Solitude Grace

Chapter Twenty-Two

Lisa leaned in for another kiss, only to have Harper put her down and step away from her.

"I would like nothing more than to have another, but your father is coming up the stairs." Harper bowed his head as he turned around, feeling Lisa's small figure standing behind him.

A minute later, Miles rounded the corner into Lisa's room with a ready look on his face and his stance fully alert for whatever were in front of him. He spotted Harper and with an anger Harper had never once seen on the man's face, he made his way to stand before Harper, grabbing the boy by his white T-shirt and pushing him in to the closest wall.

"What did you do to her?" He growled into Harper's face.

For a moment Harper considered being scared, but then he looked to Lisa and felt a bliss atmosphere at the mere sight of her and the amused look upon her face.

"Dad, will you let him go?" Lisa came to his side, taking Harper's hand in hers. "We had a stupid and smal argument, no big deal."

"What was the argument about?" Miles slammed Harper into the wall one more time. He had never heard his little girl yell at anyone the way she had with Harper, the boy must have done something very wrong and for that he would pay.

"Hey Dad, seriously, cut it out, you're gonna hurt him!" Lisa finally took what her dad was doing seriously and tugged at his arm.

Miles looked the boy up and down, anger pulsing through still like an electric current, he barely registered Lisa's pleas. As his eyes drifted to the boy's neck, he found a dark bruise lining around his whole neck and then watched as the boy's eyes darkened. 

"You're trouble." Miles said under his breath.

"Sir, I have done nothing wrong." Harper finally spoke, keeping his voice controlled but tense.

"The hell, what's with the bruises then!" Miles finally released him as he saw the boy's face grimace for a minute.

Lisa hadn't noticed these bruises and mentally cursed herself for not paying attention. She moved to stand beside Harper the minute her dad moved away, taking his hand in hers and leading him to her bed, fully aware of her father's presence right behind her.

As he sat on the end, she kneeled down and looked up at the dark bruises around Harper's neck. They were clear imprints of hands that had gripped him by the neck hard enough to leave bruises and hard enough to stop his breathing.

He had said he had been distracted this morning, and now for the first time, Lisa's wondered what exactly he had been distracted by.

"You're a fighter, aren't you? Like getting yourself into trouble, I was young, I know how it is. But like hell my girl's getting involved with you!" Miles yelled from where he stood.

Harper had finally had enough of the man that seemed to reign superior over himself, he tried lunging for him, only to be stopped by Lisa's hand pulling him back to the bed.

"Dad get out." Lisa said dismissively.

"I'm not leaving till he is." 

"Then you're gonna be here for a while or I could just get mom up here." Lisa threatened, turning her glare towards her father.

He let out a frustrated groan before starting towards the door, making an emphasise of hitting the wall on his way out. Down the hall an audible grunt could be heard and Lisa guessed her father must of hurt his hand.

She turned her attention back to Harper who looked down at her with an annoyed look upon his face. She completely ignored that and reached for the bruises, only to have him flinch away from her with a clear scowl upon his face.

"I'm just having a look." She knew asking him what happened would be pointless, he would avoid the question with one of his own.

"I'm fine." Harper replied, his voice gruff.

If only the man had left well enough alone, Harper wouldn't have to explain anything to Lisa right now and she would not be looking at him with that concerned face. He couldn't show weakness around her, he could not show that he had been in a fight and therefore he had to shut her out for a while.

"You're clearly not, I'm not stupid." Lisa tried to reach for him again but he took hold of her wrist and pushed it away.

"I said I am fine." He gave her a hard look.

This confused her, just before he had kissed her senseless now he pretended not to care in the least, like her touch hadn't warmed her like his did to her. 

"Whatever." Lisa stood up and walked out of the room. If he was going to act like a jerk again, then she would stay away from him until he found out what he had done wrong and how he had hurt her.

He pushed her away again, he knew he had and the hurt look that crossed her face was yet again imbedded in his mind. He thought he had forgotten it, that he had gotten rid of that hurt look but now it was as clear as daylight in his mind, clouding his every thought.

He groaned in frustration as he ran a hand through his hair. When did protecting her become so hard? Could he not just be with her to protect her? Now she was closer to knowing his secret than before by simply seeing a few bruises on his neck. Though she didn't question him about it, simply examined it. Could her trust really expand to that extent?

He stood up and began pacing. He knew he should apologise but apologising would not do this time, he needed to make a grand gesture in order to earn her forgiveness. 

Finally making up his mind, he rushed downstairs and found Lisa with her parents and Chantelle in the living room watching television.

She spotted him the moment he walked in but chose to ignore him, he knew he really had a lot to make up for.

Harper turned his attention to Miles who now looked at him with an enraged expression and it seemed as if the only thing holding him back was Andrea's hand upon his chest.

"Mr barker." Harper started. "I am not perfect, I am also not what your daughter deserves, she deserves far better and I agree. But I will never intentionally hurt her and she will always be safe with me." He turned to Lisa and walked up to her and kneeled before her, taking her hands in his and he smiled up to her. "I have made so many mistakes in my life, so many I have regretted, but Lisa lessens the guilt with just a smile." He touched her cheek and Lisa could feel the blush starting to appear upon her lips.

He traced a line from her forehead and down her jawline, her soft skin like fresh raindrops, completely pure beneath his rough hands.

"I must sound like every boy you have experienced with Lisa, I wish exactly what to say to earn your trust." Harper stood up again. "But the only trust I truly care about would be Lisa's. So whether or not you trust me does not affect what I feel for your daughter." He turned to Miles who wore a blank expression upon his face before he turned back to Lisa. "If she'll still have me after how rudely I acted."

Lisa had definitely not expected this from Harper. He never spoke like this, he never spoke more than a few sentences and now he had proclaimed his feelings for her openly in front of her parents and Chantelle. 

Lisa at that point had been completely won over and stood up from the couch, took hold of his shirt and pulled him down to her, pressing her own lips to his only for a second.

"You still have explaining to do." She mumbled against his lips, a smile in place as she pulled back and savoured the dazed look on his face until he righted himself and sat down.

She smiled down at him sitting down and placed herself on his lap. 

Harper wasn't used to being so close to Lisa but quickly slipped his arms around her small waist and pulled her closer to her chest where she rested her head and exhaled with contentment. He rested his own head above her head and placed a sweet kiss upon it.

"And here comes the lovey dovey crap." Chantelle grumbled beside the two, making Harper, Lisa and Andrea laugh while Miles still remained shocked in place by what he had just heard.