Page 123 of Sins of the Father

I lay next to him and kiss her head then his cheek. “I see why you’re her favorite uncle.”

“And I see why you’re her favorite aunt.”

I turn out the light but keep a nightlight on then snuggle up to him. “Should we set the alarm to check her temperature?”

“Good idea.”

“Grab my phone.”

He reaches to the table, and his body stiffens.

I slowly lift my head, and dread fills me. I don’t know why.

He stares at my cell, his face hardens, then he slowly hands it to me.

My heart drops. A notification is on the screen from my old boss. “Sorry to text so late, but I have a schedule conflict and need to know if you’re able to meet on Tuesday at eight instead of ten. I wasn’t sure if you were flying in Monday or Tuesday morning. Will you be back in New York in order to make that happen?”

19

Steven

Harper was goingto leave and not even tell me.

How long did she have her interview planned?

Can anything else go wrong today?

“Steven—”

“Set the alarm. I need some sleep. When it rings, I’ll check Hope’s temperature.”

“I—”

“Goodnight.” I readjust Hope and turn as much as I can away from Harper. I shut my eyes, but I don’t sleep. All I smell is a mix of Hope’s baby soap and Harper’s citrus and jasmine scent. I can hear Hope breathing.

At some point, Harper curls up to me, and her pinky strokes my cheek. She whispers, “I was going to tell you. It only happened today. There was already so much going on tonight...” She takes a shaky breath. “I don’t want to leave you.”

I try to keep my voice as low as possible so Hope doesn’t wake up. “Then why are you?”

“We went over this.”

“You haven’t even tried to find a job here. Before you’ve started, you’ve already quit.”

Silence.

The alarm rings, and I turn it off and take the thermometer off the table. I check Hope’s temperature. “Ninety-nine point two degrees.”

“That’s good. It’s continuing to go down.”

I kiss Hope’s head, and she snuggles closer to me. I hand the cell to Harper. “Can you set another alarm?”

She does then molds her body back around mine.

I want to tell her not to cling to me, but I can’t. I’ve never felt so attached to someone so quickly, or ached for their touch, or wanted them to be with me forever. My future is up in the air in so many ways right now, but all I see is her in it. And when she leaves, I’m going to be destroyed. But instead of pushing her away, I allow her to ruin me further. Every minute is just driving the desire I have for her deeper, to the point of no return.

To prove my point, her hand slides under my T-shirt, and she palms my heart. The mere action makes it race, and then she kisses the back of my neck. “Don’t hate me.”

I close my eyes, trying to stop the out-of-control feelings I have and wishing I could stop the cracks in my heart from multiplying. “Hate and you aren’t even in the same sentence.”

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