The Man Ban - Nicola Marsh Page 0,89

thought he’d made his feelings clear. He thought she understood he’d never opened up to another woman.

But he knew he’d been lying to himself, the part of him hell-bent on self-preservation avoiding making the ultimate declaration of commitment.

He’d never said those words to his mom before she died, and that’s a tragedy he had to live with every fucking day.

Maybe he was incapable of verbalizing his love? Because he did love. He’d loved his mom, he just hadn’t said it in so many words, and then she’d died in his arms and he still hadn’t said it. He loved Izzy, but he rarely spelled it out.

And he loved Harper.

The realization slammed into him and he pulled over fast, earning a honk from the driver behind him.

The engagement party had freaked him out, then Harper had come at him with those accusations and . . . he’d done nothing. He’d sat in this very seat like a dummy, making her think she’d never been anything more than an adjunct to making his grandmother happy.

He should’ve fought harder.

He should’ve tried to convince her he could love, that he did love her.

Instead, he’d talked himself out of it, convinced himself he only cared about her, that it was better this way because he’d never wanted to get married in the first place.

And he’d lost her.

Harper wouldn’t want to see him now, of that he was certain. So he’d drop off her bag, give her some time, and head to the one place that would ground him.

With a frustrated thump on the steering wheel, he pulled back onto the road and drove the remaining twenty minutes to Ashwood. He saw her car in the drive when he parked outside her house, but the front rooms were dark. Had she gone to bed? Was she taking a bath to wash away all traces of him? Did she expect him to come after her and wanted to show she wouldn’t answer the door?

It didn’t matter; he wouldn’t be bothering her regardless. She deserved better than some jerk who didn’t have a fucking clue what he really wanted trying to convince her she’d made a mistake and they should give their relationship another go.

He snatched her bag from the seat and stomped to her front door, where he dumped it. He’d text her after he left so they wouldn’t have a chance of running into each other. He’d made it halfway down the drive when a car swerved into it, almost running him down. It screeched to a stop and the engine had barely shut off before the door flew open and Harper’s mom got out, glaring at him like she wished she’d flattened him.

“What’s happened? Why aren’t you with Harper? She needs you right now. She sounded distraught . . .” Lydia trailed off, and he saw the exact moment concern morphed into anger in her eyes.

“You’re the reason she’s upset.”

A statement, not a question, and he gave the slightest of nods.

“What. Did. You. Do?”

Lydia slammed the car door and advanced toward him, her arms rigid by her sides, her hands clenched into fists like she wanted to slug him. “I thought your grandmother must’ve upset her, but you wouldn’t be out here unless you’ve done something to upset my daughter too.”

Manny didn’t want to have this conversation, but if it made it easier on Harper he’d take the heat off her, because he knew once Lydia made it inside she’d start interrogating, and that’s the last thing Harper needed.

“We broke up,” he said, hating how each word drove a stake through his heart.

Lydia gasped, shock making her stagger a step back. “What? I thought you might’ve had an argument . . .”

“No, it’s more than that. Harper chose to end our engagement, and I respect her decision.”

He refrained from saying, You should too, because it wasn’t his place. He had no say in Harper’s family, not anymore, and they’d hate him as much as she did when they discovered the truth shortly.

Lydia shook her head, as if trying to clear it. “I’ll repeat my earlier question. What did you do?”

More a case of what he didn’t do—convince Harper what they had was the real deal despite the brevity of their relationship, show her how much she meant to him, tell her he loved her—but it was too late for any of that.

“I think this is a discussion you need to have with Harper.”

“I will, but I want to hear it from you first.” Lydia jabbed