Page 89 of Wrong For You

Syd breaks their tightly knit contact to peer up at Harper. “Are you gonna be my mommy for real?”

“Oh, ummm…” Her unblinking stare shifts to plead with mine.

“Maybe.” I wink at the woman who’s stuck with us, knowing full well where that answer will land her. Seems fitting, seeing as she’s already between my sheets.

My daughter squeaks in pure delight. “Does that mean you’re gonna get married?”

An immediate confirmation burns on the tip of my tongue. I’ve pictured Harper as my wife since we first started dating. Probably even before that, when I was nothing more than a punk ass kid crushing on a girl way out of my league. She was smart to steer clear of me until I could appreciate her. Although, I still managed to fuck up. That didn’t change the fact that I’ve only ever seen her as the one to walk down the aisle toward me. Nobody else would get me to bend on one knee.

“Someday soon,” I offer as a compromise.

“Huh? Did you just…? How can you…? I mean, what?” Harper goes pale while struggling to form a sentence. “Are you really ready for that?”

“Heck yes. Where else do you see us going?”

She stammers on her disbelief. “I’m not sure.”

“You are,” I correct her.

Her gaze searches mine. “This is serious.”

“Too fast?” It would hurt, but I could pump the brakes.

Relief fills my chest when she shakes her head. “No.”

“Then we’re on the same page. I’m ready to make you a permanent part of this family, but I won’t rush you. Unless you want me to.” I trail a bent knuckle down her arm. “Forget the one who got away. Nah, Pitch. You’re the one I let get away. I’ve been regretting it every single day since. There’s not a chance you’re straying from my side again.”

“Wow, you’re very…” Her statement tapers off on a breathy exhale.

“Impressive?”

Harper laughs. “Yes, that’s a perfect fit.”

“Like us,” I rasp. “It just took a while to convince you to love me again.”

She clasps her locket in a gentle grip. “That’s what you think.”

“What was that?”

“You heard me,” she quips.

“It deserves to be repeated whether I did or not.”

Her pupils dilate. “Domineering man.”

“Always have been when it comes to you. The only difference is that I’m no longer afraid to claim what I want, Pitchy.”

Syd silently digests our mutual conviction while gazing at her second favorite person. “I need a nickname for you.”

Harper’s focus lingers on me for another beat before lowering to her pint-size admirer. She smiles like a mega-million lotto winner. “I would love that.”

My daughter gets lost in thought for a few seconds. “How about Harpy?”

“Harpy and Pitch,” I muse. “Another perfect fit.”

“Yep, I love it.” Harper boops my daughter on the nose.

Syd lifts her bare feet in the air. “Harpy can help you find matching socks when the washing machine eats them.”

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