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Eventually, my shoulders relaxed, and my legs loosened. I improved with each lap until I didn’t need to hold on to Harrison’s hands. Wren gradually slowed and kept pace with us, reaching for Harrison’s hand. It was sweet watching them together.
Not everyone was my dad or reacted like my mother. There were people who stuck around. I saw it with my friends and Harrison’s family. And I was fine on my own. If my father taught me anything, it was how to be independent.
I didn’t need anyone, and I shouldn’t be craving Harrison’s touch and his daughter’s laugh. They weren’t mine, and it would be reckless to forget that.
Still, I pushed those thoughts out of my mind so we could enjoy the day. After our time was up, we put on our boots and got hot chocolate from a nearby stand. Then Wren and I ducked into a few stores. The older she got, the more she liked shopping. It was something we enjoyed together.
When we were done, we found Harrison sitting on a bench outside, his hands wrapped around a steaming cup.
“More hot chocolate?” Wren asked.
Standing, he said, “I switched to coffee. You want to grab lunch?”
Wren eagerly agreed, and we went to a local grill where they served burgers and crab cakes. It was all too easy to fall into this role of girlfriend.
At home, we played card games and then watched a movie before it was time to head to Harrison’s parents’ house. I’d been dreading it all week. I wasn’t sure we’d be able to fool them. Wren and his grandmother wanted it to be true so badly they’d believed it easily. But his parents would be harder.
What if they wanted something different for him? Someone with a different background or a better job?
When we were dressed and ready to go, Harrison pulled me aside while we waited for Wren to grab something. “You’re not nervous, are you?”
I licked my lips. “We have to convince them we’re together.”
His arms hung loosely around me. “We’ve been doing that for weeks.”
His body heat warmed me all over. “Will they believe that you moved me in without telling them about us?”
Humoring me, he said, “It would be easier if we had an excuse like your lease was up.”
I frowned. “We both know it’s not.”
“We’ll just say we’ve been friends for years, and we just realized we were more. Why wait? They already know you. We knew it wouldn’t be an issue.”
I drew in a breath. “That could work.”
He smirked. “What did I tell you? I’ve got this.”
Harrison was more charming than I was. If he was confident he could win over his parents, I’d let him take the lead.
After Wren grabbed the essay she wanted to show her grandparents, we drove to their house. They’d moved outside of town to a newer development after Harrison went to college. Their new house was bigger than the old one. Which didn’t make a lot of sense because the kids were gone, but his mother liked to say it was more space for the grandkids. She only had Wren so far.
Here, the houses were on sprawling three-acre lots with mature trees. It was beautiful. The kind of house I dreamed of when I was a kid. Mom couldn’t afford a house after Dad left.
Wren got out of the truck and ran toward the porch, leaving her door open.
I moved to get out, and Harrison squeezed my hand, stopping me. “It’ll be okay.”
I let out a breath. “I’m glad you’re so confident.”
“I think it helps that I love you. This isn’t coming out of left field.”
“Definitely not.” Wait, he loved me? Surely, he meant as a friend. My heart thumped hard in my chest at his declaration.
He waved a hand at the porch where his mother was hugging Wren. “We’ve got this. Besides, my mom is usually wrapped up in Wren the whole time.”
“If you say so.” I drew in a deep breath.
He winked at me. “Come on.”
