Page 46 of The Complication with the Best Man

I knew when I flew out here I’d have to head home to pack up the rest of my belongings once I had somewhere to send them. Finding a place to live and a job are my two main priorities at this point.

“Is that all you have with you?” Harper asks.

She looks beautiful today. Her long red hair is pulled back off her face, highlighting the arch of her neck, and she’s wearing a form-fitting dress that looks as though it’s made of a thin knit. No sign of her pregnancy showing yet.

“For now. Until I find a place.”

She nods. “Follow me. I’ll show you your room.”

I follow her up the stairs, bags in hand, trying my best not to be a perv and watch her ass the entire way. I fail miserably.

When we reach the top of the stairs, the bathroom is directly in front of me. There’s a bedroom with the door open to the right and two doors to the left. Harper goes left and stops at the first door, stepping inside.

“It’s not much, but hopefully it’s okay for now. Sorry about the girly décor.”

I glance around with a chuckle. It’s definitely heavy on the female influence in here with a lavender and cream bedding set and a host of inspirational quotes for art on the walls.

“You mean this doesn’t scream rough-and-tumble firefighter?” I point at the picture that says, “What if I fall? But oh, my darling, what if you fly?” She laughs as I walk farther in and set my bags on the mattress. “Thanks again for letting me stay here.”

“All right, that’s the last time you can thank me.” She walks over to the door. “I have to go meet a client, but I left the key on the kitchen counter. Help yourself to anything you want in the kitchen. I’ll be home around dinnertime.”

Before I can say much else, she’s gone, heading down the stairs, then I hear the front door close.

I glance around the room again. I certainly didn’t think that this was where I’d end up months after the night I slept with Harper. Surprise.

eighteen

HARPER

“Mmm… nice view.”

I whip around from where I’m looking out the sliding glass door to see Maven with a shit-eating grin.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I turn and walk away from the window.

She laughs. “Sure you don’t.”

When I arrived home from work, I called for Finn, since his truck was here, but couldn’t find him in the house. When I looked outside, I saw him shirtless and in the midst of some kind of workout routine in the backyard.

I walk over to the fridge to figure out something for dinner. There’s not much in here. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Now that we’re going to be coparents, we can’t be anything more. No way am I going to risk screwing up that relationship for my kid.”

When I come up empty in the fridge, I search through the cupboards.

“Is that what you two have agreed on?” she asks.

I shrug. “Not in so many words, but I’m pretty sure we’re on the same page.” I sigh. Grilled cheese and tomato soup it is. I’m going to have to learn how to cook better meals if I’m going to be a mother.

“What if you two could be a real couple? Wouldn’t that be even better for the baby?” She slides onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar.

“In a perfect world, sure. But there’s no guarantee we wouldn’t end up hating each other if we tried.”

She rocks her head back and forth. “True, but there are no guarantees for anything in life.”

Movement out the window catches my eye. “He’s coming back in.”

Maven turns on the stool when she hears the sliding glass door open. “You must be Finn. We met briefly at Palmer’s wedding, but I didn’t get to know you as well as Harper did apparently.”

“Maven!” My mouth hangs open.

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