AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Seven?" she questioned, and I knew what she was asking.
"Chloe and Aiden are sharing a room." Her eyes went wide, but I wasn't going to elaborate on Chloe and Aiden. She'd have to talk to Chloe.
"We should figure out dinner," I changed the subject.
Harper rolled her eyes."Christian, we just got here," she whined, tugging at my arm. "I'm still digesting breakfast and lunch. Let's go down to the beach."
"Yeah." I smiled, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into me. How could I say no to those piercing blue eyes pleading with me? "You want to go for a walk and check out the sights? Sunset will be soon."
Sliding my hand into hers and tangling our fingers together, we walked barefoot in the sand down the beach towards the pier. A few other beachgoers were out walking, digging for shells, or waiting for the sunset. Even with the other people, it was still peaceful, with very little noise other than the sound of the crashing waves that came up, occasionally wetting our feet.
"I've never been to the beach before," Harper admitted. "I've only seen the ocean on TV."
"Is it what you expected?"
"There's no way a TV could do this justice."
Harper and I stopped turning towards the crashing waves to watch that last minute when the day turned to night. The sinking sun disappeared behind the horizon, leaving a symphony of colors in what could only be described as breathtaking. I'd visited this beach for years and never once watched a sunset.
"Harper," I said after several minutes of silence. "Do you ever think about looking for your mom?" I didn't mean to start such a heavy conversation, but it was something I'd wondered about.
"Yeah, I used to think about it a lot, but really it hurts less to think she's dead than she abandoned me, leaving me with Levi and Noah."
"Do you think she's dead?"
"I don't know." She sighed. "I just can't believe she didn't come back for me. She'd always come back."
"Did she know they hurt you?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "She was too far gone most of the time to know anything."
Looping an arm around Harper's waist, I pulled her back to my front and wrapped my arms around her holding her tightly against me. We stood silently, watching the sun disappearing into the ocean and breathing in the fresh air and salt water.
When I got home, I planned to dig into the disappearance of Harper's mom. It sounded like she was mixed up in a lot of bad things that could have ended her life, and I wasn't sure what I'd find when I started digging. Harper deserved to know the truth about her mom's disappearance, even though I wasn't sure the answer would bring the peace I hoped it would.
Chapter 26
Christian
The following day, I stood impatiently waiting outside Harper's bedroom door.
"Are you ready yet?" I shouted through the door. "How long does it take to put on a bathing suit?" The lock clicked, and I flung the door open. I sucked in a breath at the sight of her. Her tan legs looked tanner in the tiny black bikini that showed her entire ass. She moved to the door. "You're not wearing that." Grabbing her waist, I spun her back around, guiding her to her suitcase.
"Find something else." I flung the suitcase open.
"You should have let me go through the suitcase." She giggled. She grabbed a sheer wrap and started to wrap it around her waist.
"Yeah, no," I said, pulling it off her. "If you wear that, I will get into a fight."
"All the bathing suits are like this." She sifted through them.
"Put on a pair of sweatpants."
"You think Chloe packed my sweatpants?" She laughed. She snatched the sheer wrap and rewrapped it around her waist. "This will have to work." She disappeared around the corner, and I groaned.
We spent the entire day together, going from beach and sand to pool and tanning, only going in for lunch. Before we knew it, the sun was gone, and it was bonfire time.
The heat of the fire felt good against my chilled skin. A large group of us were gathered around the fire pit, joking and telling stories. Limited on seats, Harper sat on the arm of my wooden Adirondack chair.
