“Goodnight, Max." I flip off the light and watch in amazement at how fast his eyes start to drift shut.
It’s mind-blowing. I came here tonight in hopes of talking to Harley and hopefully getting to meet Max. Never in a million years did I think I would end up playing with the kid for two hours and then tucking him into bed.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the conversation that is yet to come. Walking down the hall, I head toward the kitchen where I find Harley standing at the sink, washing dishes. She’s staring mindlessly out an open window and a light breeze flows through, tossing strands of her hair up around her face. She’s an angel, pure and simple.
A pair of pink cotton shorts showcases her mile-long legs and her bare feet are tapping out a light rhythm on the floor. I know from seeing them earlier that she has her toenails painted hot pink and I find it sexy as hell.
And there goes my vagina again…it must be getting bigger! Who the hell notices the color of a woman’s toes?
She’s wearing an oversized t-shirt, and I can’t help but wonder who it belongs to because it’s obviously too big to be a woman’s shirt. The neck of the shirt has fallen down on one side, exposing the length of her neck and the top of her right shoulder.
She’s perfect. How in the hell did I walk away from this woman? I loved everything about her five years ago, but now…now I appreciate all of those things that I loved. She’s funny and tenacious, but at the same time she can be incredibly quiet and shy. She’s graceful and charming in a classic sort of way, and it’s utterly impossible for anyone who meets her to not fall in love with her.
And good God, let’s not forget her body. Harley has the kind of curves that are meant to be worshipped for hours on end, which is exactly what I plan to do when she finally gives me a second chance at more than friendship
I watch quietly as her shoulders rise and fall on a deep breath. She’s such an incredible woman, and the fact that she has raised such a wonderful little boy makes me admire her that much more. My head knows that Harley and I need to talk, but my heart…my heart is screaming at me to go get my girl. Well, five years ago I listened to my head; tonight I'm going to listen to my heart.
I wait until she's rinsing the soap off of the dishes before I make my way across the kitchen. She doesn't hear me approach, but when I step up behind her, placing my hands on the counter on either side of her, her back stiffens. I stand there for several seconds and then decide that there's no better time than the present.
I lower my head alongside hers, my front pressed lightly to her back. My cheek is resting next to hers, and even though they aren't touching, I can feel the warmth radiating off of her body. I hate that she's so rigid, but I'm hoping that if I can manage to get out a few things I have to say, she might relax just a little bit.
"Max is asleep." My words are soft and spoken over her shoulder. "What are the chances that he'll get up?"
She shakes her head slowly. "He won't." Good. That's what I was hoping for.
"Well, it appears I was wrong." When my breath fans across her face, I notice her neck break out in goose bumps and I smile to myself, loving the way her body is reacting to me. "It turns out Max isn't your boyfriend."
A soft laugh slips from her lips and she shakes her head, lowering it. I'm not sure if she's looking down to see the dishes in front of her, or if she's dropping her head at the memory of us fighting the other night at Blue. Either way, at least I made her laugh and I really want to do that some more.
"I was wrong and I'm sorry." She lifts her head and angles her face slightly to the right. Her eyes flit to mine and she nods, a sad look on her face.
"I'm sorry too. I should have told you about Max sooner. I was going to, it ju—"
"Don't. It's okay. You have nothing to apologize for. This was all me. And now it's my turn to talk, okay?" She nods, turning her gaze back to the window.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
She hesitates, making me fear the worst and then answers, putting me out of misery. "No."
"Do you have any sort of relationship with Max's father?"
"No," she answers, quieter than before. Thank God!
"Is Max's father in the picture?" She squeezes her eyes shut and quickly shakes her head. Damnit. I hate to hear that. That stupid prick has no idea what he's missing out on. I make a note to spend some extra time with Max doing 'guy' stuff. And I’m going to circle back around to discuss Max’s father, but right now there are more important things we need to talk about.
"I'm really sorry to hear that. You've done an amazing job raising him. He's an incredible little boy," I say with as much conviction as I can.
Harley releases a quick breath and some of the tension drains from her shoulders. I can feel her back soften against my front and I'm thankful that I'm making some progress. This is good.
"Avery and I are not together." Harley doesn't say a word. I can feel her back rise and fall against my front, her breathing steady and even, but other than that, she doesn't move an inch. I can tell she wants to believe me, but she's not convinced.
"I can't look at anyone else, because all I see is you." Her eyes close and I can feel her relax into me. "I've thought about you every day, Harley, and I should have never walked away from you five years ago. I don't want Avery; I don't want any other woman. I just want you. I. Want. You," I whisper, my words spoken directly into her ear. When I see a single tear slide out of the corner of her eye, I lower my head a little more, lightly brushing my nose against the side of her cheek.
"I made the biggest mistake of my life when I walked away from you that night. I may be an idiot, but I learn from my mistakes and if you give me another chance, I swear to
you…I swear, I will never walk away from you again." Tears are now streaming down her face—I just pray that they’re happy tears.
"You need to know that I was not rejecting you the other night. I thought you had a boyfriend and I was trying to do the right thing, but I need you to know that pulling away from you was so fucking hard, Harley." She's breathing faster and her hands are gripping the counter so tightly that her knuckles are turning white. "Do you believe me?" I whisper, gently prying her hands off the counter. I hate asking her that, but I need to know if my words are getting through to her.