One Night - Forbidden Hearts Series Book 1

25. Little White Lies

I paced inside Harper's apartment as I waited for my London contact to call me back. She's been gone for a couple of hours now and it's given me time to think. Which isn't really a good thing. When I pulled away from her back in London, I had good reason. Losing my mom was unexpected and I don't know if I will ever get over it.

I was really glad that Ryan was there when she passed. I should have told him sooner about her condition, but I was trying to keep my promise to her. I didn't realize how much I was going to need him, and I owed him for that.

Having Harper there was a saving grace. I've never relied on somebody like that. Hell, she's the only person that I've ever had sex with on a regular basis. Not to mention, we never used protection. Well, aside from the first time. She was on the pill and, honestly, I was selfish with her. I loved the way it felt when I was with her without a condom.

In London, when she came into my room that night and simply stayed with me in an attempt to comfort me, something changed. I felt more open to her, more connected. The truth was, I wanted more. And that scared me. It scared me so much that I pulled away from her. I told myself I wouldn't see her again. I told myself I would stay in London and just tell Ryan that I couldn't come back to the States.

I told myself that for three days straight. Next thing I knew, I booked a flight to return to New York. During the long flight, I couldn't help but think about her. I was sure she was upset that I fell off the map for a little while. I told myself she would be understanding and, of course Harper being Harper, she was.

Another thing I thought about was the conversation that went on between her and my mother. I still had no idea what was said and whatever my mother said would probably piss me off. I noticed the way she would look from me to Harper.

If my assumptions were correct, she was trying to play matchmaker before she died. I had confided in her about Ryan's arranged marriage when I got to Hawaii. If she had no idea about that, she would have probably beat me with her IV pole if she knew I had a thing for Ryan's fiancé. I'm going to try to ask Harper again about what she said. But for now, I needed to figure out my current situation.

Not only did I hop on a flight to New York suddenly with a strong need to see her, I also came straight to her apartment when I landed. That was probably not one of my smartest moves. Someone could have been over here and would have questioned what I was doing there.

None of that mattered once I saw her reaction. She ran to me and threw her arms around me when she laid eyes on me. As for what happened after...I've never felt anything like that before.

My cell phone rang, bringing me back to the present. I knew who it was immediately. "Bill, thank you for calling me back so quickly."

"Of course, I'm happy to help." Jackson's long-time friend paused a moment before he said, "I found something."

"Tell me," I said, curious as to what secrets he uncovered.

"Looks like Harper's parents' business is almost bankrupt. By the looks of it, they either need a buyer or to merge with another business. When I dug a little deeper, I found out that if they didn't figure something out fast, they were going to lose everything. Including their home, assets....everything."

My mind started to spin at Bill's information. No wonder Harper's mom was so adamant about this wedding. That also explained why she was treating Harper the way she was, even though that's no excuse. I needed to tell Harper this information, and I had no idea how she was going to take it.

"It looks like they've been struggling for years," Bill said. "They took out a second mortgage five years ago and they've been falling behind on the payments."