“Dad?” Harper’s voice sounded as the door creaked open, turning my blood to ice.
Rory slipped into the hallway, his footsteps echoing as he headed for the bedroom. Harper walked in at the exact same time, whipping around to close the door behind her.
“Sorry for swinging by unannounced,” she said, her purse smacking against her side. “My tire looked a little low, and I wanted to know if I could borrow your thingamajiggy for it.”
“The digital air compressor?” I asked, reeling from the sudden shift.
And shit, Rory was literally in my house right now. In my bedroom.
We’d even fucked on my kitchen table.
Harper’s interruption delivered the stark reminder of every reason why I shouldn’t have gone for him. I sucked in a sharp breath. She wrinkled her nose as she scanned me over.
“Dad, throw on a shirt or something,” she said, plunking into one of the wooden chairs. I hadn’t even scrubbed the table, even though I’d at least cleaned up his cum from the floor last night. Guilt throbbed through me.
“Right, yeah,” I muttered as I wandered down the hallway. I didn’t know what I should say to Rory, but my chest squeezed tight at the idea of hiding him, even while the panic pumped steadily through me. I cracked the door to my bedroom open, and Rory sat perched on the bed, sipping the coffee he’d brought with him.
“Harper?” he asked in a whisper.
“Yeah,” I murmured. “It’ll be fast.”
His gaze darkened for a moment, but then he plastered on a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He reached down and passed me a tee from the floor. “I’m guessing you need this.”
“Thanks.” I tugged the shirt on, guilt dragging my heels. The tug of war in my chest stalled my feet for a moment. Would Harper hatethis thing between Rory and me? Would she feel betrayed? I couldn’t hurt her like that, but I also couldn’t seem to stay away from Rory. I swallowed hard. I needed more time to process—hell, even just the idea of coming out to my daughter.
I stepped into the hallway, not glancing back. It was a coward’s move, sure, but I couldn’t stand to see any more disappointment in Rory’s gaze.
“It’s in my truck,” I said as I entered the kitchen again. Harper hovered over the food at the stovetop.
“There’s two plates,” she said and arched a brow. “Am I interrupting something?”
My jaw dropped, and the lie wouldn’t come out. I’d always been a shit liar to begin with, so getting called out on it compounded that. “Uh…”
Harper smirked. “Hey, I was the one who told you to get back out there. I’m not going to be upset about you having….visitors. But I’d like the tire thingy, please.”
That didn’t help soothe my guilt, not when the person in my bed was her coworker and friend. “Right. Let me grab it from my truck.” I slipped on my sneakers by the door and snagged my keys from the holder on the wall and then I jogged outside. The air was brisk and biting, but I needed the slap to the face right now.
Of all the things to shatter the afterglow…yeah, this would do it.
If Rory distanced from me after this, if I’d been a one and done for him, was our slip between the sheets even worth bringing up to Harper? Or would he be open for more? There was so much we hadn’t discussed, and the lack of answers gnawed at me.
I unlocked my car, grabbed the air compressor, and then jogged back toward my apartment. Definitely coat weather, but I’d be able to melt indoors within seconds. My heart still thumped in overdrive atthe surprise of Harper being here, of how close to discovery Rory and I had been. I hated secrets. Absolutely loathed them.
But I needed to know where Rory stood first.
When I popped back into my apartment, the heat sent prickles across my skin, melting the frozen surface, and I handed the compressor over to Harper. “Here, sweetie. Let me know if you have any more problems with your tires.”
“Have fun with your date,” Harper said, waggling her brows as she walked toward the door. “You’ll have to tell me all about her later, Dad.”
Her.
I didn’t bother correcting Harper as she slipped out and shut the door behind her, giving me another guilt tile to add to the stack. Shit, I was going to have to address my situation with Rory now. My stomach clenched with dread—that he’d tell me we were done, that this had been a brief fling for him and he was out.
I approached my bedroom door, worry thickening the air with every ensuing step, almost like I was walking through sludge.
I reached for the handle, but the door swung open. Rory stood in the entry, fully dressed in the clothes he’d shown up in. Disappointment thudded through me hard. So much for a cozy morning with him.
“Hey, I’ve got to head out,” Rory said. His pasted smile didn’t reach his eyes, and I hated it. “I heard Harper leave, so I figured it was safe to jet now.”
