“I’m a very easy man to deal with,” Theo countered. “I always say exactly what I mean. I don’t beat around the bush. You don’t have to guess at what you’re getting when you deal with me. When I send you over this contract, you will know exactly what to expect and what your client can count on when he signs with our club.”
“You meanifhe signs with your club.”
“I’m confident he will. The offer is a good one. You didn’t need to use these tactics to try to get the best deal out of me. I take care of my players. I care about everyone who’s a part of this system.”
John Larson didn’t seem to have anything to say to that.
“I’m sending the deal over now,” Theo said. “Take a look at it and get back to me once you’ve had a chance to make a decision.”
He hung up the phone and turned his attention to the papers on his desk. At least, hetriedto turn his attention there, but now that he didn’t have this deal to focus on, he found his mind wandering. His thoughts returned to Harper and the night they had spent together. The warmth of her body in his arms, the noises she had made… he wouldn’t forget it anytime soon. He had been with many women in his life, but there was something special about her that seemed destined to stay with him.
It was beyond frustrating. This was supposed to be a job. He was supposed to be planning his brother’s wedding, nothing more. And when that was over, they would go their separate ways. Butnow it seemed as though knowing Harper was going to leave an indelible impression on Theo’s life. And he was beginning to fear that, no matter how far away from her he got, and no matter how much time passed, he would never fully be able to move on.
CHAPTER 19
HARPER
Harper was awoken by the sound of her alarm clock buzzing.
She rolled over and reached out to slap it off. She felt exhausted, almost hungover, as if she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep the night before. This was the second night in a row that had gone like this; it was the second morning she’d woken feeling so tired. Harper was usually the kind of person who woke up before her alarm went off. Mornings had always suited her. She didn’t understand what was wrong with her lately, why she had been so worn-out.
She dragged herself out of bed and directly to the shower, which she turned to a cooler setting than normal. The chilly water did help to wake her up, but she still didn’t feel like herself. Maybe it was because the wedding day was getting so close. They were just about a week away now. Harper was pretty sure everything had been taken care of and that all aspects were planned for, but she found herself going through her checklists multiple times a day just to put her mind at ease.
It would have been easier if she still had Theo by her side. This was a job that was a little too complicated for just one person. If she had been planning an ordinary wedding, she would’ve had the help of the bride and groom. She hadn’t wanted to bother Tara or Max, even though she was sure one or both of them would have stepped up had they thought she really needed their help. But she didn’t need their help. She could do this on her own. She could do it for her best friend. And she didn’t need Theo either.
She stepped out of the shower, feeling lightheaded and wondering whether she had made the water too warm after all. As she sat down on the edge of the bathtub, her stomach clenched and she realized she was feeling nauseous and maybe needed something to eat.
Heading to the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator, but nothing really looked good. The sight of eggs turned her stomach. She reached for the orange juice and then hesitated, finding that it didn’t appeal to her either. In the end, the only thing she could find that looked appetizing at all was a bowl of strawberries. She pulled it out and went to the kitchen table to nibble on them.
She ate slowly, pondering the events of the past few weeks. She had spoken to Theo only rarely since the night they had spent together. Every time she thought about calling him, she found that she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He had texted her a few times, and she always responded to his messages, but she found herself keeping her responses brief. She was sure he had noticed the difference, because he had stopped reaching out as much too. They had probably only spoken two or three times in the past fortnight. And in the few weeks prior to that, they hadn’t had much contact either.
Harper knew it was all her fault. She should never have slept with him. She had known when she had gotten into all this, when she had begun the wedding planning, that the best man, whoever he was, would be someone she couldn’t afford to get romantically entangled with. She had hoped for fun with him at the wedding, but she had known that nothing serious could happen.
Of course, she hadn’t known the kind of man he would be. She hadn’t known how resistant he would be to the idea of romance or marriage. Not that she wanted to marry him, anyway. It was just that that night had been so special. Magical. Anyone would have wanted to believe that it was possible for the same thing to happen again. It was the fact it was over so quickly that was eating at her. That was all. She would get over it.
Still, the physical exhaustion drained her and made it impossible for her to get away from her thoughts. She couldn’t bring herself to go out of the house, or even to get dressed. She found herself lying on the couch in a T-shirt and sweatpants, transferring strawberries one by one to her mouth and daydreaming.
Maybe she was coming down with the flu or something. Except that when she was getting sick, it usually began with a tickle in her throat. She had never experienced symptoms quite like these, and worry took root in the back of her mind. Should she see a doctor?
She flicked through channels on the TV. Her mind wandered, and she wasn’t focused on what was going on around her. She didn’t even realize at first that she had stopped on a rerun of a familiar sitcom. When she recognized it for what it was, she rolled over onto her side and allowed herself to be immersed in the world of the characters she knew so well.
It was an episode she recognized immediately. She wasn’t surprised they were rerunning it because it was a fan favorite — it was the episode where the main character gave birth to twins. Harper watched the plot beats play out. It felt good to look at something that couldn’t surprise her.
And then, without warning, something did surprise her.
She didn’t even realize what had done it at first. All she knew was that she felt a swooping sensation in the pit of her stomach, a sudden unease that she couldn’t explain. Something was wrong and she knew it, but she didn’t know what it was or how she knew. The camera panned back across the hospital room on the TV screen, and then she saw it — a sign on the wall that said,home remedies for morning sickness.
Morning sickness.
No. It couldn’t be.
But it could be, of course. Even though it seemed impossible, this was the way these things happened — you only had to sleep with someone one time. Of course she could be pregnant.
Pregnant with Theo’s baby.
She knew what she needed to do, but the idea of doing it was almost unthinkable. She still wasn’t feeling well, and now, to top that all off, a fog had descended around her. It was as if her mind had stepped outside of her body. To get behind the wheel of the car would have been deeply irresponsible. She reached for her phone, pulled up a delivery app, and placed an order for a home pregnancy test.
She finalized the order and sat staring at her screen, questioning whether this could possibly be real life. Surely, she wasimagining things. She would get this test, she would take it, and when it was negative, she would have to laugh at herself.
