“He was always around you, he made you laugh, and your mom loved him.” I bite on my bottom lip, laughing at him.
He eyes me. “You guys were a thing, weren’t you?” His eyebrows pull together, and it’s kind of entertaining to see his jealousy show.
“Levi and I casually dated when we were younger, but at the time, I wasn’t interested.” I try to find something else to do, but come up short.
“When my parents caught me and Dean sneaking around, I got everything taken away, and the only person I was allowed to talk to on the home phone was Levi.” I continued, “He knew everything that had happened, but like clockwork, he called every day.” I smile. “After about three weeks, I was allowed to hang out with him. We went over to his house, watched movies, ate pizza, rode horses on his property.” Harley watches me, quietly listening. “This lasted about three weeks, and we both were ready to see what would happen between us. We hadn't been physical at all outside of him grabbing my ass every now and again.” Harley’s eyes go wide, and then he relaxes. I can’t help but laugh, and I continue.
“One day, Mom told me she’d scheduled an appointment at the clinic. I hadn’t realized how long it had been, and as soon as she said it, I knew I was pregnant.” My heart had broken, because Ididhavefeelings for Levi. His mom didn’t really like me, but his dad was so sweet, and his older brother was pretty cool. “Mom took me straight from the clinic to Dean’s front door,” I say, remembering the look on his face when he saw my mom standing there.
“We went home, and I saw the look of disappointment on my dad’s face, and I cried for hours.” I keep going. “I set my cup of pee on the counter in the office, and I turned to sit down. By the time I was sitting and looking at the nurse, the test was already positive.” I feel sick reliving this. “I told the nurse she was a liar, and that the test was wrong.” I blow out a breath.
“When we got home, and I'd cried out all of my tears, I called Levi. He sat and listened to everything I said, and you know what he said?” I look over at Harley, finding his eyes on me, one eyebrow lifted.
“He told me he still wanted to be with me and he’d help with the baby if I kept it.” Tears fall down my face, and I swipe them away quickly.
“I cried so hard,” I tell him. “But I fucked it all up. I told him Dean deserved a chance to be a father and for us to go through this together. That I didn’t want him to be a teen parent, and he wasn’t even the father.” I stand there, letting it all hang heavily in the air between us.
My mom knew, but I never let on how much that hurt me. Part of me knows that I would have ruined his life, and the selfish part tells me that he would have taken care of us. His family came from money, but he worked hard for the things he had, and he cared for me. He was a good man, and a better one at sixteen than Dean is at his full-grown age now.
“After that, we grew apart a little,” I say, eyes on the ground, my butt leaned against the counter and my arms crossed. “Dean never knew what went on while we were apart, or he would have killed him.”
Harley stands next to me, his hip brushing mine as he leans against the counter. “He loved you, Ember.” He glances at me from the side.
“Maybe. He never fully left me. He was one of my only friends after it came out that I was pregnant.” I laugh. “And even down to the night I needed a ride to the hospital and Dean couldn’t be bothered, he still picked up on the second ring and made sure I made it to the hospital.”
I did not see today going like this. I need to distract myself before I pity myself into a fun little depression episode I can’t afford to go into right now. Not so close to Asher deploying. Atlas needs me to be strong for her and Aria.
I swing my arms back, pushing off of the counter. I need to find something to keep my mind busy. Harley stays where he’s at, his eyes never leaving me while I make work for myself so I can sit in my thoughts.
CHAPTER TEN
HARLEY
I watchher as she finds any reason not to talk. I don’t want to push her. She has already been more vulnerable with me than I would have expected, honestly.
I hated Dean before, but everything Ember just told me makes my hate for him burn much deeper. I was finding it extremely hard to keep my self-control in check as she spoke. In my mind, he isn’t important enough to continue breathing. It would certainly make Ember’s life much easier—much safer.
I was supposed to head to the coffee roastery after I dropped her coffee and breakfast sandwich off, but I can’t seem to walk away from her. Not after she laid her soul out for me to pick up and take care of.
I can feel myself getting swept up in every part of her. This is the second time I've hijacked her morning, because I just wanted to lay eyes on her. I ached just to inhale her scent, to feel her skin against mine, to taste her lips, and to hear her laugh.
I run my hand through my hair and blow out a breath. Part of me is nervous about what I am feeling. Part of me feels like her vulnerability is because we aren’t new to each other. Granted, it feels like a lifetime ago. We were different people, but we are being given a second chance. I won’t let her go, not again. She ismine.
I watch as Ember moves some of the books around on the shelves, making sure everything is aesthetically pleasing and where it belongs. Heading towards the aisle beside Ember, I grab a book. I open it and linger for a moment. I skim the pages, thumbing through them quickly. I drift to the end of the aisle before I swoop into the next, eyes still on the book. I can’t absorb anything on the page, but I’m not trying to read anything, anyway.
I’m just a few feet away when I see Ember’s eyes slide my way in my peripheral vision. My lingering didn’t go unnoticed, so I move closer. I slide the book into a random slot, grinning. Ember faces me, hands going to her hips, and her eyebrows pull together to make angry eyes.
“That doesn’t go there,” she says as her eyes fall to my mouth.
Perfect.
I stand right in front of her, looking down while she tries to hold onto her angry face. I place my hand on her waist, pulling her into me, and my other hand goes to her face. I don’t immediately go in for a kiss, just let my face linger near hers.
Her eyes are on my lips again, and she sucks in a breath. I move my head down, planting a soft kiss on her jaw. She leans her head into my hand that rests on her face, opening up her neck for more access.
I continue kissing higher until I reach her beauty mark that sits near her left eye.
I whisper against her, “I always wanted to do this.” I kiss the spot that used to call out to me.
