So Vanessa had not only worked at the bar but she’d needed protecting…just like Harper?
And that’s what Cody was good at. What he’d openly admitted time and time again.
Everything these strangers said played into Harper’s every fear. That Cody’s affection toward her was temporary. That she wasn’t meant to have a forever kind of love. That eventually, he’d leave her or hurt her…or both.
Cody shota glance toward Harper in the passenger seat. She’d been quiet since returning from the bathroom, barely saying a word other than asking if he was ready to go.
He wondered if it had something to do with the women who’d gone in after her. He vaguely recognized one of them as a friend of Vanessa’s. He also remembered how much she liked to gossip.
His fingers tightened around the wheel. “Is everything okay?”
There was a small pause, and he could almost hear her thinking before she answered. “Did Vanessa have issues with an ex?”
His brows slashed together. The woman had told Harper about Vanessa’s ex in the bathroom? “Yeah. He came into the bar a few times while she was working there and caused trouble. I let him know he wasn’t welcome, and Eastern kept an eye out for him. He still does. He’s bad news.”
She nodded, seeming to consider his every word. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Do you seeusas long term?”
Did shenotsee them as long term? Or had he not been obvious enough about the depth of his feelings for her?
When the corners of her mouth turned down, he realized he’d taken too long to answer.
Goddammit.“Yes. I see us as long term.”
The silence between them stretched, and fuck it was loud, buzzing in his ears and thickening the air around him. When he pulled into a parking spot outside the bar, he turned toward her, but she was already climbing out.
He bit back a curse and followed her out of the car and into the bar. He waited until they were inside with the door locked before gripping her arm. “Harper, wait.”
She stopped, but it was a moment before she turned. And when she did, his heart clashed against his ribs at the vulnerability on her face. The way she wrapped her arms around her waist in a defensive gesture.
He stepped forward, but she immediately inched back like she wanted space, and that small move shattered him. “Tell me what’s going on in your head, Storm.”
At the use of his nickname, her eyes widened a fraction like they always did. “I don’t know. My emotions are all over the place.”
His were too…because right now, he had no idea what was going on and all he wanted to do was touch her. “Try.”
“It’s stupid, but first you mentioned Vanessa worked with you, just like me. Then these women in the restroom said you like playing protector and get bored when you don’t need to anymore. And…I don’t know…I guess that just feeds into the part of me that feels undeserving of a happy ending to my story.”
“You don’t think you deserve a happy ending?”
“Life just keeps reminding me that it may not be in my plans. And every time I look at you, I wonder why you’re with me. Because surely men like you aren’t interested in women like me.”
He could have laughed. “Intelligent women? Beautiful? Smart? Empathetic?”
“Women who were born on the wrong side of town. Women who have alcoholic mothers and ex-con fathers and a brother who has no problem with violence.”
The familiar rage still slipped to the surface whenever she mentioned that. “Harper, the family we’re born into does not define who we are. You arenothinglike the people who raised you, and that just makes me want you more. Because it shows your strength. Proves that despite your adversity, you still ended up here.”
“I’m a mess,” she whispered.
“No. You need reassurance that I’m in this for the right reasons and that I’m here to stay. And that’s okay.” This time when he stepped forward, she didn’t step back. He slipped his arms around her waist, and God, touching her felt good. “Iama protector, and whether there’s no one after you or an entire army of people, I willstillbe your protector. I won’t get bored when things die down. In fact, I’m waiting for that day.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Storm. The day you walked into this bar, I felt something I’d never felt before with anyone. And those feeling have just grown every day since. They have nothing to do with who’s gunning for you…although, yeah, that pisses me the hell off.”
