Page 124 of Redeeming Harmony

“Why not?” he asked.

“I’m not in the right headspace. My life is a mess and -”

“You just had a billionaire asking to hire you. Your life is not a mess,” he said.

She sighed, impatience creeping into her voice. “Look, I told you about my mom.”

“Yes,” he said, confusion washing over him, “but what does that have to do with us dating?”

“I’m too much like her. I won’t make your life miserable like my mom made my dad’s.”

“Harper, obviously I didn’t know your mom, but from what you’ve told me, you’re not like her. You’re kind and caring and -”

“Hot tempered and impatient, and sometimes selfish,” she said. “You’ve seen that firsthand, Nathan.”

“We’re all occasionally selfish,” he said, “and I haven’t seen anything from you that makes me think I shouldn’t date you. You’re not perfect, but neither am I. No one is.”

“I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want you to grow to hate me because of how I treat you.” Her voice wavered, and she blinked rapidly.

“Honey, that isn’t going to happen,” he said.

“It might. My mom started out great, and then look what happened. She made me and my dad miserable. Do you want kids?”

He blinked at the abrupt change in subject. “Yeah, eventually.”

“So do I,” she said with a bitter laugh.

“Okay, that’s good,” he said. “We’re on the same page.”

“I want them, but what happens if I treat them the way my mother treated me?” she asked.

“Your mother had untreated depression,” he said. “It’s not a given that you’ll suffer from depression, but if you do? I know you, Harper. You’re strong, and you’re smart, and you won’t let something like that control your life. You’ll get the help you need for it.”

“But what if I don’t?” she said.

He tried to keep the frustration out of his voice. “So, what does that mean? You’re going to deny yourself what you want because of ‘what-ifs’ and ‘maybes’? That’s no way to live, honey.”

“My mother -”

“You are not your mother. You need to get her voice out of your head that tells you you’re not good enough, that you don’t deserve every ounce of happiness that comes your way. You are amazing, Harper Brandt. Do you hear me? Amazing. Stop letting a dead woman tell you that you aren’t.”

“You don’t know what she was like.” She glared at him. “And you don’t know what you’re asking me to do.”

“I’m asking you to take a chance. To want more than just sex,” he said.

She blew her breath out in a frustrated rush. “Things are good between us the way they are. Why can’t we keep going like this?”

“It’s good because we’re in a relationship,” he said. “Even if you don’t want to define it.”

“We’re not in a relationship,” she said.

“We’ve spent the last five nights together,” he said. “Doing more than just having sex,” he added.

“Five nights doesn’t put us in a relationship,” she said. “There’s no set time to -”

“Are you seeing anyone else?”

She jerked in surprise. “No, of course not.” Jealousy flashed in her eyes. “Wait… are you?”

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