“Mae,” I say, equally dismissive. “After our last conversation, I thought you would have understood that you are not welcome in my home.”
“I am not here for you,” she says. “I need to speak to my daughter, and seeing as the two of you have decided to shack up in this embarrassment of a relationship, I have no choice but to come to your door because you have poisoned her mind so much that she is now no longer taking my calls.”
“I’m not taking your calls because I blocked your number, Mother,” Harper spits, suddenly at my back, her fingers discreetly hooked into the back of my belt as if needing that touch. Either that or because she wants to hold on to me just in case Mae says something that has me lunging at her, and when Mae is involved, I’d say it’s highly likely.
“That’s unacceptable,” Mae grits at her daughter, her face flushing red with anger.
“What’s unacceptable is thinking you can show up here with your bullshit attitude while we have company,” I say. “If you—”
“You have company?” she asks, quickly straightening her blouse and fixing her hair before adjusting her tone. “It’s just, I’ve missed you so much, sweet Harper, and I hate how we ended things the other week. Please, just give me a chance, and I’m sure we can work it out. But I see now isn’t a good time. I can come back another time, or perhaps you would like to come over for dinner tomorrow night.”
Harper scoffs. “Cut the shit, Mom. Every single one of the people here knows that you’re a despicable human. They don’t buy your fake sob story, and neither do I.”
Her jaw clenches, and I resist the urge to give Harper a high five right here in front of her mother. “I suppose I’ll leave, then,” Mae says, letting her face fall with the perfect guilt trip that pulls on Harper’s heartstrings.
Mae turns to leave when Harper groans. “Mom, just . . . fuck. Just come in and say what you have to say, and then you need to leave.”
Mae pauses before turning back to us and fixing her blouse once again. “Very well,” she says as I step back and silently wave her into our home.
She steps past me, but neither Harper nor I invite her any farther than the entryway, and as she awkwardly hovers, she assesses the faces of our friends, silently judging the way the boys drink a beer on the couch while Izzy sits on the coffee table.
“So this is your home,” Mae says a moment later, her face scrunching with distaste.
“Our home,” Harper corrects her, purposefully stepping in closer to me and putting her arm around me, knowing exactly how to bait her mother. “It’s the home I share with my uncle.”
Mae’s face contorts with rage, but like the perfect narcissist that she is, she’s able to mask it. Not before both Harper and I see her exactly for what she is, though. “I’ve come to talk to you about your relationship with Elias,” she says, and for a moment, I have no idea if she’s referring to me or Harper, because one thing is for sure—Harper has no fucking relationship with Elias, especially if I have anything to do with it.
Harper chokes on a laugh. “Excuse me?”
“He is my husband, and it’s about time you start showing him some respect,” she scolds her daughter. “He has tried so hard to build a relationship with you, and while I know you have your issues with me, Elias has done nothing but welcome you into our lives. Have some compassion.”
“You don’t even know the man you married, do you?” Harper questions. “Do you have any idea what kind of vile monster you sleep next to every night?”
“How dare you,” Mae spits. “That is my husband you’re talking about. The man I have chosen to spend my life with.”
Harper lets out a low groan. “Cut to the chase, Mom. You know that I have no intention of mending my relationship with Elias. He’s a monster in designer suits who plays the part just as well as you do. So, just tell me why you’re here so that I can get back to my night.”
“Very well,” she says, straightening her back. “My husband has gone missing. He was hurt in a home invasion last week, and don’t get me started on the fact that neither of you bothered to check in on him or even attempt to send him a get-well card. However, that is not why I have come. He disappeared early on Saturday morning, and nobody has seen or heard from him since, so I have come, as a last-ditch effort, to ask if the two of you will help in my search efforts.”
My brow arches, and I glance down at Harper, meeting her horrified stare just as Ace and Diesel both get to their feet,realizing exactly what I have—Elias has absolutely no intention of turning himself in, and Harper is still at risk. He’s going to come after her again, and when he does, he won’t be fucking around.
Harper stiffens, and I press my hand to her back, trying to keep her calm, but it’s not needed. She blows out a gentle breath. “Perhaps he has had enough of you too and took off,” she suggests, shrugging. “He’s a billionaire who needs to be locked behind bars. I’m sure he has plenty of enemies. I suggest you start your search there.”
Harper gives one last fake smile before stepping around her mother, but Mae calls out. “How could you be so cold?” she spits. “That’s not how you were raised.”
“That’s exactly how I was raised,” Harper growls, turning on her mother. “You raised me in your image. You raised me to care about materialistic things. To be cold and calculating. To care more for money than my own damn well-being. You didn’t raise me to have compassion for others, to be empathetic, or generous. I found all of that despite you, so if you would excuse me, you have overstayed your welcome.”
“Whether you like it or not,” Mae says to her daughter’s back, “Elias is going to be in our lives for a very long time, and for your sister’s sake, it’s about time you got used to it.”
“What?” I mutter. “Sister? Harper doesn’t have a sister.”
Harper stops and turns on her heel once again, looking over her mother through a narrowed gaze. “What are you talking about?”
“This is why I invited you for dinner,” Mae tells Harper, cradling her stomach, that I only just now see is slightly rounded. “I’m pregnant. You’re going to have a baby sister.”
23
HARPER-RAYN
