“You guys will make it through, Hawk,” Harley chimes in, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “We’re gonna head out, go snuggle your girls.” Asher raises his hand and gives Harley a high five before we head out the door.
Harley pulls open my door and before I can duck in, he rests his arm on the roof, and stops me from getting in. “What happened in there, pretty girl? It seemed like you kinda drifted away for a little bit.” He doesn’t miss a thing, I swear. It’s nice to have someone mature enough to notice your actions, and not have to explain yourself.
I let out a breath. “Can we talk about it at home? I just need a little breathing room,” I ask him, being truthful, because I still feel the weight of the lawn boy on my chest.
He kisses my cheek and ushers me into the car before closing it and rounding the car.
On the way home, I watch as the street lights flash by the window. I feel Harley’s warm hand rest on my thigh possessively while he drives.
We pull into my driveway a couple minutes later and just sit there. No music, no car engine. Just sitting in the quiet.
“The lawn boy just brought up a lot of old feelings,” I finally let out. I look over at Harley, and he’s clearly confused. “He had the same color eyes as Dean, and his red hair.” I don’t cry this time, because I'm not sad, but I am confused. I don’t know how to put into words that my gut is the only thing leading me to believe this could be the baby I gave up.
Harley rubs his hand up and down my thigh and gives me a comforting squeeze. “You want to head in and watch a movie?” he asks, letting me take the lead and decide how I want to spend the rest of our night. It's already late, but I love having him around.
“Would you maybe want to stay the night with me? Watch movies and snuggle?” I ask him, mentally crossing my fingers. Seeing his small grin turn up into an ear to ear smile makes my heart swell.
“Let me run home and grab some clothes?” he asks as we enter the house, standing off by the door.
“Of course, babe. I’ll be here.” I give him a quick peck and rest my hand on his chest.
“I’ll be right back, beautiful.” He runs out, pausing at the car. “Lock the door, Ember.” I smile and close the door, cutting off our line of vision.
He pulls out of my driveway, and I race to the hall closet to grab some fresh sheets. Mine aren’t dirty or anything, but I’ve never had a man in my own bed. I've always gone to their house or a hotel. I don't trust men in my own space. Harley seems to be the exception. With that said, I strip my bed and get it made up with fresh bedding.
I’m not sure how long it'll be before Harley will be back, so I jump in the shower for a quick scrub down since he’ll be in pretty close quarters tonight.
In the shower, I let the water fall over my body, and my thoughts finally start working again.
I don’t know if Iwantto know if the boy is my biological son. I had opted for a closed adoption, because I knew at seventeen that I wasn’t mentally well enough to be part of my own baby’s life and not really be his mother.
It was confusing then, but nothing could have prepared me for the possibility of finding my son all these years later. Not that I’d ever be significant to him. My mind wanders. I’m just rambling through rampant thoughts now. I pull the shower curtain back and dry myself off before wrapping the towel around my body and going through my skin care routine. I choose comfy pajamas over sexy ones, because I really just want to be held tonight.
Right after I get my hoodie on, the doorbell rings. I check the camera because it’s pretty late and I’m trying so hard to be more aware of my surroundings. To my relief, I see Harley standing at the door with a duffle bag and the same white bag he’d had when he brought groceries over to the house the other morning.
CHAPTER TWELVE
HARLEY
When Ember opens the door,I can’t hold back my smile. While I am very excited to sleep next to my girl, I'm more excited to get inside and see her smile at my surprise.
“I did run home and grab some clothes, but I also stopped at the grocery store to get some junk food.” I smile and peck her on the lips, setting the bags on the couch.
She grins and grabs the bag of groceries and heads to the kitchen. I follow her into the kitchen, and while I had planned for this moment to go a little differently, I can tell she’s still deep in thought and trying to be present, so I let her take the lead.
As she pulls the groceries out of the bag, I watch her smile grow. I knew her favorites seventeen years ago, and was praying she still liked the same things now. I’d just go right back to the store if not, though. I’d do just about anything to see her smile.Fuck, im so done for her.
“You grabbed quite the selection, sir.” Ember looks over at me, grinning.
“Oh I forgot one more thing,” I tell her as I reach into my pocket. Ember’s eyes grow wide and her jaw drops when she sees the Symphony bar in my hand. “But wait, one more thing.” Before I can grab the last thing, Ember throws her arms around me and does her damndest to squeeze the shit out of me. It’s incredibly cute. She’s a solid five inches shorter than me, and she's already a more petite woman, so the squeezing is purely happiness. I lean down, taking her face in my hands, still holding the paper, and kiss her playfully on the lips.
“What’s this?” Ember asks, pulling her eyebrows together in confusion. “Grocery list?”
I pass her the paper and wait, nervously, for a reaction.
Finally after what feels like ages, when I've second guessed myself to hell, Ember looks up at me with the most radiant smile and whispers, “Of course I'll be your girlfriend.”
My heart swells with so much happiness. Part of me didn’t think now was the right time, but somewhere in the grocery store I realized that I wanted to make it the right time. I never want to let her get away again. I don’t even care how cheesy it is, I know how much I care about Ember Alden.
