CHAPTER 20
It took less than fiveminutes for the ambulance to arrive, but it might as well have been an hour. Harper was trying to stay calm, but it was more difficult than she would have imagined. Children got hurt all the time...but this wasn’t just any child. It was Layla.
Mason had refused to let go of her, so Harper had been pressing a cloth to the cut on the toddler’s forehead and fighting the instinct to hold her the same way Mason was. But she’s not yours.
The little voice in the back of her head was the only reason Harper was staying sane. She felt responsible for what had happened. After all, Mason had been kissing her when Layla had gotten hurt. They’d tried so hard to be good while she was awake, but the pull between them had been so strong...
Harper bit the inside of her cheek to keep the tears at bay, but now she had tears and a shredded cheek. “She’s gonna be fine,” Harper tried to reassure Mason, though the words fell flat. They felt like a lie, though Harper knew they weren’t. Layla’s life wasn’t on the line, the little girl would probably be running around within the hour, but somehow those words of reassurance weren’t enough.
Layla whimpered and Mason looked as if the sound gave him physical pain. “I’ve got you,” he whispered. “Daddy’s got you. It’s gonna be okay.”
Harper’s tears picked up again. Her heart was breaking as Mason hurt for his little girl. It was amazing to see how deep their connection was in such a short amount of time.
The door opened and Harper jumped to her feet. “In here!” she called. “We’re in the kitchen.” She rushed to the entrance and a couple of first responders walked inside. “She fell from the chair and cut her forehead,” Harper explained, though it was unnecessary.
Staying back to give everyone room, Harper wrung her hands until her knuckles ached. She didn’t have the right to be closer, but all she wanted was to be in the inner circle.
“Hey, sweetheart,” the EMT said to Layla with a smile. She nodded at Mason before reaching out for Layla’s forehead. “I’m just gonna take a look at this, okay?” A tension-filled moment passed before the woman smiled again. “Yep. Looks like we’re gonna need stitches!” The EMT rocked back on her heels. “Why don’t you bring your daughter into the ambulance. We’ll get her to the hospital faster and she’ll be taken care of in no time. We can actually do stitches, but they’ll have better equipment to deal with a child. Plus, since it’s on her temple, they might want to watch her for a while.”
“You think she’s hurt more than with just the cut!” Mason shouted.
Harper started forward to reassure him, but stopped, forcing herself back. Right now she would only be in the way. Best to let the professionals handle this.
The EMT took out a flashlight and shone it into Layla’s eyes, humming. “Yeah...she might have a slight concussion. They’ll be able to study her a little further.” The EMT shook her head. “It’s gonna be fine. This happens to kids all the time.”
Layla shifted and let out another wail, stopping Mason from responding. “Fine,” he said tightly. “Let’s go.”
He stood and began to walk after the EMT’s. Harper rushed to his side. “Can I come?” she asked him softly. “I want to...” How did she tell him it was all her fault? She shouldn’t have kissed him. Shouldn’t have encouraged him! In fact, she should have just ignored his knocking in the first place! If she’d been focusing on her career, this would never have happened.
Mason made a pained face. “I...just...whatever. Just meet us there, I guess.”
Pain hit Harper’s chest. That wasn’t exactly the glowing endorsement she was looking for, but it was enough. She needed to see this through. Layla held too much of Harper’s heart for her to not make sure the little girl was okay. “I’ll be right behind you,” Harper said softly, though she was sure that Mason didn’t hear her. He was too busy climbing into the back of the ambulance.
Harper locked up behind them and grabbed her keys, rushing to the garage. The least she could do was be there to help. After that... well...Harper wasn’t sure what would be after that. How could she make this up to Mason and Layla? Mason would need some guidance, he’d never dealt with this before. Layla would need a mother’s touch.
Harper wasn’t her mother and Mason wasn’t her husband, but Harper could still help. She had helped before and she would do so now.
Just as she was getting in the car, her phone buzzed with an email. She started to ignore it when Harper realized it was from an art house she had sent her portfolio to. Taking the few seconds necessary, Harper clicked on it and her heart sank even further than it already was.
She’d been rejected. Again.
Her work wasn’t the style they were looking for. Typical. It was an automatic response and Harper knew it was simply a polite way of saying she wasn’t good enough.
She shook her head and tossed her phone into the passenger seat. This had to be the worst day in the history of worst days. They say the night is darkest before the dawn, but Harper was starting to wonder if there was a dawn.
Her eyes blurred as she drove and Harper wiped the tears with the back of her hand, not caring in the least about her makeup. Was there anything in her life worth salvaging anymore?
Was her mother right? Did Harper need to simply give up and move on?
An image of Mason’s look right before he kissed her came to mind. Despite the torrent of despair in her chest, a slight warmth built as she recalled the intensity in his eyes. How his look made her feel like the only woman in the room. How she felt precious and adored, and how even the thought of Mason or Layla brought a smile to her face.
That’s worth salvaging.
A broken sob ripped itself from Harper as she realized she wasn’t just falling for Mason. She had already fallen. She loved him with every piece of her being and Layla was right behind him. Her art, which had taken such priority for so long, wasn’t enough. It didn’t even come close to helping her feel so fulfilled and satisfied as a lumberjack and a two year old did.
Harper knew she would always paint–it was part of who she was–but it could no longer be the most important thing. She had stayed back when the EMT’s were at the house because she didn’t have the right to be in the middle, but right here and right now Harper knew that she’d give up anything, even her career and art, to be granted that right.
She pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal, praying no police were close by. Mason was going to need her and Harper was going to be there. From now on, she would always be there. She didn’t even have to think about it anymore. She’d find another way to appease her mother or pay the bills, whatever life came down to.
But right now, Harper had a family to get to. One that she hoped would be hers permanently.
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