will truly appreciate the good times. I love you, and there’s not anything I can give you that means more than that.”
“I do appreciate them, and I hope you know I will never hurt you intentionally. I was protecting myself because I didn’t know what I was going to do if I lost you. I love you too.” She swallowed and glanced at him, pursing her lips.
“The reality was so much worse than I thought it would be.”
He pulled her close. “Then it’s a good thing you’re not going to have to go through that again. You’re stuck with me.”
“Good, ’cause you’re stuck with me too. Stuck like glue.”
Those were the best words he’d ever heard in his life.
‡
Chapter Twenty-Four
F or the first time in her life, Harper felt at peace. It was as if the stars had aligned, and finally, she was where she was supposed to be. Being honest with herself was something new; it was something she and Doc Jones worked on at each and every session. If she were being totally honest with herself right now, she would admit she was happy, the happiest she had ever been.
“I’m starving.” Cash rubbed his hand over his stomach, navigating them on the road towards the Heaven Hill clubhouse.
“You’ve been whining since Harper started the cookies hours ago,” Remy piped up from the backseat.
“Whining? I am not whining.”
Harper smiled and looked back at Remy, winking. “You are definitely whining, but you’re gonna have to wait. We can’t ruin our first Christmas dinner together, and we definitely can’t disappoint the Heaven Hill crew.”
She couldn’t believe it, spending Christmas Day with the MC, but that’s what they had decided to do as a family. This wasn’t about the gifts they could give each other—because after all they’d gone through to get the money for a nice Christmas, the gift they’d decided to buy themselves had been the biggest surprise of all. The fifty-two-inch TV took up most of one wall of the apartment, and they had to sit way too close to it to make sure it fit, but that was the epicenter of their lives. That was the one thing they could always do. Remy could watch TV while they did schoolwork, or they could watch TV as a family.
“I hope some of those cookies are left over when we get home,” Remy told her. “You’ve never done oatmeal before, and I think those may be my favorite.”
She lifted the lid off of them, inhaling deeply. “They did turn out much better than I thought they would.”
It had snowed the night before, and Cash was being quiet and extra careful with the people he had in his car, but he chanced a glance when he smelled the container open.
“I can’t wait,” he declared, reaching his hand over and snatching one before Harper realized what he was doing.
She smacked his hand. “Seriously, Cash?”
“Seriously, Harper?” he fired back.
She reached over and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Later on, you can have all the cookies you want.”
“I really hope cookie is a euphemism.” A bad-boy grin covered his face, and his eyes shone.
Looking at him, she could no longer tell how stressed he had once been. Granted, things weren’t perfect; they were still struggling, but they both realized that they would always struggle. Anything worth having was worth fighting for, even if that fight was hard. They were willing to put in the work.
“What’s a euphemism?” Remy asked.
“Nothing.” Harper reached over and smacked Cash on the arm.
They pulled into the parking area, and Remy scrambled out, squeezing himself between the seat and door before Cash even unbuckled his seatbelt.
“Remy,” he yelled after him.
“He’s excited,” Harper shushed him. “I bet this is the best Christmas he’s ever had, doesn’t even matter that the present he got was a big one for all of us.”
They got out of the car, meeting in the middle of the front.
“I seem to remember us stopping at my car a few months ago and having a conversation about
“I do appreciate them, and I hope you know I will never hurt you intentionally. I was protecting myself because I didn’t know what I was going to do if I lost you. I love you too.” She swallowed and glanced at him, pursing her lips.
“The reality was so much worse than I thought it would be.”
He pulled her close. “Then it’s a good thing you’re not going to have to go through that again. You’re stuck with me.”
“Good, ’cause you’re stuck with me too. Stuck like glue.”
Those were the best words he’d ever heard in his life.
‡
Chapter Twenty-Four
F or the first time in her life, Harper felt at peace. It was as if the stars had aligned, and finally, she was where she was supposed to be. Being honest with herself was something new; it was something she and Doc Jones worked on at each and every session. If she were being totally honest with herself right now, she would admit she was happy, the happiest she had ever been.
“I’m starving.” Cash rubbed his hand over his stomach, navigating them on the road towards the Heaven Hill clubhouse.
“You’ve been whining since Harper started the cookies hours ago,” Remy piped up from the backseat.
“Whining? I am not whining.”
Harper smiled and looked back at Remy, winking. “You are definitely whining, but you’re gonna have to wait. We can’t ruin our first Christmas dinner together, and we definitely can’t disappoint the Heaven Hill crew.”
She couldn’t believe it, spending Christmas Day with the MC, but that’s what they had decided to do as a family. This wasn’t about the gifts they could give each other—because after all they’d gone through to get the money for a nice Christmas, the gift they’d decided to buy themselves had been the biggest surprise of all. The fifty-two-inch TV took up most of one wall of the apartment, and they had to sit way too close to it to make sure it fit, but that was the epicenter of their lives. That was the one thing they could always do. Remy could watch TV while they did schoolwork, or they could watch TV as a family.
“I hope some of those cookies are left over when we get home,” Remy told her. “You’ve never done oatmeal before, and I think those may be my favorite.”
She lifted the lid off of them, inhaling deeply. “They did turn out much better than I thought they would.”
It had snowed the night before, and Cash was being quiet and extra careful with the people he had in his car, but he chanced a glance when he smelled the container open.
“I can’t wait,” he declared, reaching his hand over and snatching one before Harper realized what he was doing.
She smacked his hand. “Seriously, Cash?”
“Seriously, Harper?” he fired back.
She reached over and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Later on, you can have all the cookies you want.”
“I really hope cookie is a euphemism.” A bad-boy grin covered his face, and his eyes shone.
Looking at him, she could no longer tell how stressed he had once been. Granted, things weren’t perfect; they were still struggling, but they both realized that they would always struggle. Anything worth having was worth fighting for, even if that fight was hard. They were willing to put in the work.
“What’s a euphemism?” Remy asked.
“Nothing.” Harper reached over and smacked Cash on the arm.
They pulled into the parking area, and Remy scrambled out, squeezing himself between the seat and door before Cash even unbuckled his seatbelt.
“Remy,” he yelled after him.
“He’s excited,” Harper shushed him. “I bet this is the best Christmas he’s ever had, doesn’t even matter that the present he got was a big one for all of us.”
They got out of the car, meeting in the middle of the front.
“I seem to remember us stopping at my car a few months ago and having a conversation about
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