“I’m not good for you,” he said again.
“Let me be the judge of that.” Exhaustion swept through me again and I lay my head on his chest.
He caressed my back. "You look exhausted. I should let you get your rest."
"Will you be staying?" I could hear the sleep in my voice.
"Yes. First thing in the morning I'm putting you on a plane home."
“With you?”
“No. I have a few things to take care of. But when I get home, you can start being the judge of whether or not I’m good for you.”
I wanted to lift my head and argue that I didn't want to go home alone but I was too tired.
He kissed my head again. "Get some sleep Harper."
I remembered I needed to tell him about the baby, but since he said he would be here when I woke, I figured I could tell him then. Maybe it would cause him to return to California with me.
I settled into Noel and let sleep take me away.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
Noel
When Harper's breathing fell steady and her body went completely pliant against me, I knew she was asleep. For long moments, I watched her, wishing I could stay here with her all night. Hell, I wanted to fall asleep with her for the rest of my days.
But I had an appointment to meet Dax to find out what he had learned about Lupe and her one-eyed sidekick. After that, I was going to send him and Harper home, while I went to talk to Lupe. I didn't want a war with Lupe.
What I wanted was a life with Harper and Mo, and I was going to make sure that Lupe and her family business wasn't going to get in the way of that.
I slipped out of bed, getting dressed and, with one last look at Harper, I made a vow that I would put everything right and do my best to not fuck things up again.
I left the bedroom, finding one of Harper’s hotel room keys. I snatched it, crossing my fingers that I could meet with Dax and get back here before Harper knew I was gone.
It didn’t go unnoticed that I was already breaking my vow by not letting her know what I was doing, but while I wasn't going to tell Harper what to do, that didn't mean I wouldn't do things to protect her, such as not share details of my meeting with Dax.
On my way out of the hotel, I returned the master key now that I had Harper’s extra key. I left the hotel hailing a ride to the restaurant bar to meet Dax.
It was after midnight when I arrived. It seemed remarkably quiet for a bar with only a couple of patrons. A shiver of concern slid down my spine. I knew I needed to heed it, but at the same time, I determined it was likely just old habits dying hard. I was meeting with Dax in a bar, there was nothing dangerous about that.
I ordered a beer and went to sit in a corner booth. While I waited for Dax’s arrival, I pulled out my phone to check messages and emails. I hadn't looked at them since I'd left in a hurry earlier that day.
The first text was from Archer showing a picture of Mo with Emery. The little guy had a smile on his face as he looked up at Archer and Lane’s daughter. I was glad that Mo wasn’t causing a fuss, even as I was jealous that I couldn't remember him looking at me like that.
The next text was also from Archer saying they'd gotten an encoded message from Dax but they were having a difficult time decrypting it. Another shiver of concern slid through me. I supposed it was a good thing I was down here and could meet with Dax in person.
Next, I checked my email and saw one from the doctor who took Mo’s blood for the DNA test. For a long moment, I stared at the unopened email, not sure if I wanted to know the truth about Mo’s paternity.
That wasn’t quite right. I wanted to open it to learn I was his biological father. But deep down I worried that I wasn't, and I didn’t want to know the truth if that was the case. Of course, if he wasn’t biologically mine, nothing would change.
He was my son. I suppose the exception would be if he'd been kidnapped from his parents, in which case, as much as I loved Mo, I would need to return him. I dismissed that possibility because what purpose would it serve Lupe to steal a child and give him to me?
With a shaky finger, I tapped the email to open it. My eyes scanned the page for the results.
Statement of Results:
The alleged father is excluded as the biological father of the tested child.