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I clasp her fingers in mine. “When do you have to go back?”
“Sunday afternoon. Mr. Burke is skipping out on events this weekend, spending time with Josephine and the kids, so he doesn’t need me.”
“Good.” I drop her hand and wrap my arm around her shoulders while kissing the top of her head. Not touching her seems out of the question. “I have to work this afternoon and into the evening, but I’ll be back tonight. Are you okay with staying here while I’m gone?”
“Sure.” She shrugs. “If you don’t mind.”
We stride down the steps, perfectly in sync. “Not at all.”
“Look at the two of you. All cozy and homey looking,” Connor says with a droll tone.
“Shit.” I stop mid-step as Harbor jumps and screams.
“Son of a bitch, Connor.” She clutches her chest. “You scared the crap out of me. What if one of us had fallen down the sta–” She snaps her mouth shut and red tinges her cheeks as we both stare at her brother whose feet are propped on the coffee table as he leans back into the sofa cushions with his arms perched along the upper cushions. His comfortable position does not match his squinted eyes or the deep furrow on his brow. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” He drops his feet down to the floor and shifts to the edge of the sofa. “Were you guys going to tell me about this at some point?” As he speaks, he waves his hand to encompass us on the stairs.
I draw Harbor closer rather than letting her go. “When the time was right.” I don’t want to lose him as a friend, but if he makes that decision, it’s his decision to make. However, that doesn’t stop the ball of anxiety from tightening in my already rumbling stomach.
“I guess now is the time.” He stands and braces his hands on his hips.
“Connor….” Harbor rakes a hand through her hair.
I lean down and whisper in her ear, “Let me explain. He’s always going to be your brother.”
She looks up and nods. “Okay.”
“Thanks.” I give her a quick wink, and we step down to the main floor.
“I’ll give you a minute.” She pats my back and disappears into the kitchen, leaving Connor and me alone.
His jaw flexes as he eyes me up and down. This could go epically bad. I rotate my neck and straighten my back. “Obviously, it’s not a newsflash at this point that Harbor and I are a couple. We started seeing each other after the photo shoot. At first, we left it up in the air on whether it was something serious or not, so we decided not to tell anyone until we knew.”
“And why wasn’t it serious from the beginning? Is my sister not good enough for you?”
“Don’t be an ass.” My eyes narrow as I steadily breathe. Getting into a fight isn’t going to accomplish anything. “I’ve always liked Harbor. That’s why things didn’t work out with Hadley. I said it was because she wanted to move away, and I didn’t, but that wasn’t the only issue. We fought all the time because I hung out at your house, and she was jealous of Harbor.” I should have never dated her. It wasn’t fair of me to have feelings for Harbor and know it would never be the same with Hadley. “And she had a reason to be jealous of Harbor. I didn’t ask your sister out because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, and I didn’t think she felt the same way.” I shrug and shove my hands into my short pockets. His hand uncurls. I might get out of this conversation without a black eye or a bloody nose yet. “If I knew, I would’ve asked her out four years ago, but she was giving off ‘you suck’ vibes.”
“No, I wasn’t,” she calls out from the kitchen. Her words are followed by sounds of condiments clinking as she rummages through the refrigerator, looking for something. Hopefully, it’s something to eat, because I’m starving. Sex and getting caught by your best friend works up an appetite. “You’re just obtuse.”
“Thanks, Pip.”
“You’re welcome.”
I can’t keep the smile from creeping up my cheeks.
“And now? How is this going to work? Are you moving there? You said you didn’t want to move. Long-distance doesn’t last.”
I didn’t want to move then. I don’t want to move now, but I’ll move for Harbor. She’s my world, and I’m not giving up another day of our future. We’ve already lost too much time. “We’ll figure it out. All I know is that I love your sister, we’re together, and I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”
“Shit,” he groans and rolls his eyes. “I suppose this means you’re going to be more up in my face when I insult my own sister?”
“Yes.” I give him a serious look even though I know he’s trying to lighten the mood, but I want him to know where my allegiance lies. I’m spending the rest of my life with this woman, and I’m not going to allow him to smart off to her unless she agrees that she’s fine with their barbed comments. And even if she is okay with it, I’ll draw the line at some things. “It does.”
“Fine.” He inhales and stands motionless for a few seconds as pan-clattering sounds flow from the kitchen. I cringe. My organizational skills could use some work. I don’t cook that much between eating out and making meals at the station. Let’s hope she finds what she needs…. Or we’re going out.
“Are we still good?”
“Yeah.” When he smiles, the remaining anxiety disappears. With Connor on our side, there won’t be issues with anyone else. “We’re good.”
