There’s no panic in her eyes. No racing thoughts that make her jump out of bed. She stays relaxed, snuggled against me.
“Can we get breakfast?”
Kissing her shoulder, I sigh happily. “We can do whatever you want.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to do the walk of shame at my parents’ house on Christmas Eve,” Harper giggles.
“You should just bring your suitcase here. Then you won’t have to worry about it.” It’s a risky suggestion, but at this point, I’m ready to risk it all.
She turns in my arms, nuzzling her head under my chin and wrapping her arm around my waist. “We’re really doing this? Head first into the deep end?”
“I’m all in, baby. I’ve never wanted anything more.”
Sighing, she kisses my chest. “You’re so sure about how you feel. I’ve never met anyone like that before.”
“Do you want me to dial it back? Tone it down?”
Pulling back, she gazes at me with those stunning blue eyes and shakes her head. “I don’t ever want you to be anything but Crawford Stokes. It’s nice not having to wonder what you’re thinking or feeling. I just can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”
I tuck her hair behind her ear and smile. “See what?”
“How much you care for me. Apparently, everyone but me could see it. It was right there in the pictures. There’s no denying it.”
I frown. “What pictures?”
“The ones I took for all of Gina’s stuff. I captured the moment you saw me—your eyes lit up, your face changed. Even at the wedding, despite the weirdness, your expression shifted the second you laid eyes on me.”
Seeing Harper has always lit me up like a Christmas tree, but I didn’t realize everyone else could witness it. “Can I see them?”
She nods, and we climb out of bed. I can’t tear my eyes away from her as she bends down to pick up her clothes scattered across the floor. The emerald sweater dress that slipped from her body last night, the stockings that had been so hastilydiscarded. Her movements are unhurried, comfortable, as if she’s always belonged in this space with me.
I can’t believe this is real, that I’m not trapped in some fever dream where my deepest wishes come true. Harper Wallace, with her ocean-blue eyes and that tiny freckle just below her left ear that I kissed last night, loves me.
“Stop it,” she warns.
“Stop what?”
“If you keep looking at me like that, we’re not going to leave here. And I’m hungry.”
I laugh. “I have food here, you know.”
She shakes her head. “I want the diner’s Christmas special. It’s my favorite.”
Noted. Every Christmas Eve morning, I’ll take her to the diner for the breakfast special. Every Christmas Eve morning. Because I plan to do this for the rest of our lives.
It didn’t take us long to change and drive to her parents’ house. As we stepped inside, I found her family lounging on the couch, their expressions knowing and expectant. For the first time, a wave of anxiety washed over me.
What if they’re disappointed that she had spent the night with me? The implications of our actions loomed large in my mind.
“Harper, where have you been?” Eric asks, his gaze narrowed on me.
“Ford and I had things to talk about last night,” Harper replies, her tone steady.
Her father approaches, and I feel my muscles tense. He has been friendly, even calling me “son,” but now the thought ofwhat I did with his daughter hangs heavy in the air. Yet, he extends his hand, and I shake it, feeling a mix of relief and dread. “Welcome to the family.”
“Wait, does this mean you two are officially a couple?” Gina exclaims, her jaw dropping in surprise.
Harper take my hand firmly. “We’re doing this. It’s succeed or fail.”
