Page 25 of Caramel Apple Cupcake

“Do I?” she asked. “Do I really have you, Anders?”

He leaned in closer, his piercing blue eyes never leaving hers. “Yes,” he said firmly. “You’ve had me from the moment we met. I know I’m not good at showing it, but I care about you. So fucking much.”

She searched his face, looking for any sign of insincerity, but found none. He meant what he said.

“I didn’t look into your family to hurt you,” he continued. “I did it because the thought of you being around someone dangerous makes me sick. I had to know you’d be safe. If something happened to you, I don’t know what I would do. I’m not from that world, but for those I love, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do.”

Harper felt her resistance melting away. “Do you mean it?”

“With every fiber of my being,” he said, not taking his eyes off her.

Anders was a man of few words, but she realized his actions spoke so much louder. The way he protected her, the nights he held her while she cried over the hurt from her family, the little gestures day after day that showed her she mattered to him.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “You’re right, I do have you. And you have me. I know this thing between us moved fast, but I’m all in. I-I love you, too.” Anders smiled, and her panties melted.

“I’m glad to hear that, sweetheart. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Good thing you’ll never have to find out,” she said and smiled.

The subject was done for a while as their dinner orders were placed on the table. Just as she was cutting her steak, cooked medium with a hot pink center, she heard a voice call out to her. She froze in shock. This could not be happening right now.

“Harper,” her mother said her name in a way that left no doubt she was disappointed in everything her wayward child had done up to this point in her life.

She placed her utensils on the table and wiped her mouth with the cloth napkin before responding. “Mother.” Just then, her father stepped up behind his wife. His eyes widened when he saw Harper. His gaze flitted between her and Anders. He must have gathered his bearings because he held out his hand to Anders.

“Good evening. Rodney Bryan, Sr. I’m Harper’s… father.”

Her eyes swung to him, harsh words on the tip of her tongue. She heard the pause. Did Anders? He stood from his seat. At six-four, he stood a few inches taller than her father.

“Anders Callahan. Nice to meet you,” he said before sitting back down.

“Callahan? I know that name. Is that the bar over on Piccadilly that opened a few years ago? You have an excellent reputation.”

“Thanks.” One thing Anders noted was that Harper’s father still had not greeted her. He found that odd, but waited a bit longer to see what happened.

“Um, what are you doing here?” her mother asked.

She motioned toward the table. “Eating dinner. How are you, mother?”

“I’d be better if my child actually picked up my calls.”

Harper sighed. “Mom, you really shouldn’t do this here.” Luckily, they were in a section at the back of the restaurant.

“How can you treat your own mother this way?” She even managed to squeeze out a tear. Harper went to stand when her father spoke up.

“Athena, I’m not sure why you’re bothering with this. The girl acts like we didn’t raise her. She’s never been grateful for anything in her life.”

And that’s when Anders lost his shit. He threw his napkin on the table and stood up. “Apologize,” he growled out. He would not hit an old man, but that old man had better fucking apologize before shit got real embarrassing. “You’re her father. Yet, you speak to her as if she means nothing. What the hell is wrong with you?” With every word spoken, the volume increased.

“How dare you speak to us this way? Harper, are you going to let this person speak to your parents that way?”

Harper was frozen in shock. She couldn’t believe that her parents had come up to her, being nasty in public. Weren’t they the ones always focused on their public reputation? She was taught from a young age to never raise her voice in public. Don’t embarrass them. Don’t act out. Make sure she was always on her best behavior. Yet, they do this in a restaurant in the middle of Bluestone Ridge? She had no idea what the hell was going on.

To make matters worse, Anders was going toe-to-toe with her father. She had to do something. Yes, the man was an ass, but he was the only father she knew. There was no way she could let Anders speak to him that way. “Anders, you need to calm down. Don’t talk to my parents that way.”

The way he turned toward her made her step back. Not that she was afraid, but the look on his face was one she hadn’t seen before.

“I won’t let them speak to you like that. We need to leave. Grab your stuff.”

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