Page 15 of Redeeming Harmony

“Thanks, Wyatt.” Nathan clinked his beer bottle against Wyatt’s before taking a drink. His stomach still churned, and he hoped like hell Wyatt was right about Warren.

* * *

“A spring wedding will be perfect.”Harper studied the ring on Gracie’s finger. “I’m so happy for you and Gideon.”

“Thanks, Harper.” The curvy dark-haired dental hygienist sat back in the booth and sipped at her beer. “I’ve formally asked Kira and Addie to be in the wedding, but I wanted to wait until I saw you in person. Will you be a bridesmaid?”

“Of course!” Harper squeezed her hand. “Thank you for asking.”

Gracie wrinkled her nose at her. “Like I wouldn’t have one of my best friends in my wedding.”

“Has Gideon decided on his final groomsman yet?” Kira asked.

Grace shook her head. “Not yet. Preacher’s his best man, obviously, and Connor said yes to being a groomsman, but he’s still thinking on the last one. I’m pretty sure he’ll ask Ian, though. They spend a lot of time together at work, and I know Ian is his favourite deputy, even if Gideon won’t admit it.”

“You know how my brother is. He would never admit he plays favourites at work,” Kira said.

“Probably because it’s not good for a sheriff to play favourites,” Addison said with a laugh.

“What about you and Connor?” Harper said to Kira. “Things still good with you?”

A soft smile crossed Kira’s face as she tugged lightly at a lock of her blonde hair. “It’s amazing. We’ve been living together for almost five months now, and it’s been great. Really great. I love him so much, and he’s freaking incredible in bed.”

Grace held out her fist for Kira to bump as Harper laughed. “Who would have thought a dentist would be so damn good in bed?”

“Not me,” Kira said. “But Connor has been happy to prove me wrong, many,manytimes.”

“Good for you, honey,” Harper said. “Can I just say how happy I am that my three besties are getting the D on the regular? And not just the D but very good D.”

“Very good and very large D,” Addison said.

Grace nearly spit out her beer, and Kira stared wide-eyed at Addie over her glass of wine. “Oh my God, did Addie just participate in sex talk?”

Harper slung her arm around Addie’s shoulders. “Hey, now that she’s no longer with her cheating turd knob of a fiancé, Harrison, she’s happy to share the details of her sex life with the hottest guy in town.”

Addison laughed. “Well, not quite, but I definitely don’t feel stifled by a man’s demands that I keep every little detail completely private. Preacher doesn’t seem to care if I share some of the, um, intimate details with the three of you.”

“Harrison didn’t want you talking to us about it because he didn’t want you knowing that he sucked in bed,” Harper said, her anger at Addie’s former fiancé blooming bright all over again. “That slimy walking sphincter knew if you told us he couldn’t make you come, we’d tell you to leave his selfish ass.”

Addison glanced around the pub before popping a fry into her mouth. “Could you talk a little louder, Harper? Not everyone in the pub heard about my terrible sex life with Harrison.”

Harper snorted laughter. “Sorry, pinky-pie. But I will never not be filled with rage at the way Harrison did you so wrong in bed and cheated on you. He’s a douche canoe who deserves to be miserable the rest of his life.”

“Preach, girl,” Gracie said before holding up her beer bottle.

Harper tapped her bottle against Gracie’s, and they both drank as Addie sipped delicately at her wine. “Anyway, yes, Preacher is fantastic in bed, and he is also the sweetest and most thoughtful man I’ve ever met.”

Harper kissed the side of Addison’s head before sitting back in the booth. She was thrilled for her friends, she really was, but she was also the tiniest bit jealous. She’d hoped she’d find her person in New York, but it hadn’t happened. Being back in Harmony Falls significantly decreased her chance of finding the one. She hadn’t seriously dated anyone in her hometown, and there was a reason for that. None of the men ever seemed to be what she was looking for.

An image of Nathan and his perfect lips rose in her mind. Immediately, she was too warm, and that confusing combination of anger and lust was back. She took a giant swallow of beer, hoping the cold liquid would cool her down some.

A finger poked her in the forehead, and she blinked at Gracie. “What? Why are you poking me?”

“Because I’ve said your name twice and you’re over there staring into your beer bottle like you’re a sad country song just waiting to be written,” Grace said.

“I’m fine,” Harper said. She loved Grace and Kira, but she had no desire to discuss how crushed she felt at her life failures. She’d reserve the self-pity for her conversations with Addie. While the four of them had been inseparable since grade school, it was Addison who was her ride or die. Addie who knew every one of her secrets, good and bad. She might feel a little guilty about that if Grace and Kira weren’t as close as she and Addie were.

To her relief, Grace didn’t press her about exactly what led to Harper returning home. Instead, she said in her usual blunt manner, “So, are you still just looking to get laid, or should we be actively helping you find a guy?”

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