I let out a shaky breath and the truth. “I’m so sorry.”
He dropped his forehead to mine. “I’m the one who should be saying I’m sorry.”
“No, you aren’t. I didn’t listen to you. I didn’t trust what we had because you scare the shit out of me, Andy.”
His lips lifted at the corners. “Really? You’re pulling outAndywhen you’re claiming to be sorry. That’s low, Freckles.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. And God, did it feel good.
It felt good tofeel.
“I fucking love you,” I whispered against his lips as he closed the minuscule distance between us.
“Good, because you’re stuck with me for the rest of your life. I’m never letting you go. I can’t stand being apart from you.”
Before I could tell him I felt the same, his lips sealed over mine and stole my breath, my thoughts, and the final shreds of the heartache I’d carried during our separation.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on tight.
His kiss felt like it brought me back to life.
It felt like home.
And it was the realest thing I’d ever known.
FIFTY-TWO
We were both breathing hard when the kiss ended, but I couldn’t bring myself to let go of Harper.
My hands stayed framed around her face like I was afraid she’d disappear again if I loosened my grip.
“Come home with me,” I said against her lips. It wasn’t a question but a plea.
She nodded, her eyes bright with happy tears. “I want to see Rory.”
Goddamn, I loved this woman. There were too many things I loved about her to list them all, but at the very top was how much she loved my daughter.
“She’s been missing you.”
Harper’s face crumpled with pain. “I’m so sorry I left her too.”
“Hey.” I pressed my forehead to hers. “It doesn’t matter anymore. We’re good now. That’s what matters.”
I was reluctant to separate from her, but we couldn’t just leave her car here. So with one more kiss, I opened her car door and then hopped in my truck. She followed me back to the hockey house in Dunridge, but that didn’t stopme from regularly checking the rearview mirror, afraid I’d just hallucinated the last half hour.
We parked in the driveway, and I felt some of my anxiety ease when Harper got out of her car without hesitation. She was really here. This wasn’t one of the many dreams I’d had since she walked out two weeks ago.
I opened the front door and immediately heard Rory babbling from the living room, followed by Ava and Liam’s mixed murmurs before Liam’s voice became more clear.
“Come on, Ro. Your dad’s gonna kill us if you’re still awake when he gets home.”
“Yeah, ’causethat’swhat he’s gonna kill us over,” Ava said
“Too late to worry now,” I called out, pulling Harper inside with me.
Liam froze where he was standing, gently bouncing Rory, while Ava was glued to his side rubbing Rory’s arm. His expression morphed from worry to thrilled in the blink of an eye when he caught sight of Harper beside me.
Rory’s head turned at the sound of my voice, and my heart clenched when her little face lit up with a big, gummy smile when she saw Harper. She let out a shriek of pure joy, kicking her legs and reaching out toward us.
