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Chapter Twenty-Six

MARCUS

T here’s a happy ache in my body as sunlight filters in through the curtains. A soft breath blows across my chest as limbs start moving.

Damn. I could get used to this.

Waking up with Harper in my arms? Not sure if life could get any better.

“Are you awake?” I whisper.

“It’s too early.”

“Morning, sunshine.”

Harper groans, rolling away from me and burying her face in the pillow that she didn’t use, opting to use me as one instead.

“You’re still not a morning person?”

“I’m a morning person five days out of the week, Marcus. I like being able to sleep in every now and then.”

“Weekends are not made for sleeping in around here.” I press a kiss between her shoulder blades. “If you want, you can go back to sleep, and I can get started on breakfast with the girls. ”

Harper rolls back over, a smile peeking out from the mess of hair hiding her face. “I mean, I guess I could wake up for breakfast. As long as it’s pancakes.”

“Take your time.”

Harper pops up, hair a complete mess. That has a smug smile spreading across my face because the memories of last night are still very fresh in my mind.

“Won’t the girls wonder why I’m here?”

“Do you want to tell them?” I ask, grabbing a hoodie from my dresser and pulling it on.

“Isn’t that kind of a big step?” she asks.

“Bigger than saying I love you last night?” I waggle my eyebrows at her.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the girls, but I don’t want to?—”

“You’re overthinking this,” I interrupt, walking over to press a kiss to the worry lines in her forehead. “I’m all in, Harper. Whether we tell the girls now or later, that’s not going to change.”

A happy sigh escapes her. “I’m all in too, Marcus. I’ve been all in on you since day one. I mean, I guess we can tell them.”

“You guess?” I ask her.

“Okay, fine, we can tell them. Should we wait and go downstairs until they’re awake?”

I shake my head. “They’re already awake.”

Harper looks at the clock on my bedside table. “It’s only seven.”

“And I promised them pancakes. They’re up. Besides, I heard the TV on downstairs.” Harper throws the comforter back and I don’t hide the way I watch her as she covers her gorgeous body in a pair of yoga pants and one of my sweatshirts. “Now get that cute ass of yours downstairs. ”

As soon as my bottom foot hits the first floor, I take Harper’s hand and give it a squeeze. I know she’s anxious about telling the girls about us, but I know they’ll love it. Sam and Sadie love their nanny, and I know they’ll love Harper just as much. They need a strong, female influence in their life. I know Harper will be it for them, and she’ll love being there for them.

“Harper.” Sam spots her right away and jumps off the couch to give her a hug. “Why are you over so early?”

The tent is abandoned as each girl sits in their spot on the couch with, no surprise, Bluey on TV.

“I heard all about this pancake breakfast, so I had to come over for it.”

Sadie comes over to give Harper a hug too. “Do you have a bad joke to tell?”

Harper squats down on their level. “It’s not Sunday. I thought bad jokes were only for Sundays.”

Both girls shake their heads. “We have two really good jokes to tell.”

“I can’t wait to hear them.” Harper is beaming at them. “I have one too.”

“Yes.” Sadie pumps her fist.

“Before breakfast, Harper and I have something to tell you,” I say.

“Can we finish this episode?” Sam asks.

I grab the remote from the end table and pause it. “You’ve seen it a hundred times. We can watch it after breakfast.”

Sadie eyes me, assessing me. Girl is too smart for her own good. “If we listen really good, can we both have chocolate chips then?”

Why is everything always a bargaining chip with kids?

“You can both have chocolate chips if you listen well,” Harper answers for me .

“Hey, aren’t I supposed to make that decision?”

Harper stands back up, resting her hands on her hips. “What, like you were going to say no to them?”

The girls giggle as they each take their seat on the couch. “Hurry up because I’m hungry,” Sadie says.

“Well, you know how Harper and I have been spending time together?” I ask them.

“Yeah.” Sadie nods.

“Harper and I really like each other, so we’re dating.”

“Do you loooove each other?” Sam giggles.

Sadie laughs next to her. “Eww. Do you kiss?”

“Christ,” I mutter to myself, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Where did you learn about that?”

“Bobby at school said if two adults like each other, they kiss,” Sadie says, matter-of-factly.

“No more hanging out with Bobby.”

“Bobby’s a good kid,” Harper says. “You’re just mad because they know what it is.”

I point to both girls. “No kissing any boys. Especially that Bobby.”

“Does that mean you kiss Harper?” Sadie asks. “If you love each other, you can kiss.”

“I guess that means we do love each other,” Harper says, looking at me. There’s nothing but love shining through her eyes.

I can’t help myself. I give Harper the shortest, softest, sweetest kiss ever.

“Gross,” both girls say.

“Now.” I want to make this point before I lose them. “While Harper is here, you can call her Harper, but if you see her at school, I want you to call her Miss Smith, okay? The other kids don’t need to be calling her Harper.”

“Okay,” Sam says. “Can we have pancakes now?”

“Yes, time for pancakes,” I tell them .

“If Harper comes over, will Gigi still come play with us?” Sadie asks, following Sam into the kitchen and pulling out the bag of chocolate chips. I don’t miss her sneaking a few in her mouth.

“She will.” I take the bag from her so it won’t be gone before breakfast is made.

Broaching the subject of Harper with my mom is a topic for a different day. Without the ears of little girls around. It’s not one I’m looking forward to. Telling the truth to my mom about what happened all those years ago isn’t going to be easy. There’s a lot of hurt to overcome, but maybe if she sees the two of us are in this for the long haul, it won’t matter.

Breakfast is a happy affair. The girls pepper Harper with questions that she asks them right back. Fuck, I don’t know if I’ve ever been this happy in my life.

“You said we can watch this episode of Bluey,” Sadie tells me after she clears her plate. “One episode, please?”

“Look how sad they look,” Harper whispers. “You have to tell them you like this show.”

“You like Bluey?” Sam pops up from behind me. “You said you didn’t like Bluey.”

“Oops.” Harper is smiling too widely for her own good.

“You set me up for that.”

“I did no such thing.” She throws her hands up in defense.

“You so did.” I drop the plates in the sink and stride around the counter to where Harper is sitting on the stool.

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?”

“Get her, girls.”

Sam and Sadie need no further prompting as we all start tickling Harper. It’s the best punishment I can give her right now as her laughter mixes with the girls’ and echoes throughout the house.

I’m becoming a sap, because hearing and seeing these three together is about the best damn thing in the world. Getting to wake up to this every weekend?

Yeah, I could get used to it.