“Can I have a word with you before you go to bed?” Harley asks me when we get back from Sebastian’s and Maisy’s house after a lovely meal. I was surprised how much information about Harley they managed to tell me over the dinner. I think they both suspect something is going on, so they decided to tell me every good thing they could think of about Harley. I learnt that he always babysits for Jake, that he helped them so much when Jake was teething, and no one was getting any sleep. That Harley’s favourite colour is blue, and he likes strawberry cheesecake. I was hoping to avoid any conversation with Harley, so I planned on rushing up the stairs when we got home, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. I pause with my hand on the bannister and look back at him.

“I’m tired,” I respond.

“You can avoid this all you like, but I’m asking you to talk to me. I won’t judge you, but I won’t stop you walking away. Anything you tell me, I will never tell anyone else,” he tells me gently.

“You will judge me, Harley,” I whisper as he moves closer, and gently runs his hand down my arm.

“How about I tell you something about me that people judge, and then you can tell me about this?” he asks as he places his hand on my stomach, where there is a slight, hard bump.

“You know anyway.”

“Tilly,” he says gently, and I nod, knowing that some part of me wants to talk to him, and a bigger part of me already trusts him. I haven’t spoken to anyone about what is going on, and I don’t know why, but I kind of trust him. He takes my hand and leads me down to the other set of stairs at the end of the corridor. They lead up to another door, and he opens it before flicking on the light. The room is a massive, attic conversion that has a desk, two sofas, three bookcases, and several old boxes around the room. It’s a cosy room and well-used by the looks of the all the things lying around on the desk.

“This is my office, well, office space that I like to be in. I sleep up here some nights,” he tells me as he shuts the door behind us, and I walk over to the sofa.

“It’s a lovely room,” I comment, but he doesn’t reply to me. I sit down, and he comes and sits right next to me, his body pushed against mine and it surprises me that I don’t attempt to move.

“How far along are you?” He asks me straight away.

“I thought you were going to tell me something about you first,” I say, with a small, awkward laugh.

“Okay . . . fair enough,” he says and then clears his throat, “I fight in a place called the Cage, and I have done since I was a teenager,” he says, watching for how I react as he looks down at me.

“Do you win?” I ask. I want to be shocked, but some part of me isn’t shocked at all. I knew he had secrets, it’s written all over his face. I’m glad it’s this, in a way, and not a secret wife and kids he hides in another town or something.

“Every time,” he says, but there’s a hint of sadness in his voice that makes me wonder if he likes to win at all.

“Do you hate it?” I ask him, and he runs his hand through his hair that he let down at Sebastian’s when Jake pulled the hairband out.

“Yes,” he tells me, and I put my hand on his knee, squeezing gently before I start talking.

“I’m five months pregnant and please don’t ask why I don’t look pregnant or have much of a bump, it just seems to be that way,” I tell him, almost not wanting to tell him this about me. I know most guys would run the other way.

“You can kick me out or run away from me. I get that. I’m a pregnant person you don’t know, who moved into your house and kissed you.” I mentally cringe as I blurt that out. He looks down at me, shaking his head ever so slightly, but I catch it.

“One time when I was seventeen, I fought and nearly lost. The fight was bad, and I ended up killing the man to survive. Afterwards, I was sitting at the bar, and a woman came up to me. She was a lot older than me, and I’d never seen her before, but I will never forget her words.”

“What did she say?” I ask him.

“That you fight for the best things in life, you fight to survive, and you don’t give up. That anything simple and straightforward, isn’t going to be worth it. It’s the hard things–the complicated things–that challenge you but give you the best rewards. She told me that and then walked away, but the words stuck around. I have a feeling you’re one of the best things in life, and I’m not going to walk away.” He says each word with emotion, an emotion that I’m feeling too, like I feel my heart pounding inside my chest. There’s silence as I don’t know how to reply to him. We just stare at each other, our faces inches apart.

“I’ve killed people in my fights, does that not make you want to run from me? Most women would,” he asks me gently. I’m a little shocked by that, but there’s something about him that makes me think he wouldn’t have done it on purpose. It’s just the way he says it, and the way he took Izzy into his home and accepted her as his sister straight away. No questions asked. He looked after her, a heartless killer wouldn’t have done that. It’s other things, like the way his family are around him, how they respect him, and it’s not out of fear. No, it’s respect that is brought on by doing good things and earning it.

“No, it doesn’t make me want to run. My family is complicated, but I know that even if someone has been forced to do bad things to survive, it doesn’t make them a bad person,” I say, thinking of my father for only a second. He was in jail for a year for something he did, but he isn’t a bad person. Not one bit of him is.

“Why are you running, Tilly?” he asks. My name is spoken so softly that I almost miss him saying it and want to beg him to whisper my name once more. I keep my eyes locked on his green ones as I answer him.

“I’m running from my ex-boyfriend, the baby’s father,” I say quietly, watching as he nods with his eyes blazing.

“What did he do?” Harley asks and even thinking of that night has me tensing up. Harley notices and pulls me closer to his side, wrapping his arm around my waist. I rest my head on his shoulder. I don’t even think I could move away if I wanted to, my body just wants to relax against him. I love how he smells this close, like mint.

“Why do I feel safe with you? Why do I trust you when I couldn’t even trust my family to talk to them before I ran?” I mumble to him.

“I don’t know why, but I’m glad you came here, Tilly,” he tells me.

“Why is that?” I ask.

“You’re not ready for that answer yet,” he tells me gently, as I look up at him. Harley leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead.

“You still didn’t answer my question,” he reminds me. I know I didn’t, but I don’t want to ruin this moment between us with my past. Not yet.

“I can’t, I’m not ready to talk about it, yet. I will move out if you want. I know you didn’t sign up for a pregnant woman with a messed-up past living in your house,” I tell him because I know it’s not fair to expect him to have me stay here.

“No, stay,” he says quickly, like he doesn’t even have to think twice about it.

“Only for a few weeks,” I respond.

“Until you’re ready to leave. The baby must come first, now, Tilly, and it’s safe here. You have people here who care about you and will help,” he tells me, and I know he is right. I rest my head back against his chest. Neither of us says anything as we hold each other for a long time. I can’t remember the last time I just sat and cuddled someone. There isn’t anything else expected, and I feel safe. I know I won’t be forgetting this day anytime soon. I look over at the bookcases in the room and remember the ones downstairs, too.

“Do you read a lot?” I ask, and he laughs.

“Every day if I get my way. I like to garden, too,” he tells me.

“Books are kind of my thing, too. When I left France, I had to leave my collection there. I hope to get them back at some point,” I tell him

“Well, you can borrow anything from here if you want,” he offers.

“You sure?”

“Yes, go and look,” he nudges me, and I slide off the sofa. I walk around the bookcases, and I’m surprised to see so many old books mixed in with new ones that I’ve read. It’s strange to think that he likes the classic romance and thriller books that I do.

“Wow, a first edition Jane Eyre,” I say, picking it up and reading the first page.

“Yes, I had to travel to an auction in London and pay an obscene amount of money for that one, but it’s worth it. I will travel anywhere to pick up a limited edition or signed copy I want,” he tells me, and I bet he did pay a fortune for this one. There aren’t that many around, as far as I know. I slide it back and pick up a book that I haven’t read. It has my favourite paranormal creature, dragons. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but sometimes I do. Pretty covers, as well as the blurbs, sell books to me.

“Can I borrow this?” I ask.

“Of course. I will also move the cot and spare child’s wardrobe into your room for you. It’s only been used for Jake a few times,” he tells me.

“I would like that,” I say with a small smile.

“You do need to tell Izzy before she finds out. Izzy sees you like family, and I know she would be upset to find out by accident,” he reminds me as I walk to the door.

“She is going to kill me for not telling her,” I say with a sigh.

“You might find she will understand. Not everything has been easy for her in the last few years. I believe she has things she hasn’t told you,” he says, and I know she left out a few things.

“Like the fact, her brother fights in a place called the Cage?” I ask.

“All her brothers do,” he tells me.

“Is that how you have so much money? Is it really worth it?” I ask, not really understanding why he would risk his life for anything. Even money and a house like this.

“I don’t do it for money, or for anything I want. I have no choice,” he says, looking down at his phone. Clearly, he doesn’t want to talk anymore, and I don’t know what to say. I walk away and shut the attic door behind me. Why would he have no choice?