Page 54 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

Harlow cooed over the baby pictures. “She is precious. I hope to have a girl someday, but I know Brooks would like a boy.”

Mrs. Clark laughed. “Trust me, boys are ten times easier than girls, at least in my experience.”

Harlow ordered a second glass of wine and placed her hand on my thigh. “I know Brooks is going to be a great dad, no matter what we have. I can already picture him running to the store at two a.m. for diapers.”

I inclined my head, giving her awhat the fucklook. She was starting to spiral a bit, and I was trying to keep my cool. This little show was going way off script, and I needed her to press the brakes. She caught my eye and shot me an innocent smile that saidyou’re welcome.

The way I looked at it, I had two choices. I could either panic and make it obvious that this was all for show or follow her lead and roll with it.

Clark watched our exchange. “I have to admit, I was skeptical about the timing of all this. It made me wonder if you were just trying to secure the investment.”

My back stiffened, but Harlow, thank God, didn’t miss a beat. “I don’t blame you. If you knew our history, though, you would understand. We were trying to keep things low-key until we were one-hundred percent certain this time around.”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and played along. “To be clear, I’m not that clever, but I get it. I would be skeptical too if I were in your shoes.”

I didn’t know if he was buying it, but he seemed to be holding on to every word.

“And while we are being completely honest, he does have an ulterior motive for wanting to secure this investment.” My hand tightened on her shoulder. What the fuck was she doing? I wiped the sweat forming on my eyebrow as she continued. “He wants nothing more than to give me and his future children a good life. Being a good provider has always been important to him.”

I reached for my water, nearly knocking the glass over. I was a jittery, nervous wreck. I had no idea how she was keeping a straight face.

When I caught sight of Richard’s expression, I relaxed slightly. He was nodding along, buying it all—hook, line, and sinker.

“It’s always good to see a man who is serious about his future.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, thoroughly impressed with the woman, and was reminded of all the reasons why I fell in love with her in the first place.

Harlow was always charming and impossible to ignore. I could tell by Clark’s expression that she had his full attention. In fact, I wasn’t sure he even remembered I was sitting at the table. The conversation kept flowing, and whenever I tried to steer it toward business, Harlow would guide it back to something personal.

She had them engaged and laughing the entire time.

“Oh, I just love her.” Carol patted Harlow’s hand.

I rubbed a hand over my jaw. Maybe I could secure this deal after all.

I sat back, letting my arm brush against the back of her chair. Harlow knew what she was doing. She was raised around people like Richard Clark. Maybe that was why she was such a natural.

When her gaze met mine. I watched her lips curve into a sly smile. I felt my pulse trip over itself. For a split second, I forgot about our arrangement, her house, and that this was supposed to be nothing more than a business deal. God help me, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep pretending. Not if she kept looking at me like that.

Richard checked his watch. “This has been an enjoyable evening, but it’s getting past my bedtime.”

He shook my hand in a firm grip. “You’ve got a great girl here. Don’t let her get away again.”

“I’m not planning to. Unless she figures out she can do better.” I winked, and dropped my gaze to her engagement ring.

Something was happening, shifting, and I knew she could feel it too.

After we paid the bill, we said our goodbyes and promised to touch base soon. When we parted ways at the door, I allowed Harlow to walk in front of me. I shoved my hands in my pockets as if it would stop me from doing something stupid like reaching for her.

This was the first time I allowed myself to feel something other than resentment. Tonight made me remember how easy it was to be with her, and I wondered how it would have been if I had fought harder for us.

When we reached my truck, I opened the door for her to hop in. She looked up, those big green eyes locked on mine. My fingers flexed around the handle. I was tempted to kiss her. Hell, I was tempted to do more than kiss her.

Tonight felt like a turning point, and I had no idea if I was ready for it.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

BROOKS

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