Page 71 of The Best Man: Unfinished Business

Chapter Forty-five

Harper

Harper hadn’t meant to drive to Robyn’s house this late, not after she told him to go home. But he needed to speak with her—no, he had to, urgently.

He’d been in his hotel room packing and thinking, reliving moments of one failure after another, until it had become so much he wept.

The way that he felt, he was ready to keep trying, keep showing up at her door day after day after day until she’d accept his help, his hand, his apology.

Without this, there was no way he’d find peace.

When she opened the door, he was so thankful to see her across from him, all he could say was, “Robyn, I’m…

sorry.” He could feel the sadness exuding from her.

She needed him. She needed him to be there for her in all the ways he hadn’t been before.

For all the times he’d left her to deal with things alone because she seemed strong enough to handle them.

Because she wanted to be brave. But nobody should have to be that brave, that strong, that …

alone. He wouldn’t make her do that again.

“Please,” he continued. “Just…hear me out.” She held the door open but hadn’t moved one step out of the way to allow him inside.

But she hadn’t shut the door in his face either.

And if she had, he deserved it. Even if she’d slapped him, he deserved it.

He’d take it. He’d take all of it if only she’d just give him the chance now.

“I know what you said. And I heard you.”

“Clearly, you didn’t,” Robyn said, shifting her weight to fold her arms in front of her.

“I heard you, Robyn, but I saw you too. I see you. And I didn’t before.

” Robyn held her hand up between them, and opened her mouth as if to protest, but he needed to say it all.

And it was one last act of selfishness, but perhaps the one that was needed, the only one that was ever needed.

“Please, let me finish,” he pleaded. Robyn’s mouth closed, and her arms folded again.

He took the moment in the pouring rain and continued, “I was just so caught up in my ego, my son, my career, my wife, Mia, the life I was providing for us. I…” but the words trailed off, caught in his throat.

And he fought the stinging in his eyes with fists balled up against the corners.

But the tears still came down his cheeks.

“Harper, just…come inside. Here, come in…Take off your shoes, I don’t want the floor getting…

” Harper was already half out of his soaked gym shoes and laid them by the door.

Robyn closed it behind him and walked into the sitting room.

She sighed loudly, clearly not happy about this development, but he was never more assured that right here, right now was exactly where he was supposed to be.

Robyn stood in front of him. She looked pained, annoyed even.

In the light of the room, he could see the tracks of moisture on her cheeks.

“Robyn, I’m not here to fight…” Harper said earnestly.

“What are you here for, then?” Robyn demanded. “Why are you still here?”

“I just want to help.”

“I didn’t ask for your help,” Robyn spit back at him.

“You never ask for help,” Harper said, voice raised. Robyn just stared at him. “You don’t have to do this by yourself,” he said, more softly this time.

“I don’t need to be rescued.”

“You don’t want to be rescued, but maybe you do need to be,” Harper said. Robyn shook her head at him, exhaling hard.

“Do not mansplain to me, Harper Stewart,” Robyn fumed.

Harper bowed his head, knowing he’d touched a nerve, and softened his tone. But he knew his upcoming words would sting. He pushed them out anyway. It was the truth.

“I wanted you to fail, Robyn,” Harper admitted.

“I was so angry at you for taking Mia away. I wanted you to suffer here in Africa. I wanted things to be hard for you. I wanted you to have to admit you made a mistake. That you’d have to come back.

” His confession was to Robyn’s feet, but now he raised his eyes to meet Robyn’s.

She was looking right back at him with hurt, scorn, breathing heavily.

“I know you deserved happiness and fulfillment, and I wanted you to have that. But with me. Only with me…” Harper could feel the moisture in his nose start to form.

His throat was growing a boulder. “I wanted to be the one who brought that to you, but you found it. You succeeded withoutme.

“And I was jealous. And hurt. I should have been able to move on,” Harper continued confessing.

“I’m the big Pulitzer Prize winner. I’m rich and successful and I could have anyone I wanted.

But I couldn’t. It was my life that wasn’t working without you.

” Robyn’s lips tightened and she shook her head in slow disbelief at what she was hearing.

“It’s ridiculous. You’ve got all you’ve ever wanted,” Robyn countered. Harper couldn’t stop confessing.

“You should want to come back to me and be with me. But you didn’t need me. I should have been able to make you happy. And I couldn’t. I didn’t know how,” Harper tearfully admitted.

“I failed you, Robyn. I’m a failure and I’m sorry. I should have done so much more for you and our family other than money. ” He spit out the word “money” like it was filthy. It felt dirty. But it also felt hollow. He felt hollow.

“But that’s all I can give now. You deserve it all. So, I’m asking you, Robyn,” he continued. “I am begging you to let me help you. No strings. I just want you to continue what you started here. You belong here, Robyn,” Harper admitted. “This is yours and I don’t want to—”

And then a loud noise of flesh against flesh, reverberating from Robyn’s hand to his left cheek.

Harper felt the sting of Robyn’s stiff five fingers smack against his face.

Hard enough for his body to produce automatic tears, not from pain, but out of shock.

Wide-eyed, he looked at Robyn. She was breathing heavily and tears welled in her eyes but hadn’t yet fallen.

Harper calmed himself, folded his lips in on one another and parted them to speak.

“I deserved that—” Harper began.

Slap!

Robyn hit him again. Same cheek, same result.

Harper had to take a long, deep breath to calm his defenses.

Feelings of grief and sadness mixed with the pain of the strike.

Tears rolled. But he wasn’t sad for himself.

He was sad for what he had caused. He had caused this. He deserved this. “Robyn, It’s okay—”

Slap!

“Robyn, I’m sorry—” Harper was feeling the pain acutely.

Harper reached his hands up to protect his head. Robyn pushed his head so hard that his neck snapped back. The mush was jarring, painful. But he deserved it. He wanted it.

“Robyn, please. Let me—”

Robyn did it again, this time hitting the other side of his head. Harper instinctively went to protect his head and body and reached out for her to stop, but again, dropped his defenses.

Robyn hit his hands and arms with a flurry of both of hers.

“It’s okay—” Harper spoke as his body rebelled against the sentiment. His hands and arms were being pummeled and retreated to cover his face and head.

Whapwhapwhapwhapwhapwhapwhap!

The blows proceeded like the drops of rain outside on the ground.

Robyn swung and landed hand after hand, forearm after forearm, letting out high-pitched frustration, exasperation, and pain. “I hate you. I hate you…I hate you.”

“I know. I know. It’s okay. I know—” Harper felt every blow, every word.

“Selfish…ass…fuck…” were Robyn’s breathless words.

Harper’s knees hit the tiled floor, his lower back hunched, his arms covering his head from Robyn’s scorn.

She pummeled his back seemingly with all her might.

Harper could feel the physical impact, but the pain was coming from regret, and realization, and sorrow from his heart.

The pain he felt was everything that Robyn had ever held back, all heart and emotion attacking him and he held on for dear life.

He reached forward for something solid, something to hold on to to anchor him from the onslaught.

He reached and felt Robyn’s legs through her dress.

Whapwhapwhapwhap! She continued, the blows came quicker and stronger, but Harper held on. He pulled himself tighter against the flurry, reaching up to her back, managing to pull his head, neck, and face into her torso, holding on to her, holdingon.

“Get off of me…!” Robyn fought, another whap!

Harper interlocked his arms around her waist as she continued to rain fury on him, with heavy breathing and sweat now mixed with unrestrained tears that dripped on him. It didn’t matter.

“Let me go!” Whap! “Let me go!” Whap!

“I’m sorry, Robyn…” Whap!

“I don’t want your help…” Whap!

She pounded him with fists. He held on and resisted. He deserved every strike, every nasty word. He’d let her pour it out until there was nothing left.

“It’s okay…it’s okay,” he kept repeating, giving Robyn permission.

He never asked her to stop, never expressed the pain of it, just took it.

Keep going, Robyn…keep going. He knew he deserved it all.

She could do anything she wanted to him, and he would allow it.

“I’m sorry, Robyn. I’m sorry, baby…I’m sorry…

It’s okay, baby…it’s okay….” He accepted the wrath.

He would not let go of her. He would hold on, no matter how long it took.