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“She’s fine. Maybe the stress is starting to catch up to me.” I can’t control the tears welling up in my eyes.
“Nu-uh! You need to sit down and tell me what’s going on.”
She leads me to one of the small wooden tables we have set up for customers, then steps over to the door and flips the hanging sign from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed.’
“What’s going on?” She takes a seat across from me. I bury my head in my hands as the tears attempt to break through once more. “I’m guessing Ben was not a match?” She rubs my arm, and I shake my head.
“Not quite,” I scoff.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’ve made a huge mess of everything.” I take a few napkins from the holder to dry the tears streaming down my cheek.
“What’s going on? Come on, Sarah. You know you can talk to me.” Harper has always been there for me, and I’m really in need of a friend right now. Someone who doesn't hate me.
“Ashley…She’s not Ben’s,” I sob, watching as her eyes grow wide.
“What?” she cries, after she lets the information sink in.
“Ben is not Ashley’s father,” I repeat.
“Who?…What?” she stutters, just as the chimes on the front door ring.
Luke enters the store, and it’s like seeing a ghost. My stomach flutters as I glance up to meet his dark, angry eyes. My heart beats like a drum, and I feel a panic attack coming on. He stands in the doorway like a stone statue with an intimidating scowl on his rugged face, and I have to close my eyes and remind myself to breathe.God, he's perfect.All the air leaves my lungs, and my knees go weak.Thank God I’m sitting down.
His chiseled face is even more handsome than I remember, in fact; he's insanely hot. He’s wearing a few days of scruff on his square jaw, and I imagine how it would redden my skin if he kissed me. His tousled black hair is a little shorter than he used to wear it, maybe a bit thinner, but still plenty to run my fingers through. And those intense ocean blue eyes, God.
He glares at me with those piercing baby blues, studying me, and that look takes me back to a place and time where it has no business going. All my suppressed emotions tear right through my core, and I need to stop. Stop thinking about the way he kissed me that night, like I was the only girl in the world. There’s a heavy stirring down south as the memories come flooding back—the way he worshipped my body like no other.
Harper looks to Luke and then back to me, her eyebrows widen, and the stunned expression on her face tells me she understands when she whispers, “Holy Shit.”
Luke
Everything moves in slow motion as I stand in the doorway, gazing into her intense blue eyes. Her pink, heart-shaped lips that I know taste like sugar make me lick my own. Her bouncing, waves of golden hair tumble around her pale, soft skin. She’s as stunning as the day I met her, her beauty second to none.
All I want is to capture her up into my arms, and never let go, but the sadness I see in those sparkling, ocean eyes reminds me of the betrayal. I urge my feet to move to where she nervously sits.
“Luke…fucking...Harris. I never thought I’d see you again,” Harper bounces from her chair, greeting me with a devilish grin.
“Harper, it’s good to see you. You look well,” I remark before glancing back at Sarah, where she sits like a frozen lake.
“I’ll go and get you guys some coffee, and leave you to it then,” Harper mumbles, and I don’t miss the wide-eyed look she shoots Sarah before scampering away.
We study one another for a long minute as if we’re locked in some grade school staring contest. “Luke,” she whispers, nodding her head, motioning for me to take a seat. I feel lousy because she looks terrified. The chair scrapes loudly against the floor when I pull it out to sit across from her, making her jump.
Harper returns, placing two cups of steaming coffee on the table in front of us. Sarah opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out but a quick puff of air. Harper senses the magnitude of the situation, rushing off without another word.
“Luke…I just…I’m…” Sarah’s staring down at the table, trembling at a loss for words.
“What the fuck, Sarah?” I slam the table with my fist, regretting it immediately when her body flinches. I take a deep breath, trying to rein in my temper, and grab some napkins from the holder to wipe up the bit of coffee that spilled. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”
“I didn’t know, Luke. I just found out, and I’m sorry.”
“So you’ve said,” I say matter-of-factly.
“When I found out, I was just as shocked as you.” She scowls, and damn if I don’t want to kiss it off her face.
“Were you?” I raise an eyebrow, as she stares down into her coffee cup.
