Stealing Harper (Taking Chances #1.5)(45)

“Yeah . . . thanks, Riss. Next time try a different approach though, yeah?” I kissed her forehead, smacked Brian across the head, and clapped Jeff’s shoulder before grabbing my keys and phone. “I don’t have any appointments tonight. See you guys tomorrow.”

“Good luck, Chach!”

Marissa’s words had me remembering what I was about to do, and I took a deep breath in. I had a feeling I’d need a lot of luck to get through the night.

I called Brad, and he said the girls still weren’t back from family day, so I drove to my parents’ house and had to take another deep breath in and out when I saw Bree’s car sitting in the driveway. The ache in my chest was already making itself known, and I hoped this wouldn’t end in a way that ruined me forever.

Bree’s laughter came from the kitchen, and I drifted in that direction to find her at the kitchen table, Harper standing right behind her with a bag of chips in her hand, both staring at Bree’s laptop. Bree noticed me first, paused whatever they were watching, and folded her arms across her chest as she sent an impressive glare my way. Princess still had her eyes glued to the screen.

“Well, look who decided to join the party. Mom and Dad are already asleep.”

I kept my eyes on Harper as she slowly looked over to my sister, then up to me. Her gray eyes widened, and the bag of chips slipped from her grasp.

“I was busy.” It’s not like Mom and Dad didn’t know why I’d been avoiding today. “Harper, can I talk to you?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah I guess.” She started walking toward me and her face paled drastically, her arm shooting out to grip the counter. “Whoa.”

“Are you okay?” Bree was out of her chair, and I was rushing toward Harper when she held up a hand to stop us.

“I’m fine, I just got dizzy for a second. Thought I was going to faint again.”

My hands clenched into fists. I needed Bree to not be here; it was taking everything in me to not go up to her and hold my princess. To check her myself and make sure she was okay. Is she sick? I hadn’t seen her since over a week ago, when she fainted in the kitchen of my house, and even now she still looked like she might fall over at any second. Bree and Harper spoke softly to each other before Harper said she’d be back and stepped toward me again.

I turned without a word and walked halfway down my parents’ driveway before turning to look at her.

Her eyes took me in, and even in the dark, I could see the color come back to her face, along with the blush I loved so much. She bit down on the corner of her mouth and shifted her weight a couple times before saying, “Hi.”

I blew out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. A month without talking at all, and all she can say is ‘Hi’? “Hey, Princess.”

“Where have you been?”

“Working a lot, classes, surfing. That’s about it.”

She nodded and looked away, then down before talking again. “Your family misses you.”

This was it. This was where I needed this to go. I steeled myself, and shakily asked, “Do you?”

Her eyes snapped back up to look at me, and I hated the pain I saw there; but it gave me the smallest sliver of hope. “Of course I do, Chase.”

“Harper, I’ve given you more than enough time. I can’t stand to stay away from you anymore, so I need to know who you choose.”

“You’re really going to do this now?” she hissed, and looked at the door before taking a step closer and speaking low. “Bree could be listening from the front door!”

“Yes, now.” While I still had the balls to do this! “I need to know.”

“Chase, how can you even ask me to choose between you two?”

What?

“You left me, like you always do. You expected me to think you still wanted me after you’ve completely avoided me for a month?”

Seriously? What. The. Fuck. I threw my arms out and looked at her like she was insane. Does she not remember anything she’s told me? “I was giving you time! You asked me to give you time!”

“I didn’t want you to avoid me like the plague, I wanted you to fight for me. To show me that you loved me like you said you did.”

Could she honestly even question my love for her after what happened between us? “I do love you, Harper, and that’s why I gave you that time to think about things without my interfering.”

She stepped back, and I closed the distance again. Her eyes held mine, and I watched as they filled with tears. “I’m sorry, Chase, but I can’t.”

Oh, shit. “No. No, no n—”

“I can’t be with you. I love Brandon; I’m sorry.”

No! “Baby, don’t say that. I will fight for you, I will. Please just give us a shot.”

“A part of me will probably always love you, too, but I can’t take chances with you, Chase. You’ll leave me one day, and it will kill me when you do.”

“Wha—No! I wouldn’t, I swear I wouldn’t.” Did she not understand that she meant everything to me? I pulled her into my arms and held her as my body started shaking. I couldn’t lose her. I’d been preparing for it, but I couldn’t handle it.

“You can’t stay with any one girl, that’s just how you are. And that’s fine, Chase, it’s fine. You’re with different girls every night, but when I think about love, I think about forever. You can’t give me that, so I’m not going to hurt myself by only having you for a short time.”