Ian

“Ian.” Vanessa’s voice floats toward me in Harbor’s room and I snap out of my daydream. My favorite, where Harbor comes through the door saying she’s sorry and it’s all a mistake, she loves me and never wants to be away from me again.

I rub my hand over my eyes and try to remember if I made the effort to make coffee this morning. Since Harbor left thirteen days ago, this city and my life are both miserable places to live.

“Ian!” Vanessa calls again.

How did she get in?

I jump up quickly and meet her in the hallway. It would do no one any good to know that I’ve been mooning over the stuff Harbor left like some simpering boy. I’m a savvy businessman and I’ll do my mooning with nobody around.

“What are you doing here?”

“Collette gave me her key so I could come check on you. You haven’t been to the office in two weeks. She’s worried about you. I’m worried about you.” Vanessa’s face is void of makeup but she’s still stunning. She doesn’t have the innocent beauty Harbor possesses. Instead, her essence is of a woman who understands the way of the world and is content in her position.

“Why are you here?”

“I told you.” She steps closer. “I miss you, Ian. I miss us.”

“You should’ve thought of that before you slept with my brother.”

Vanessa’s face pales and I feel bad. It seems that lately all I’ve been doing is yelling at the women in my life. Collette refuses to talk to me after I blew up on her on the phone, which is probably why she sent Vanessa here. My work life has been reduced to sending emails from a penthouse that is starting to feel like a prison.

“Don’t you miss us? We were a power couple. Nothing could stop us. We could be that again.” Vanessa’s long fingernails graze my shirt. Her green eyes lock on mine.

“You betrayed me. I was going to marry you. You had your chance and you threw it away when you climbed into our bed with my brother.”

“Ian, I’m sorry. It was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. It’s something that keeps me up at night, hating that I did that to you. That I did that to us. Can’t you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

Vanessa leans in and nibbles on the corner of my lip and I resist. She pulls back when she realizes I’m not giving in to her.

“Come on, Ian. Don’t you want to try again? Don’t you want to see what it would be like if that never would have happened?”

I think about all that has happened since I caught her cheating and moved to New York. If I wouldn’t have called off the wedding and come here, I would never have met Harbor.

My mind is consumed with Harbor. Her essence is all over my apartment and she is never coming back. Mitch was right when he said I sealed my fate when I punched him. Harbor is gone.

Vanessa pouts, giving me time to process what she asked.

“I don’t know if I can ever trust you again.”

A small victory smile creeps onto her face and I can’t deny she would be a worthy distraction. This time, when she stands on her tiptoes and kisses me, I take control, tilting her head and kissing her senseless. Exorcising Harbor out of my body.

Vanessa lets out a throaty moan as I lift her and carry her to my bed. She’s just as frantic as I am and our clothes are still half on when I’m inside her. Vanessa’s body is exactly as I remember. I revel in the familiarity as I plunge into her, hoping to forget about Harbor, but knowing this is just a Band-Aid and Harbor will always be with me.

* * *

“You lasted longer than I thought you would,” Collette tells me, smirking.

I chuckle. “Yeah, I was pretty close to throwing in the towel at the six-month mark. I didn’t think I would almost make it the full year.”

But then, I also wasn’t expecting to literally run into Harbor. I push Harbor out of

my thoughts and focus on Collette. Handing the East Coast branch over to Collette is one of the easiest decisions I’ve had to make since being here in New York. “I’m going to miss you bossing me around on a daily basis.”

“Don’t worry, Ian. I’ll call you when my spidey sense starts tingling and you need a good smack on the head.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“So you and Vanessa, huh?” Collette’s sharp eyes are studying me.

I figured this subject was going to come up when I told her that I was declaring the East Coast branch ready to be handed over to her care. Moving back to California brought up a lot of questions and Collette has never been afraid to satisfy her curiosity.

Getting comfortable in the conference room chair, I prepare myself for an onslaught of Collette’s thoughts.

“She apologized for her indiscretion. We have spent the last weeks together getting to know each other again, and I feel as if she is really sorry for what she did.”

Collette snorts. It’s obvious her loyalty is still with Harbor. They hit it off the first time they met and I know they still do their girls’ nights out.

“You will accept the apology from the woman who broke your heart. Who cheated on you with your brother. But you won’t give the girl who did nothing wrong—who was accused of something she didn’t do because she was being used as a pawn—a chance?”

“If it didn’t happen, and that is a huge if. It would have eventually happened. Harbor and Mitch are too close. He is manipulating her, and at some point, she would have succumbed to him.”

“Ian, you’re an idiot. Harbor is a great girl. A loyal girl. You screwed up royally.”

“It’s not as if she would’ve forgiven me anyway. I slugged her agent.”

“How did I ever think you were a smart man?”

I shrug away the anger at Collette’s words, guilt and embarrassment at the forefront. “My plane leaves in a couple hours. I came here to make sure everything is set.”

“I call bullshit. While you were moping because you lost the best thing in the world to you, I had this company running smoothly. You know as well as I do that I’m capable of keeping Strong Enterprises wealthy. What are you really here for? Did you realize how much you are going to miss me and wanted a hug? I never took you for the sentimental type.”

“Ahhh, Collette, you know you’re going to miss me too.”

She rolls her eyes and punches me in the shoulder. “What is it?”

“In my office—”

“My office,” Collette corrects me.

“In my old office, your new one, there are two plastic bins.”

“Ian, you will not use my office as some storage room—” Collette starts to argue but I cut her off.

“They’re filled with Harbor’s stuff. I can ship them to her if you give me the address for where she is.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll deliver them to her.” Suspicion winds its way around my spine, squeezing tightly, as Collette flounders for an excuse. “We’re having a girls’ night later this week, so I’ve got it.”

I’m positive I’m not going to like the answer to the question forming on my lips, but I don’t stop it. “Where is she staying?” My insides shrivel up and my ears strain in the hope she’s going to admit that Harbor is staying with her.

“Don’t do this, Ian.” Collette’s voice is filled with pity.

I already know the answer, yet I still press her, needing to hear it said out loud. “I won’t be mad if she’s staying with you. I know you and Harbor have become friends and it’s understandable that you let her move in with you.”

Collette shakes her head and I will her to lie to me. Let me pretend the truth is that Harbor is neatly tucked into Collette’s guest room.

“Ian, she’s staying with Mitch. When she walked in on you and Vanessa she was desperate and Mitch offered her his spare room.”

“I’m sure he did.” The venom dripping off those four words sounds deadly.

“You’re not allowed to be upset. You are the one that flaunted your ex-fiancé in her face after beating up her agent. Ian, I love you. We’ve been through a lot together, but this time the blame is on you.”

“It doesn’t matter. Vanessa and I will be in California soon. Harbor was just a distraction.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Collette snorts once again, giving me a pity-filled stare.

“Just keep my company running. I don’t care what you do with her stuff. Loyal, my ass. The first hint of trouble and she ran to him.”

“Ian, you were in your apartment with your old fiancé. She knew you still had hang-ups, she wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t a huge jump to think you were still in love with Vanessa. The fact that you’re moving across the country with her is a pretty big indicator that Harbor was right.”

“Well, her moving in with Mitch before letting me tell her what was going on is a huge indicator that I was right.”

Before Collette can continue siding with Harbor, I walk out of the conference room. All the paperwork has been signed and there is nothing keeping me here.

Vanessa is sitting on a packed moving box when I enter my soon to be vacated office. “Is everything okay?”

I nod, not having the strength to embrace her. Harbor is too fresh on my mind, and as successful as I am at pretending with everyone, being with Vanessa has me drowning in guilt.

“Everything is perfect. I’m ready to get out of this hellhole.”

“Me too. I miss the sun.” Vanessa bounds toward me, throwing her arms around my shoulders, and kisses me deeply.

I close my eyes tight, trying to push thoughts of Harbor away.

“One more for the road,” Vanessa whispers in my ear as her hands are unbuttoning my slacks.