Page 65 of This Feeling

“What does that mean?”

“It means you need to tell your mother tonight. If you don’t, I’ll tell her tomorrow.”

“What’s the rush, Harper?”

“The rush is Idon’twant to do this anymore! I’m tired of this game.”

He huffed. “I got you season tickets.”

“You can have them back, Sean. I’m. Done. And by the way, I’m going out with Declan tonight.”

The line was dead silent for a moment before Sean cleared his throat. “You’re going out with my brother?”

“I am. We’re going to meet some friends for trivia night. So, as you can imagine, I’d like for this charade to be over.”

“I just need more time!”

Frustrated, I asked, “For what, Sean? Your mother is never going to stop wanting you with Crystal unless you man the hell up and tell her you like Caroline. That Crystal is like a sister to you. And fake-dating someone else isn’t changing anything. Does Caroline even know you like her?”

“I haven’t said anything since she has a boyfriend.”

“Did she have one when you broke up with me?”

He cleared his throat but refused to answer.

“I’ll take that as a no. But you were afraid your mother wouldn’t be happy if you asked her out.”

“You have no idea what life is like with my mother, Harper.”

“Oh, I have agreatidea, Sean. I dated you for several years, remember?”

He let out a long breath. “One more day, Harper. Please.”

“No. I was an idiot for even going along with this. It’s over. You’ve got until tomorrow morning to tell her, or I will.”

I hit End and pushed my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, checked my makeup once more, then stared at my reflection.

“You’re doing the right thing, Harper. He has to tell his mother. Hehasto grow up.”

The doorbell for the back door rang, and I grabbed my purse and a light jacket and headed down the steps. When I opened the door, my heart stumbled at the sight of Declan. He was so damn handsome, and so…manly…but his smile gave him a boyish look that I loved.

“Ready?” he asked.

“I’m so ready. Did you want to walk down? That way we can both have a drink.”

“Sure, it’s just a few blocks, and God knows I could use as much fresh air as possible.”

As we started to walk, Declan reached down and took my hand in his. My pulse instantly kicked up in rhythm, and the warmth of his touch spread across my entire body.

“Were you deployed in parts of the world without fresh air?”

He shrugged. “Not fresh like we’re used to. Hot deserts, muggy forests, and sometimes even the frigid tundra.”

I shuddered. “I can’t do cold.”

Declan stopped, causing me to stop as well. When I faced him, he gave me a quizzical look.

“What?”

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