She was right. Together, the three of them already had all the makings of real love. And the family he’d been longing for his whole life. They just needed to have enough faith in themselves, and in each other, to grab hold of it...and never let it go.
“I love you.” He hauled her against him as he kissed her passionately, lovingly.
His heart kicked into overdrive when she wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tight. Taking a couple of steps, he set her down on the workbench and she quickly unbuttoned his shirt, shoving it down his arms. Then she kissed the tattoo he’d always kept hidden.
From everyone but her.
“I love my sexy road warrior.” She smiled up at him, sweet emotion shining in her eyes. “Always.”
* * *
They were sated, at least for now. But Will knew he would never get enough of Harper.
Cell phone to her ear, she told Jeremy, “We’ll be home in about forty-five minutes with Chinese. Yes,” she added with a big smile after Jeremy said something to her, “Will is coming, too.” Will heard the kid’s Yay! all the way over on his side of the car. “And you should go to school and work tomorrow as well, don’t you think?” She laughed at whatever Jeremy said. “Nope, vacation is over. Okay, we’ll see you in a little bit.”
She ended the call with her thumb on the button and smiled. A radiant smile. “He’s doing just fine.”
Four hours. The house hadn’t burned down. The cops hadn’t been summoned. And Harper had only called her brother twice.
The last knot of tension around Will’s heart untied itself as he pulled her close to him on the bench seat of the ’57 Chevy, which he’d chosen precisely so that he could put his arm around her as he steered down his long driveway. He’d have Benny drive her car over later. They’d already called in their takeout order, and he would make sure they got back to Jeremy before their forty-five minutes was up, but he needed to take one quick detour first.
Pulling into the spot outside the fountain’s fence where they’d once parked, he turned off the ignition and drew her onto his lap. Her sudden burst of laughter had him laughing too, even as he said, “Will you marry me?”
Her eyes widened. “Will?” She searched his face, as if she couldn’t believe what he’d just said.
“There’s nothing I want more in the world than for you to be my wife and for Jeremy to be my little brother, too. Wherever we go, I want to do it together. As a family.”
Tears filled her eyes, but even as they began to spill over, she was saying, “YesYesYesYes,” sounding just like her brother did whenever he was really happy and excited.
He didn’t ever want to let her go, but there was food to pick up, homework Jeremy might need help with, and, he was all but certain, dishes waiting in Harper’s sink.
With a grin on his face as they headed back down the road, with Harper’s hand on his leg and the wind flying free and wild over them, Will decided nothing had ever sounded better.
EPILOGUE
The Fourth of July party at Susan and Bob’s in Chicago was a family affair, and everyone always cleared their schedules for it. They were missing only Lyssa, who was taking a two-month trip across Europe before she started her new job in September. Susan loved holidays and family gatherings, and this year was extra special because Jeremy and Harper were there—and Will was clearly a changed man.
Jeremy was currently crawling around the lawn on all fours with Noah clinging to his back. Sebastian Montgomery wasn’t sure whether Jeremy was supposed to be a horse or an elephant, but from the way he’d stuffed a snorkel tube in his mouth and bobbed his head, Sebastian was voting for an elephant.
“Now that’s one happy kid.” Bob was slow-drinking a beer and idly rubbing the top of his bald head.
It was damned hot out in the sun, so Sebastian and Bob were seated in two of the recently acquired patio chairs on the new deck, a fan blowing over them, as they surveyed the lawn and the adults braving the heat and humidity. Matt stayed alongside Jeremy making sure Noah didn’t tumble off. Harper was snapping pictures, with Will standing close behind her murmuring in her ear the shots he thought she should take.
Then again, Sebastian figured Will could be saying something entirely different, if one considered the blush on Harper’s cheeks.
“Yep,” Sebastian agreed, “that’s a whole lot of happy out there.”
“Susan’s got stars in her eyes, planning the wedding and grandchildren.” Bob smiled fondly. He adored Susan, always had, always would. During the years he’d lived with them, Sebastian hadn’t witnessed the usual skirmishes, battles, or wars of most married couples. That just wasn’t Susan and Bob.
Sebastian was truly happy for Will and Harper. He believed in love...but he also knew it didn’t necessarily matter. Not when love could sometimes be the worst thing for you.
Hell, look at Evan. The guy was miserable with his wife—thank God Whitney had opted out of this year’s party—even if he never admitted it. On the other hand, Harper and Will looked pretty damn good together.
The screen door opened and Susan called, “Who’s going to be my cook today?”
Evan and Daniel followed, carrying platters of hamburgers, hot dogs, buns, and fixings.
Bob rose from his chair. “I’ll do it, dear.”
At fifty-five, Susan’s hair was a rich silver. “Did you put on your sun screen, Bob?”
“I did.”