Harmony

Walking back toward Preston’s parents’ house, I tried to push away the look of disappointment in Preston’s eyes when I’d said we were friends. My heart was beating so hard and my mind was spinning.

That kiss. Good Lord, that kiss was amazing. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how far things would have gone had Preston’s brother Wes not shown up.

Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath and blew it out as I opened my eyes and put a smile on my face. Turning around, I saw that Preston and his brother were a good ways behind me talking. I didn’t mean to take off like I did. I needed to put some space between us. We both just admitted having feelings for each other and I needed to think this through.

Hearing someone driving down the driveway, I turned to look and saw a truck pulling up. As the driver honked the horn, the truck stopped and I saw Angie running out of the house.

A tall, dark-haired guy got out of the truck and caught Angie in his arms while he spun her around. Smiling, I was guessing this was Finn. As I drew closer, I noticed he was yet another good-looking guy. Man, this family has good genes.

Stopping a few feet back, I watched Angie and Jenn greet Finn.

Wes and Preston walked by me and made their way over to Finn. The love in this family was amazing. My heart broke slightly as I realized the only person I had was Jake. Looking away, I stared off into the pasture as I chewed on my lower lip.

“Finn! Come meet Harmony,” Angie said.

Glancing at the group, I smiled as Preston walked up with his brother. Finn gave me a quick once-over and smiled. Wow. His smile was almost as amazing as Preston’s.

“Finn, this is Harmony, a friend of mine. She’s spending Thanksgiving with us.”

My smile faltered briefly as I peeked at Preston and saw nothing but coldness in his eyes.

Turning my attention back to Finn, I shook his hand and tried not to let my voice crack as I talked. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Finn.”

“The pleasure is all mine. I see my baby brother’s taste in friends has improved.”

Everyone laughed as I let out a nervous chuckle. Preston smiled as he walked around me and headed into the house. Turning, I wanted to call out to him, but I was frozen. I knew why he was upset with me. The look in his eyes spoke more than words ever could.

Placing her hand on my arm, Angie led me back into the house. “Tonight is game night! You better keep your eyes open; the boys like to cheat.”

Giving her a slight chuckle, I nodded and said, “Got it.”

I spent the rest of the evening with Angie and Jenn as we finished up some things for Thanksgiving dinner the next day. I hadn’t seen Preston since dinner. As soon as he and the boys cleared the table, he excused himself along with Finn and they disappeared.

Drying off the last bowl, I stood and stared out the kitchen window.

“Harmony, would you like a cup of tea, darling? We can go sit on the back porch and talk.” Jenn handed me a cup of tea as she mouthed, “Peace and quiet.”

“No way, Mom. It’s game night! I’ll go find the boys.”

Rolling her eyes, Jenn shrugged. “I tried.”

Giggling, I shook my head and said, “Even though Angie’s just a few years younger than me, I feel like she has more energy than the Energizer Bunny.”

“You have no idea,” Jenn said as she shook her head. Standing, she said, “Let’s make our way to the dining room. Once the boys realize what game Angie wants to play, the peace will be over.”

Smiling, I took my cup of tea and followed Jenn to the formal dining room. I loved Preston’s childhood home. It wasn’t anything extravagant, yet it was classy and comfortable. I felt at home. Pictures of their family were spread throughout the house. There was a fireplace in the main living room and the formal dining room. Walking over to the fireplace, I picked up a picture of Preston.

“I see his charming good looks started early,” I said with a chuckle.

“Oh Lord, the girls that chased after that boy. His older brothers used to get so mad. The three of them could be standing there and the girls would always approach Preston first,” Jenn said with a lighthearted laugh.

Smiling, I placed the photo down and then picked up what looked like Preston’s senior picture. Good Lord, he had only grown better looking with age.

Running my fingers over the picture, it felt as if my lips were tingling. Placing my fingers on my lips, I could almost feel Preston’s lips on mine.

Hot breath hit my neck, followed by, “Whatcha thinking about?”

Jumping, I quickly placed the picture on the mantel. Preston stood there staring at me with an expression I couldn’t read. He wasn’t smiling, yet his eyes looked happy.

Opening my mouth to talk, I was startled when Angie began clapping her hands and talking.

“Okay! It’s family game night. Monopoly is the game of choice.”

Oh shit. I hate Monopoly.

I chewed on my lip, then whispered to Preston, “Can we vote on another game?”

“What’s wrong, Harmony, Monopoly not your thing?”

Smiling, I shook my head. “Not really.”

The next thing I knew we were all sitting around the table laughing our asses off as two hours passed by. Finn and Angie really got into the game and were in a dead heat to take over the entire board. Jenn and I had long since dropped out of the game. Preston and Wes seemed to be making sideline deals against Angie.

“Well, look at this sight.” The booming voice that came from behind me caused me to turn around.

My mouth dropped open as I looked at an older version of Preston. “Oh wow,” I whispered.

Jenn leaned over and said, “I know, now you see where Preston and the boys get their looks. He’s been gone for two days helping a friend with a building project. Let me go say hello.”

Blushing, I smiled at Jenn. Giving me a playful wink, she stood up and walked over to her husband. He wrapped her up in his arms and lifted her off the ground as he kissed her. The act was so intimate that I turned my head, only to find Preston looking at me. Wes asked him something, causing him to pull his eyes away from me. My heart was racing for some reason and I felt my body heating up.

Turning back to Jenn and Mr. Ward, I watched as they smiled and spoke softly to each other. So this is what love looks like. A true honest-to-God love. I wanted this. Desperately. Peeking back over at Preston, my breath caught in my throat as I watched him throw his head back and laugh at something his brother had said.

It was in that moment I realized I wanted all of that and I didn’t want it with anyone else but Preston.

“Preston, would you like to be a good guest and introduce Harmony to your father?” Jenn said as she motioned to me. Preston jumped up and smiled.

Walking over to his father, they shook hands and Mr. Ward pulled Preston in for a quick man hug. Preston turned back to me as I stood up and made my way over to the three of them. As I drew closer, Mr. Ward let out a whistle as he held out his hand to me. Taking my hand in his, Preston’s father brought it up and placed his lips gently on the back of my hand as I let out a nervous giggle.

“All right, Dad, that’s enough. She’s mine.”

Sucking in a breath, I looked at Preston as he and his father exchanged laughs.

She’s mine. My stomach dropped at Preston’s words.

Preston turned to me and placed his hand on the small of my back. Goosebumps raced across my skin and my heart melted at the simple gesture.

“Dad, this is Harmony. Harmony, this is my father, Mike.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ward.”

Waving his hand at me, Preston’s father shook his head. “It’s Mike, Harmony. Please call me Mike.”

Nodding, I said, “Mike it is.”

Giving me a nod, he looked up and the next thing I knew, Finn and Weston were standing around their father.

Preston stepped closer to me and placed his lips near my ear. “You look tired, Harmony.”

Stay strong, Harmony. His smell is not knocking you out of your socks, his hot, sexy voice is not penetrating into the very depths of your soul, and his stunning green eyes are not piercing your eyes and beckoning you to him.

Parting my lips, I fought to find the words to speak. What in the hell is happening to me?

Shaking my head, I whispered, “I’m not tired.”

Raising an eyebrow, Preston tilted his head and then smiled.

“Yes! I told you she wasn’t tired, Preston.” Angie grabbed my hands and pulled me toward the stairs. “Come on, Harmony. We’re changing.”

Looking back at Preston, I saw he was grinning as he shook his head. “Changing for what?” I asked as I watched Preston until Angie had pulled me all the way to her room.

“We’re going dancing! The club is eighteen and older so you and I can go. Although Preston told me your birthday is tomorrow.” Putting her finger up to her mouth, she said, “Don’t worry, he made me promise not to tell my mother because you didn’t want anyone to know.”

Before I even had a chance to protest, I had tried on three different dresses before Angie settled on a teal blue cocktail dress. She went on and on about how the teal brought out the blue in my eyes.

“Holy shit. You have killer legs. Wait until my brother sees you in this dress. He’s gonna jizz in his pants.”

My mouth dropped open as I let out a gasp. “You did not just say that!”

Throwing her head back, Angie began jumping. “You’re gonna be twenty-one in a few hours, Harmony! Aren’t you excited?”

Shrugging my shoulders, I said, “I guess I am. I haven’t really been thinking about it.”

“Well, we’re gonna dance our asses off. When was the last time you went to a club?”

Scrunching my nose up, I said, “Um, maybe high school.”

Angie froze, then slowly shook her head. “I promise you, Harmony, you’re gonna be finding your groove tonight and I don’t mean just dancing. Did I mention Preston’s room is in the attic? Far away from everyone.”

Looking at Angie with a confused expression, I asked, “What does that have to do with anything?”

Rolling her eyes, she spun me around and quickly pulled my hair up and put it in a French twist. Pulling a few strands down, she looked at me in the mirror.

“Harmony, do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

Blushing, I looked away. Turning me around to face her, Angie looked into my eyes. “Do you have any idea how much my brother is over the moon for you?”

Biting on my lower lip, I smiled. “You think?”

“Oh honey, I don’t think…I know. And after tonight, you won’t have any questions about it and you will totally understand my reference to his bedroom.”

Angie ran over to the closet and slipped on a pair of red high heels. She handed me a pair of black heels as she smiled a naughty grin. Angie and I were exactly the same dress and shoe sizes. Slipping the shoes on, I turned and looked at myself in the mirror. I didn’t even recognize the woman standing in the mirror. Somewhere between getting pregnant, getting married, and losing a part of myself, I’d become a woman.

Glancing over my shoulder, I watched Angie put on lipstick. Smiling, I looked back into the mirror. Up until a few hours ago, I hadn’t known what I was thankful for, but now I knew exactly what I was thankful for: that entire day, as well as the family I was quickly falling in love with.