Page 85 of A Home for Harmony

“I don’t want you to hold back,” he said. “It’s suffocating.”

“I know that feeling,” she said. “And I think you’re doing it now, so I’m going to give you some air. I’ll say it first. I love you. I love everything about you. From your grouchiness and dry humor you try to hide to how much you love your daughter and put her happiness first. You’re everything I never knew I wanted in my life and I want you to know that so you don’t have these doubts of failure.”

He leaned down and gave her a light kiss, sucked in some of the air she was offering, and said, “I love you too and I feel like a wuss and a coward that it’s scaring the shit out of me.”

“The fact you’re man enough to admit those feelings makes you not a coward,” she whispered. “Don’t say or feel that about yourself. I mean it. We’re going to have ups and downs because maybe you don’t understand me and I don’t understand you, but I’m not worried about it and you shouldn’t be either.”

“It’s hard to turn the worry off,” he said.

“I agree, so instead let’s make a pact. We talk about those things and don’t let them build up.”

“Deal,” he said. “I think you’re the mature one between us.”

She laughed. “Nope. But I might be the smart one.”

26

SUCH A GOOD FATHER

Harmony didn’t think she was so smart the next day when she was checking emails and saw the one from her secret admirer. The person he was actually turning into now.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Harmony. I was thinking of you and waiting to see what you posted. Always so sweet and honest. Can’t wait to see more of you to brighten my day.

Signed with the three emojis again.

The creepy factor just leveled up.

She wanted to believe she was overreacting, but this wasn’t just a comment buried in a social media thread, it was a direct email to her business. Whoever sent it wanted to be sure she saw it.

She was going to puke.

It was making her second guess what she posted to not get a reaction out of this person. She didn’t want to be handcuffed like this.

She took a few deep breaths and heard Micah moving around in her room next door.

They’d agreed to talk about things, but there was no way she could bring this up to him.

Not now.

It was only an email. She could still be reading more into it.

She knew she was.

But her gut was screaming: disturbing!

Harmony refused to let anything ruin her mood.

The man she loved was getting dressed and then she was going to shower and they’d have breakfast together before her family arrived to meet him.

She stood and stretched her fingers over her head, then bent down at the waist, dropping her head with her arms swinging while she tried to shake off the negative energy.

“What are you doing?”

She lifted her head and saw him standing in the doorway buttoning his jeans.

“Getting my blood flowing,” she said.

“I thought I did that an hour ago,” he said, walking in.