Turned out, I hadn’t had anything.
And I didn’t even realize it until now, when I was starting every morning with the daughter who came out of nowhere and the woman I’d spent years hating.
My life was turning out nothing like I’d ever planned.
It was so much better.
“You know what’s crazy?” I said, successfully getting Rory to drink some of the bottle.
“Convincing yourself your daughter’s mess-making is indicative of being a hockey prodigy?” Harper asked, settling into the chair beside Rory’s bouncer with a smirk.
“That too.” I grinned at her. “But I was thinking about how I used to think I had my shit figured out. Good grades, decent hockey career, active social life. I thought I was living the dream.”
“And now?” She watched me from over the rim of her coffee cup as she took a sip.
“Now I know I was just wasting time until this happened.” I gestured between the three of us. “Until you and Rory showed me what mattered.”
Harper’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Drew Dumontier, going all sentimental on me at eight in the morning? Should I be worried you’re running a fever?”
“Blame the kid. She’s made me soft.” I reached over to tickle Rory’s chin, making her giggle. “Plus, having you here to witness my superior parenting skills doesn’t hurt either.”
“Superior parenting skills?” It was Harper’s turn to tilt her head back, laughing. She snorted and pointed at my daughter. “Andy, she just spit up all the formula she just drank.”
I followed her gaze and winced. “That’s impressive, actually. She played the long game on that one.”
“Uh-huh.” Harper shook her head, still grinning as she grabbed the pack of baby wipes from the counter. “You’re lucky she’s cute.”
“We both are.” I grabbed a handful of wipes from her and we both cleaned up my daughter.
My chest tightened with the sudden certainty of what I wanted.
This right here, every single morning.
“Harper.”
“Yeah?” She glanced over at me.
“Stay.”
She blinked. “What?”
“This summer. Stay here. With us.” I gestured around the kitchen, then at Rory, who was shoving her hand in her mouth.
Harper straightened slowly, the wet wipes forgotten in her hand. “Drew…”
“I know it’s fast,” I said quickly. “I know we’ve alreadysigned leases to live in separate houses next year, but this summer could be ours. Just the three of us.”
She was quiet for a long moment, studying my face. “Are you sure? Because living together is different from just staying over sometimes.”
I ignored the fact she’d stayed over every night this past week.
“I’m sure.” I took the pack of baby wipes from her hands and tossed it aside. “I’ve never been more certain of anything. I love you. Rory loves you. Stay with us. I want you here. I want to see you every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to sleep. I want to deal with the bad days and the good days together. Please say yes.”
Her smile started slow and then spread across her entire face. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes, you impossible man. Okay, I’ll stay.” She reached up to cup my face. “I love you too. Both of you.”
