Temptation Trails (The Haven Brothers #3)

“Thanks, Jack.”

“Sure.”

He ended the call, and I blew out another breath, trying to stay calm. But adrenaline coursed through my veins and my mind raced. How had someone gotten into Harper’s house without her knowing?

Even more importantly, who was it? Was it the same person who’d killed Jasmine?

It might not have been my job to investigate the break-in at Harper’s house, but it was absolutely my job to protect her.

I went downstairs to the sound of laughter in the kitchen and paused at the bottom of the steps. I could just see into the kitchen from where I was standing. Owen was mixing something in a bowl while Harper leaned against the counter. I didn’t know what they were laughing at, but it was funny enough that Owen had to stop what he was doing for a second. Harper clutched her stomach and tears ran down her cheeks, she was laughing so hard.

I grabbed my chest, like a guy having a heart attack. I wanted this. I wanted it so much, my soul ached for it. The two people I loved more than anything, laughing while they baked cookies.

It looked like a future. It looked like a family.

I’d given up on that. Pushed it aside, because I’d thought my chance was over. I’d married the wrong woman and that was that. Owen was the best thing in my life, and I’d never regret him. But I’d truly believed single fatherhood was as good as it was going to get for me.

But maybe, just maybe, I’d been wrong.

And I dared to hope that the three of us—soon to be four—would actually be able to create a family.

CHAPTER 29

Harper

That was it. I was going to die.

Okay, I was being dramatic. But as I walked up the front steps of Garrett’s parents’ house, I was seized with fear. My heart thumped so hard I wondered if the glance Owen cast over his shoulder meant he could hear it. My stomach churned and the sugary scent of the too many cookies I’d stress baked was making me queasy.

Garrett’s hand on the small of my back provided comfort, but not enough to calm the raging storm of feelings that swept through me in time with the beat of my jumpy heart. Fear, hope, anxiety, excitement, anticipation, curiosity, all swirling around with a healthy dose of sheer terror.

But it was good. I wanted to meet Garrett’s parents. Sugar cookies, I was pregnant with their grandchild.

I just hoped they liked me.

That voice inside me was so tiny, and yet so deep—the voice of the little girl who’d just wanted to be seen and understood.

Garrett knocked twice but didn’t wait to be let in. He opened the door. “Hey Mom. Dad.”

“They’re probably in the kitchen.” Owen walked in without waiting for any acknowledgement from inside the house.

I shifted the box of cookies as Garrett stepped inside, and, for a second, it felt like I couldn’t move. I knew it was silly. That I was overreacting. This didn’t have to be such a big deal. But in that moment, my fears left me frozen.

Please don’t let my bad luck show up tonight. Please.

Garrett glanced over his shoulder and his eyebrows drew in. He took the few steps back to the doorway and grabbed the cookies from me. “You okay?”

My eyes were probably too wide, my expression a mask of abject terror, as if I were faced with a seven-headed monster, not an introduction to my boyfriend’s parents. My voice came out in a squeak. “Yes.”

His features softened, the corners of his mouth turning up in a gentle smile. He took my hand in his and led me in. “Don’t worry. They’re going to love you. Just like I do.”

I let out a long breath and a little bit of the tension in my body melted away. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”

He placed a knuckle beneath my chin and lifted my face to his. “Don’t be. I’ve got you.”

As his lips brushed against mine, I felt a little more of the fear recede. I was still jumpy, and concerned about how the mirror curse might make itself known in front of his parents, but at least I had him.

And he was everything.