Page 51 of Irreplaceable

I lifted a shoulder. Maybe Harper didn’t read many magazines. Ads with my face were displayed in airports across the world, but I had a feeling Harper was used to buzzing right by that kind of thing. She was always so focused. And she spent so much time in airports, she probably tuned everything out so she could research her next hobby or whatever.

“Well…” I rubbed the back of my neck, knowing I was also to blame for this predicament. “I sort of told her my name was Enzo.”

Val started laughing again, and the sound was beginning to grate on my nerves. “Enzo. Right.”

“I’m serious,” I said, even knowing how ridiculous it seemed. “To Harper, I’m—I was—Enzo Bianchi.”

“Mm-hmm.” Val’s skepticism came through the phone loud and clear. “You lied about your name, your heritage. And then you risked your career…for what? A woman? Your father would be so disappointed.”

Val’s comment felt like a slap in the face, and I recoiled from her words. Val had been like a daughter to Papà. They’d both been equally invested in my career. And as much as I didn’t want to admit it, her words rang true.

“That’s it, right?” she asked. “Please tell me that’s it.”

I smiled darkly. If only.

“I saw her tonight, and it didn’t go well.”

“Oh, Lorenzo,” she tsked. “Now is not the time to get distracted. Not when we’re so close to achieving everything we’ve ever wanted. You’re thirty-eight. Nearing the end of your career. You have one more shot at playing in the World Cup. One. And once you retire, you won’t have the opportunities you do now.”

I sighed. Val was right. I should’ve listened when she’d warned me about Giada. She’d been a distraction. A beautiful one, just like Harper. But a distraction, nevertheless.

Playing soccerwith the kids in Bali had reminded me of that. Success through Soccerwas my life’s work. The sport had given me so much. And while I’d donated to charities in the past, I had so much more to offer. But first, I had to keep the promise to my dad and go as far in the sport as I could. And that meant keeping my eye on the prize.

“I’m not distracted,” I lied. “But…well, what am I going to do?”

“Nico and I will track Harper down and buy the rights. Have her sign an NDA or whatever.”

I ran a hand down my face. Somehow I didn’t think Harper would be pleased. “I guess.”

“Lorenzo,” she sighed. “Just don’t get involved. Please. We’ll sort this out. We always do.”

When we finally ended the call, I still wasn’t so sure.

Harper wouldn’t even talk to me. I’d given my contact info to Harrison, but I had no way of knowing if he’d pass it along. Or if she’d even reach out to me. I briefly considered messaging her through Instagram, but that seemed…shady or something. And so I talked myself out of it.

I made a few calls then changed and climbed into bed. I stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours. It was late, and while I wanted to blame the lack of sleep on jet lag, I knew it was more than that. All along, I’d been concerned this situation with Harper would blow up in my face, but I’d never anticipated this.

Val was right about my dad, about all of it. I couldn’t afford to lose focus now. I kicked off the sheets, tempted to go for a run, when my phone buzzed with an incoming text. I scrambled to check it, hoping it was from Harper while chastising myself.

Unknown number: This is Harper.

Thank fuck.

I programmed her number into my phone. Then I stared at the screen, typing out a response then erasing it. Doing the same again. Apologizing via text seemed inadequate. And as much as I disliked what Val had had to say about the situation, I knew better than to put anything in writing. I wanted to trust Harper, but I had enough sense to stop myself before I could make the situation worse.

Me: Can I call you?

Uccellina: It’s late. I’m tired. Neither of us is in the right headspace to talk.

She was probably rightabout that, and I wanted to respect her boundaries. I’d fucked up big time, and I needed to tread carefully.

Uccellina: Are you free tomorrow?

Me: Yes.

I didn’t carewhat was on my schedule; this was more important. She was more important. I just needed to apologize so I could move on. So I could stop thinking about her.

Uccellina: I can drop by in the morning if that works.

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