Page 31 of The Complication with the Best Man

Is this where Harper lives?

She doesn’t address me after she parks. Simply climbs out of her car and makes her way to the front door, unlocks it, motions for me to go in first. She’s removed her sunglasses and her hood is down, but she doesn’t meet my gaze.

The moment I step inside, I know it’s not Harper’s home. The place is too dated, too sparse. I can’t picture a woman like Harper living here. It feels too tame.

I walk into the living area, though I don’t sit. I have too much anxiety coursing through my body and need to pace. “What’s going on, Harper?”

She draws in a big breath and stands at the opposite side of the small room. “I’m pregnant.”

“I gathered. Is there something else you need to tell me?” I hold my breath, waiting for her to admit it. How long has she known? Why hasn’t she tried to tell me? I attempt to calm the questions in my head before my anger gets the best of me.

“You’re the father.”

A buzzing sound rings in my ears, and I hear nothing after that except those three words on repeat.

You’re the father.

You’re the father.

You’re the father.

With numb legs, I sit on the couch, afraid they won’t be able to support me, and I’ll collapse.

“We used condoms, and you said you were on the pill.” I look up at her through my eyelashes.

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I was on antibiotics a week before the wedding, which may have lessened the effectiveness of the pill, but we used condoms too, so…I guess the universe just really wants us to have this baby.” When I glare at her, she holds up both hands. “Sorry, too soon for jokes.”

“How long have you known?” If she’s joking about it, I suspect she’s known for a while.

She frowns. “A little bit before you showed back up to town.”

“You’ve known the whole time you’ve been helping Tamra and me with the wedding?” I take my baseball cap off and set it on the cushion beside me then push my hands through my hair.

Shit. Tamra. What does this mean for the wedding? For everything that hinges on a successful marriage with her?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t exactly know what to say. I was still in shock myself. I was going to tell you the night I went to Palmer’s, but you announced your engagement first, and I got scared. I couldn’t do it. And I was still figuring out what I wanted to do.”

There’s fear in her eyes, even as we have this conversation.

She’s right. Did I expect her to blurt it out while she was showing us potential venues for our wedding? “Oh, by the way, Tamra, your fiancé knocked me up, sorry about that.”

“I assume based on the fact that you bought prenatal vitamins that you’ve decided to keep the baby?”

She nods, and I blow out a breath.

I can’t even fathom telling Tamra this news, but more importantly, I live in Vermont, and I’m pretty sure Harper isn’t leaving Lake Starlight. I’ve never pictured myself living apart from my kid.

I bolt up off the couch. “I need to clear my head. I’m sorry, but I can’t do any of the wedding shit we had planned today.”

“I understand,” she says, and I hate how small her voice sounds.

I don’t want to hurt her, but she’s had the time to process this news, and I haven’t. I just need to straighten my head around the news, then we can talk more.

“Can we meet for breakfast tomorrow before I fly out in the afternoon?”

“Sure, of course. Meet me at Lard Have Mercy at eight, or is that too early?”

“That’s fine. I’ll see you then.” I rush from that cabin so fast I’m surprised I don’t leave burn marks.

---