Page 135 of Shortcake
“Hmmmm.” I pressed my lips together smothering my smile and rested my cheek on the top of her head. “But your dad doesn’t understand this like you and I do. So, let’s make a deal, okay? I promise that any time you want to go visit your brother and don’t want to face your mother alone… I’ll be there. We’ll go together. In exchange, will you be my plus one to my dad’s wedding?”
Harper smiled through her tears. “You’ve got a deal.”
I tugged my phone from my back pocket as I stood up. Still no response from Conrad. I texted him again, wincing at the string of messages and texts he was going to discover when he opened his phone.
Found her, I texted.We’re on our way home.
“Come on, you,” I said. “We’ve got to get you home. People are worried sick—your boyfriend included.”
Her eyes widened and she followed me toward the scaffolding. “You called Adam!?”
“Of course I did,” I said, rolling my eyes. “For all I knew, you and he had run off to get matching tattoos and married in Rhode Island where parental consent isn’t needed for minors to get a marriage license.”
Harper’s eyes widened. “Is that true?”
Dammit. I really needed to learn to keep my mouth shut. Narrowing my eyes, I glared at her as I started to climb down the scaffolding. “Don't get any ideas.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, following my slow descent. “I’ll wait until I’m at least eighteen to get married.”
Oh, boy. Conrad would kill me if she was even remotely serious. “If you do, do me a favor and tell your dad you googled it and didn't hear it from me.”
She giggled and that sound was music to my ears. Somehow, I’d achieved the impossible. I’d gotten Harper back… in more ways than one.
We drove back to the house quickly and as I turned into the driveway, my elated feelings plummeted.
Because there in the front yard, Conrad was kneeling over Elijah handcuffing him.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Conrad
I listened to the voice messages while going seventy miles per hour down the small back roads of Maple Grove with my siren blaring.
“Conrad, it’s me!” Addy’s sharp voice cut through, coming through my car speakers. “Harper’s gone. Her room is empty, and it looks like she climbed out her window.”
That first message sent me into a blind tailspin. White hot fear slammed through my veins.
I knew Harper was upset. I knew she was having a hard day. But I stupidly listened to Addy and gave her space. I should have stayed home. I should have trusted my gut. And I should have taken that fucking door off its hinges two days ago.
Taking a deep breath, I called Meghan and put it on speaker.
“Hello?” she answered, blissfully unaware.
“Meghan,” I snapped. “Have you heard from Harper?”
Her snort of derision was all the answer I needed. “Of course not. She barely spoke to me when I saw her this morning. What makes you think she’d reach out to me today?”
My grip on the steering wheel tightened as I slowed down at an intersection to make sure no drivers were coming. “She’s a teenager, Meghan. She hasn’t seen you in years and when she finally did, you were married and pregnant. You need to give her a minute to process that!” I glanced to my left, then right, then left, ensuring the intersection was clear before I pressed the gas and blew through the stop sign.
“Well, she’ll have plenty of time to process now,” Meghan said.
Jesus. This woman was such a child. It only secured that decision I had made all those years ago to have her sign away her parental rights. I felt sorry for little Duke. He had no idea what he was in for having a narcissist as a mother.
In the background, I heard a faint announcement. “Which airline, ma’am?”
“Meghan, are you at theairport?”
She sighed heavily. “I’m not there yet. But yes. I’m heading back to London. You saw the way she looked at me, Conrad. She doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
