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Instead of going home with conflicting feelings almost every day, I was able to just enjoy my new life here. Yes, I was still avoiding everybody from New York who was trying to get in touch, but I had promised myself I’d get to all that soon. Most of them just wanted to tell me what a scumbag I was, anyway, and I figured there was no real sensitive time horizon for that. I did feel guilty about my best friend, Kate. I knew she was pissed too, but for different reasons than the rest of them. I’d actually sent her a text trying my best to explain that I was going to be off the grid for a few weeks and I promised she’d be the first one I got back to when I was ready. Of course, I’d been too much of a coward to look and see what she said in reply.
Fairhope’s town square was buzzing with activity. It was positioned in a partly grassy open field beside the river and an adorable little stone bridge. Some buildings from Main Street were positioned opposite the bridge and a few locals had set up picnic tables with free food and sweets.
I spotted Old Mr. Ashford with the two little kids who watched Termite, Molly and Billy. Molly was seven and Billy was ten. I’d briefly met their stepmom, Harper, so I recognized her where she was standing with a baby in her arms as she spoke with Mr. Ashford. There was a spread of delicious looking baked goods in front of her on the table.
Harper was in her early twenties, ridiculously pretty, and was making it look like being a mom of a newborn with two stepkids all while running her own restaurant was easy. Meanwhile, I could barely keep my one dog happy.
“Hey guys!” I said, letting Termite rush up to wag her little tail as she stood on Molly and Billy’s legs, trying desperately to lick their faces.
They laughed and asked if they could watch her for a while. I handed over the leash and the two of them ran off towards the river. As I was watching, a cute girl about Billy’s age jogged to catch up with them, punching him on the shoulder when she caught up. She clutched her hands in front of her, clearly shy as she smiled adorably. Billy smiled at her and said something I couldn’t hear, then both of their cheeks went red.
“That is so freaking cute,” I breathed.
Harper laughed. Her baby was grunting and making cute baby noises on her shoulder as she bounced it. “I know. They’ve had a crush on each other for like a year now, but I don’t think they’re old enough for Billy to think it’s cool to officially like a girl. He’s still pretending he doesn’t care.”
“Boys are stupid,” I said with a little more angst than I’d intended.
Harper laughed, looking surprised. “Are you having boy trouble, Lola?”
We were interrupted when a tall, athletic man in his thirties strode up to the table. He grabbed a cheese danish, took a bite, and smiled at Harper. “Hey, want me to take her?” He asked. She looked a little reluctant, but she smiled and handed over the little baby in her light pink onesie covered in cartoon koalas.
I looked after the man as he left. “That is your husband?” I whispered.
Harper laughed. “I know, right? I got lucky.”
I tried not to gawk as the man left, forcing myself to look back at Harper and not make some kind of creepy comment. The man was a picture of small-town perfection from his baseball cap to the stubble on his gorgeous face.
“Mind telling me how you find the pretty ones that are nice, too? All the pretty ones I find seem to be major assholes.”
Harper laughed. “Actually, Greyson wasn’t the nicest at first. I like to think he was a lot like a stubborn batch of dough. It took a lot of kneading, some punching, some swear words, maybe even a few tears. But eventually, with enough work, I got him softened up.”
I grinned. “How’d you know he was worth the work?” I cringed a little internally. I knew exactly why I was asking and I hated myself a little for it.
“I didn’t,” Harper said with a shrug. “But I didn’t seem to be able to help myself from continuing to try. Maybe that was the secret sauce. Even when we fought, it was like we couldn’t stay away from each other. And if you’re going to be magnetically drawn to someone, I guess you’re better off finding out a way to get along. And have mind-blowing sex,” she added with a big smirk.
I laughed. I liked this girl. She seemed so young to have three kids and a husband, but I had to remember the older two were inherited. I wondered what the story was with Greyson and their biological mother but knew better than to be nosy and ask.
