Page 28 of Caramel Apple Cupcake

Harper laughed. Anders was a complete nut, but she loved him. Deeply. She nodded. “Yeah, there’s a lot. You might want to get something stronger than wine. It’s a doozy.”

Chapter 15

Harper was unsure of the reception she would get as she knocked on her parents’ door. She was tempted to turn around and leave. Just walk away and not even think about talking to them. Just give up trying to make them see her for who she was.

She and Anders were planning their trip up to Providence in a week. It was time for Harper to start her own path, with Anders by her side. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the man behind her. She was strong enough to handle this on her own, but having him with her was even better because she knew he would always have her back. “Thank you.”

“Sweetheart, you never have to do that. I ain’t going nowhere. You and me. We’re in this together.”

Her heart swelled with love for Anders. She had found someone who loved her so good it hurt, and he was a protector. Her best friend. Someone who never cared about who her family was or what they could do for him.

The past weekend, they had even taken a trip to Arlington, VA. She met his friends and their wives. Parker and Kandace. Ian and Jasmine. Interestingly enough, they were both Black women, and she was thrilled to have some ladies to connect with while Anders and the guys did their thing.

This was their last action before leaving in a few days. She would speak at the conference in Boston and spend a few days sightseeing. After that, a Lucarelli driver would meet them at the hotel to take them to the main compound. Not only would Harper spend time with Camille and Tristan, but Shandra and Leo, who were their closest friends and confidantes. It was going to be a very interesting weekend.

The door finally opened, and her mother appeared.

“Harper?” Her eyes flitted to the side and noticed Anders. Her lips pursed in anger. “What is he doing here?”

“I’m here for Sunday dinner. Anders is my guest. Can I come in?” She may have been forging her own path, but that didn’t mean she would be disrespectful. This was still her mother. One day, she hoped they would be a family again, but she had to come to terms with everything she now knew.

After she told Anders what was really going on, he was even more convinced he did the right thing when he confronted her father at the restaurant that night. He was more pissed that her father held her parentage over her head for her entire life. Instead of moving on and enjoying the blessing of having a beautiful little girl in his life, he lorded it over Harper and her mother. Made their lives a living hell. That was the part that upset Anders the most.

It made her love him even more. She kept hearing the line in her head from that one movie she loved. “He’s a good man, Savannah…”

When her mother stepped back, she and Anders stepped through. She walked them directly to the dining room area. She had planned their arrival right when dinner was about to be served. Her parents were sticklers for keeping up appearances. When they walked into the room, her father and brother were both sitting at the table.

“Harper?” RJ spoke up first. He stood from his chair and came over to her. “Hey, Sis. I’ve been trying to reach you. You won’t answer my calls. My texts are left on read.” He pointed one finger over his shoulder. “I’m not okay with what they’ve done. I’m sorry that I was such a shitty big brother. I just… I’m sorry.”

At a loss for words, Harper just nodded. In all her life, she had never known RJ to apologize to anyone for anything. It just wasn’t his style. “Thank you. And I just needed some time. I’mdoing better now. And it wasn’t your fault. Our parents should have done better.” She smirked at him. He outright laughed.

“You’re right about that.” His eyes shot over to Anders. “Who’s this?”

“This is Anders. We’re together.” To call him her boyfriend was such a disservice to what he actually was. Plus, Anders was all man. There was nothing ‘boy’ about him. “Anders Callahan. My brother, Rodney Bryan, Jr. We call him RJ.”

The two men shook hands. They both greeted each other with, “Nice to meet you.”

Anders was still alert, prepared for anything slick that may come out of anyone’s mouth.

“You bring that man into my house?” her father piped up.

Harper sighed. She had been expecting this, but thought they would at least be able to get through dinner. Anders placed a firm hand against her lower back, and she relaxed. They had prepared for this.

“Daddy, I’m here because I want you to know that I forgive you.”

His eyes shot up, shocked. Athena stood in the room’s entrance, watching the situation unfold between her husband and her daughter. RJ didn’t move away from Harper’s side. He simply leaned against the wall and watched everything play out.

For the record, he was on his sister’s side. Yes, he was a shit brother, but he was ashamed of how much his father’s indifference had played into how he treated her. It may take him years to make it up to her, but he would do it. It wasn’t fair that Harper had been treated so badly for so long. He would no longer play a part in that. He didn’t care what his father or mother did.

“Forgive me for what?” The older man stood. “For giving you my last name? Giving you a roof over your head? For makingsure you had food, clothes, a high-quality education? What, pray tell, are you forgiving me for?”

She resisted the urge to cry, but her emotions were becoming increasingly overwhelming. Harper took a deep breath, steadying herself. Anders’ hand on her back gave her strength.

“I forgive you,” she said evenly, “for never accepting or loving me as your daughter. For making me feel like an outsider in my own home. For always seeing me as less than RJ. For ignoring me at best and berating me at worst. For making me feel like I didn’t deserve love.” Her voice broke on the last word, and Anders wrapped a supportive arm around her waist. She leaned into him, drawing strength from his solid presence.

Her father scoffed, but she raised her hand to stop him from interrupting.

“I know I was a reminder of Mom’s infidelity. I know seeing me every day hurts you. But I was an innocent child, and I needed love. You withheld that from me. So, I forgive you. Not for me, but for you. So you can let go of the bitterness and regret. But know this. I won’t ever forget. What you did to me was hurtful to a child. It damaged me.”

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