I rise, sit on the bench, then reach down and pull her up onto my lap to encircle her waist with my arms. She loops hers around my neck. When our eyes meet, they speak volumes to each other before we ever say a word. We gaze at each other for several moments.
“Do you want to tell me?” she whispers.
I do. For the first time since it happened, I want andneedsomeone else to know.
I nod.
“That trailhead over there,” I gesture with my head toward the trail, “leads to the spot where my dad died thirteen years ago.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Delaney
It’s getting increasingly difficult to sleep with this man withoutsleepingwith this man. When I think about it, for the last few weeks, we’ve been spending more and more nights together—nights with boundaries.
Boundaries that I’m kind of over, especially when he looks so darn good while he’s asleep. He’s a gorgeous specimen of a man when he’s awake, but when the peace of a good slumber settles over his features, my God, I’ve seen nothing more beautiful.
After the park yesterday, when Harrison let me see his sorrow and misplaced guilt, if anyone deserves to rest, it’s him. It breaks my heart that even though he knows he couldn’t have saved his father, he won’t forgive himself for not being with his dad when he died. It also explains his near-obsessive need to take care of everyone.
I was going to tell him about my mom yesterday, but it seemed like too much after everything else. Still, Lester’s words of caution about not waiting to let Harrison into the most guarded parts of my life run through my head. The last thing Iwant to do is hurt him. But if it changes how he sees me—if he pities me—it’ll devastate me. I’ll have to rip the Band-Aid off and see what happens.
This is too much thinking for so early in the day, and I need coffee. One last peek at Harrison gives me no sign he’ll be waking up soon. I’ll go down and get a pot brewing.
I roll onto my back, and then, with the stealth of a ninja, I slither across the sheets to the edge of the bed. When I go still, preparing to sit, I swear the mattress beneath me jiggles. I lie perfectly stone-like, not moving a muscle until I’m sure I’ve imagined it. I’m going to sit up on three. One. Two. Th?—
“What are you doing?” The gravelly morning voice scares the heck out of me, and my body reacts poorly. I jolt and am halfway off the bed, bracing for impact with the floor, when my forward motion halts, thanks to the quick reflexes and well-developed arm muscles of my bedmate. Between the efforts of us both, I’m back on the bed in no time.
I’m lying on my back, and Harrison, on his side, leans over me, with a protective arm placed across my belly as a barrier between me and the edge of the bed.
“Hi,” I pant.
“Hey.” He grins at me. “Were you trying to sneak out of bed?”
I nod. “It looked like you would never get up, and I desperately need coffee.”
“You could have woken me up. I wouldn’t have minded.”
I stare at him for a few seconds, then reach and run my hand through his hair.
“Yesterday was a lot for you to go through, to share. I figured you could use the extra rest.”
A sad smile forms on his face. “Thanks for being there. It’s difficult for me to share that.”
I push up onto my side and stretch to give him a kiss. When he tries to change it from a simple peck to a full-on kiss, I squeal and pull back. I cover my mouth with my hand.
“I haven’t brushed my teeth yet,” I tell him.
“So,” he grins, leaning into me.
“No.” I hold a hand up in front of his mouth. “No offense, but neither have you.”
Harrison chuckles and rolls back over to his side of the bed, then up onto the edge. He looks over his shoulder at me. “I’m going to brush my teeth. Wanna come?”
Twenty minutes later, Harrison and I sit on the back deck of his home and sip our piping hot coffee. The morning sun isn’t yet hot enough to make it uncomfortable, and the peaceful quiet of the early day surrounds us.
“I have to tell you something, and I think it might make you happy and annoyed at the same time.” I watch his face for his reaction, yet see nothing telling.
“Well, that’s quite the intro, Bets.” Harrison follows it with a throaty laugh.
