I felt that aching lump in my throat build. I wanted to cry. It wasn’t the right time. I kept my eyes on the road, staring straight ahead.

Finn just nodded his response. Nothing else needed to be said. He knew exactly what I was feeling and what I was going through, and for that alone, I was happy he was there. If anybody could help me through this, it was him. Although I would have really loved for it to have been Harper. Christ Almighty, would I ever stop thinking about her?

Wanting to talk about something positive, I asked, “So how’s the kiddo doing? You getting any sleep?”

Finn chuckled. “We’re getting a decent amount of rest. Allie actually sleeps like a champ, which I’m thankful for. Em is already a paranoid mom, cleaning everything and jumping up every time she hears her moving. I can’t imagine how batshit crazy she’d be if she was losing sleep too.”

I laughed. “Boy, you make parenthood sound so … appealing.”

“Nah, it’s still pretty awesome. She’s starting to turn her head when she hears my voice, and she makes a cute face when she’s stretching. I never thought it would be like this, but I love it.”

“I’m happy for you, Finn.”

He clapped me on the back. “It’ll be you someday, man. Just you wait.”

“Probably not anytime soon.”

We pulled up to the house. Most of the cars were gone, but my Mom’s best friend was still there. Thank God, at least she hadn’t been completely alone. We sat in the car for a few more minutes.

“Speaking of which … what’s going on with you and Harper? Em’s getting a little panicked because she hasn’t been able to get a hold of her.”

“Actually, I got a text from Em asking if I knew where Harper was. But I can tell you that not only do I not know where Harper is, I couldn’t care less either.”

“Care to explain that one?”

“I walked in on her and Michael … kissing.” I felt the anger bubbling as I said the words.

He shook his head. “Let me ask you something. Have you even bothered to talk to Harper about what you think you saw?”

“What I think I saw? I know what I fucking saw, Finn. She didn’t even say anything when I caught them … she just looked guilty. I see no reason to talk to her about it. I don’t want to fucking know.”

He was giving me a face that I didn’t quite understand. “You’re a dumbass, man. If you’d even bothered to try talking to her, you would know that that’s not what happened at all. When she talked to Em yesterday Harper said Michael kissed her, but she didn’t kiss him back.”

I sat there dumbstruck. I hadn’t even thought about that as a possibility. Could I have been wrong? When I thought back on it, Harper’s back was to me. His arms were around her, but her arms were down by her side … oh fuck! Had I made a mistake and seen something that wasn’t really there? I mean, the stress that I’d been through this last week had turned me upside-down.

“Oh, shit. I think I’ve made a mistake.” I scrubbed my hands down my face.

“Yep.”

I needed to fix this, and fast. I needed to pay Michael a little visit to see what he had to say, and then I needed to go find my girl.

I looked over at Finn. “Hey, do you think you can go in and spend some time with Mom? I need to go take care of things and I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

“Yeah man, go ahead. I’ll play interference. You better find her though, and I suggest you crawl and beg for her forgiveness. Harper isn’t going to forgive so easily on this one.”

“Call me if you need anything.”

He was right. He got out of the car and walked into the house. I started the car again and made my way over to Michael’s office. This was going to be a load of fun.

Michael’s office was on the other side of town. When I got there, his car was the only one in the parking lot. It was almost midday so I assumed everyone must be out getting lunch. When I walked inside, I saw a desk off to my right with a door right behind it. The sign on the door read “Michael Brandt”. I barged in, not even bothering to knock. Michael sat behind a large desk, working on his computer.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He leaned back in his chair with a surprised expression.

“We need to talk.” I ground out.

“If this is about Harper, you can turn around and get in your fucking car.”

“I want to know what in the hell is going on between the two of you. And I suggest you chose your words carefully, Brandt.”

His nostrils flared and he glared at me from across his desk. “There isn’t a fuckin’ thing going on between us, but that isn’t from my lack of trying. So if you’re here to gloat, I suggest you get out of my office, we have nothing to talk about. She chose you … for now.”

“What do you mean, she chose me? I want to know what in the hell I saw yesterday. You had your damn mouth on my girl. Start talking.”

He glared at me. “The only thing you need to know is that I love her, and that’s not going to stop. So help me, Kyler, if you break her heart, I will be there to pick the pieces. I don’t give a shit how you may or may not still feel about her.”

I took a menacing step towards him. “The only heart that’s going to be broken here is yours. She’s my girl, and I came here to make it perfectly clear to you that you are never to set foot near her again, understand me? You are not to be within one hundred yards of her, breathing her same air, or contacting her in any way, shape, or form. If it happens, I will be making a trip back here to rearrange your face.”

“Whatever, asshole. You’re the one that walked out on her yesterday. If you were dumb enough to believe that she doesn’t want you, then you don’t deserve her.”

My hands curled into fists at my sides. “Watch it, Michael. At this point, I couldn’t give two shits about any friendship we used to have.” I turned to walk out the door. “And you’re right about one thing. I don’t deserve her, but I’ll do everything I can to make her believe that I do.”

I turned and walked out, slamming the door behind me. Holy shit, I’d made a mistake. Harper never wanted Michael—I’d jumped to the wrong conclusion.

I rushed over to her house, but her car wasn’t in the driveway. Of course she wouldn’t be there, you idiot, she works during the week. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed her office. The receptionist answered on the first ring.

“Harper Graham Realty, how may I direct your call?”

“Hi, I need to speak with Ms. Graham.” I figured I should make myself sound like a client. What if she’d told them not to speak to me?

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir, she’s going to be out of the office for the next two weeks and can’t be reached. I can direct you to another salesperson if you’d like?”

My stomach dropped. She was gone? For the next two weeks? Where on earth was she?

“Do you have any idea where I can find her? It’s an emergency.”

She sounded skeptical when she said, “Sir, I’m not allowed to give you that information, but as it turns out, she didn’t tell us where she was going. Like I said, I can transfer you to someone else if this is a business related call.”

“Uh, no, that’s okay.” I hung up on her.

I looked at the front of the house and shook my head. She was gone, and nobody knew where she was. My dad was dead, and my girl was gone. Life just went from shit to having absolutely nothing to live for.

Years ago, when I was a kid, my mom took me to a very small town northwest of Mountain Home called Salmon, Idaho. I never forgot how magical it felt. It was a little place surrounded by mountains and natural hot springs. Even as a child, I could appreciate the beautiful pinks and purples that illuminated the mountains when the sun set. I’d never been anywhere that I loved more. As it turned out, my grandmother owned a small cabin on a private lake up there. When she died, instead of leaving it to my mom, she left the property to me. I was only ten years old when I inherited the cabin, but it was something that I treasured. It was also a place that I’d kept secret from everyone—including Emilyn. Nobody else knew about my private oasis except for the lawyer and my mother, and that was only because they’d signed the papers on my behalf.