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“How’re they doing? I’m planning to go over tomorrow before my shift.”
“Good. Elisa slept the whole time.” I chuckle, grabbing a drink from the fridge.
Just as I’m sucking down chocolate milk from the carton, my mom says, “Oh, Harper’s looking for you. She said to text her back. You two fightin’?”
Jesus Christ.
I put the milk back inside and slam the door shut. Mom bought our story about the engagement prank after the newspaper debacle, so she has no idea what’s really going on.
Instead of answering her question about Harper, I grab my keys and walk toward the door. “I’ll be right back.”
Chapter Eighteen
HARPER
I’ve sent half a dozen people to tell Ethan to call or text me back.
And nothing.
We’ve never gone this long without talking or seeing each other. I know he’s reading my texts and not responding, which pisses me off even more. After talking with Hadleigh last week and taking a couple of days to think about it, I was ready to put my heart on the line.
But that’s hard to do when he’s ignoring me.
I could’ve gone to the barn, but he’s not always in the same place since he expanded his operations. Plus, I don’t want an audience in case ranch hands are around. It’d be so much easier if he’d just answer his damn phone.
Hadleigh: Still nothing from Ethan?
I check my phone after a hectic day of packaging orders.
Harper: No! I’m about to show up at his house and demand he speak to me.
Hadleigh: Do it! You know his mama won’t let him ignore you.
She has a point. Though I don’t want to force him to talk, it might be the only way.
Deciding to go for it, I change clothes and put on my boots. Then I grab my keys and head for the door.
He better be home because I’m ready to give him a mouthful.
I whip open the door and gasp when Ethan’s standing there. The porch light shines down on him.
“Oh my God,” I shriek, grasping my chest. “You scared me half to death.”
“Sorry. I was just about to knock.” He lowers his eyes to my keys. “Goin’ somewhere?”
I step back, leaving space between us. “As a matter of fact, I was heading to your house.”
“That wouldn’t have been a good idea.”
“Well, you left me no choice. If you weren’t acting like a child and ignoring me—”
“You mean if you weren’t acting like a stalker and having everyone looking for me…”
My jaw drops, and I scowl. “I wasn’t stalking you.”
“Well, I’m here now, so tell me what’s so urgent.”
I cross my arms without speaking, not liking the way he’s acting.
“You summoned me, so what do you want?” he continues.
“Fuck off. You’re being an asshole.” I step back and slam the door, but he stops it and walks in.
“I’m not trying to be, but I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to be friends with you anymore.”
My eyes fill with sadness, and my shoulders slump. “We’ve never had to try. We just were. We never let anything get between us.”
“Things aren’t the same anymore, Harper.” He comes closer. “I have feelings for you. I like you. A lot. I have for a long time. When we slept together, I thought you felt the same, so I gave you a choice to pick the version of me you really wanted. But I wasn’t prepared for you to say what you did. I needed time to process it and space to figure out how to sort through my feelings. So yeah, I don’t know how to pretend not to feel what I do. I can’t be your friend, Harper. I’m sorry.”
My heart rapidly pounds as he pours his out to me. Unlike the first time he confessed, I’m ready to be honest with him. His face looks so pained as he relives that moment as if it were the worst day of his life. I feel awful about that, and though I can’t change the past, I can fix our future.
“I don’t want to be your friend either,” I say nervously.
He blinks, unmoving, as if I’ve just slapped him.
“I want more,” I add with emphasis. “I didn’t think it was something to say over text.”
Ethan’s throat moves as if he’s swallowed a brick. “More what?” he finally responds.
“When you told me how you’ve always felt, I got scared,” I admit. “And though I still am, you should know it’s not one-sided. I’m sorry I made you think it was, but you caught me off guard that night, and I froze.”
“Okay, so tell me now.”
My palms sweat as I think about what I’ve rehearsed a hundred times. “I don’t regret anything that happened between us. I woke up and panicked but not because of what we’d done. I was worried you’d say it was a mistake, so to avoid getting hurt, I said it first.”
