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“What were you going to say?” I asked her once the server returned to the kitchen. I had a feeling it was something important. That there was something pressing on her mind.
Evie returned to the table, climbed onto one of the chairs, and slurped her float. Her eyes got big as the sugar reached her mouth.
Harper waved a hand in the air. “Oh, it was nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Was she going to ask about my sudden interest in her, and if she did, what was I going to say? A lot depended on how she felt about me. Was I brave enough to tell her the truth when I wasn’t sure about her feelings?
If she’d asked what we were doing, how would I have responded? I was in uncharted territory, liking a woman who was so intertwined with my family. What would my parents think? What would Gia think? I knew my brothers would be concerned it would affect our business.
All I could do was enjoy my time with Harper and Evie and pretend they were mine, if only for tonight. I knew I needed to tell her something tonight. Instead of worrying about it, I focused on Evie, offering to color with her.
It was surreal to be at an ice cream store on a Friday night, enjoying time with a five-year-old and her mother. Normally, I’d be working, even if I wasn’t scheduled to.
Once Harper heard what I had to say, she might tell me she only thought of me as a brother. Something painful twisted inside my chest.
“Are you okay?” Harper asked me, concern etched on her face.
“Of course.” I hated keeping things from her, but we couldn’t talk in front of Evie.
We sipped our sweet drinks and talked about the best combination of sodas and ice cream flavors, vowing to return and try a different one next time.
I liked that promise, and I hoped I got to hold them to it. When we finished, I walked them home. Once the door was unlocked, Harper said, “You should come in.”
Dread filled my stomach. Was this where she asked what my intentions were and why I was spending so much time with them?
“Let me get Evie to bed, then we can talk. Feel free to grab a drink from the fridge. I’ll be right back.”
“Do I have to go to bed?” Evie asked as they walked to her bedroom. “I want to play with Leo.”
“Leo has to go to bed too.”
“Then why is he waiting for you?” Evie asked, as she looked over her shoulder at me.
I grinned and said, “I’m just making sure you get to bed at a decent hour.”
I wasn’t sure what to say, but that seemed to placate her. When they disappeared inside her room, I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and made myself comfortable on her couch. I mindlessly scrolled through my phone, my mind racing too much about what was going to happen when Harper returned to focus on anything.
When Harper stood at the end of the couch, I put the phone down. “Is she asleep?”
“She was out before I finished reading.”
“That’s good.” Then I wondered what it would be like to read Evie a story, to tuck her into bed. It was a little crazy because Evie wasn’t mine any more than Harper was.
Harper sucked in a breath, as if gathering her thoughts.
This was the part when she asked what I was doing here and why I was so interested in them. Was she already dating someone? Wouldn’t she have said something about that? I couldn’t remember her dating many men over the years, and if she did, maybe she kept it quiet from the family. She was entitled to her privacy, but the tenuousness of this situation gnawed at my stomach.
I stood, needing to be closer to her.
Her face lifted as I approached. “I have to ask you something.”
“Shoot,” I said and then winced. I wasn’t talking to one of my brothers. This was Harper. I needed to use finesse.
Looking back, I realized things with Bianca were so comfortable and easy. I could see now she was just a friend, but whatever this was with Harper was something more. Did she feel it too?
I noticed she was wringing her fingers in front of her body when she said, “Thank you for dinner, but I’m not sure—”
I sighed and took a step back, creating distance between us. “It’s a good idea?”
