Page 11 of Stealing Chances


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“You think I cheated on you,” I said with a harsh laugh that held no humor. “With Trish, of all fucking people.”

Shock colored Harper’s expression, but I continued before she could say anything.

“I don’t know what happened. I just woke up, and she was there. I can barely remember half the party, but I wasn’t even drinking that night.”

“Chase...” Harper looked around at the people in the room again, her voice soft and uneasy. “Chase, all this, whatever you’re worried I think, none of it happened.”

My stomach twisted and fell. “Don’t...”

“We aren’t together,” she said gently as my head shook. “We’ve never been together.”

“Why are all of you doing this?” I snapped. “Harper, I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry for hurting you. But we—Jesus, do the two of you have to be here?” I asked, looking from Brandon to Scarlet.

But Scarlet just looked at me through glassy eyes before her stare fell to her lap, and Brandon mumbled, “Not sure this is fun for either of us, but yeah...think we have to.”

I ignored his weighted tone and focused on the girl in front of me.

The girl I’d spent days and nights learning and cherishing and worshiping.

Gray eyes wide and unsure as she looked just past me. Auburn hair falling to her waist—shit, was her hair different too?

“Whatever, man, sorry to do this to you again,” I said under my breath, not bothering to look at Brandon as I did. “Harper, we’ve already tortured ourselves for months of trying to stay away from each other while you were with Brandon. Then staying apart after the two of you broke up because of what we’d done. Because there was so much guilt and miscommunication. But I’m not letting you do this again. I’m not giving you up because of another fucking miscommunication. I’m not letting you take our baby from me.”

A heavy exhale punched from Harper as Brandon said, “Excuse me?”

“This...” Harper’s head slanted as her hand fell to her stomach. Herflatstomach.

What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck?

“Chase, this isn’t your baby,” she said slowly, evenly.

My gaze snapped to hers and narrowed. “Harper—”

“No, you need to hear this,” she said firmly.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because it’s true.”

“It isn’t fucking true,” I yelled over her. “We’re having a baby—a boy. We just found out it’s a boy. I was going to propose to you before everything fell apart the day I got in the wreck. Withthatring she won’t take off,” I snapped, gesturing to where Harper’s engagement ring stood out like a beacon on Scarlet’s hand.

“Jesus,” Brandon breathed as he rubbed at his jaw.

Harper just looked at Scarlet like she feltsorryfor her before finally turning to me again. “Something happened to your memories when you were in a coma, Chase.”

“No,” I said as she went on, already knowing where she was going with this.

“We have never been together. We’ve never doneanything.”

“Harper—”

“Brandon and Ijustfound out we’re expecting a couple weeks ago.”

My head pressed back against the pillows at the news that felt like a crucial blow. But that was wrong. It had to be wrong.

“I have nearly a year’s worth of heartbreak and absolute fucking bliss that says you’re lying,” I ground out. “That saysyou’re alllying.” Harper’s lips parted to deny it, so I hurried over her. “Sundays were my days with you when you were still with him. Everything changed when we kissed on New Year’s Eve. I finally gave you your lilies, and days later, that tension between us snapped.Wesnapped, even though you were still with Brandon at the time.”

“As much as I love listening to you talk about how you think my wife cheated on me with you, I’d like it if you stopped.”

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