Page 108 of Almost Ours
He pushed himself to his feet, his presence steady beside me, a quiet anchor I wasn’t sure I deserved.
I turned away before he could say anything else, my heart still hammering, my lungs still fighting for air.
I refused to let Reid ruin this day.
I refused to let him ruinme.
The house was warm again,the scent of pine mingling with the lingering traces of hot chocolate and cinnamon. The snowball fight felt like a lifetime ago as I stood at the kitchen counter, staring blankly at the mugs we’d used for our earlier mimosas. My hands rested on the cool surface, my mind a thousand miles away, trapped in the space between my past and my present.
Nina’s voice filled the kitchen, rambling about something–probably Shane’s antics during the snowball fight–but I barely registered the words. Normally, the sound of her talking was comforting, grounding. Tonight, though, it only highlighted the silence in my own mind, the way Reid’s words kept circling like a storm cloud I couldn’t shake.
Don’t make me come find you.
A shiver ran down my spine.
“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Nina said suddenly, breaking the flow of her own conversation. I glanced over to find her watching me, eyes narrowed, hands planted on her hips.Thatlook–the one that said she was already onto me.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I replied too quickly, my voice thin and unconvincing.
Nina raised an eyebrow. “Harper,” she said, her tone softer now. “Talk to me.”
I hesitated, my fingers curling against the edge of the counter. She was my closest friend. If anyone would understand, it was Nina.
With a deep breath, I pulled my phone from my pocket, unlocked the screen and wordlessly turned it toward her.
Nina’s brows furrowed as she read, her expression shifting from confusion to anger to something softer…maybe–protective? When she reached the end, she exhaled sharply and set the phone down with a quiet thud.
“That bastard,” she muttered. “Are you okay?”
I shrugged, my throat tightening. “I don’t know. I mean, I knew he might try something eventually, but seeing it–seeing his name pop up like that–it just… it feels like he’s not done with us.”
Nina reached out, her fingers wrapping around my arm, solid and reassuring. “Harper, listen to me. There’s no way he’s going to find you. You’ve covered every base. You’re safe here. Connor is safe here. He’s just trying to scare you.”
Her words made sense. They did. Though they didn’t erase the unease curling in my stomach. “I know you’re probably right, but…” My voice cracked, and I quickly looked away, blinking back the sting of tears. “I hate that he still has this hold on me. On us.”
Nina’s grip on my arm tightened. “Have you told Ryan?”
My head shot up, heart skipping. “No. And I’m not going to.”
“Harper–”
“No,” I cut her off, shaking my head. “I don’t want him to see me differently. To see us differently. Things are… they’re so good right now, and I don’t want to ruin it.”
Nina sighed, leaning against the counter. “I get it. I do. But Harper, the way Ryan looks at you…” She shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. “That man is crazy about you. There’s no way in hell he’d view you differently because of this. If anything, he’d just want to protect you more.”
I swallowed hard, her words settling deep in my chest like an anchor. “I’ll think about it,” I murmured. “Not tonight, though.”
Nina nodded. “Fair. But don’t carry this alone, okay?”
I gave a shaky nod, but deep down, I knew the weight of this was already pressing down too hard to keep from spilling over.
Before I could respond, the sound of the front door opening filled the house, followed by the clatter of boots on the entryway floor.
“Dinner delivery!” Shane called out, his voice booming through the house.
Ryan appeared in the kitchen doorway a moment later, a large bag of takeout containers in his hand. He glanced at me, his eyes lingering for just a second too long, a question clear in them. I forced a smile, pretending not to notice, and reached for the bag.
