Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Damian

I stared at Ethan. Ethan stared at me.

Neither of us looked happy.

The fact that he was standing on the same beach as Harper and me during our vacation made me question every life decision that had brought me here.

Beside me, Harper sighed. A long sigh. The kind that suggested she was already tired.

Honestly, so was I.

“Ethan.”

My son’s grin widened. “Dad.”

“What are you doing here?”

He held up the hotel key. “Vacation.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Harper suddenly laughed. I looked at her. She covered her mouth.

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re not.”

“No.” She laughed harder.

Even Ethan looked amused.

“This marriage has changed you.”

I glared at him. “Leave.”

“That’s rude.”

“Leave.”

Ethan looked at Harper. “See what I deal with?”

She immediately betrayed me. “He does have a point.”

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.

I narrowed my eyes at my wife. “My wife is supposed to support me.”

She smiled sweetly. “My husband is supposed to relax on vacation.”

I opened my mouth. Then closed it.

Because she had me there.

Ethan laughed loudly. “I can’t believe this.”

I looked at him. “What?”

“You actually listen to her.”

The statement hung in the air.

Harper became suspiciously interested in the ocean.

I suddenly found the table fascinating.

Because unfortunately Ethan was right.

I did listen to her.

Far more than I listened to anyone else.

The realization wasn’t exactly new.

Still, hearing it out loud felt different.

Dangerously different.

Eventually Ethan left. Mostly because Harper threatened to throw him into the ocean. A threat she seemed entirely willing to carry out.

Once he disappeared, peace returned. Thank God.

I looked at Harper. “Remind me why I like him?”

“You don’t.”

“Good point.”

She laughed. The sound immediately improved my mood.

Which was becoming a serious problem.

Everything she did affected me. Her smile. Her laugh. Her happiness. All of it.

Far too much.

The next morning I woke up earlier than usual.

For a few moments I simply lay there. Listening to the ocean outside. Enjoying the silence.

Then I looked beside me.

Harper was asleep.

A strange warmth settled inside my chest. Because lately waking up beside her felt natural. Comfortable. Necessary.

I wasn’t sure when that happened. Or how.

I only knew I never wanted it to stop.

A few minutes later, Harper opened one eye. “Creepy.”

I smiled. “Good morning.”

“You were staring.”

“You were sleeping.”

“Still creepy.”

I laughed. She sat up slowly. Her hair was a mess. She looked exhausted.

And somehow more beautiful than ever.

Life was deeply unfair.

“What?”

She caught me looking again.

“Nothing.”

“That’s a lie.”

“Probably.”

Harper groaned. Then threw a pillow at me.

I caught it easily. Years of business negotiations had apparently prepared me for pillow attacks.

Who knew?

An hour later we found ourselves walking through a small seaside town.

No security. No reporters. No business calls.

Just us.

We stopped at little shops. Tried local food. Bought souvenirs. Normal couple things.

The realization hit me unexpectedly.

We looked like a real married couple. Not a fake one. Not a temporary one.

A real one.

The thought followed me all afternoon.

Eventually we reached a small market.

Harper immediately stopped. “Oh.”

I followed her gaze. Jewelry. Specifically wedding bands.

My pulse did something strange.

Harper looked away instantly.

The same thought had clearly crossed her mind.

Neither of us said anything. For once silence wasn’t comfortable.

It was nervous. Complicated. Dangerous.

The shop owner smiled brightly. “Married?”

Before I could answer, Harper spoke. “Yes.”

The simple word hit me harder than it should have.

Yes.

Not technically. Not kind of.

Just yes.

The woman smiled. “You look very happy.”

Harper’s cheeks turned pink. I was starting to enjoy that reaction entirely too much.

The owner pointed toward a display. “Matching rings are very popular.”

Harper laughed nervously. “We already have rings.”

Technically true. Our wedding bands existed. But neither of us wore them regularly. Mostly because the marriage started as a business arrangement.

The owner looked disappointed. Then she smiled again.

“Maybe a vacation gift.”

Harper immediately looked at me.

The look said absolutely not.

Naturally, that made me interested. Very interested.

Ten minutes later we left the store.

Harper was carrying a small bag. And glaring at me.

“You are impossible.”

I looked innocent. A difficult task. But not impossible.

“You liked them.”

“That’s not the point.”

“You liked them.”

She groaned.

Unfortunately for her, I was right.

The simple silver bands weren’t expensive. They weren’t flashy. They were simple. Elegant. Real.

Which somehow made them matter more.

That evening we sat on the beach again.

The sunset painted the sky gold. The waves rolled softly against the shore. Everything felt peaceful.

Harper sat beside me holding the small jewelry bag.

Neither of us mentioned it.

Until she suddenly spoke.

“You know this vacation is ruining everything.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“It’s making me like you.”

I smiled. “Only now?”

She hit my shoulder. I laughed.

Then gently took her hand.

This time she didn’t pull away. Didn’t hesitate. Didn’t pretend.

She simply held mine.

Like it belonged there.

The moment felt perfect. Simple. Real.

The kind of moment people spent years searching for.

Then Harper suddenly looked at me.

Nervous. Vulnerable. Beautiful.

“Damian.”

My heart immediately reacted. “Yeah?”

She swallowed. Then slowly reached into the bag.

For one second I thought she was going to show me the ring.

Instead she pulled out something else.

A small white box.

Confusion hit instantly. “What is that?”

Harper looked just as confused. “I don’t know.”

The box definitely hadn’t been there earlier. Neither of us moved.

Slowly she opened it.

Inside sat a folded note. And a pregnancy test.

The blood drained from my face.

Because written across the note were four simple words.

CONGRATULATIONS, MOM AND DAD.