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Chapter 39
Harper
It was late morning when I finally forced myself out of bed and stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen.
"Morning," Christian said, leaning shirtless against the countertop and holding a bottle of water. His skin was slick with sweat, and his dark hair damp, causing small curls. He'd just got done working out. My tongue swept over my bottom lip as my gaze raked over him, memories flashing back from last night in the shower. "Do you want breakfast?"
"Just some coffee right now," I said, placing a hand on his chest. He leaned down, pressing his lips to my forehead.
"Sit down," he ordered. "I'll get your coffee, and we need to talk before everyone gets back from the lake." I inwardly groaned as I sulked towards the table, sinking into the chair. His half-naked, sweaty body had distracted me from the seriousness in his eyes.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" I inhaled a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever was about to be sprung on me. He slid my coffee across the table before sliding into the chair across from me. "What is Noah up to now?"
"Harper," he said. His expression was serious, and my heart raced. "It's not Noah."
"What is it, Christian?" I narrowed my eyes on him. He seemed to struggle to find the words, making my heart pound harder against my chest.
"It's your mom," he sighed after several long seconds.
My mom. I leaned forward in the chair. My body tensed as I sat a little straighter."She's dead, isn't she?" I whispered.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "She's not dead." I exhaled harshly. I wasn't sure why he was acting like this if she wasn't dead. What could be worse than death?
"Is she in prison?" He shook his head. "Okay, what kept her from coming back to get me? Is she hurt?"
"Harper," he said.
"Christian." I shoved out of the chair. "Where is she?"
He paused for a long moment, and I could see the pity and pain softening his facial expression.
"She lives about fifteen minutes from here," he said, swallowing hard. "Just across the county line in Duval County."
"I don't understand," I said, pinching my brows together. I placed my palms flat on the table, leaning over toward him. "Like against her will?"
"Harper, she has a new home and a new family."
My chest tightened as I lost the ability to breathe. That couldn't be right. Maybe it wasn't my mom. Maybe he had the wrong person.
"Harper," Christian said, sounding far away. The room spun as I felt around blindly for a chair. Christian grabbed me around the waist, pulling me into him. "Harper." He pulled me tighter against him. The sound of his racing heart against my ear was oddly calming. "Long, slow breaths, Harper." I did as he said, pulling in deep breaths until my breathing was back to normal and the spinning stopped.
"Take me to her," I demanded, pushing off his chest.
"Harper," he started.
"Christian," I interrupted. "Please, take me to her."
"I will take you to her if that's what you want," he said. "But are you sure you don't want to take some time to let this settle before we go?"
"No." I shook my head. "I want to go now."
It was more than a want; it was a need. I needed to see if this woman was actually my mother. I needed to see if she abandoned me to start a whole new life without me; if the woman who brought me into this world decided she didn't want me anymore.
As far back as I remembered, my mother had been addicted to something. Even though I'd never had a normal childhood with a normal mother, in the beginning, she would still make sure I had my basic needs met, but over the years, that stopped. Most days, I wasn't even sure she knew she had a daughter; she was too high. She would disappear for weeks at a time, always coming back with some new boyfriend until Levi. Levi kept her so deeply out of it that I wasn't sure she was alive some days. See, Levi sold drugs, he didn't do drugs, and my mom was his best customer.
For the past few years, I always thought Levi had done something to her. Or that she'd overdosed, and he'd dumped her body somewhere.
I couldn't imagine my mother truly walking out our front door with the intention of never coming back for me and, even worse, leaving me with what she was running away from.
