Clearly intrigued, Tucker looked at me and said, “Really? I wouldn’t have guessed that.”
I laughed. “I guess there’s a lot you have to learn.”
“I guess so,loverboy.”
“Hey! That’s my nickname for him.” Harper shot him a glare.
“Sorry, Sugar.” He laughed.
There was a pause in the conversation as Harper stopped to look at the sunset. She decided pretty quickly that she was done walking and wanted to just stare at it. So, she sat in the cold, dry sand. Tuck and I followed suit, sitting on either side of her.
She looked from me to Tucker, then back at the setting sun.
“I have food allergies,” she said, like it were an apology. “Technically, gluten sensitivity. Also, I’m allergic to corn and dairy. But I ignore them half the time and just suffer the consequences. I basically live with a constant tummy ache when I’m not at my house, to make it easier on everyone else.”
I glanced over at her, taking that in, cataloguing it.
Mental note: No gluten. No corn. No dairy. And stop letting her fuck up her body for the sake of others.
“Got it,” I said softly. “I’ll be more careful about that.”
She glanced at me, a little surprised. “You don’t have to?—”
“I want to.”
“Harper, you don’t need to be in constant pain or discomfort to make things easier for people. You deserve better than that. And with us, you don’t have to suffer the consequences.” Tucker put a hand on her thigh to comfort her.
“Thank you, guys.” She laid her hand on top of his, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Something passed between us. The way her lips parted slightly before curling into a small smile told me we said the right thing.
“I want to be an esthetician,” she said a moment later, voice softer now. “Because when I was a teenager, I struggled badly with acne. I know Cam probably remembers.”
I did. Harper and Wren used to spend weekends trying out new skincare hacks they saw on YouTube.
“I hated my skin,” she said. “Like, I truly hated it. It led to an entire issue with my body image, self-worth, and stuff like that. So, I don’t want anyone else to feel that way. I want to help people feel confident. Beautiful. I want people to know that even if they have acne or skin issues, they deserve to take up space.”
I stopped staring at the water for a second, just to look at her. She didn’t even realize how powerful that was.
“You already make people feel that way,” I said quietly.
Harper blinked, then looked away. I reached for her hand, and she let me take it.
30
HARPER
The wind picked up off the water, cold and salty, tugging strands of my hair into my face. I brushed them back with a sigh, trying to keep my thoughts straight while Cam and Tuck sat beside me.
The beach was quiet at this time of evening—just the hush of waves and the occasional call of a bird overhead.
“You guys already know this,” I started, glancing down at where our fingers intertwined, “but Reed and I are step-siblings.”
Cam gave my hand a gentle squeeze, encouraging me to go on. He knew this story, though only from Reed’s point of view. Tucker and Reed were never as close as Reed and Cam, so I assumed he wouldn’t know any of this.
“My biological mom passed while giving birth to me, and my dad left when I was eleven. No big goodbye. No explanation. Just… gone. Our mom didn’t take it well.”
I swallowed, voice softening.
