She Loves Me (Harmony Pointe #3) - Melissa Foster Page 0,93
around and Sophie was playing songs she thought I’d like on Spotify, and suddenly I was hit by this overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I’ve been grateful every day—you know that—and the doctor had warned me that I’d go through a range of ups and downs, but this was overwhelming. I hadn’t expected it to hit me so hard.”
“Do you want me to come over?” Harley asked.
“No, I’m good, thanks. It was an incredible feeling. I’m so lucky, Harley. I get to see my girls grow older and see you fall in love. Hopefully the cancer won’t come back anywhere else, so Mom won’t have to bury her daughter.”
“Aw, sis, don’t talk about that.” Harley walked around the bar and sat down at a table. After losing their father so quickly, they all knew just how lucky Delaney was. He’d been petrified when he’d learned of her diagnosis, and he hadn’t been able to breathe right until after the surgery that cleared her.
“It’s big, and I knew that. But now it’s real.” She sniffled, and he knew she was crying.
“You sure you don’t want me to come over?”
“Yes. These are happy tears. But it made me miss Marshall. What if I hadn’t gotten lucky? I could have died without ever seeing him again.”
“That didn’t happen, and it’s not going to.”
He wanted to remind her that their brother had abandoned them a long time ago, and that he hadn’t even been man enough to come back when their father had gotten sick and they’d needed him most. And although he’d never mention to Delaney that Marshall was probably the biggest reason Piper didn’t trust men, the thought ate away at him with a vengeance.
“I know,” she said. “It’s just all so sad. When I was staying with Mom, she talked about him a lot. She misses him, and I think she worries that she’ll grow old and die without ever seeing him again.”
His mother never spoke of Marshall to Harley, and he knew it was because she had heard their argument the day of their father’s funeral. What Harley wasn’t sure of was whether she blamed him for Marshall leaving and never returning after their fight. That wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have.
He didn’t regret a word he’d said to Marshall.
“I don’t know what to say about that.” Harley pushed a hand through his hair.
“Neither do I, but I didn’t call to bum you out. I wanted to ask if you sent me a gift in the mail.”
“No. Why? Do you have a secret admirer?” he teased, knowing someone would have to go to a lot of trouble to keep a secret in Harmony Pointe or Sweetwater.
“I hope so.” She laughed. “I just received a beautiful rose-gold warrior bracelet in the mail. There was no card and no return address, and the bracelet was wrapped in purple tissue paper.” Delaney wrapped every gift she gave in purple tissue paper. “I bet it was one of the girls at work.”
“Probably,” he agreed.
“One last thing—can you be at Mom’s a little early next Sunday for Mother’s Day?”
“Sure. I ordered both of your presents a month ago. They’re all wrapped and ready to be torn open.”
“You’re always so good about gifts. You know you don’t have to get me anything. I’m not your mother.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Harley had picked up where her no-good ex had left off. He wasn’t about to let a single Mother’s Day pass without celebrating his sister as one of the best mothers he knew. “Why are we getting together early?”
“Mom said she wanted to go out to brunch instead of having us make it. I figured it’s her day, might as well do things her way.”
They talked for a little while longer, and then Harley got back to work. There was a steady flow of customers, which made the time pass quicker. When Ben Dalton walked through the door with his adorable daughter, Bea, in his arms, he was glad to see them. They hadn’t played basketball in a few weeks, and Ben rarely came around the pub now that he had a daughter. Like his father, Ben was tall, dark, and serious, but he had a snarky side his father didn’t, and he usually had a smile at the ready. But Ben’s eyes were locked on Harley, and his face was all business. He wondered what was up. He’d checked the stock market that morning, and he knew he hadn’t caused Ben any bad investments.