well. Then he put the first load into the washing machine, relieved that he could at least provide Harper with clean, dry clothes come morning.
There were a handful of books amongst Harper’s belongings, and those required a little more attention if there was any chance of stopping them from warping as they dried. The photographs and art were a different story altogether. A few had come through mostly intact thanks to their frames, but others were completely ruined. He did what he could to salvage the less damaged ones and hoped at least some of the rest were replaceable.
The doorbell rang, and he looked in at Harper as he passed the bathroom, finding the omega dozing lightly. William tipped the delivery guy generously as he took the bags from him, and then carried them up to the kitchen. He got everything ready, then returned to the bathroom.
“Have you shriveled up like a prune yet?” he asked softly, going to his knees next to the bath.
Harper cracked an eye open and regarded his hands. “Yep. But everything is warm and pink, and I can feel every one of my fingers and toes. No frostbite here.”
“No frostbite here,” William agreed, grabbing a washcloth and soaking it in the water.
Harper eyed him sleepily but didn’t protest when he ran the cloth down the omega’s arms, washing away a few trails of dirt that were probably courtesy of the bags he’d been carrying.
“My stuff…” Harper’s lower lip trembled.
“Most of the clothes can be saved. The electronic stuff, we’ll know in a day or two. You’ll be able to salvage most of the rest, but a few photos and some artwork didn’t take to getting waterlogged.”
The omega bit back a sob. “They’re just things, so I know it doesn’t make sense to be this upset, but…”
“But they were your things,” William agreed softly.
“I guess it’s not even the things, it’s the memories. I don’t have a lot of stuff, and what I do have means a lot to me because of what it reminds me of.”
“The memories won’t disappear just because those things are gone. And you’ll make new memories, happier ones. Soon, these last few weeks will be distant, forgettable even.”
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea to forget how you got to where you are. If you don’t know that, how do you find your way back if you get lost?” Harper reached out and caught William’s hand. “I always want to be able to find my way back to you.”
William smiled. “I feel just the same. And to think, if it hadn’t been for the agency, we might never have given each other a chance.”
Harper laced his fingers with William’s. “We have a lot to thank them for. Of course, we can never tell them because we broke literally all of their rules.”
William blinked at that. “Uh, Harper? Didn’t Francis call you?”
The omega frowned at him. “Who’s Francis?”
“Francis Drake, one of Inspire Inc.’s senior executives. And one of the founders of the agency.”
“Why would he be calling me?”
“He said he would.”
Harper shrugged. “The agency was trying to call, but you’d already paused our schedule, so I didn’t see any reason to answer them.”
“Ah.” That explained a lot.
“Why? What did they want?”
“They made a small error in their calculations of our compatibility. It turns out we should never have been paired together.”
Harper tensed, sitting up and staring at him. “We’re… we’re not compatible? Are you joking? That can’t be right. Look at what’s happened, and all your ideas, and—”
“Harper.”
He waited patiently for the omega to calm down and meet his gaze. “We’re not incompatible. We’re ultra-compatible. The way Francis tells it, by pairing us together, our falling in love was a foregone conclusion.”
Harper’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, no. Does that mean they know? Are they going to want their money back?”
William did not like Harper’s panicked expression one bit. He framed the omega’s face between his hands, holding his attention.
“No and no. They’re aware our relationship got complicated, but not the extent of it. They’re going to pay out what you’re owed for the rest of the contract, repay what I’ve paid them, and terminate our agreement. They’ve also offered compensation in exchange for us signing a non-disclosure agreement—the value of the contract on top of what they’ve already paid, plus access to a therapist at their expense. They’re very sorry for their mistake.”
He patted Harper’s cheek gently and let go as the omega sank back into the bath, exhaling slowly.
“That’s much