Damien held her gaze and nodded.“It is.I had it restored for you.I knew that record player meant more to you than any other one would.Some of it had to be replaced, but it’s mostly the same one your dad had.The same one he played records on when you were growing up.”
“Thank you,” Harmony whispered, her throat squeezing around the words.“That means… That means the world to me.”
“You mean the world to me, Harmony.I’m sorry I couldn’t save all his records, but I replaced the ones that were broken.And had the others turned into something.”He pointed behind her.
Harmony glanced over her shoulder, then turned to fully face the wall just inside the front door.A glass case protected loose shards of vinyl, the pieces of her shattered records.Spelled out in the broken pieces was My Girl in the original typography used on the album.A small picture of her parents on their wedding day was mounted next to the words.“How…?”
“I kept all the pieces of your records.Even though they couldn’t be played anymore, I knew they mattered to you.I found an artist online who creates amazing things with vinyl.Anything from bowls to artwork to memories.I let her decide what to do with all of this, and this was what she proposed.”
“It’s stunning.”
“I wanted you to always remember where you came from.Where you got your love of music from.”
Harmony stood there and stared at the gift he had made for her until it blurred.Her heart swelled with so much love for him, she couldn’t speak.
“Is it okay?I didn’t want to remind you about the pain of that day, but I thought?—”
“It’s perfect.You are perfect.I love you so much.I don’t know how I got so lucky, but you… My dad would have loved you.”
Damien’s smile was a bit wobbly.He rolled his lips in, then stepped into her and wrapped his arms around her.“Thank you.That means a lot.I love you.I wish I’d met him, but I will take care of you.I will do everything for you.You will never be alone again.”
“Thank you.”
Damien closedthe laptop and asked the question he knew needed to be asked.“Are you sure we can finish this in time?”
Harmony’s face crumpled as soon as he asked the question.She shook her head.“It’s never going to happen.I hate it.I wanted to get it done, but it’s just not going to happen.”
Damien sighed and scooted over to pull her into his arms.He’d seen the truth coming, but he was not going to give up on her.They’d been at it every minute since she got out of the hospital two weeks earlier, but they had a lot left to do.
Harmony worked her ass off to get to where she was, but her recovery was harder on her than she expected it to be.She was frustrated, but she was working hard to get back to full strength.It just wasn’t going to happen before she had to finish her thesis.
“What do you say we get out of here?Take a break.Get something to eat.”
“I hate being stuck in this boot,” Harmony grumbled.
“I know.But we need some fresh air.I’ll help you get changed, and we can go out.”
Before Harmony could answer, there was a knock on the door.“Are you expecting someone?”
Damien shook his head and went to the door.“No.”He looked through the peephole and saw Walker on the other side.“It’s Walker.”
Harmony nodded, letting him know she was fine to let his teammate in.
Damien opened the door and saw not only Walker but Dawn Patterson on his porch.“Um, hi guys.We didn’t know you were coming over.”He stepped back to let them in.“Dawn, this is Harmony Gibbs.Harmony, this is Dawn Patterson.”
Dawn smiled kindly at Damien, then approached Harmony with her hand out.“It’s so nice to meet you.”
Harmony shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable in her sweatshorts and loose tank.Damien helped her shower that morning, but they weren’t expecting anyone.“Nice to meet you.”
“I’m sorry to barge in on you guys.I’m a friend of Evie’s.I know you met a while ago.”
Harmony nodded.“I keep meaning to call her, but things have been a little crazy.”
“Evie understands, trust me.We were talking about you a few days ago.I told her I was really interested in meeting you, and she suggested calling my friend, Walker.”Dawn smiled at the large man hanging by the door with Damien.“When I saw the reports about your attack, I started doing some research into you.”Dawn took a seat next to Harmony on the couch.“I own Davis Developments.”
Harmony sat up straighter.“I applied for a job with you.”
“I am aware.Your resume was at the top of my list, and then I saw what happened to you.How are you?”
