Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 117510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
“Of course,” Keenan replied.
Tanner fluidly rose from the bench. “I’ll go with you.”
Reaching out to her grandmother, Harper said, Keenan will stay with Asher. I’m ready when you are.
Good, Jolene instantly responded. I’ll send Ciaran for you.
Mere moments later, the male imp appeared in front of them. He grinned at Harper. “Hey.”
Asher’s head lifted, and he smiled.
Ciaran saluted him. “Hey, kiddo! I’m just borrowing your mom for a few minutes.”
“What’s this about?” Harper asked him.
He shrugged. “No idea. I’m just following orders.” He teleported her and Tanner to Jolene’s kitchen.
Sitting at the island, flicking through a magazine, Jolene looked up and smiled. “Harper, thanks for coming so fast.”
Harper returned her smile and accepted the one-armed hug. “Hey, Grams. What’s going on?”
Jolene looked the personification of innocence. “As I said, I just have something to show you.”
Uneasy, Harper narrowed her eyes. “You’re being very mysterious.”
“Tanner, Ciaran will keep you company while we’re upstairs,” Jolene told him. “We won’t be long.”
Shrugging at Tanner’s questioning look, Harper followed her grandmother out of the room, up the stairs, and toward Harper’s old bedroom. “Seriously, Grams, what’s this all about?”
Stopping outside the closed bedroom door, Jolene said, “Drew’s inside. He wants to say his goodbyes.”
Harper gaped. “What?” Her inner demon hissed, furious. He hadn’t called her since Knox warned him to stop, but he also hadn’t cut his visit to the US early, promising Jolene he’d keep his distance. This was not keeping his distance, and it would piss Knox the fuck off. “Grams, don’t put me in this position.”
“He’s agreed to leave and have the tattoo removed tonight, but he wishes to speak with you first. He’s very insistent about it. If you want him in Cuba, away from Knox, just give Drew five minutes of your time. He was your friend once. And it would mean a lot to Devon if all this awkwardness could be a thing of the past.”
The latter comment made Harper’s hackles lower. She’d spoken with Devon just last night, who was mad at Drew for “not using his brain” and just letting the whole thing go. But she also felt sorry for her brother, and she was upset that he was so angry with her for not giving him a heads-up when Knox first began pursuing Harper. She hated that Devon was hurting and there was such friction between the siblings—they’d never really argued before. Harper wanted to see an end to all this shit.
She blew out a breath. “Two minutes, Grams. I’ll give him two minutes, but that’s all.”
With a pleased smile, Jolene patted her upper arm. “Good girl. I’ll wait downstairs. And don’t be too hard on him. He made a mistake, he knows that. Let him put it right.”
Harper twisted the doorknob and pushed it open. Drew was standing at the window, watching the traffic go by. He turned to face her as she closed the door. She only took a single step into the room.
He gave her a weak, too-quick smile. “Hey.”
“Hi.” God, could this be any more awkward? Nope.
“Thanks for coming.”
She didn’t say anything. Didn’t know what to say.
“So … you know about the tattoo.”
“I don’t understand why you had it done,” she said with a shrug. Marking himself for her demon was not only wrong but huge. Dramatic, even.
He tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “My demon needed it. It chose you a long time ago. I chose you. My demon was ready, but I wasn’t. Not then. Now … Fuck.” He thrust a hand through his hair. “If I hadn’t stayed away, if I’d just come home—”
“It wouldn’t have made any difference to Knox if I was with someone else.”
“No, it wouldn’t have.” He took a step toward her. “But you’re loyal to the bone. You wouldn’t have given in to him if you’d already been claimed by another.”
“You’re taking for granted that I would have let you claim me.” Her inner demon snorted at the idea.
“If you had—”
“I wouldn’t have cheated on you, no,” Harper allowed. “But, as my anchor, Knox would still have been a part of my life. And I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t have grown to care for him just as I do now. I wouldn’t have betrayed you, but I also wouldn’t have stayed in a relationship with you if I felt so strongly for another person—that wouldn’t have been fair to you, me, or him. Things would have ended up exactly as they are right now. Me with Knox and Asher.” She wholeheartedly believed that.
Lips thinning, Drew threw up his arms. “I don’t get it, Harper.”
“Don’t get what?”
“You and Thorne. You don’t make sense as a couple. You come from completely different backgrounds, you’ve lived totally different lifestyles, and you don’t seem to have a single thing in common. Beneath that hard shell, you’re giving and softhearted—don’t even deny it—while he’s … him.”