Breaking Clear (Full Hearts Series Book 3) (27 page)

He thrust himself into her more forcefully now, deeper, slowing down and then building his rhythm again as he glided up and down behind her. Their bodies glistened as the morning sun brought a warm glow to the room, bringing an openness to the moment, to the intimacy of seeing each other like this, in their truest and most honest form. Nothing to cover up, nothing to hide from each other and no need to. Even without giving words to it, they loved each other deeply and purely. It was a love so strong and unconditional that it could heal every pain of the past, every feeling of doubt about forever. The intensity of it had him calling out her name as he finally gave in to his own powerful release. She went with him to that place where time stopped, the world stood still and only they existed. It was perfection.

*     *     *

Harper slid into the hot water of the bath, replaying how Evan had woken her. She could feel a lump forming in her throat. Something had shifted in him the night before. She had seen it when she walked back into the kitchen. There was something new in his eyes, a sureness that hadn’t been there before. The way he held her had felt different. But he’d yet to say it. Maybe she was imagining what she secretly hoped was there.

Sinking down until her head was under the water, she tried to shut out these thoughts. Attempting to tell herself that she could handle this whole thing wasn’t working today. Overnight, things had become intense in a way that terrified her. Suddenly, it was all too much. She felt her chest constrict as fear crept in. Deep down, a voice was telling her to start looking for a way out before he could crush her heart.

Later, as she combed out her wet hair, she reminded herself that neither of them had crossed the line. No one had ventured an “I love you,” and she would make sure that no one would. She could control the direction this was heading. Bring it back to where it all felt safe. And if she couldn’t, she could run.

“Okay, guys, I need to go take care of a few things. Phone if you need me,” Evan called as he walked out of the office trailer and headed to his truck, opening the door for Boots to jump in. For once in his life, he was taking the afternoon off. He needed to go somewhere to clear his head.

It had been over a week since the New Year’s Eve dinner, and Luc’s words about love and marriage had been flooding Evan’s brain ever since. He had never considered the possibility of getting married again and having kids, but now that the idea had crept into his mind, it was starting to take shape. If he was ever going to have a family, he wanted it to be with Harper. Even though he had yet to say it out loud, he was completely in love with her. She was the one. And if, by some miracle, she decided to stay with him, maybe she’d want all that too.

Parking in front of his property in the country, he got out of his truck. Boots sprang out of the cab and bounded into the snow as Evan climbed over the gate. He made his way through the trees to the clearing on the other side. The crisp air filled his lungs and there was nothing to hear other than the sound of snow crunching as he walked. He laughed a little as the dog ran in a huge circle, clearly thrilled to have the space to do so. It was the perfect spot to build his dream home—their dream home. Five acres, with rolling hills and lots of mature trees surrounding the property. He would situate the house so that the bedrooms, kitchen and back deck faced west to take advantage of the sunset. The house would be solid, built to last. He wanted a lodge feel to the place, something warm and welcoming, somewhere a person could really relax and put their feet up. High, wood-beamed ceilings in the living room and master bedroom, a long wraparound covered porch, a hot tub just off the deck to soak in with Harper after a long day’s work. But hell, if she wanted some postmodern glass house, he’d build that for her, as long as she would stay.

Evan could imagine them there together, snuggled up in the hot tub, watching the sun go down. Making love. There would be no neighbours nearby to intrude. No Mrs. Morley to pry. Just him and Harper. Here, he could shield her from the bad memories. Save her from all of that. Then, maybe not too far down the line, a couple of kids. He’d like that. They could all walk down to the creek and drop a fishing line in, and he and Harper could lie on a blanket together and watch the kids play.

Everything became so clear to him. He was starting over fresh, only this time he would do everything right, beginning with the right woman. The woman who saw him for who he really was and loved him exactly the way he was. At thirty-eight, he felt like his life was finally beginning. He filled his lungs again with fresh mountain air, then released it in one long, satisfying push, letting go of every fear, every reservation he’d had about making a life with Harper. Standing there in that moment, he knew. His gut told him it was going to be okay. He just needed to approach the whole subject carefully so he wouldn’t scare her off.

*     *     *

“So, you are never going to guess what just happened!” Blaire spoke quickly, her voice brimming over with excitement.

“I’m all ears,” Harper answered as she took the turn toward home from the consult she had just finished. She turned up the volume on her hands-free as she slowed for a yellow light.

“There’s been a huge shakeup. Cybill’s been fired, along with Tina and the head of ad sales and some junior staffers. It happened just this morning.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. Three more clients pulled ads this past week, and circulation has dropped fifteen per cent in the last six months.”

“That’s insane,” Harper answered. “She’s been there for over thirty years! Who the hell is going to torment the fashion industry now?”

“You’re talking to her,” Blaire answered proudly.

“WHAT? Are you friggin’ kidding me? Blaire, I’m so happy for you!” Harper practically danced in her seat in spite of the seat belt.

“The board called me at six this morning to see how quickly I could take over after they fired her bony ass. I told them I just needed enough time to take a shower and I could be right in and ready to work.”

“Good for you! That is the best news ever!”

“Thank you! There’s a lot of pressure right now, but if I play my cards right, I can turn this ship around and put myself at the top of the industry. And guess what my first card is going to be?”

“What?”

“To hire back the best art director in the business, but as creative director now.”

“Oh, Blaire, really?” Harper asked, feeling momentarily elated, then immediately sick to her stomach.

“Yes, really! What do you say?”

Harper hesitated. She was finally being offered her way back to the life she’d spent over a decade building. This was supposed to be her dream come true. So why didn’t it feel like it should? Why did she feel queasy? “Wow. Thank you, Blaire, this is incredible . . .” her tone was flat, expressing her true feelings.

“Harper? Why do you sound so unenthused? I’m offering you the one thing you’ve been wishing for since last summer. Only much better, because it’s not only a promotion, but Hartless is gone!”

“I know. I know. I am very excited about it. It’s, um, just that I have commitments here I need to consider. Can I take a day to sort things out?” Harper answered, pulling up in front of her dad’s house.

“This isn’t about Evan, is it? Dear Lord, tell me you aren’t giving up this opportunity over some man?”

“Of course not!” Harper scoffed. “What do you take me for?”

“Oh, thank God! If I thought you’d suddenly become so pathetic I’d have lost all respect for you. Just think of how wonderful it’s going to be. It’s everything we always talked about. We’ll be unstoppable. No Hartless to put up with. We can do all those things we said we would. We can revolutionize the fashion industry, starting with using models who eat and have finished middle school! I promise you, Harper, it’s the smartest decision you’ll ever make.”

Harper shut her eyes, trying to push away that annoying heavy feeling in her stomach. “Sounds amazing. How long can you give me before I’d start?”

“In a perfect world, you’d be here tomorrow, but what if you work from Colorado for, let’s say, three weeks until you can wrap things up there? I’ve got four issues that need your expert touch immediately. They’re god-awful and I just can’t pull them together without you. I can overnight a laptop to you.”

“Okay, I’ll call you first thing tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll be holding my breath until I hear from you.”

*     *     *

An hour later, Harper put a large homemade pizza into the oven at Evan’s house. Her mind raced as she cleaned up the mess from making the dough. She had gone over to her dad’s after her call with Blaire to tell him about the offer. He tried to seem happy for her, even though his eyes had betrayed his true emotions. Their talk had given Harper a taste of what was to come if she decided to take the position.

Even though she’d made no secret of her plans to leave, now that it might actually be happening she didn’t like how she felt. Instead of being completely elated, she was nowhere near sure that this was the right decision. Her stomach lurched when she heard Evan open the door.

“Hey, babe!” he called. She heard his heavy boots drop to the floor as he took them off. Walking to the entrance of the living room, she leaned against the wall, watching him as he hung his winter coat in the closet. He picked up a large bouquet of flowers and crossed the room to her. “For you,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Smells delicious in here. I was actually going to surprise you with dinner out, but I see you’ve beat me to the punch.”

Harper took the flowers. “Thank you. These are gorgeous. What’s the occasion?”

Evan’s eyes shone down at her. “I have some things to talk to you about, but first I need a quick shower.”

“Do you? That’s odd. I need to talk to you, too.” Harper stared at him. He seemed so happy and she felt sick that she was about to change all that.

He put his hand on her waist. “Really? Well, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say. Maybe we’ll have to open that wine we’ve been saving so we can celebrate. I have a feeling it’s going to be a very good night.” Giving her a lingering kiss, he pulled back a little. “Be back in a few minutes smelling good.”

*     *     *

Evan scrubbed shampoo into his hair vigorously, wanting to shower and shave as quickly as possible. Today, he’d decided without a doubt that he wanted to start his life with Harper, and he didn’t want to wait another minute. He would take her for a drive up to the property and tell her everything right in the spot where it had all started so many months earlier. He’d left a bottle of champagne in the back of his truck to stay cold and had hidden the ring in his coat pocket when he got home, so that the surprise would be complete. He just needed to figure out a way to smuggle two glasses out of the house without her noticing, but that shouldn’t be too hard. Everything would turn out beautifully.

Their time together had shown him that they were perfect for each other. He was in love with her and he knew in his heart that nothing was going to change that.

*     *     *

Evan walked into the kitchen with damp hair and that fresh-from-the-shower look he wore so well. When Harper handed him a glass of wine, he rewarded her with a kiss on the neck.

“I must be the luckiest guy on the planet to get to come home to you and this wonderful meal.” He pulled her to him for a long, deep hug.

“Mmm, you smell pretty delicious yourself right now,” Harper murmured, experiencing that sinking feeling in her stomach again. “Let’s eat before this gets cold.”

Evan was the picture of happiness as he scooped salad into bowls for each of them. Harper added two slices of pizza to their plates and returned to the table. Sitting across from him, she fanned her napkin onto her lap and then watched as he took his first bite of pizza.

“Wow, that’s good. How is it you’ve never made this for me before?”

“I kind of forgot about it.”

“This might have to replace Friday night steaks.”

Her heart squeezed at the thought of him talking about their future together. Suddenly she had no appetite. She took a sip of wine, wanting to postpone the inevitable.

“So, what’s your big news?” he asked, looking up at her expectantly.

“I was just about to get to that,” she replied, putting her glass down. “Blaire, my friend from
Style
, called today. Cybill got canned this morning and Blaire’s been hired by the board to replace her on a temporary basis.”

Spearing some salad with his fork, Evan said, “Wow. That is a crazy turn of events. I bet everyone there’s pretty thrilled.” He looked a little puzzled.

“They are. And you’re wondering what this has to do with me.”

Putting his fork down, Evan gave her a serious look. “I think I can guess.”

“Blaire asked me to come back as the creative director. It would be a big step up.” Seeing the shock on his face, she quickly continued. “I haven’t given her an answer yet but if I take it, I’d have to leave in a few weeks.”

Evan took a long gulp of wine before answering. “So what are you going to do?”

Harper hesitated, trying to read him, but his expression gave nothing away. “It’s really everything I’ve ever wanted. I’d be at the top of the entire fashion industry. Well, one step from the top. I’d be a fool not to take it,” she said, her eyes boring into his. Until this moment, she hadn’t realized that she wanted him to ask her to stay. Very badly.

Evan’s gaze shifted from her for a moment to the camera he’d bought her. It was still sitting on the counter, waiting for him to return it. He looked back at her. “It’s your dream, right? It’s been the plan all along, so I guess you should take it.”

Harper swallowed hard. So that was that. He didn’t want her to stay. And the reality of it filled her with pain. Doing her best to pretend it didn’t matter either way, she nodded. “It would be the smart thing to do.”

Evan opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, a smile crossing his lips but not touching his eyes. “If it’s what you want, you should do it. Good for you, Harper. Congratulations.”