Page 149 of Major Love

I don’t want to get in their way on a Friday afternoon, after Mitch has had a full week of manual labour during the rough transitioning period at the end of winter.

But Mitch is unfazed, which really shouldn’t surprise me, because he’s got the same controlled temperament that I’ve always loved about Jason.

“Yeah? What’d you pick?” Mitch asks Harper gently, before adding in my direction, “Stay for dinner, if you want.”

I can’t help but smile at how surprisingly sweet he is, and we all head toward the sofas so that Harper can rest her feet again.

Mitch glances at the pale pink eye-mask that Harper discarded on the back of the couch, and I just know that he’s dying to ask her how she’s been feeling and if she’s rested enough.

But he just helps her sit back down on the pillows, tucking her under his biceps as he heaves himself beside her.

I move over to her other side, my movements extra gentle because I know how protective Mitchell is.

I position my MacBook on my lap but angle the screen toward them, so that Harper can show her fiancé the pieces that we picked.

“Sunday showed me photos of the bar that she owned back in Nashville, and we thought that we could encapsulate that vibe but make it evenmorecosy and intimate. Like, the dark wood’s a given because of the furnishings you and the guys put in there already, but we wanted to keep it warm and kind of sexy, so we’re going for reds and oranges with the signage.”

Mitch strokes his thumb against Harper’s arm as she scrolls down the page, and when she looks up at him to gauge his reaction, he offers her a handsome smile as she strokes his stubble. Then he breathes out a laugh, gently kissing her temple.

“Yeah, they look great,” he tells her gruffly, before glancing over at me, his brow lifting slightly. “Is this for Case’shomecoming thing that Jace was telling me about?” he asks, and I twist my lips to hide my smile, because I forgot that all of Jason’s guys call him ‘Jace’.

“Kind of,” I tell him. “But they’re also for the bar in general. Like, I have no freaking idea why Casey decided to buy a bar while he’s deployed but, given my history in Nashville, I want him to succeed at whatever he does. And I know a thing or two about running a bar so I thought that I could help him out a little. I just want to make it look perfect for when he’s finally home.”

Mitch watches me for a long moment, almost looking like he’s about to say something, but he exhales quietly and nods again, before brushing a kiss to Harper’s cheek as he stands up.

He runs both of his hands over his hair, making his tan biceps curl against his navy shirt sleeves, and I cast a quick glance down at his cargo pants, the muscles of his quads straining through the fabric.

No wonder Harper was so enamoured by him that she decided to leave Los Angeles for good.

Mitchell Coleson is really hot.

“Okay, I’m gonna shower,” Mitch rumbles quietly, stroking his hand over Harper’s fluffy hair as she peeks up at him from the sofa. “And then I’ll be down in five to start on the food.”

He leans down to kiss her forehead and then he makes his way toward the stairs, and Harper drops her head back on the cushions, fanning her hot-pink cheeks and making me laugh.

“He’s just so handsome,” she breathes out raspily, her voice feather-light and tears shining in her eyes.

And I laugh quietly as I give her wrist a squeeze, knowing that her pregnancy hormones have had her feeling twenty different kinds of ways today.

“If you want, I can head out,” I offer again, knowing that Jason has planned to meet me here after him and his crewfinish up their Friday diner guy-thing. But I can text him to change plans if my phone has finally gained a bar of charge after plugging it into Harper’s charger around ten minutes ago.

Because I can imagine that if I wasn’t here, Mitch would have thrown having a shower out of the window and opted instead for a romantic bath with his soon-to-be wife. He might be quiet and controlled, but I’ve seen the way that he looks at her, and I know that he cherishes every second that they have together.

“No, seriously, you should stay – we haven’t hung out like this together yet,” she says, giving me a little peek at her Hollywood smile as she squeezes my forearm.

Harper and I have hung out a couple of times this past week, but I honestly feel like I’ve known her forever.

“If you’re sure,” I start to say, but then the sound of tires crunching through snow fills the room, and we both glance toward the driveway, not expecting anyone to pull up just yet.

Jason and his guys usually head to the diner after half-four, so I blink in surprise when I see his black truck easing smoothly up the drive.

Harper flashes a look in my direction, silently asking me if I was expecting him so soon, and I give her a quick shake of my head before rising to my feet and padding cautiously toward the door.

Jason’s halfway up the porch before I’ve even pulled open the front door, and then he’s wrapping his hands around my shoulders and searching my eyes before gathering me close.

“Jason?” I ask gently, the hard rise and fall of his chest putting me on edge. “Are you okay? Is everything okay?”

He cups the back of my head for a moment longer, tangling his fingers through my ponytail before pulling away. His strong brow is furrowed and I feel my blood pump faster as his eyes search mine.

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