Page 71 of Irreplaceable
Harper cringed.
“What?” I mouthed.
I should’ve known something like this would happen. I’d just hoped to meet her family without my fame sucking all the air out of the room. People could be…funny when they met a celebrity. Odd. And I wanted the focus to be on Harper. On her dad’s birthday. Not on me.
Harper shook her head. “Hey, um, Mom. Do you know where the rumor started?”
“Deborah Beaudin called to tell me this morning, but she heard it from someone else. And I think they read about it online.”
I turned my attention back to my phone and started typing out a message to Val and Nico. I wished we could’ve kept our relationship a secret a while longer, though I supposed I should’ve been glad there was no mention of the pregnancy. I wasn’t sure how Harper would feel, but I hoped that going public about our relationship would make her see just how serious I was about us.
Harper frowned, but then her mom said, “Anyway, I’ll let you focus on driving.” It sounded like she was in a rush to get off the phone. “See you both soon! I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom,” Harper said then disconnected the call.
“No going back now,” I teased, trying to gauge Harper’s reaction to her mom’s call.
“Would you if you could?” she asked, and I sensed that my answer was important to her.
“No.” Now that I knew about the baby, the offer to transfer to the LA Leatherbacks felt like a sign. Like the universe had been preparing this path for me to move to LA to be with Harper. “I wouldn’t. Would you?”
She peered out at the road, but it seemed as if she was seeing so much further ahead. “I’m not ready for this.”
“For what?”
“Dating a celebrity. Being a mom. Telling my family. All of it,” she huffed.
I smiled to myself. So, we were dating now, huh?
Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
* * *
I wipedmy palms on my pants and took a deep breath as I followed Harper down the path beside her parents’ house. It was a wooden tree house sort of home that had large planks running on the diagonal and teal windows that popped against the rich wood exterior. The setting sun cast a warm, golden glow on the property and the garden.
And what a garden it was. Lush and abundant. A little surprise around every corner, whether it was a wind chime or a water fountain. It was clear that a lot of love had been put into it.
I placed my hand on Harper’s back as we reached the arched gate to the backyard, and she smiled over her shoulder at me. I was about to meet her family, and I wanted to make a good impression. I worried what they’d heard—or thought they knew—about me. For all I knew, they were fans. I doubted it since Harper wasn’t much of a sports fan herself, but still… Interactions with crazy fans could be awkward at best and downright scary at times.
I had no idea what I was walking into. Would they be happy about the baby? Upset? Harper’s family was important to her. And how this went was important to me.
As if sensing my turbulent thoughts, Harper turned to me and placed her hands on my chest. “Relax. They’re going to love you.”
Her hair blew around her shoulders, and I was so tempted to kiss her. But then she patted my chest and took a deep breath before opening the gate. The backyard was even more magical than the rest. White lights were strung between the large oak trees, and a long table sat beneath a pergola. Some men were working on a fire pit, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and something delicious.
“James!” a silver-haired woman called as I closed the gate behind us. “Look who’s here.”
“Harper!” His eyes were alight with happiness.
“Daddy!” She grinned, giving him a big hug. “Happy birthday.”
“I’m so glad you’re here.” He pulled back and seemed to assess her before deciding that all was well. “So, so glad, baby girl.”
She smiled then turned to me. “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Enzo.”
It was then he finally noticed me. Before that, Harper was his sole focus, his entire world. And I wondered if that was what it was like to be a dad. It made me miss my father, and I wondered if he would’ve enjoyed being a grandfather.
James blinked a few times, then said, “Nice to meet you.”