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Chapter19
HARPER
Harper pressed her hand to her chest. Her heart pounded as the bubbly cries of boys and girls carried on the early September breeze. The crisp tap of a jump rope grazing the schoolyard blacktop mingled with the metallic creak of the swing set. The hinges whined as kids pumped their legs and soared through the air. Awash in shiny lunch boxes and snow-white sneakers, the atmosphere pulsed with excitement as adults congregated in groups and children burned off restless energy before the bell rang, signaling the start of the first day of the new term at Whitmore Country Day.
Aka, Aria goes to school.
“I feel like it’s my first day,” she said to Landon, then tossed a glance at Aria. With her lunch box in one hand and the other crammed into the pocket of her shorts, the kid schooled her features and lifted her chin. She was putting on her tough-girl front, but she’d rejected the idea of hitting the playground and hadn’t budged from their side since they’d arrived.
New city. New school. New teachers. New caregivers.
Swap out an aunt and an uncle for a grandma and a grandpa, and Aria could be her.
But there were signs the girl was warming to the idea of her new life in Denver.
While she hadn’t carried a tune since the day they met in Tomás and Bess’s garage, the kid’s icy demeanor had thawed. From the three of them munching on bowls of cereal at breakfast to hours spent riffing on the piano to Landon singing her to sleep—and thanks to a decent amount of chocolate consumption—Aria had rolled with the punches.
They all had.
She’d never expected she’d like having a pop star and nose picker living under her roof. Still, a strange harmony descended on the house.
And for the last fourteen days, it had been just the three of them.
From work to last-minute getaways, their friends had left the city the day after the infamous housewarming party. When she learned they were getting out of Dodge and wouldn’t return until the day before classes started, she wasn’t sure what she’d do with a temporary husband and a spirited niece. But it turned out to be a godsend. Without the distraction of the others, they’d found a rhythm. These past two weeks could only be described as a strange bliss.
Two weeks.
A period that felt like both an eternity and a split second.
She peered at the rings on her hand. It blew her mind that she could hardly remember what life was like before she gained a husband and a niece.
The unexpected thing about the situation was how normal it had become—how easily they fit together. How her heart expanded in her chest when she heard little feet padding down the steps.
That is, until today. Today, they’d woken up in an alternate universe.
This was when shit got real and their Baxter Park bubble popped.
Aria started school, and the next day, they embarked on their first celebrity baking challenge.
And from the curious glances being tossed at them from the other Whitmore parents, it was safe to assume everyone had learned of their Vegas nuptials, thanks to the internet.
They’d shunned the media and hadn’t gone online once since becoming a trio. It wasn’t a conscious choice—or maybe it was. Perhaps they understood that those two precious weeks were the calm before the storm.
Now that Aria’s routine included school, they’d need to get serious about pulling together his new sound. They’d written snippets of lyrics and played with melodies, but they hadn’t pulled an entire composition together to create a song. And she needed to record more Bonbon Barbie tutorials ASAP—and watch a baking tutorial or two. She could cram her face with delicious confections, but she was woefully at a loss when it came to making them.
First, they had to get through the Whitmore school drop-off.
Landon crossed and uncrossed his arms as a crease formed between his brows. “You’re sure this is where everyone is supposed to meet?”
She nodded. “Penny texted early this morning and said this was the spot.”
“What do you think, Aria?” Landon asked nervously and gave the girl’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It seems like a good school.”
“It’s a dumb old school,” she grumped, then lifted her foot and smashed a dandelion growing in the sidewalk crack.
“You won’t be the only new kid. Sebastian Cress is starting here today, too. Do you remember him from the video call?” she asked, trying to put the kid at ease.
Aria shrugged and focused on the smashed dandelion. “I don’t know why I have to go to school anyway. School is stupid. I like being at the house, I like playing the piano, and I like walking to the Cupid Bakery by myself and ordering butterscotch bonbons.”
