Author: Molly McAdams

“Aw hell, baby. That’s not possible.” I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tighter to me. “What’s been going on? Is it still because of Brandon? Or did something else happen?”

“We need to go, Harper.”

I dropped my arms and stepped back when I heard my sister’s voice. Once again, I expected Bree to freak out, but she just stood there with a soft smile on her face.

Harper looked up at me and touched my arm softly. “See you.”

“Bye, Princess.”

I watched her walk away from me again, but this time I promised myself it would be the last time. Tomorrow, she would be mine.

I hoped.

Chapter Eleven

I’D GONE TO Los Angeles early in the morning to get everything I needed for Harper’s surprise and barely made it to school in time after dropping it all off at Brian and Marissa’s. I laid the bouquet of orange lilies onto the chair that was propping open the door to Breanna and Harper’s class and stood back, hidden from view. Not more than five minutes later, the girls were walking up. I watched as my princess looked up, then did a double take at the chair. Her footsteps faltered as she walked slowly over and picked up the bouquet. Her body straightened as she turned around and scanned the crowd before picking the note out and moving the bouquet to the crook of her arm while she read it.

When she turned back around to look through everyone again, she had the widest smile on her face, and it took everything in me not to go to her. Bree took the note from her and shook her head slowly before looking around again as well. As soon as they walked into the classroom, I pulled out my phone.

You look beautiful today

Princess: Were you watching me?

Maybe. I finally got to give you your lilies

Princess: You already gave me my lilies a few months ago, remember?

I couldn’t forget that day even if I tried

Princess: Well, you could have given these to me yourself, you know. I would have liked to see you

It was worth it to see that smile on your face

Princess: :) Thank you for my flowers. I love them

What are you doing for your birthday?

Princess: Dinner with your fam tonight, movies at the house after. You’re invited

I’ll see what I can do

I wouldn’t be there. But I sure as hell hoped she loved her surprise.

Since I’d missed it this morning, I went surfing with Brad and Drew before going back over to Brian and Marissa’s to help get everything ready for that night. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw Brian knee deep in lilies.

“Good look for you, Bri.”

He pointed a bunch of lilies at me and glared. Coming from a man of his size, mass of hair, tattoos, and piercings . . . that shit was hilarious. “Watch it, Grayson! I’m doing this for you!”

“And I appreciate it.”

“Chachi?” Marissa came running into the living room. “Do you think we got enough flowers? We can go scope out some flower shops around town.”

My eyes widened as I looked around their living room. “Uh, Riss. We bought every orange and white lily they had at the flower market. I think we’re good.” My phone rang, and I answered without looking, “Yeah?”

“Hey, sweetheart!”

“Hey, Ma, what’s going on?” Since Mom and Dad had sent me back to my house, I hadn’t seen or talked to Mom much as Harper was usually with her. Hopefully, that was all about to change.

“Well, um, I don’t know if you know . . . because you know . . . well maybe—”

“Mom, just say it.”

“It’s Harper’s birthday, you know.”

I smiled widely. “Oh yeah? Huh. That’s good.”

“Are you rethinking your feelings for her?” She sounded panicked, and I took my phone away from my ear to look at my screen for a second.

“Hell no. What’s going on? You okay, Ma?”

“Oh that’s good . . . that’s real good.”

Seriously, why is she being so weird?

“Well, we’re all going out to dinner tonight for her birthday, and I know she’d love it if you were there.”

“Yeah, look, I’d like to, but I just can’t. I’ll be busy tonight.” If she hadn’t started to weird me out so much, I might have told her my plans; but she just wasn’t acting like my mom.

“I hope you don’t give up on you and Harper, sweetheart.”

“Mom.” I spoke softly into the phone. “I haven’t. I promise. I have things I need to do tonight though . . . all right? If it eases your mind, I’ve decided to stay in San Diego after graduation.”

She blew out a relieved breath, “Oh thank God. All right. Well, if you change your mind, we’re going at six tonight.”

“Six. All right. Love you, Ma.”

“Love you, too, honey.”

We got all the flowers put together before I had to go in for my first of two appointments at the shop; and by the time I was done with the second, I was rushing to get the lilies, so they were covering every surface in the living room and breakfast bar at my parents’ house. I walked into the kitchen in search of anything I could scarf down quickly and a book sitting on the end of the kitchen table caught my eye. I did a double take when I saw the title and froze.

What. The. Hell.

I took a tentative step in the direction of the table, praying my eyesight had just declined significantly, and I wasn’t reading it correctly.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting was there, right in front of me. “This better be a fucking joke,” I whispered to the empty room and noticed the top of a white bookmark peeking out of the top about a fourth of the way through. Taking a deep breath, I flipped to the page and saw that the bookmark was actually an ultrasound picture.

I was going to kill Konrad.

I pulled the ultrasound photo out of the book and let the book fall to the table again as I stared at my niece or nephew. The front door opened, followed by gasps and a low whistle before I heard it shut. I turned and was yelling before I could storm out of the kitchen and see my family. “Are you fucking kidding me? How could you guys keep this from me? Where the hell is he? I swear to God, I’m going to kill him!”

“Chase!” My dad bit back at me, and took a protective step in front of Princess, Mom, and Bree. “Calm down. What is going on?”

Calm down? Calm down? Is he serious? “I saw the books, I saw the effing ultrasound pictures!”

Dad straightened his body and crossed his arms over his chest, one eyebrow raised. “And?”

“And? Dad!” I flung my arm toward the girls, pointing with the photo. “Bree’s knocked up, and all you can say is ‘and’?”

Bree crossed her arms over her chest, making her look just like Dad. “Please. I’m not as stupid as you. I’m not pregnant.”

“Breanna!” Mom hissed, her eyes wide.

Not as stupid as me? Wh—just . . . what? “Then what the hell is this?” I shoved the photo directly in front of her face and held it there with a shaky hand until Harper pulled the picture out of my hand. Her voice was soft and controlled.

“It’s mine, Chase.”

I looked over to my princess and was about to apologize for blowing up on her birthday when what she said finally hit me. It’s mine, Chase. The book, the ultrasound picture . . . were hers? My princess is pregnant? But she’d told me she’d only been with . . . oh holy shit. My legs started shaking as everything started clicking in my mind. I couldn’t stop the wide grin that crossed my face as I realized the girl I loved more than life itself was carrying our baby.

My gaze left her worried expression to travel down her body until I hit her slightly rounded stomach. Holy shit. How had I not noticed before tonight? “You’re pregnant, Princess?”

“Yes,” she answered softly.

I glanced up and smiled at her before looking back to her stomach, which she had just placed her hands on. “Is it—is it mine?”

“Of course it is.”

A surge of warmth spread through my body. I knew what she was saying. I knew what this meant, but I couldn’t stop asking her, “We’re going to have a baby?”

“Yes.”

I grabbed the ultrasound picture in her hand, my fingertips barely grazing her baby bump. “This is our baby?”

“Yes.”

Glancing back up at my gray-eyed princess, I studied her beautiful smile as the tears started pouring down her face. “We’re having a baby,” I said out loud.

She laughed and nodded as she watched me.

I huffed a laugh and ran a shaky hand through my hair, grabbing a fistful before letting go and looking from Harper’s stomach, to our baby’s picture, and back to her stomach. That was us. This baby was ours. And Harper’s smile was saying more than her words could. This beautiful girl was mine.

“I love you so much.” I took the last step toward her and brought my mouth down roughly to hers.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I straightened, lifting her from the ground as we moved our lips against each other. For the first time in almost three months, I felt alive again, and I never wanted to go back to a life without Harper in it. I set her back on the ground and kissed her one more time before dropping to my knees so I was eye level with her stomach. I gently ran my hands over the small bump, and my breath came out in a huff. I couldn’t believe I’d had no idea. Lifting her shirt enough to see the bump, my heart took off as I looked at her tattoo of orange lilies wrapping around so they barely touched the edge of where her bump was.

Mine.

Leaning forward, I gently kissed her small bump twice before running my hands over it again and standing up to cup her face in my hands. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Harper shrugged, her gray eyes glistening with tears. “I was scared; I still am.”

“You don’t have to be scared,” I whispered, and kissed her nose softly. “I’ll take care of us,” I vowed. Always.