“That went better than I expected,” Harper said quietly as we headed back to our seats. We’d started sitting next to each other; it just made sense given we were working together.
“Yeah,” I agreed, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. “We make a pretty good team when we’re not trying to destroy each other.”
The corner of her mouth quirked up in a small smile that made my chest feel tight. It was still hard to reconcile this version of Harper—thoughtful, brilliant, kind—with the enemy I’d constructed in my head over the years.
After class, we walked out of the classroom together, stepping into the weak spring sunshine that had finally decided to grace Montana after months of frigid cold. A fewstudents huddled on benches wearing heavy jackets, faces turned toward the sunlight that occasionally broke through the clouds. Patches of dirty snow still lingered in the shadowy corners of buildings, stubbornly refusing to melt completely.
“I need to head back home and check on Rory,” I said, adjusting my backpack. “Ava’s watching her, but she has class at two.”
Harper nodded, tucking a curl behind her ear in that way she did sometimes. My fingers itched with the desire to touch her curly strands and see if they were as soft as they looked—which was an absolutely next-level insane thought to have.
“How’s she doing? Sleeping any better?”
“Some nights are better than others,” I admitted, ignoring my temporary insanity. “Last night was actually not terrible—she only woke up twice.”
“Progress,” Harper said with a smile.
“Want to come see her?” The words were out of my mouth before I could think about them. “I mean, if you’re free. She lights up when she sees you.”
Harper’s eyes got bright as her smile spread on her face, and my breathing got a little shallower. “I’d like that.”
We walked across campus toward the hockey house, our conversation flowing more easily than it ever had before. Harper told me about the piece she was preparing for her fellowship audition, and I found myself genuinely interested in the technical challenges she was working through. There was magic in the way she talked about music—like she was describing a sacred language only she could fully understand.
When we reached the house, Ava was in the living room with Rory on a play mat, surrounded by the colorful toys that had taken over our once spartanly decorated space.
“There he is,” Ava said in that high-pitched voice people automatically use with babies. “Look who’s home, Rory! It’s your daddy!”
Rory’s face lit up with a gummy smile that still knocked me sideways every time I saw it. How was it possible to love someone so much after knowing them for such a short time?
“And look, he brought Harper,” Ava added, her eyes darting between us with barely concealed interest.
“Hey, Ava,” Harper said, setting her bag down andkneeling beside the play mat until she was face level with my daughter. “Hey there, little miss.”
Rory immediately focused on Harper, looking as mesmerized by Harper’s curls as I was.
“Looks like someone’s got a fan,” Ava said, handing Rory over.
Harper cradled her as if she’d been doing it Rory’s whole life. I found myself staring at the picture they made—Harper’s red curls falling forward as she talked softly to my daughter, and Rory’s tiny fingers reaching up to touch Harper’s face.
“Thanks for watching her,” I told Ava, finally tearing my eyes away. “How was she?”
“Perfect angel,” Ava said, gathering her things. “She drank all her bottle and took a good nap. Oh, and we FaceTimed Mom—she’s already bought more clothes from the baby boutiques in Meadowbrook and Missoula. It’ll probably be a mountain of stuff by the time she comes this weekend.”
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help smiling. My mom had fallen in love with Rory just as fast as I had and had turned into an obsessed grandma in record time.
“I should get going,” Ava said, checking her watch. “I’ve got class in twenty minutes.”
As she headed for the door, she shot me a pointed look that I chose to ignore. She didn’t need to speak for me to understand. The twin thing was real. I knewexactlywhat she was thinking. The problem was I had no idea what to say to her or how to explain what the fuck I was doing.
With Ava gone, I sat down on the couch across from Harper and Rory. Harper was making soft cooing noises that had Rory completely entranced. Meanwhile, I’d completely forgotten to breathe once I saw the gorgeoussmile that filled Harper’s face as she cooed and talked to my daughter like they were the best of friends.
“You’re really good with her,” I said.
Harper glanced up. “She’s got such a sweet temperament.”
“Not at three in the morning, she doesn’t,” I said with a laugh.
“Fair enough.” Harper adjusted Rory in her arms as the baby started to fuss. “I think someone’s getting hungry.”
