“Careful, we have a huge audience.” She pointed out, squeezing my hand, most of her attention on her parents. Jack and Caroline stood near the café counter. Jack was half watching the kids playing party games, and half conversing with his wife and Ellery.
When they’d come in, Jack had shaken my hand and nodded at me, but Caroline had given me a tight smile and averted her eyes. She hadn’t looked my way since.
Harper hadn’t said anything to me about it, but I got the impression that her mom wasnotimpressed with my reappearance in her daughter’s life. When it came to me, the ice around herheart would take a long ass time to thaw.
But I didn’t care too much about it, because I had plenty of time to earn her favour again. I was in it for the long run, and she’d see that soon. “You know, once upon a time, your mom really liked me.”
“She did.” Harper nodded. “She loved how you treated me; how you’d hold the door open for me, how you’d surprise me in little random ways, and tell me it was just to see me smile.”
“I also scored brownie points for always bringing you home before curfew.” I reminded her.
“Yeah, but she didn’t know that you’d come back later so I could sneak out in the middle of the night for yourmidnight dates.” She added with a light laugh. I got lost watching her, soaking in her smile and revealing in her dimples.
Fuck, I’d missed midnight dates with her. Almost every night during her first summer in Lunenburg, I’d wait for her to text me that her parents were asleep so I could pick her up a block away. We’d go driving, usually to one of the many beaches that dotted the coast. The private property ones were my favourite—more privacy for kissing and other fun things.
Before I could respond, the bell above the door chimed, and we both turned to look. Most of the people invited had already arrived, but we were waiting on a few stragglers. Nik hadn’t arrived yet, much to Asher’s chagrin, and I could see him watching the door too—but it was my parents and Connor who strolled in.
Mom carried a large wrapped gift, and Connor had one of her own.
My father carried his perpetual scowl, which only deepened when he saw me standing so close to Harper, my hand resting comfortably on her hip. His eyes narrowed at her. Mom said something to him, slipping her free hand through his.
He found a smile for her, and one for Connor too, who looked back at him over her shoulder. But when their attention was diverted to the dark-haired, blue-eyed birthday boy—Dad fixed me with a hard look.
He didn’t want to be here. I couldn’t tell if he was pissed that he was the last one to meet Asher, or if he was pissed because he generally always was when it came to me. Either way, the hairs on the nape of my neck stood up, and I braced myself.
Connor made her way over to us, her smile bright and radiant. “Hey, Harper!” she said, giving her a one-armed hug that pulled Harper from my embrace. “Where do we put the gifts?”
“Over there along that table would be great, thank you so much,” Harper replied, directing my sister to a table along the back wall, where presents were stacked neatly.
Dare and Evan were hanging out near it, both of them looking oddly at ease at a kid’s birthday party, even though it was the first time either one of them had been to one since we were kids ourselves. Evan had used his time helping set up as an opportunity to woo Ellery, making flirtatious comments and giving her hishey babysmiles.
Ellery seemed flattered by his attention, but she didn’t flirt back or express any interest of her own. He was setting himself up for major disappointment—Harper had mentioned her friend’s boyfriend once or twice—but Evan wasn’t the kind of guy who heeded warnings. He was the kind of guy that chased after what he wanted, even if he knew he wasn’t likely going to catch it. He’d just let the rejection roll off him like water and moved on to the next pretty thing.
“Here, Mom, let me take that,” Connor said, placing her gift on top of Mom’s and taking them both. She carried them toward the gift table. Dare noticed her bogged down by gift boxes and stepped in to give her a hand, but she ignored him, placing them on the table by herself, and brushed past him, heading for the café to say hello to Asher.
Dare frowned pensively after her, and Evan nudged him with his elbow, saying something low that made the contemplative look slid from his face. He grinned, shaking his head, and muttered something back.
“It’s so good to see you again,” Harper said, drawing my attention back to my parents. Dad exhaled audibly, lifting his brows and nodding in some poor ass excuse of a greeting, while my mom immediately wrapped her arms around Harper in another one of her warm hugs.
“Thank you so much for having us.” She said, pulling back to hug me too before stepping back, a huge grin.
“Of course,” Harper replied, smiling too.
“Oh! I see the birthday boy!” Mom exclaimed, spotting Asher across the room and immediately scooting over to say hello.
“I suppose our invitations to the other eight parties got lost in the mail.” He smiled to soften the jab, but it was still there—he knew it, I knew it, and so did Harper.
“Dad,” I growled in warning, but Harper’s easy smile had faded, and she blinked as if resetting.
“Beverages are on the house in the café, Holly will make them for you, and please help yourself to any of the treats on the tables.” She said, opting to ignore his comment. She forced a polite, brief smile that didn’t reach her eyes before she walked away to join my mom and Connor with Asher.
Pissed, I turned to face him with a hard glare, catching him watching the four of them with a cumbersome frown. “Do that again, and all of your future invitations will get lost, too.” I threatened quietly. “This is a little kid’s birthday party, not a podium for you to air your grievances. Remember that or show yourself out.”
I walked away, not caring if he followed or left. Maybe that’s what got to him—the not caring. The way I’d easily write him out if he continued to tromp down the same path.
Mom was beginning to see it, Connor, too. I could tell in the careful way they watched me when I joined them.
Their eyes bounced from me to beyond me, and when I turned, I realized that my father had followed a few steps behind. He’d wiped the scowl from his face, wearing a neutral mask that didn’t beguile much. His eyes softened when they finally landed and focused on his grandson.
