Page 46 of The Truth of Us

Harper turned and stepped inside the elevator. I stood there watching her disappear, already worried that I had somehow ‌screwed this up.

Lucy and her team had done an incredible job on our holiday event. Our staff were actually looking like they were enjoying themselves this year, which was saying something.

Julian had her glued to his side the entire night, and it made me miss Harper even more. Every time someone approached, I found myself looking for a woman who wasn't there.

Theo noticed first, asking, "Where's your girlfriend?"

"Not my girlfriend." I quipped, even though my heart did a weird thing.

Theo looked delighted. "That's not what it looks like from the outside."

I ignored him, and my eyes caught across the room; Julian was watching Lucy. This wasn’t a look that I had seen from him before, and the difference mattered.

Lucy stood at the edge of the dance floor with a little boy wrapped in her arms while she laughed and Julian looked completely gone.

I tore my eyes away from him and looked back at Lucy, and for one insane second… I didn’t see her; I saw Harper.

I saw Harper standing in this very ballroom, holding a little blond-haired boy with blue eyes. Laughing and so happy, they looked back at me. Like I was the thing that made them that happy… The image hit so hard it felt physical. I looked away immediately.

What was wrong with me?

Theo laughed, and I realized he was still watching me. He slapped Rowan on the back, saying, “His meltdown is going to be epic when she realizes how much work he is. Maybe I should make my play with Harper before she moves on...”

I didn’t hear whatever he said next. My chest squeezed painfully, and I needed a drink. I moved to the bar and ordered two fingers of scotch. The glass didn’t hit the bar before I was shooting it back and asking for another.

I noticed Sofia walking away from Rowan, a look on her face that I would have loved to have Harper dissect with me. I shook my head, not having the mental capacity to deal with whatever the fuck Rowan was up to, turned and rested my back against the bar, trying to calm my racing heart and my treacherous eyes drifted back to Lucy, unsure if I wanted to see that vision again or if it terrified me.

"Still staring?"

I turned and came face to face with one of the board members, who stood beside me. Old money and far too similar to Julian's dad, Richard, for my liking.

"Sorry?" I asked.

"Where is the stunning Harper Lane this evening? You would think the women you've been parading around for the past month would be by your side on a night like tonight."

I didn’t answer, and that pushed him to continue, "She didn't last long."

Something cold settled in my stomach, and I swallowed back the bile that was churning.

I plastered on my best practiced smile and replied, "We're fine. She had a prior commitment."

He laughed, and the sound irritated me instantly. "Sure."

My jaw tightened, and he shrugged, saying, "Women like that move on fast."

The words seeped in somewhere ugly. They settled deep, digging into old wounds.

"Excuse me?" I couldn’t keep the irritation out of my voice if I tried.

He gestured vaguely, adding, "Someone that beautiful. From what I have seen, she is smart and independent. She doesn't seem to need you for your money or connections…" Then he smiled, but it was the smile of a shark. "Ms. Lane probably already found someone else."

I stared at him and then I laughed, because the alternative was admitting that for one brief second… any of it could be true. I hated the idea.

The asshole wandered off and the conversation should have died there. Instead, it followed me through every conversation afterward. Questions I couldn't answer started stacking up in my mind.

Who was Harper, really?

Where did she disappear to?