Page 32 of Exes and Oh Hell No

I amnotmy mother.

I don’tneeda man to take care of me.

“I get it,” he says softly, as if reading my mind. “But there’s no shame in relying on someone, Harper.” His fingers absentlystroke over the back of my hand. “Look at my Pap and Gram. They were each other’s rock. When one was down, the other stepped up.”

My chest tightens.

He’s right.

I’d seen it firsthand.

Their love had been unshakable, their bond a force of nature.

They functioned like a team.

Unlike my parents, where my mom relied on my dad but never the other way around.

“When did you become the rational one?” I ask, forcing a teasing tone.

A chuckle rumbles through him, warm and deep, sending shivers down my spine. “Maybe about the timeyoubecame irrational?”

I gasp, clutching my chest. “Wow. That was a solid burn.”

His lips twitch. “I have my moments.”

Headlights illuminate the front of Gram’s house, and nerves swirl inside me.

It’s ridiculous, but walking into that house with Ford beside me feels… intimate.

Like we’re together.

Like we’re stillFord and Harper.

The couple everyone thought would be together forever.

My stomach knots.

Gram will take one look at us, at me, and know that I’m stuck.

That I haven’t moved on.

And if Ford is over me… if he doesn’t feel the same pull I do… I don’t think I can handle the crushing rejection.

12

HARPER

My muscles ache from the tension coiled inside me as I march up Gram’s porch steps, feeling like I’m heading to my execution.

My breath stutters when I stop in front of the door, my feet refusing to move.

A strong, warm arm wraps around my shoulder, pulling me in.

“It’s okay, Harper.” Ford’s deep voice rumbles beside me, steady and sure.

My eyes dart to his, completely unconvinced.

It’s not okay.

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