didn’t answer me I began to feel a familiar surge of anger bubbling from deep within. “Stop bloody well ignoring me you dipshidiot!” Now he grinned and that irked me too.
“Dipshidiot, nice!” He held out his hand to high five me and I left him hanging.
“Damn you, Harper, how about another rule for this road trip, no lies or secrets.” He raised a brow at that and finally sighed in resignation, lowering his hand back to the steering wheel.
“I need to fly out by the fifth. But,” he looked my way pointedly, “I will only go to Pipeline if you come with me.” My jaw dropped open and I tried to say something, laugh, anything, but the sound was trapped deep down inside me, leaving me utterly muted and confused. “You’ll catch flies like that,” Harper chuckled.
“Why?” The word came out a little manic and high-pitched. Harper had never sought my presence at a single event ever and for the first time I realized that reality hurt. Maybe he really didn’t want me there? He was most likely embarrassed by me. Was this a pity invite? In that instant the overwhelming voice of pessimism reared its ugly head. It had been pleasantly absent but was now back with a vengeance. Perhaps Harper thought I wasn’t good enough to be a part of his world, that world, maybe he liked the separation the tour gave him, time away from me and my boring life. Admittedly I had never asked to go and made it perfectly clear the tour wasn’t my scene, but, at the same time, he had never invited me, never pushed to have me at his side before now. Suddenly Harper’s rule echoed through the back of my mind. No negativity, I had to speak the opposite, out loud! Could I? Would I dare? I would sound like an idiot. Then again, Harper’s methods to break me from my shell of depression had worked so far. Taking a deep breath I began to murmur the words, barely a whisper on my lips.
“I am good enough, he does want me there, I am pretty and I’m definitely not boring.” My mind rattled off the list of opposite emotions that were crushing me. I felt the tears building in my eyes and my vision became a watery blur. Harper’s strong hands on my cheeks, turning my head his way caught my attention. As the tears began to fall, my vision cleared. He had stopped the car and pulled safely off the road, his worried eyes watched me cautiously.
“Louder, Breeze,” he demanded in a voice that commanded obedience. I wanted to ignore him. I wanted to demand he turn around, drive me home and let me wallow in my room, in the cocoon of my blankets. “Again,” he growled.
“I am good enough, you do want me there, I am pretty, and I’m definitely not boring.” I pretty much screamed it at him, tears running down my face.
“Damn straight.” The determination and conviction in his voice made something within me shift. The anger and negativity bled away and I was left feeling uncomfortably vulnerable.
“I can’t do this,” I whispered. Harper’s gaze turned tender, one of his hands wrapped around the back of my neck, the other held my cheek keeping my eyes on his.
“You can and you will. I’m not going anywhere, baby girl. We’re in this together from now on.” The power of his words filled me with a strength that had long been missing from my life. “How can you think I don’t want you there with me? Breeze, you are the only girl I have ever wanted there and the only one who never came. It would have broken my heart except I knew how uncomfortable that part of my life made you. You hate all that pretentious bullshit but I want to show you it isn’t all like that. I want you to see that part of my life, I want you there with me Breeze and I won’t surf another damn wave if you aren’t there to watch me.” He wiped away my tears and I nodded. “And you are the fucking most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, trust me on that. I wasn’t thrilled about leaving you behind and travelling on my own, but at least it kept you away from all
“Dipshidiot, nice!” He held out his hand to high five me and I left him hanging.
“Damn you, Harper, how about another rule for this road trip, no lies or secrets.” He raised a brow at that and finally sighed in resignation, lowering his hand back to the steering wheel.
“I need to fly out by the fifth. But,” he looked my way pointedly, “I will only go to Pipeline if you come with me.” My jaw dropped open and I tried to say something, laugh, anything, but the sound was trapped deep down inside me, leaving me utterly muted and confused. “You’ll catch flies like that,” Harper chuckled.
“Why?” The word came out a little manic and high-pitched. Harper had never sought my presence at a single event ever and for the first time I realized that reality hurt. Maybe he really didn’t want me there? He was most likely embarrassed by me. Was this a pity invite? In that instant the overwhelming voice of pessimism reared its ugly head. It had been pleasantly absent but was now back with a vengeance. Perhaps Harper thought I wasn’t good enough to be a part of his world, that world, maybe he liked the separation the tour gave him, time away from me and my boring life. Admittedly I had never asked to go and made it perfectly clear the tour wasn’t my scene, but, at the same time, he had never invited me, never pushed to have me at his side before now. Suddenly Harper’s rule echoed through the back of my mind. No negativity, I had to speak the opposite, out loud! Could I? Would I dare? I would sound like an idiot. Then again, Harper’s methods to break me from my shell of depression had worked so far. Taking a deep breath I began to murmur the words, barely a whisper on my lips.
“I am good enough, he does want me there, I am pretty and I’m definitely not boring.” My mind rattled off the list of opposite emotions that were crushing me. I felt the tears building in my eyes and my vision became a watery blur. Harper’s strong hands on my cheeks, turning my head his way caught my attention. As the tears began to fall, my vision cleared. He had stopped the car and pulled safely off the road, his worried eyes watched me cautiously.
“Louder, Breeze,” he demanded in a voice that commanded obedience. I wanted to ignore him. I wanted to demand he turn around, drive me home and let me wallow in my room, in the cocoon of my blankets. “Again,” he growled.
“I am good enough, you do want me there, I am pretty, and I’m definitely not boring.” I pretty much screamed it at him, tears running down my face.
“Damn straight.” The determination and conviction in his voice made something within me shift. The anger and negativity bled away and I was left feeling uncomfortably vulnerable.
“I can’t do this,” I whispered. Harper’s gaze turned tender, one of his hands wrapped around the back of my neck, the other held my cheek keeping my eyes on his.
“You can and you will. I’m not going anywhere, baby girl. We’re in this together from now on.” The power of his words filled me with a strength that had long been missing from my life. “How can you think I don’t want you there with me? Breeze, you are the only girl I have ever wanted there and the only one who never came. It would have broken my heart except I knew how uncomfortable that part of my life made you. You hate all that pretentious bullshit but I want to show you it isn’t all like that. I want you to see that part of my life, I want you there with me Breeze and I won’t surf another damn wave if you aren’t there to watch me.” He wiped away my tears and I nodded. “And you are the fucking most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, trust me on that. I wasn’t thrilled about leaving you behind and travelling on my own, but at least it kept you away from all
Similar Books
