Trent held the door to the police station open for Harper.He suspected they were up against something way more professional than either he or Harper realized.He put his arm around Harper’s shoulders, and pulled her close to his side as they walked through the parking lot.Harper looked up at him, the tensing of her jaw betraying her nervousness.
“Was thinking about what Lopes just said,” he started as casually as his own nerves would allow.“We need to be careful, darlin’.This seems more sophisticated than I figured.I’d feel better if we just stuck together, like every night, and as much as we can during the day while we wait this out.”
“We can’t stop living our lives just because something bad is out there.A million and one things could happen to us on any given day.”Her voice broke slightly, but she gave him a tight smile.
He turned to look at her, banking his own fears.
“You work with Cujo on a daily basis.That’s dangerous,” she said with a shrug.
He laughed as he expected she meant him to.That she would try and makehimfeel better was just one of the reasons he’d be there for her every hour he could.If he couldn’t go into the shop, so be it.It might well be his baby, his pride and joy, but it just wasn’t his main priority anymore.
***
The heavenly scent of bacon roused her from sleep.Cozy in the warmth of the comforter, Harper opened one eye, squinting a look across the now-empty bed.
A solitary sliver of sunlight broke through the blinds.Harper lifted her head and looked at Trent’s alarm clock.It read 8:50 a.m.
With a yawn, Harper sat up and stretched, reaching her arms high above her head.She’d long since given up trying to wear clothes to bed.Invariably Trent pulled them off her, and she was just too damn exhausted to put them back on afterward.
“Now that would make a great photograph.”Putting the tray down on the floor next to the bed, Trent pushed her back down and crawled on top of her, his perfectly smooth chest brushing against her.
He lowered his mouth to hers, kissed her softly, and put his hands on either side of her face, resting his forearms by her shoulders.
Unable to resist his muscular back, Harper ran her fingers down to the elastic of the soft sweatpants he’d pulled on.
Would she ever get used to the tightening around her heart and the flip in her stomach when he kissed her?It couldn’t be natural to feel this much for someone else.
When Trent pulled his lips away from hers, she felt bereft at the loss.
“Happy birthday, darlin’!”
Harper sat up and kissed his dimples.“Thank you,” she murmured against his lips.
“Thought you might like breakfast in bed to start your day.Can’t promise a culinary delight, but it’s edible and I didn’t set fire to anything.”
The tray was set perfectly, with little salt and pepper shakers and cutlery wrapped in a napkin.There was even a little vase with a single red rose in it.The food was, well, piled.Literally, piled in the middle of the plate.Scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns were stacked like a five-year-old’s Play-Doh sculpture.Slightly burned toast sat off to the side on a small plate.
Harper smiled as she grabbed a crisp slice of bacon and took a bite.
They ate their breakfast sitting cross-legged in bed, laughing at a story involving Cujo, a mechanical bull, and an ill-fitting pair of jeans.
When they were finished, Trent grabbed the tray and took their dishes to the kitchen.
“Time for presents,” he said when he returned.He dropped a bag between her outstretched legs before perching on the side of the bed.“I’m saving the others for later.”
Harper pulled her hand up to her chest.“Oh my… you didn’t have to get me anything.”
Trent smiled, but from the look in his eyes, he was nervous.“Making it to another birthday is something worth celebrating, darlin’.”
Harper reached into the beautiful purple bag, past the silver tissue paper, and took out a black rectangular box.She opened it slowly.On a dark purple cushion sat a pendant, a crystal that looked like a glass teardrop and hung from a simple black leather cord.Ribbons of red and orange twisted inside the glass, as if someone had dropped the bright hues into swirling water.
“It’s stunning.”Harper held it up to the light to watch the colors change.
“I got the idea from your tattoo.A friend of mine is a glass artist, so I drew it up and asked her to make it.”
Happy tears filled her eyes.He’d designed it just for her.
“The flames gave me the idea.”He took it from her and spun his finger to get her to twirl.
