Page 142 of Freefall

He’s working on himself, and I could not be more proud.

Some nights he teaches me the grounding exercises he’s been practicing.

Name something you see, smell, hear, feel.

Some nights we simply breathe together. Healing isn’t as dramatic as surviving. It’s quieter. Sometimes it’s sitting on the couch while Nate makes me tea. Sometimes it’s drawing with Daisy. Sometimes it's simply remembering to breathe.

“Harper.”

The sound of my mother's voice drains the warmth from my chest. I stiffen before I even turn around.

“I know you probably don't want me here,” she says quietly. “But Nate thought…well, we might want to see Daisy as a flower girl.”

“You’re right,” I say dismissively. “I don't want you here.”

She lowers her gaze. “I deserve that.”

I finally confronted my mom after Jace was released from the hospital. She didn’t deny what she did. She apologized and said she thought she was protecting me. Maybe she really believed that. Maybe she still does.

“I meant what I said. I never wanted to keep you apart,” she says softly.

My eyes snap shut. “But you did.”

The words hang between us. When I look back at her, tears are streaming down her cheeks. “I know.”

“I need more time, Mom.”

She nods slowly. “I’ll be here whenever you’re ready.”

And then she's gone.

Strong hands slide around my waist. “You disappeared.”

I lean back against Nate. “I’m working, remember?”

He glances at the camera hanging from my neck. “Oh yeah?”

“Yep.” I tap the lens. “This isn’t just an accessory.”

He laughs against my hair, the sound huskier than it’s been in weeks. It may have taken a kidnapping and attempted murder to make us realize we can’t live without each other, but we’re still taking things slow. We haven’t had sex since Halloween.

After everything that happened, neither of us felt the need to rush. We spent the last two weeks talking instead. About the past. About Daisy. About us. Some nights we argue. Sometimes he kisses me like I'm his source of oxygen. Other times, we lie awake whispering how much we love each other into the darkness.

He asked us to move in with him.

I told him I'd think about it.

He asked if we could tell Daisy about us.

That answer was easier.

Plus, I’m pretty sure she already suspects something. I swear that girl is an amateur detective just like her grandfather.

Apparently, Nate’s father has known about me for years, though Daisy and I only officially met him last week when he invited us over for family dinner. Before we left, he told me he plans to step back completely and let Nate run the company however he sees fit, but not before making me promise I’d never let his son get away with anything. I had no trouble agreeing to that.

The man in question leans in closer, speaking directly into my ear. “Brat.”

Heat blooms under my skin. “What are you going to do about it?”