Stealing Harper
Page 56
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“Get my baby mama here!”
Jeff swallowed the bite of taco he’d just taken, before adding, “If Brian gets this baby, can your next baby be mine?”
“So dumb. I don’t know how your wives or Princess put up with you guys.” But I still pulled out my phone and gave her a call, and when she answered, I couldn’t stop the wide smile that crossed my face at hearing her voice, and Trish started razzing me with Brian about it. “Hey, Princess, can you come by the shop?”
“I’m going to dinner with Bree in a little over an hour, but I can swing by really quick. Did you need me to bring you anything?”
“Just yourself. Brian’s mad because you haven’t been around.” I didn’t mention he was currently giving me puppy eyes. I rolled my eyes at him and shoved him away as he tried to take the phone from me. “And we have a new artist, she wants to meet you after hearing all our stories about you.”
She laughed softly and sighed. “I was just there last week! I’m leaving right now; see you in a minute.”
I mouthed to the guys and Trish that she was coming. “I love you.”
“Love you, too, Chase.”
I would never get enough of hearing her say that.
Trish and I were in my station, and I was telling her about how I’d come to give Harper her nickname, when my girl walked in. God she was gorgeous. Her stomach was getting bigger, and I loved it. Ever since the bed-and-breakfast, we spent every night in each other’s arms, and I would always pull her shirt up so I could trace random patterns across her growing belly. To be honest, it was the best part of my day. She’d already be asleep since I worked late most nights, but she’d wake up so we could talk an hour or so about everything and nothing and just enjoy each other without anyone else around.
Harper stopped walking suddenly, and an odd expression crossed her face. My brow scrunched momentarily until the expression vanished, and I held my hand out to her. “Come here babe!” As soon as she was close enough, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her soundly before turning her toward Trish. “Harper, this is Trish. Trish, this is my beautiful Harper.”
“Chase,” Jeff called from behind me, and I turned to face him. “Guy just called in wanting a finger tat. Can you fit him in before your other appointment comes in?”
“Yeah, when will he be here?”
“He’s already on his way, just a few minutes. Hey, Harper.” He smiled and took her from me to wrap her in a big hug.
“Do I see my baby mama?” Brian boomed as he walked out of the back, and I laughed as he hugged her close and kissed her cheek. I knew I didn’t have to worry about Princess and Brian. She loved him and Marissa, but she responded to him the same way she responded to Brad. And besides, as soon as Brian released her, she sank right back into my arms.
“Where have you been?” Brian asked, and pouted miserably. “You’re keeping my son away from me now?”
“Never,” she teased. “Why else would we be here?”
“ ’Sup, little BJ.”
“Uh . . .” Harper cocked her head to the side. “BJ?”
“Yeah, Brian Jr., that’s what we’re naming him.”
Fucking hell. Harper, Jeff, and I all started cracking up. “Did you already ask Marissa? I’m pretty sure she doesn’t need another Brian to take care of,” I teased as I pulled Princess into my arms and pressed my lips to her neck, my hands trailing across her stomach. Mine.
Brian and Jeff started arguing over who got our next kid, and I loved how Harper interacted with my friends. She was so relaxed with these guys, and to be honest, I’d been worried about that. I knew she loved my work, but loving what I do and being all right with the guys I worked with are two completely different things. So to have them all instantly accept each other was a huge relief.
The call-in walked into the shop, and I gave Harper one more kiss before going over to talk to him. Tattoo was simple and would take no time at all, he just wanted his wife’s initials on his ring finger. I turned to look at Princess talking to Trish and smiled to myself, knowing that she was already tattooed on me. I wanted to tell her, but it had just never come up, and though she knew I’d been in love with her all this time, I had no clue how she would react if she knew I’d drawn that up so soon after meeting her.
After giving the guy the call-in a book of different fonts, I walked back over to where the girls were talking, and Trish smiled wide at me. “Hey buddy, great girl you’ve got here!”
“Yeah, isn’t she? You gonna stay and watch, babe?”
Harper turned and after a brief look at me, looked down to the ground. “No. I need to go meet Bree. I’ll see you at home.”
“All right, let me walk you out.” As soon as we were outside and next to her SUV I pulled her into my arms again. “Thanks for coming, they’ve all missed you.”
Nodding twice, she started searching through her purse.
What the hell? “You okay?”
“Not really. No.” She sighed heavily and finally looked up at me. “I don’t like Trish.”
“What? Trish is awesome.” I swear her and her girlfriend should switch places, she acted just like Brian, and if she didn’t look like a Suicide Girl, I would swear she was a guy. “Why don’t you like her?”
“It might have been the fact that she refused to return my greeting, or that she let me know she was going to “take care” of you while I’m not around.”
Jeff swallowed the bite of taco he’d just taken, before adding, “If Brian gets this baby, can your next baby be mine?”
“So dumb. I don’t know how your wives or Princess put up with you guys.” But I still pulled out my phone and gave her a call, and when she answered, I couldn’t stop the wide smile that crossed my face at hearing her voice, and Trish started razzing me with Brian about it. “Hey, Princess, can you come by the shop?”
“I’m going to dinner with Bree in a little over an hour, but I can swing by really quick. Did you need me to bring you anything?”
“Just yourself. Brian’s mad because you haven’t been around.” I didn’t mention he was currently giving me puppy eyes. I rolled my eyes at him and shoved him away as he tried to take the phone from me. “And we have a new artist, she wants to meet you after hearing all our stories about you.”
She laughed softly and sighed. “I was just there last week! I’m leaving right now; see you in a minute.”
I mouthed to the guys and Trish that she was coming. “I love you.”
“Love you, too, Chase.”
I would never get enough of hearing her say that.
Trish and I were in my station, and I was telling her about how I’d come to give Harper her nickname, when my girl walked in. God she was gorgeous. Her stomach was getting bigger, and I loved it. Ever since the bed-and-breakfast, we spent every night in each other’s arms, and I would always pull her shirt up so I could trace random patterns across her growing belly. To be honest, it was the best part of my day. She’d already be asleep since I worked late most nights, but she’d wake up so we could talk an hour or so about everything and nothing and just enjoy each other without anyone else around.
Harper stopped walking suddenly, and an odd expression crossed her face. My brow scrunched momentarily until the expression vanished, and I held my hand out to her. “Come here babe!” As soon as she was close enough, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her soundly before turning her toward Trish. “Harper, this is Trish. Trish, this is my beautiful Harper.”
“Chase,” Jeff called from behind me, and I turned to face him. “Guy just called in wanting a finger tat. Can you fit him in before your other appointment comes in?”
“Yeah, when will he be here?”
“He’s already on his way, just a few minutes. Hey, Harper.” He smiled and took her from me to wrap her in a big hug.
“Do I see my baby mama?” Brian boomed as he walked out of the back, and I laughed as he hugged her close and kissed her cheek. I knew I didn’t have to worry about Princess and Brian. She loved him and Marissa, but she responded to him the same way she responded to Brad. And besides, as soon as Brian released her, she sank right back into my arms.
“Where have you been?” Brian asked, and pouted miserably. “You’re keeping my son away from me now?”
“Never,” she teased. “Why else would we be here?”
“ ’Sup, little BJ.”
“Uh . . .” Harper cocked her head to the side. “BJ?”
“Yeah, Brian Jr., that’s what we’re naming him.”
Fucking hell. Harper, Jeff, and I all started cracking up. “Did you already ask Marissa? I’m pretty sure she doesn’t need another Brian to take care of,” I teased as I pulled Princess into my arms and pressed my lips to her neck, my hands trailing across her stomach. Mine.
Brian and Jeff started arguing over who got our next kid, and I loved how Harper interacted with my friends. She was so relaxed with these guys, and to be honest, I’d been worried about that. I knew she loved my work, but loving what I do and being all right with the guys I worked with are two completely different things. So to have them all instantly accept each other was a huge relief.
The call-in walked into the shop, and I gave Harper one more kiss before going over to talk to him. Tattoo was simple and would take no time at all, he just wanted his wife’s initials on his ring finger. I turned to look at Princess talking to Trish and smiled to myself, knowing that she was already tattooed on me. I wanted to tell her, but it had just never come up, and though she knew I’d been in love with her all this time, I had no clue how she would react if she knew I’d drawn that up so soon after meeting her.
After giving the guy the call-in a book of different fonts, I walked back over to where the girls were talking, and Trish smiled wide at me. “Hey buddy, great girl you’ve got here!”
“Yeah, isn’t she? You gonna stay and watch, babe?”
Harper turned and after a brief look at me, looked down to the ground. “No. I need to go meet Bree. I’ll see you at home.”
“All right, let me walk you out.” As soon as we were outside and next to her SUV I pulled her into my arms again. “Thanks for coming, they’ve all missed you.”
Nodding twice, she started searching through her purse.
What the hell? “You okay?”
“Not really. No.” She sighed heavily and finally looked up at me. “I don’t like Trish.”
“What? Trish is awesome.” I swear her and her girlfriend should switch places, she acted just like Brian, and if she didn’t look like a Suicide Girl, I would swear she was a guy. “Why don’t you like her?”
“It might have been the fact that she refused to return my greeting, or that she let me know she was going to “take care” of you while I’m not around.”
