Page 109 of Hidden Truths

CAL

“It smells good in here,”Harlow says, wrapping her arms around my waist and pressing her cheek into my back.

“Get your apron on and help me,” I say. I’m cooking Thanksgiving dinner and Harlow asked to have it here. By that, I mean she told me we were having it here, and she had already invited everyone. I pretend to be upset about it, but she knew I wasn’t.

“What do you need to do? I saw you put the turkey in the oven, and you assigned everyone else the sides and desserts,” she argues.

“Not all of them. We still need to make a pumpkin pie and the stuffing. Plus, we should probably have a backup mac and cheese ready since Willa volunteered for that, and her cooking would make prisoners cry.”

Harlow grumbles under her breath but lets me go and puts on her apron. “What do you need me to do, chef?”

I smack her ass, and she laughs. “Pumpkin pie recipe is out on the counter. I use store bought pie crust, so you just have to make the filling.”

Harlow gasps, and I narrow my eyes at her. “Store bought crust? The blasphemy!”

“You realize the Midnight Macaroni I make when the girls are upset is just boxed stuff I add extra cheese to?”

Harlow slaps her hand over her heart and widens her eyes until they’re comically large. “It can’t be.”

I take her by the waist and spin her towards me. “Make the pie, Firecracker.” I plant a kiss on her lips and let her go.

“Yes, chef!” she says, and I laugh. No one makes me laugh like this woman.

We work in tandem for the next few hours. She gets the pie and stuffing done before helping me with the mac and cheese.

My house is loud with the sounds of the people I love the most. Cora’s laugh rings loud above it all from where she sits in her highchair and shoves mashed potatoes into her mouth with her tiny fist. We’re finally using the dining room table Belle forced me to buy when I first moved into the house. I ignored the smug grin she sent my way when we first sat down to eat.

I sip my water and watch everyone from my place at the head of the table. Cora is to my left and Harlow to my right. Our friends and family fill in the other seats with my dad sitting at the other head.

Harlow reaches for my hand and squeezes. “I love you,” she says. Happiness radiating from her face.

“I love you too, Firecracker.”

The doorbell rings, breaking my eye contact with my wife. I frown, looking around the room. Everyone is here. Harrison and Jo included.

“I’ll get it!” Willa says, leaping from the table and running to the door. Harlow’s gaze follows her, and she looks just as confused as I do. I turn toward my sister, but Belle’s expression mirrors everyone else’s.

Willa returns less than a minute later, followed by a tall, broad man in dark jeans and a navy button-up shirt that he’s rolled at the sleeves, letting his tattooed forearms peek through.He has light brown hair and green eyes, a shade darker than Harlow’s. But it’s not his appearance I’m focused on. It’s his arm around Willa’s shoulders.

Willa clears her throat, but it’s unnecessary since the room is silent. Not even Cora is making noise right now.

“Everyone, this is Declan,” she says. “My husband.”

epilogue

HARLOW

“Canyou believe Jasper actually came to the show?” Cal says with stars in his eyes.

“That was over a month ago,” I point out again.

“I know, but Jasper Wentworth came to my show,” he says, looking like an excited little kid. I laugh at him and kiss his cheek. “And he got me tickets to the season opener in April!”

I looked into that game since Cal won’t go without all of us, and I helped Jo book the hotel and flights. “You know that game is against Boston, right?”

Cal rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah. Do you think he’d be offended if I went to his game in the opposing team’s jersey?”

“You think you’d be offended if he wore an opposing band’s shirt to your concert?” I counter. Cal frowns.

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