Marry Screw Kill(70)

I shake my head and grin as I think about her wide blue eyes when the wheels left the runway. She would have jumped out of the cabin if the door had been open. I’ll have to wake her up soon, since the flight is only an hour and twenty minutes tops, but she needs her rest to face God only knows what once we land.

Who really knows how her grandmother will react. It’s been years since she’s heard from her daughter and she might even believe she is dead.

Harlow decided the first contact she makes with her grandmother should be face-to-face. She feels a phone call, out of the blue, might be considered a prank and could do more damage than good. But having her own flesh and blood standing before her, with photos in hand of Harlow’s mother, should wipe any doubt out of her grandmother’s mind.

Me? I’m torn, but will follow her lead and support her plan. I am proud that she’s making her own decisions and taking a big first step in a new course for her life. I would bet money she never returns to Rochester.

After she read the letter from her mother yesterday and her tears subsided, she was literally bouncing off the walls. It was a new, almost comical, side of her. It was like she drank a couple pots of coffee loaded with sugar, and it was a damn beautiful thing to watch. I smile at the thought of how she was talking fast and pacing the room. I sat back in a chair and watched while she morphed into a woman full of hope and excitement.

She buzzed around the room muttering to herself, mostly about her clothes. She didn’t want to meet her grandmother, and possibly other family members, for the first time in her old “duds,” so we walked across the street to a cluster of shops, ate a quick dinner, and found a clothing store.

She picked out a few things. My favorite was the light blue dress that matched her eyes and ended above her knees. She is wearing it now. I suggested some new jeans and she tried on a pair that did dangerous things to her curves. She asked me how they looked on her and I only nodded with a smile. I was afraid to say anything out loud, but I did let out a quiet wolf whistle as she sashayed back into the fitting room.

Harlow walked up to the counter with an armful of clothes, but refused to let me buy one damn thing. Not even the pair of dangly earrings I loved. I understand the need to feel independent after leaving such a controlling man, but hell, what’s wrong with me buying her one simple thing?

Nothing.

So I threw some cash on the counter and grabbed the earrings while Harlow turned away. The clerk knew what I was up to since she overheard the conversation between us. I overpaid for the earrings by a few dollars and mouthed for the clerk to keep the change.

I plan on giving them to her tonight. Maybe I’ll place them down on her pillow to find later.

Last night, we slept in the same big, king-sized bed. We laid down facing one another with our head on our pillows. She talked about flying to Chicago and meeting her family until she fell asleep mid-sentence. I don’t remember her mentioning James once after I gave her the rundown of meeting him.

I watched her take slow, even breaths while her long, black lashes lightly fluttered. Fortunately, she was tucked under the covers, but I still fought the desire to pull her into my arms and spoon the night away.

Yes, I wanted to spoon with Harlow last night. Who the hell am I? I shake my head and grin. For the first time in my life, I want a woman for who she is, not what she can give me. It’s a novel concept, and feels right with her.

“Better wake up the sleeping beauty,” the flight attendant says while passing by. I nod and bring Harlow’s hand to my lips. After a few kisses across her knuckles, she begins to stir.

“Hey, babe. We’re getting ready to land.” I brush a strand of fallen hair away from her face. I love touching the soft golden silk and fight the urge to run my hands through it freely like I did at the lake.

“We’re landing already?” Harlow gazes up at me, blinking her hazy eyes. “How long was I sleeping?”

“About thirty minutes. A nice cat nap.” She stretches and arches her back beside me. I try not to stare at her chest, but hell, I’m a man, and she has a lovely set. I shake my head, trying to think about the Yankee’s loss last night. We need to up our pitching staff.

“I am not sure why I just thought of this, but what did you tell The Clinic about leaving? You told them, right?” Harlow asks.

“I used the same excuse James gave for his leave of absence. Family emergency.” I take her hand back in mine, wanting to touch her again. “No worries, okay?”

“I still can’t believe you gave up the clerkship to help me. You’re my knight in shining armor.” Her eyes become cloudy with tears and she brings her lips to my cheek in a soft kiss. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

“No regrets. Promise.”

My lips speak the truth of my heart. Years from now, I will look back and know helping Harlow when she needed me was the right decision—the only decision. Like the dream I had of rescuing her from the fire, I would be held accountable if I had ignored the abuse she suffered through daily, and potentially for the rest of her life. Walking away was never an option for me. I will always believe my trip to Rochester was meant to be a rescue mission—hers.

We land at Chicago’s O’Hare and I rent an SUV. Harlow doesn’t seem to object to me doing this for us. She let me purchase her tickets here too, though she promised to pay me back. She doesn’t have a credit card yet and they’re necessary in this world of online commerce. Setting up a bank account tops the list of things she needs to accomplish. I have a feeling she will be doing that this week in Chicago instead of Rochester.