A Second Chance

14

Ryan

After our coffee stop at a drive through, I took Harper back to the lake. In the morning sun, defrosting from the coolness of the day, we walked along the shoreline, talking and laughing while finishing our coffees.

I saw the loneliness and sadness in her eyes last night and I had decided to keep her distracted for the day today. The grass beneath our shoes crunched from the frost, the morning fog still visible on the lake, barely, but still there.

I saw how Harper played with her blue scarf, tugging at it as she spoke to me, how she told me about herself.

I liked the fact that she was comfortable with me and I liked having her as my friend. It has been a long time since I actually made time to have friends, disconnecting myself from many people years ago.

I watched her intently as she described something to me about her past, who she was as a young adult.

The stories she told me about her life before Willow, her spending time with her friends, smiling widely at the memories as they resurfaced.

I didn't realise it but I was smiling too, watching her talk and laugh. I chuckled at a story about her and a friend of hers, sneaking out off a club through a window to stop some creep hitting on her friend and ditching the crowd she was with for the night, both walking down the main clubbing street of the capital till they found a shop open, selling ice cream and sitting on the footpath, eating them.

"There we were, both wearing skimpy dresses, high heels, immaculate makeup, sitting on the footpath eating ice cream like a couple of ten year olds." Harper laughed as we followed the shoreline.

"These past few weeks have taught me something valuable though." She said softly, a small and loving smile on her face.

"And what is that?"

"I've made many choices that I regret. And you helped me see that last night. We all make mistakes. But we learn. Maybe not the first time or the second. Hell, in my case it was the... eighth time. But out of everything I've done, I can't regret meeting Connor."

I frowned at her words, unsure on what she was getting at.

"I just can't regret it. He gave me my Willow." Then she turned to me. "Is that wrong to say? That I don't regret marrying my ex because he gave me my daughter?"

I relaxed and grinned. "No." I shook my head and saw how she relaxed as well.

Harper nudged at me, using her shoulder, a mischevious smile on her lips as she peeked up at me.

We kept walking, following the water meeting the sandy grass areas, in a comfortable silence.

Harper looked at peace as she looked around her, taking in the scenery. "Ryan? I really need to thank you."

"Whatever for?" I asked lazily.

"For everything. You have helped me so much more than you think." But Harper didn't say anything else.

I have noticed these past couple of weeks that Harper is happier, mainly since Willow started coming with her. Harper has only been working for three or four weeks now, but it feels a lot longer than that.