Page 8 of Perfect for Her

“I know you’re pissed, and you have every right, but I will not sit here and have you talk to me like I’m the scum under your shoe. I know I fucked up; I get that, but I’m trying here. So at least let me do that.”

Fuck. She’s right. I nod, signaling her to continue.

“I found out I was pregnant with Ethan a month after I got back home from Jamaica. I was sick every day, all day for a week, and finally, my manager took me to the ER in Paris and that’s when I got the news.”

A sliver of sympathy goes through my chest at the thought of her having to do all of that alone. I would have been there in a heartbeat. I would have left Harbour Cove and moved to Paris if it meant having a family with her.

“I quit modeling for a bit after that, not having energy for it and no one wanting me when I was showing.”

Her cheeks blush as I shake my head, hating that someone would make her feel less than for bringing a human life into the world.

“But you still didn’t try and find me,” I mutter under my breath, but from the way she shifts in the swing, I know she heard me.

“I wanted to.”

I roll my eyes, getting up from my chair and starting to walk away from her.

“I swear, Mark, I did but everything was so up in the air. I didn’t know if I would have a job after he was born, or if I was even going to be able to stay in Paris.”

I stop at the top of the stairs, turning to face her as my back leans up against the post.

“Is he a good kid?” My voice cracks as the words sputter out, falling between us.

“He’s the best kid.” Her smile is shy but the love in her eyes can’t be denied. “He was born on October fifth, at four thirty in the morning after eight hours of labor.” I make a noise, not envying that experience at all. “At the beginning it was rough, I won’t lie to you. I was alone and trying to figure out how I was going to support myself and another tiny human. But over time we figured it out.”

“You didn’t have to be alone, you know.”

Her eyes are somber, the guilt clear as I take a breath and make my way to her, sitting next to her on the swing.

“I would have been there in a heartbeat, you know.”

She shakes her head, pulling away from me. “You say that now, but you can’t know that for sure, Mark. We were young, having a fling on a Caribbean Island and that’s all it was supposed to be.”

“I seem to remember that being your endgame Harlow, but I wanted more and told you on many occasions that I wanted more than that one week.” It’s her turn to get up and start pacing.

“What did you expect me to do, Mark? You were saying all the right things, making me feel things I haven’t felt in fucking years and then you drop the bomb that you want to make it work when I live in Paris and you live here.”

“I wanted you to at least try, give me some way to get in touch with you because if you did, we wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with.”

The anger in her beautiful eyes cuts through me and I know at that moment I went too far.

“You know what? You were right. We need some space right now,” she whispers, taking one last look at me before making her way to the front door. “Let me get Luna for you and you can get going.” When the door closes behind her, I take a breath. This is not what I wanted when I came over here.

Harlow comes back, a sleeping Luna in her arms and a bag over her shoulder. She carefully places my niece on my chest before handing me the bag. “I won’t keep Ethan from you, but I just need some time to figure this out, okay?”

I give her a slight nod before she lowers her head and opens the front door, disappearing as the world I once knew comes crashing down around me.

Harlow

The silence on the car ride over to the bakery where I’m meeting the girls for brunch is suffocating as the memories of the night before flash through my mind. Why the hell did I think any of this was a good idea? I do not regret coming to Harbour Cove. I could never regret Ethan getting to know his father but having him walk in on us as I’m about to come all over Mark’s fingers is not exactly the introduction I wanted for them.

My body heats at the reminder of what Mark’s hands felt like against my bare skin, the way his cock hardened under my movements, and the way his eyes darkened as I took pleasure from his body. Did I want to admit to him that it had been four years since I’d felt the heat of a man’s touch against my body? Did I want him to know that he ruined me for every man I’ve ever tried to replace him with? No. But damn, what I wouldn’t give to go back there to bask in the way the pleasure rolled through every one of my limbs.

As I park the car, I notice the girls are already here, sitting on the patio drinking coffees and I wonder how this is going to go. I know I need to tell them about Mark. They deserve to know the baggage that preceded our friendship and up until now, Ethan’s father was always a faceless man who didn’t know he had a son, now that man has a face and name… one they know well.

I take a deep breath, take my purse off the passenger seat and make my way into the bakery, taking in the warmth the second I push through the front door, the smells of baked goods hitting my nose and causing my stomach to growl. I didn’t have time to grab something to eat for myself before I rushed Ethan to school, and since it’s normally my day off, I would usually head home and stuff my face with one of Ethan’s cereals, but today I ran straight here.

“Harlow!” Billie calls when our eyes connect and her smile sends a wave of warmth through me as I make my way toward where they’re sitting.

---