Trevor takes off, and Lance and I stand there awkwardly on opposite sides of the window. It’s barely daybreak and I’m not sure I’ve witnessed a sunrise in years.
“Thanks for that, friend. A cup of coffee would have been far nicer.”
“Sorry, couldn’t resist.” His grin is devilish and infuriating. He’s declared himself on the wrong side of the welcoming committee.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today?”
He shrugs. “No idea. You don’t work here.”
“Do now. I’ll be out in twenty to help.”
He shakes his head as if I’m being ridiculous.
“I’m here to help, Lance.”
“No one’s asking for it.”
He’s determined to push me away. I’m not having it. This little saga of ours has lasted long enough. I forgot how much strength I take from him. How being on the opposite of both his resistance and affection empowers me. And whether he wants to admit it or not, the draw is still there.
I can do this. I’m not giving up, not at all.
Game on, Lover.
Seeing the coast is clear behind him, I pull off my sports bra and stand there half naked as his eyes roam appreciatively down my body. I turn, glancing over my shoulder, lip caught in my teeth as I slowly peel off my sleep leggings to give him a clear view of my naked ass. Lance stands on the other side of the window, a storm brewing in his eyes as I turn, giving him a full-frontal view. I drop my grin just before I abruptly drop the shades, shutting him out.
A barely audible growl escapes him, but I hear it and feel the zing in my chest while prancing through the bedroom, wearing only a smile.
This round is mine.
“Morning,” Jack greets me from where he sits at the table.
“Morning, Jack.”
“You got a minute?”
“Of course,” I say, taking the seat at the table next to him.
“I’m sorry for my outburst last night. It was a bad day. I’m hard to get along with lately.” He looks toward Jeannie, who sets a cup of coffee in front of me along with an antique-looking sugar and cream set. “Thank you.”
“Morning, sweetheart. I think what he’s trying to say is—”
“I can speak for myself,” he says to his wife.
“Sorry, baby,” she says, a glimmer of hurt in her eyes before it disappears.
“Come here,” he says to her, and she looks over at him, confused.
“Just a second,” he tells me, jerking in his seat. “Come here, Jeannie.” He holds out a shaky hand, and she takes it. He pulls her to him, and I can hear his whisper. “I love you.”
The sentiment seems to take her by surprise. “I know you do.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Jack—”
He nudges her. “Tell me you forgive me.”
“Nothing to forgive.”
He hugs her tight to him, and she pulls away with tears shimmering in her eyes. “So sentimental this morning. I’ll get your breakfast.” I see then that Lance is Jack’s apple. And Jack’s just as much of a gentle soul with the same hair-trigger temper.
“I haven’t been myself in quite some time. My boys are suffering, and they don’t deserve it.”
“No one is suffering,” Jeannie chimes in, cracking an egg on the side of a cast-iron pan.
“Enough, baby. Let me talk to Harper.”
“Fine.”
Jack turns to me. “I know what you did.”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t watch you suffer.”
“We can’t accept it.”
“It’s only for a couple of months until Lance pays me back.”
“We don’t do well accepting charity around here.”
“I’m aware. But it’s a loan. I swear. Once he gets paid for his first fight, he’s going to reimburse me.”
“This is a deal you made with Lance?”
Jack weighs my expression as I do my best to keep a straight face.
“It’s a deal we made a long time ago.”
“You’re bullshitting, Harper, but I appreciate it. You should know we’ve endured a lot out here over the years. This is just a hard time.”
“I admire you for it. Both of you. It’s amazing what you’ve built. I’m sorry for overstepping. But please take it.” I don’t look away because something tells me he would appreciate it more if I confronted his condition the way he’s been forced to.
“All right. Thank you. It’ll be nice not to be a human blender for a while.”
Jeannie laughs as Jack chucks my chin with shaky fingers, another Lance trait I adore. “It’s all right to smile, it was a joke.”
Jeannie winks at me as she sets our plates down. “I hope you like rib-sticking food, that’s all we serve around here.”
“I’m a fan of it, thank you,” I say, feeling relieved. “But please don’t feel like you have to cook for me.”
“Happy to, darlin’.”
“You are welcome here,” Jack adds, “no matter what my boy says. He’s going through something right now, hard to get through.”
“I know. Thank you, sir.”
“Jack,” he says, picking up a piece of bacon.
“Thank you, Jack.”
After breakfast, I make the trek out to where Lance is on his tractor. He’s rolling out hay on the frozen ground for the cattle. I flag him down to join him, and he ignores me, driving past as I fume, freezing where I stand.
“If you want to help him, grab a rake and spread it out some,” Jeannie calls to me from the side of the fence where she scatters corn around for the chickens.
“Thanks.” I make my way toward the barn and come back armed. I spend the better part of an hour thinning out the hay as Lance expertly lays it out in a trek for the herd. The sprawling estate looks gorgeous in the early morning light, the frost hitting the trees. When Lance is done, he hops off the tractor and stands next to it, watching me for a few seconds before walking toward the barn.
Lance
“Another one,” Tony barks as I flip the tractor tire over. Four days. She’s been here for four days, and from what I can tell, has no plans of going anywhere. She’s done the one thing I swore I wouldn’t let her do, weaseled her way into my world, and into my family’s heart. Trevor is head over heels, at her beck and call, while my mother fawns over her nightly at the table, and Dad remains stoic, painting the best picture he can of his health. It’s all for show, as far as I’m concerned. Everyone seemed to have remembered their manners the day after she arrived here, but as soon as she leaves, she’ll take the light she brought with her. I’m refusing her help at every turn. Only looking at her when she addresses me in polite conversation. She’s letting me do my thing, showing up to every workout without fail as silent support while biting her tongue. I know her tactics. She thinks I’ll come around and eventually we’ll work it out.
She’s wrong.
I have a life-changing fight a little over a week away, and I need to win, regardless of the payday. I have a family to support. I’m not a fly by the seat of my pants kind of guy. Every move I make matters. New York was my first whim in years. Despite her attempt at showing my reflection in a statue, it was no big epiphany. I’m very much aware of the weight on my shoulders, and I’m doing everything in my power to keep my head up, to keep that weight from crushing me.