at Emilia over Harbor’s shoulder as she twists to face my sister. “Are those three of the seven dwarves?”
“I think so.” She frowns. “Damn it, I’m jealous.”
Harbor steps out of my embrace. “I’m sorry we’re making you uncomfortable.”
“Stop.” She raises her hand in protest. “Do not change how you act toward my brother on my behalf. He deserves to be happy.”
“Do you mind keeping this a secret until we’re ready to tell people?”
“Of course, I don’t mind.”
