I ducked my head as I dried my hands on a paper towel. “I’m not going to lie. At first we clashed big time, but now … I guess I’ve seen who he really is, and I feel completely different.”
Harper looked at me thoughtfully. “You know, when I was in med school, I had my heart set on becoming an orthopedic surgeon. But then I got diagnosed with POTS, and I couldn’t do what was needed for the surgical residency. It tore me up. Alex was the only classmate I confided in. He really helped me through it. I know he can get a little focused, but he really is a good guy.”
“It’s true,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t know why he hides that part of himself so much.”
“My personal opinion is that he uses that as a defense mechanism,” Harper replied quietly.
“He told me about his mom passing away.” I couldn’t quite meet Harper’s gaze.Talking like this felt like a violation of Alex’s trust, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. Still, Harper had known him when he was younger. I wondered if he’d closed off more over time or if he was opening up. “He admitted that is why he doesn’t really get attached to people.”
“I think it goes deeper than that,” Harper admitted. “He says that’s why he keeps to himself, but I also think it is why he drowns himself in his job. I mean, losing your mom at any age would be hard, but Alex was only ten years old. He was old enough to understand what was going on, but young enough to still need his mom and feel like things were completely out of his control.”
“He was only twelve?” I asked in a whisper. That actually answered a lot. “He never told me that part. I guess I pictured him more as a young adult.”
“No, he was young,” Harper answered. We both paused for a minute before she continued. “I didn’t mean to dampen your mood; I just wanted to thank you.”
“No, I appreciate you letting me know. Thank you. It has been so nice to get to know you and Andrew better. I wish we lived closer where we could see each other more often.”
“Well, we aren’t that far away,” Harper answered. “Maybe you guys can come down sometime and visit.” She paused, and then that mischievous glint appeared in her eye again. “Maybe we can teach Alex how to get his loafers dirty.”
We both laughed as we exited the girls’ room.
Alex was leaning against the booth, waiting so I could slide back in. When our eyes caught, I saw a reflection of the feelings inside of me. I was falling in love with this man, and there wasn’t a darn thing I could do to stop it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alex
Emma and Harper came back to the table from “freshening up,” as they called it. I was bursting with pride as I watched Emma.She moved with confidence, and whatever shadows had followed her to dinner tonight were gone—letting her light shine for all to see. I loved having her in my life and introducing her to people I knew. It made me feel more complete.
The ladies found their seats, and we all crammed back in the booth.
“Thanks for being willing to meet up tonight, Alex, and thanks for introducing us to Emma. It has been great.”Harper smiled at the two of us.
Andrew leaned over and quietly mentioned the time to Harper.
She looked at her watch and said, “Already? Shoot. I’m so sorry, but we have to go or we will miss our flight. Thanks again, and hopefully we can see each other again soon?”
“Agreed,” Emma replied for me. I gave her hand a little squeeze in appreciation. She’d accepted my friend with an open heart. Just one more reason to fall for her.
We all shook hands as we exited the pizzeria and went our separate ways.
Emma snuggled up next to me despite the warm summer night air and said, “What do you want to do next?”
“I was thinking … ice cream.” I wrapped my arms around her and held her to my chest for a moment as we walked. Visiting with Harper and Andrew had been a nice time, but this moment, where it was just me and Emma, was what I’d been waiting for all week.
She looked up and gave me a quick kiss. “Deal. I know a good place on the Riverwalk not far from here.”
“Lead the way, my lady.”
She took my hand and tugged me along.
The Riverwalk was softly lit with decorative lights on the trees and shops, creating a romantic atmosphere. The smell of the trees and water was refreshing as we walked along, each lost in our own thoughts.
We reached a small ice cream shack and placed our order: cookie dough for Emma and a chocolate for me.It didn’t take long to serve up, and we found a bench facing the river.
Emma took a taste of her ice cream and moaned. “I’m going to have to run extra for this tomorrow, but I won’t lie—it tastes so good.”
I chuckled again, feeling all sorts of things inside at the sound of her pleasure. “I didn’t know any ice cream would be good enough to elicit that kind of response.”
