Chapter 11

Harper’s POV

I read their messages the moment they came through, each one calm, thoughtful, even kind in a way that caught me off guard, but I didn’t reply. Instead, I closed the app and set the phone down on the counter with a quiet finality.

I don’t want them to think I’m eager. Not like that. Not in a way that smells of desperation.

They said they trust me, that they care, but I can still feel the hesitation threaded between the lines. Their concern was real, and though it was gentle, it was still a question. So I didn’t respond. Not because I don’t want this, but because I can’t afford to look like I do, not too much, not too fast.

Let them wonder. Let them think I’m indifferent. That maybe it doesn’t matter to me whether they say yes or not. Because if I give even a hint that I need this, that I’m hungry for i