Page 14 of Harper

I stand up, offering her the small, flat rock in my hand.

But she doesn’t notice that I’m holding my hand out. She’s staring at my face. Her eyes slip down to my lips and rest there.

“That’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me,” she whispers. Her eyes flick up to capture mine. “Kiss me, Joe.”

I’ve never kissed anyone before, but I love her. I’m helpless to refuse her.

Taller than Harper by a few inches, I hold her eyes as I incline my head. My fingertips land on her jaw, gently tilting her head to the side, and I breathe her name as my lips touch softly on hers. I’m tentative at first. I even lean back to look at her, to be sure it’s okay. But her eyes are closed, and her face is upturned like a flower drinking in the sun. I take this as a good sign, covering her lips with mine anew, more urgent now; certain that she wants this kiss every bit as much as I do.

My eyes flutter closed as she flattens her hands against my chest and leans closer. I wrap my arms around her, trapping her against my body, reveling in the touch of our lips; of our tongues, as they slide cautiously, then more confidently, against one another.

Harper moans softly, sliding her hands up to lace them behind my neck, and a wave of pure and requited love washes over me. Heart to heart, our bodies flush, we kiss until we’re breathless and weak, until she pulls away, resting her forehead on my shoulder.

I raise my head and open my eyes, anxious to read her face.

“Was that—” I gulp. “I mean…was that…okay?”

She’s breathing as fast as I am, flushed and warm. As she raises her head, her eyes open slowly, and she whispers, “Yeah. That was…more than okay.”

I smile at her, feeling relieved, feeling manly and victorious as I tighten my arms around her. I love the feeling of Harper in my arms. It’s better than I ever could have imagined. She rests her cheek on my shoulder and sighs, her breath soft and warm against my throat, where my pulse thrums wildly with my racing heart.

“Why’d you stop us?” I ask her.

“Because I’m not in a rush,” she answers. “This is just the beginning.”

Just the beginning. Were there ever sweeter and better words? Anywhere? At any time? I’m about to find out that yes, there are sweeter and better when they drop like a gift from her lips:

“I love you, Joe,” she says, her voice soft, but true. “I think that’s something you should know.”

“I love you, too,” I tell her. “I can’t remember a day when I didn’t.”

She leans back to look at me, her eyes shining with happiness, her sweet lips smiling up at me.

“You love me, Joe Raven?”

“Absolutely,” I tell her.

“You know what that means?” she asks, tilting her head to the side.

I wait for her to answer her own question.

“It means I’m your girl,” she says.

“You always have been,” I tell her, pulling her back into my arms. I hold her tightly. I don’t want her to see the tears that have suddenly flooded my eyes, but I can’t keep the emotion from my voice as I tell her, “You’ll always be my girl, Harper Stewart.”

I close my eyes and silently vow to be worthy of her and her love for me.

I promise to never let her down and to never, ever let her go.

That’s what happens when your dreams come true right in front of your eyes. You make promises to the universe that you have every intention of keeping, never suspecting for a moment that fate may have different plans for you altogether.

Chapter 2

Harper

We Stewarts love the Fourth of July.

More than Thanksgiving.

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