Chapter 28
We were laying in bed the following morning, tangled up in the sheets, neither of us ready to leave, when Harper propped herself up on her elbow, and gazed down at me. “What is it?” I asked, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
“I was just thinking.” She said, looking at me very seriously now. “Your penis seems to be in working order. Should we send the doctor a fruit basket?”
How she managed to keep a straight face was beyond me, because I lost it. I laughed so hard that it hurt, and when she joined me, it was like music to my ears. I couldn't remember the last time that I was able to laugh about anything in my life, and it felt genuinely good.
When our laughter finally died down, I reached for her, and pulled her into my side. “You and that mouth.” I teased, kissing her temple. “Lucky for you, I've grown accustomed to your sass.”
“And lucky for you, I've grown accustomed to your ass.” She said playfully, giving it a squeeze.
“I don't know what's gotten into you Sweetheart... but I like it.” I growled, raising my brows suggestively.
“I'm just.. happy.” She sighed, placing her hand on my cheek.
“Me too.” I said, kissing her lips.
“It's nearly ten AM.”
“Don't remind me.”
“You can't skip your physical therapy Cole, especially after over exerting yourself last night.”
“I'll show you over exertion.” I said, reaching for the bed sheet, and tossing it onto the floor.”
“Cole!” She squealed, as she squirmed in my arms.
“Ouch!”
“Oh my God! Are you OK? I'm so sorry!”
“Gotcha.” I winked.
“You're such an ass!” She half yelled. “I really thought I hurt you!”
“I'm sorry baby.” I laughed, kissing the tip of her nose.
She turned away from me, facing the wall, and I tried like hell not to smile. She was pissed, and it was kind of cute. I wrapped my arm around her waist, and pulled her body against mine. “You can't stay mad at me forever you know. You're my ride to physical therapy.” It was then, that I realized she was crying. “Fuck.” I said, kissing her on her bare shoulder. “Sweetheart, don't cry. I was just messing around.”
“You don't realize how terrifying it is to think that the person you love is going to die. I almost lost you twice Cole, and as amazing as last night was, I was so scared that I would hurt you.”
“That's exactly my point Harper, life is too damn short. Two months. Sixty fucking days. I thought I lost you too. My biggest fear was that Vanessa would turn you against me. I told myself every day, that as long as I found you it didn't matter how you felt. I'd let you move on, as long as it meant you were safe. I know it isn't the same, but I thought I'd never hold you in my arms again. I thought I'd never inhale the sweet scent of your skin, or kiss your lips. I turned into someone I didn't recognize when she took you from me. I don't want to waste anymore time. I want to live, fight, cry, love, I want all of it. Please look at me.”
She turned in my arms then, and using the pad of my thumb, I wiped the tears from her cheeks. “That's better.”
“I don't know why I'm so emotional.”
“Don't do that. Don't apologize for how you feel.”
“A part of me feels guilty for being happy with you. I took someone's life, and I haven't really had time to process that. My focus was on you, and your recovery, but I'm worried that if I don't deal with what happened now, I'll never be able to get past it. Does that make sense?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I want to say goodbye. I didn't tell you before, but I have her ashes. I brought them back from Mexico, and I think I'm going to scatter them on the beach. Vanessa did a lot of bad things all in the name of protecting me. In a way, I feel responsible for some of those things. Especially Robert Drake.”
“Do you want to talk about it? I mean, you never really explained what happened with him.”
“There isn't much to tell. He said something to me while Vanessa was preparing dinner, and it just triggered something in my mind. I remembered hearing the phrase as a child, and that's when I knew. I knew he was the man who hurt me all those years ago. I could see it in his eyes, the instant he realized his mistake. Vanessa must have seen it too, because she didn't even hesitate. She just.. shot him in the chest. The rest of that evening was a blur. The doctor she hired came in, and I assume he shot me up with something. When I woke up the next morning, she acted as if nothing ever happened.”
“I wish it was me who pulled that trigger.”
“Don't say that Cole. I barely even remember shooting Vanessa, but the feeling in the pit of my stomach after I did, it's still there. It's eating away at me.”
“You saved my life.” I said cupping her cheeks in my hands. “Self defense. You're my hero Harper Blue.” I winked, making her blush.
“You're mine too Cole Stephens. I still can't believe you hid in a trunk for four hours just to find me. You're pretty incredible, you know that?”
“Actually, it was five.” I teased, pecking her lips. “And I'd do it all over again if it meant we'd wind up here, together.” I kissed her again. “There is one more thing we need to talk about.”
“What's that?”
“Our wedding. We kind of missed it.”
“You still want to get married?” She asked, sounding a bit surprised, yet hopeful.
“Do me a favor. Toss my shirt on, and run upstairs to our bedroom.”
“What? Why?”
“Just listen would you, stubborn woman?”
She laughed, leaving the warmth of my embrace. “Alright.” She smiled, slipping my tee shirt over her head.
“On second thought, maybe you should just get back into bed.”
“Cole!” She laughed, in mock frustration.
“Ugh, fine.” I sighed, giving her a wink. “I need you to get something out of my top dresser drawer for me. You'll know what it is when you see it.”
“That's not mysterious at all.” She said sarcastically, as she left the room.
I faintly heard her ascending the stairs, and when she came back down again, I actually felt a little nervous. When she rounded the corner, box in hand, she gave me a questioning look. “Did you open it?” I asked.
“No.”
“Liar.”
“Maybe I peeked a teeny bit.” She said, pinching her fingers together.
“Are you going to put it on?”
“Is there something you'd like to ask me?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Only you would ask me to propose to you for a third time.”
“You know what they say. Third time's the charm.” She smiled big, and wide.
I cleared my throat, sitting up as best as I could, before crooking my finger, and beckoning her closer to me. She obliged, handing me the ring box when it was in reach. “Harper Blue, you are the most infuriating, passionate, stubborn, beautiful, perfect woman in the world. Will you please be my fiance for the third time?” I asked opening the box, revealing a two carat diamond lotus flower engagement ring. It was white gold, and the center stone was surrounded by petals. It was the perfect ring, for the perfect woman.
“Where did you find this? When did you find this?” She laughed, as I placed it on her ring finger. “It's absolutely beautiful. You know me so well Cole.” She smiled, wiping a tear from her eye.
“It was after an NA meeting one night. Wes forced me to stay with him and Zoe, because I was in a rough place. Anyway, Wes had to deal with something at Harper's House, so I took Zoe around to run some errands. I sat in the car while she went into some baby boutique, and the shop beside it caught my eye. I can't explain it, I just got out of the car, and went inside. The man behind the counter held his finger up, as soon as I entered. So, I waited, and when he returned from the back room, he had this ring. I know it sounds stupid, but it kind of gave me hope. I thought, why would I feel the need to come in here, and see this ring, if I wasn't meant to find you.”
“We really need to get you to physical therapy, because I don't know how much longer I can wait to actually have sex with my fiance!” She said, biting her lower lip. “When did you get so damn perfect?”
“Does that mean you're saying yes? Again?”
“Was there ever a doubt?”