Page 105 of Sins of the Father

She closes her eyes, and her face turns maroon. “Steven, I transferred the last of my retirement account today. There’s nothing left. It’ll be gone in two months and will only last that long since you paid my rent. That’s how bad it is.”

Hope pulls my ear so hard, I think it might fall off. I shift her to my other hip.

“I have plenty for both of us. You don’t need to leave. Find something here.”

“This isn’t easy for me. I just told you I have nothing left. I pawned my grandmother’s earrings for God’s sake.”

“You have me.”

Silence.

My stomach pitches. “Or am I not enough to keep you here?”

She places her hand on my arm. “Steven, this isn’t about you.”

My insecurities take over. “No? Sounds that way.”

“It’s not,” she firmly says.

Hope slaps me, and I put her in the playpen. “Tell me, Harper, what are we doing here?”

Her eyes widen. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I’m asking.”

Her lip shakes.

“This is just a week of fun to you, isn’t it?”

Her eyes glisten. “I never said that.”

“I think you just did.”

Her tears spill in the silence. And my heart shatters into little pieces of sharp glass, and it feels like they’re stabbing me.

How could I be so stupid?

“I’m going to get some air. I’ll see you later.” I spin, and when I get to the elevator, she calls out, “Steven.”

But I don’t turn around. I can’t. The air in my lungs is thick and stale, and every piece of any hope I have we are real and she is the one, dies.

And I curse myself for getting involved with her. I knew I was playing with fire, and I did it anyway. It wasn’t a secret she was going back to New York. I knew it before I ever kissed her. And I had my rules and structure in my life for a reason.

But until just now, I didn’t realize how deep I had fallen. It once again makes zero logic to me. It’s not even been a full week since I met her.

This is what happens when you sleep with someone before you properly date them.

For hours, I walk the streets, spiraling. When it gets dark, I go back to the penthouse. I want to see Harper, but I don’t. I don’t trust myself around her. She’s broken down all my walls, and I shouldn’t have allowed it.

She wants this week just to be casual sex.

You’re already in over your head. Get out now.

But I promised my sister I would look after my niece, so I return.

In theory, it’s easy to tell yourself you’ll just keep it in the friend zone going forward, but in practice, it’s not realistic. Once you’ve dipped your toe into the place you shouldn’t go, there’s no going back.

So when Harper wraps her arms around me and claims I mean something to her, I tell myself to keep it casual for the rest of the week so I don’t get burned any further because I can’t resist her. I need her, so if all I have is the next few days, I’m going to take every second I can with her.

---