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“Sure.”
Wren disappeared with his phone.
“I sounded like an uptight dad, didn’t I?”
“You sounded like a good dad.”
“She loves listening to music, and if it gets her to take showers, then it’s worth it.”
I’d observed the constant push and pull between Wren and Harrison over the years. He had to pick which battles to fight and which ones to let go of. It was made infinitely more difficult because Lola seemingly had no rules.
Harrison pulled my hand to his lap, where he held it on his thigh. The muscles flexed and tightened under my touch. Did he realize what he was doing? Or was he so lost in our role, he did it without thinking?
“It was the best day.” He rested his head back and closed his eyes.
“It was.”
“Thank you for everything. Moving in. Playing the part,” he murmured, his voice so low it rumbled in my chest.
Those last three words reminded me this wasn’t real. No matter how much I wanted it to be. “You know I’d do anything for you and Wren.”
Harrison shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder if we take advantage of you.”
“You don’t.”
He opened his eyes and looked at me. “I don’t know. You could be out at the bars, picking up a guy.”
I laughed. “I’m sure I’d meet a quality guy at a bar.”
“Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. That’s how Lola and I hooked up.”
“Are you saying that it was a love match?” I remembered Lola from high school as being a partier.
“Definitely not. But I never talk bad about her in front of Wren.”
“Of course not.” I’d never heard him say anything negative about her when she was around. Only when it was just us two.
“If I didn’t get Wren out of it, I wouldn’t have seen her again.”
I was tired of this conversation. “I don’t think I want to meet someone. I don’t think I could ever trust someone enough to mix our finances and buy a house together. If I tied myself to someone in that way, it would give them the opportunity to walk away.”
“That’s not how it is for everyone. My parents are happy.”
“No more talk of me dating other guys.”
“I won’t feel guilty for holding you back anymore because I promised you I’d show you the fairy tale.”
I’d hoped he’d forgotten about that. “How are you going to do that if I’m not dating anyway?”
“Well, dear Everly, you’re supposed to be dating me.”
“So, you’re going to show me that fairy tales really do exist.” This was what he’d said earlier when Wren interrupted us. But it didn’t make sense that it would be him showing me unless he planned on giving us a real shot.
Wren appeared at the door with a brush. “Everly, can you brush my hair?”
Harrison held his palm over his chest. “Not me? I’m hurt.”
“Daddy,” Wren said with a smile. “Everly’s better at it.”
