Page 20 of Stopping Short

“No. No, it’s not. My name is Harper Bradley.”

“Maddox isn’t your dad.”

“Yes, he is. He’s the only dad I’ve ever had. The only one I’ve ever known. Either way, it doesn’t matter. My legal last name is Bradley. I never told you my biological dad’s name and legally, I never had his last name, so why would you use it when you proposed?”

Evan’s mouth opens and closes, but nothing comes out. His face pales and I wonder what’s going through his head. None of this makes sense.

“Get out of my house!” I point towards the door, more than done with entertaining him.

“Harper, c’mon.” Evan reaches for me, but I take a step backwards. I don’t want him touching me.

“What’s going on?” Jackson’s deep voice has my attention snapping over to the door.

He’s so handsome in a pair of charcoal slacks and a black dress shirt. The top three buttons are open, showing off a dusting of chest hair. His light brown hair is messy, yet perfect.

His eyes take me in and he swallows hard. His gaze never leaves me and I wish I knew what he was thinking.

“Oh, I see how it is. You’re mad because I kissed someone, yet you’ve already moved on? That’s a little hypocritical, don’t you think?” Evan scowls at me.

“Oh, please! Don’t try to make this all my fault. I'm going out for dinner with my best friend to celebrate my birthday. You’re being so dramatic.” I shake my head, wishing he’d just leave.

“He could have any woman in the world, Harper. Do you really think he’s going to settle for you?”

I squeeze my eyes shut as his words wash over me. The same thought has been on my mind all day. Am I crazy to think something could happen between us?

“Get out,” Jackson growls, making me jump. I open my eyes and find him seething. I’ve never seen him look so angry, not even at the bar last night.

“I'm just telling her the truth. You might make her feel special for the weekend, but you’ll go back to traveling and kissing a different girl in every city. She isn’t special to you.”

“Leave. Now.” Jackson folds his arms across his chest. His jaw is clenched so hard I’m worried he’s going to hurt himself.

“Just go, Evan. You’ve made it clear what you came here for. You wanted to make sure I know I'm not good enough for Jackson. You think forgiving you and getting married is the right move.”

“Are you going to?” There’s so much hope in his voice. I almost want to laugh, but it’s so pathetic how he’s behaving.

“No,” I whisper. “I'll stay single.” I spin on my heels and head into my bedroom, shutting the door behind me.

Chapter 14

Jackson

She looks so sad. So destroyed. And it’s breaking my heart.

For someone who claims to love her, Evan sure loves to put her down and make her feel like she isn’t worthy of love.

I'm surprised when Evan leaves without any protest once Harper disappears into her room. I thought I’d have to forcibly remove him from Harper’s home, but I guess he won. He cut her down and destroyed her confidence. He made her retreat to her room to cry. He thinks he ruined her night, but I'm not letting that happen.

As soon as the door shuts behind him, I lock it to make sure he can’t get back in. The last thing I need is to deal with him putting her down even more.

I move down the hallway and stop outside of her door. I rest my head against the cool wood and try to figure out how I want to approach this.

I could tell Harper exactly how I feel, but I'm not sure if that’s a good idea. I don’t want her to think I'm doing it to make her feel better. Then she’ll wonder if I'm being serious. I don’t want to be her rebound either.

I suck in a deep breath and knock on the door.

“Harper? Can I come in?”

“Yeah.” Her voice is so soft I almost can’t hear her.