Page 73 of Surprise Baby for Mr. Fischer
“Hey, Harper. It’s so good to see you again.” A tiny woman bundled up against the chill with a heavy coat, scarf, and gloves made her way from around the corner with a welcoming smile on her face. Her dark brown hair curled just under her chin, and absolute kindness seemed to shine from the depths of her eyes.
“Hi, Cheryl. It’s nice to see you too.” Harper reached out and gave her a quick hug then pointed at me. “This guy needs a tree in his house. We finally cleared some space, and I thought one of your trees would look amazing in front of his huge bay window.”
“Hello, I’m Lincoln.” I stuck my hand out to shake. “Thanks so much for letting us stop by. Especially since you’re not actually open.”
A warm smile broke out across Cheryl’s face as she reached over to give me a hug. “Any friend of Harper’s is a friend of ours. We’ve known her family for ages.”
I relaxed as I wrapped my arms around her, awkwardly returning her hug, and patted her back. Other than with Harper and her parents last night, I wasn’t used to spontaneous bouts of affection.
“We don’t have a lot for you to choose from, I’m afraid. Just what’s left in this row.”
“They’re all perfect. Aren’t they, Lincoln?” Harper’s eyes shined with excitement as she looked over the trees one more time.
I nodded. It didn’t matter to me what tree we got as long as I spent time with Harper. And if finding a tree made her happy, I was all in.
“That one!” Harper exclaimed and pointed at a nearby Fraser Fir. “It’s perfect.”
“You got it,” Cheryl said. “Let me grab Ron, and he can help you load it on top of the car. We don’t want you to lift anything, Harper. When’s the baby due again?”
Harper affectionately rubbed at her belly. “April eleventh.”
“I bet your parents are excited to have their first grandchild,” Cheryl said, smiling at Harper. “I’ll be right back with Ron.”
I pretended to inspect the tree. “So this is it, huh?”
“Isn’t this so much better than an artificial one?” She linked her arm through mine.
“Definitely.”
A smug smile curled the corners of her lips. “How fun is this? Our first tree.” Her smile fell, and she looked away. “I’m sorry, that was weird. First would indicate that I expect us to do this every year.”
“No, it wasn’t weird.” I turned her to face me. “We’re in uncharted waters for both of us right now.”
She wrapped her arms around me in a big hug. Having her here like this felt right. I wrapped my arms around her black puffy coat, squeezing until I could feel her curves.
“I like you, Lincoln,” Harper whispered.
I wanted to pick Harper up and swing her around. Hearing her admit that made me deliriously happy.
I wasn’t sure how long we stayed like that, but it was too soon when Cheryl returned with Ron. I squeezed Harper one more time before I stepped away to help Ron load the tree.
“What a wonderful guy you have, Harper. I can see the love between you two,” I heard Cheryl say to Harper as they stood off to the side to watch us work.
I stumbled, my elbow slamming into the side of the car. Thankfully Ron had a good grip on his side. Is what I felt for Harper, love? I’d played characters who’d fallen in love, but I’d never experienced it myself. How do you know when you’re in love? In the movies it seems so obvious—like a lightbulb goes off over your head. But was this love? My thoughts were consumed by her, I missed her when she wasn’t near me, and I couldn’t imagine a future without her.
Without even looking, I knew Harper’s face was bright red. As we tied the tree down on the roof rack, I had trouble hearing Harper’s mumbled response.
Once Ron and I were finished, we said our goodbyes and climbed into the car, heading to Harper’s parents’ home to grab the ornaments they'd gotten together for us.
We were only a mile down the road when Harper’s movements caught my eye. She fiddled with her seat belt and shifted in her seat. She shot me quick glances with each move, then opened her mouth and promptly shut it again.
Understanding her hesitation, I reached across the console and snagged one of her hands. Our fingers threaded together. A perfect fit. “Yes, I heard what Cheryl said.”
She drew in a sharp breath. “She assumed we were a couple.”
“Aren’t we?” I asked.
Harper stayed silent, her fingers tightening around mine.
