Lincoln

I got out of my rental car and walked up the steps of Harper’s house. With great hesitation, I knocked on the front door. I knew I wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms, but I was ready to accept whatever fate was in store as long as I could make it up to Harper. After knocking, I waited a few minutes. There was no response. I knew she was home, because her car was in the front. Was she ignoring me? I shook my head and tried a few more times. Worry began to fill me. I didn’t know if she had done something stupid because she was upset.

After a few more minutes without a response, I used the key she had given me and walked inside. I called out for her, but I was greeted by silence. I searched the house and I couldn’t find anything aside from some clothes scattered about. I decided to check the back to see if she was working on the farm. When I walked out, Jack and Gin rushed over to me, and I saw the horses running in the distance. I was headed toward her dad’s garage when I heard screaming from the stables.

Instinct kicked in and I automatically assumed the worst. I sprinted over to the stables with the dogs at my heels. I rushed in, expecting her to be getting attacked or harmed. Instead, I found Harper on the ground. She was crying and screaming. My already racing heart felt like it was ready to beat out of my chest when I realized she was so upset because of me. Harper was a tough woman who rarely shed a tear. As giving and compassionate as she was, she never let anyone see her vulnerable. I felt horrible knowing that I was the reason she was on the ground in that state.

I slowly walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her. I pulled her close, trying to get her to relax and calm down. At first, she fought against me hard. She tried to pull away. She tried to punch me. She tried to slap me. She tried anything and everything she could to get away, but I held on to her. I wasn’t going to let her go. I didn’t plan on letting her go ever again. She tried hard before giving up and crumbling against me. I rubbed her back and whispered sweet nothings as I waited for her to calm down.

“It’s okay, Harper,” I whispered into her hair. “I’m here now. You’re not alone. You’re not alone.”

It took a while, but Harper eventually calmed down enough for me to pick her up and take her inside. She was limp in my arms. There was no resistance to my efforts, but there was no appreciation either. She just closed her eyes and sniffled. I carefully carried her to her bedroom and laid her down on her bed. Based on how messy her room was, I could tell she had spent a lot of time in that room over the past few weeks. There were water cups scattered about, newspapers littering the floors, and towels and clothes flooding out of the hamper. She was always organized and neat, so I knew she was hurting. Once she was in bed, I went to the kitchen to grab some water and ibuprofen. I walked back into the room and held it out to her.

“Here, please take this. You’re going to have a mean headache if you don’t.”

Harper scrupled before reaching out and taking the pills. She downed them in one go and finished the water in seconds. She lay back in the bed and turned her back to me, but I knew I didn’t deserve any better treatment. Slowly, I climbed into the bed beside her and wrapped my arms around her tiny body. She was tense against me, but she didn’t fight.

“I know I messed up, Harper,” I said softly. “I know I hurt you, and I am sorry for that.” I grew silent in hopes that she would respond, but there was nothing said on her part. I sighed and held her a little tighter. “I promise you I will never hurt you like that again. I realized how badly I needed you in my life, and I can’t lose you over my selfish needs.”

“You’ve already lost me,” Harper muttered. “Leave.”

“Harper, I want to prove to you that I deserve another chance. I can’t promise that I’ll leave my business behind, because I worked so hard for it, but I can promise you that I’ll never hurt you. I’ll never leave you behind again. I can live without the city and the lifestyle; those things are nothing compared to you.”

“If they were nothing compared to me, you wouldn’t have left,” she whispered hoarsely.

“I promise you I will never leave you again, Harper. I will spend every day for the rest of my life making it up to you. I swear it.”

Again, I waited for a response, but there wasn’t one. Instead, Harper stayed quiet. Eventually, we both drifted off to sleep. I was content having her in my arms for a moment, but I was not going to settle until she knew I loved her and I had made up for the heartbreak I’d dealt her.