Page 57 of Hidden Truths

A knock sounds on the door and a nurse pops her head in, looking frazzled and wide-eyed. “I’m sorry, Mr. Griffin, but there’re reporters gathered at the front of the building. We’ve been denying that you’re here, but they must have spotted you. Dr. Green is keeping them from entering, but I don’t think you can get to your car in the parking lot without having to go through them.”

“Shit,” I mutter. “Thank you. I’ll figure it out,” I say to the nurse.

“Give me your phone,” Harlow says, holding her hand out. I hand it over without question. She pauses when she sees the picture of her and Cora in the tub on the lock screen.

“I can’t go too long without seeing my girls, even when I know I’m coming home to them,” I tell her. She kisses me quickly before going back to whatever she is doing.

“Da-mmm!” Cora says, giggling when she gets the reaction she wants. Meaning me with wide eyes and an open mouth.

“Dada, baby girl. I’m Da-da,” I say, pronouncing it slowly for her.

“Da-mmm!” is her reply. I just sigh and rub my chin. Maybe if I don’t react, she won’t keep saying it.

“Here you go. We should be good to go in a couple of minutes.” Harlow hands me my phone.

“What did you do?” I ask her, squinting my eyes in suspicion.

“Quit looking at me like that. I just posted a picture on your socials and had the rest of the band comment on it.”

I keep squinting at her before turning to my phone and finding the post. I bark out a laugh when I see what she’s done. It’s a selfie I took of us a couple of days ago. I’m smiling like an absolute goon and only Harlow’s forehead is visible. It was funny then, and it’s even funnier now that she posted it for the world to see.

Until I see the caption.

“Major announcement happening today! First to find where this was taken gets to break the story.” I read out loud. Willa and Belle have both commented, saying how excited they are. Kai only commented a thumbs up and Mav said he’s so happy. “Uh, Harlow?”

The nurse pops her head back into the room. “They’re gone. I don’t know what happened, but they literally ran away.”

Harlow laughs and thanks her.

We make our way to my car, my eyes darting everywhere just in case there was a straggler. But the parking lot is deserted of anyone with a camera.

Once Cora is strapped into her seat and Harlow and I are settled in the front, I turn towards her. “What’s the plan exactly? That picture was taken at a rest stop in Maine.” I had to go back to make a full statement to the police on what happened that day with Brad. Harlow refused to let me go alone.

Harlow laughs. “I know. It’s going to take them forever to figure it out.”

“And when they do? What’s the big announcement?” I ask, trying to ignore the notifications piling up on my phone.

Harlow shrugs. “You should probably figure that out.”

I glare at her, but she just smiles sweetly. “The picture makes it seem like I’m announcing you as my girlfriend,” I tell her, holding my breath to see how she responds to that. She is my girlfriend if we’re using labels, but she honestly feels like so much more than that.

Harlow turns her head to look at me, that happy smile still on her face. “I’m not worried about the media, Cal. We can keep this for us, or we can tell the world. Whatever you want to do.”

“What do you want?” I ask. I’ll do whatever she wants. I’ll keep her hidden from the scrutinizing eyes of the world, or I’ll go shout that she’s mine from the tops of mountains.

“You, Callahan.”

I grab her and press my lips to hers in a chaste kiss. “I want to tell the world, Firecracker. You’re mine, and I want everyone to know.”

“Then tell them,” she says, not worried at all.

“Some people won’t be nice. They won’t like that you tamed the untamable.”

Harlow laughs so hard she doubles over in her seat.

“Okay, that reaction is a little much,” I grumble.

“Tamed,” she laughs and has to take a deep breath as tears stream down her face. “The untamable,” she continues. Her laugh is so loud and contagious that Cora is laughing now too.

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