Fortune for a Week, page 19
The school nurse had said he had a fever but hadn’t been specific.
Harris paused. “Hold on a second.”
He walked back into the family room and crouched down beside Jackson. “Hey, buddy, do you know where your mom keeps the thermometer?”
Jackson pointed toward the kitchen. “In the first-aid box.”
Harris opened a few cupboards and found what he was looking for. Right on top was a small forehead thermometer. He pressed it against Jackson’s head, and the screen flashed 102.7. Harris’s stomach dropped, but he forced a calm tone as he relayed the number to the nurse.
“That’s a bit high,” the woman said. “We have an opening at three thirty this afternoon. In the meantime, you can give him some fever reducer—acetaminophen or ibuprofen, whatever you have on hand.”
Harris disconnected the call and found the fever reducer in the first-aid kit and measured out the correct dose. He glanced at Jackson, who was watching him with sleepy, trusting eyes, and smiled softly. “We’ll get you feeling better, buddy. Don’t worry.”
“Thanks, Mr. Harris,” Jackson mumbled and then swallowed the medicine.
Jackson turned on his side and pulled the blanket up to his chin. Harris sat beside him on the couch, rubbing his back gently. After a few moments of silence, Jackson asked, “Would you read me a story?”
Harris picked up one of the books that was on the coffee table and began to read. Before long, the child’s eyelids began to droop again. His breathing slowed as he drifted toward sleep. Just as Harris was about to close the book, Jackson’s voice broke the quiet.
“I love you, Mr. Harris,” he murmured, his voice barely audible.
The words pierced Harris’s heart. “I love you, too, buddy.” His voice broke on the last word.
He wasn’t just standing in for Sofia—it was more than that. Jackson didn’t need to be of his own blood to feel like his son. Harris’s chest tightened as he gently brushed a strand of hair from the boy’s forehead. Jackson was fast asleep, his small frame rising and falling with each breath.
Suddenly, Harris realized he didn’t need a child of his own to feel like a father, not when he had Jackson and Kaitlin in his life. They were all the family he needed.
But where was Sofia?
It had been nearly two hours since the school had called. Harris checked his phone again—still no missed calls. His mind raced. What if something had happened to her? What if she was in trouble and couldn’t call? The thought made his heart hammer against his ribs.
He stood up slowly, careful not to wake Jackson, and dialed Sofia’s number again. It went straight to voicemail. Something wasn’t right. Sofia was always reachable. Even when she was busy, she found a way to respond.
He couldn’t sit here and wonder. He had to know she was okay.
Harris walked into the kitchen and dialed the number for The Style Lounge. His hand tightened around the phone as he listened to the line ring. His heart thudded in his chest as each ring echoed in his ear. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, someone answered.
“Style Lounge, this is Heather. How can I help you?”
“Heather, this is Harris Fortune. I need to speak to Sofia—right now. It’s an emergency. Her son is sick, and neither the school nor I have been able to reach her. Is she there?”
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. “Oh no! She’s downstairs doing inventory. Hang on, Harris. I’ll go get her.”
Harris exhaled sharply. The tension in his gut loosened now that he knew she was there. He glanced at Jackson, still asleep on the couch. A moment later, Sofia’s voice sounded over the line, frantic and breathless.
“Harris? What’s happened? Is Jackson okay?”
“Yes, everything’s okay now,” Harris said quickly, his tone softening to reassure her. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Jackson had a fever at school, and they couldn’t reach you. Since I’m on the contact list, they called me. I picked him up, and brought him home. He’s sleeping right now.”
Sofia’s sounded shaky on the other end. “I—I’m so sorry, Harris. I was in the basement doing inventory, and I left my phone in the office. I can’t believe I did that.”
“It’s okay,” he said gently. “I’m with him. I called the pediatrician and made an appointment for later this afternoon, but if you think it’s not necessary, you can cancel it. I just wanted to make sure we had that option in case you wanted to take him in.”
“Oh, Harris, thank you,” Sofia said, her voice thick with emotion. “I can’t believe I missed the call. You’re amazing for taking care of him like this.”
“Don’t you worry about it,” Harris replied, his own anxiety subsiding at the relief in her voice. “I’m just glad I could help. He’s doing fine, but come home when you can.”
“I’ll be right there,” Sofia said tearfully. “Thank you again, Harris. I’m leaving now. I’ll be home in ten minutes.”
“Drive safe,” he said, his voice low and comforting. “We’ll be here.”
As he ended the call, Harris stood in the quiet of the kitchen, looking back at Jackson curled up on the couch. He knew at that moment that no matter what happened between him and Sofia, he would always be there for her kids. That bond had already been forged, stronger than he’d ever imagined.
* * *
Sofia sat curled up on the couch, sipping a mug of herbal tea and processing everything that had happened today.
Jackson was fine. He was asleep in his bed. His fever, which had worried Sofia all afternoon, had finally broken.
Kaitlin was fine, seemingly escaping the bug that had sent her brother home from school. She was sleeping, too. As Sofia had tended to Jackson, Harris had helped Kaitlin with her homework. It was now tucked away in her backpack and ready for tomorrow.
Everything was fine…thanks, in large part, to Harris.
The realization settled over her as warm and comforting as her favorite quilt, lovingly hand-stitched by Abuela. All afternoon, she’d beaten herself up for not having her phone with her when Jackson had needed her. But she’d stopped after Harris had pointed out that mentally flogging herself wouldn’t help anything.
She glanced toward the kitchen, where he was cleaning up after dinner. The smell of the Thai food he’d picked up still lingered in the air. It felt so normal, so wonderfully domestic. For a man who had entered her life like a whirlwind, Harris had found his place here effortlessly. He was good with the kids, good for her. She hadn’t realized how much she needed him until tonight.
Wiping his hands on a dish towel, he looked over at her and smiled.
That smile.
She’d spent too long pushing him away, questioning everything between them, but in this moment, all she could ask herself was why.
Sofia didn’t want him just as a backup or someone to fill in when she couldn’t be there—a qualified nanny could fill that role. She wanted him because… She wanted him. She needed him.
She loved him.
And she was tired of fighting it.
So what if she’d only been divorced for three months? She needed to quit worrying about timelines and what other people might think of her moving on so fast.
Love didn’t live by a schedule.
Most of all, being apart for the last few days…she’d realized that the feelings she had for him hadn’t changed. If anything, they’d grown deeper and stronger as she’d understood what she’d been on the verge of throwing away.
It was time she trusted herself.
“You were wonderful today, Harris,” she said, her voice thick with gratitude. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
A melancholy smile turned up the corners of his lips—those lips that had kissed her so well. Those lips she wanted to taste right now. He looked as if he wanted to say something but was weighing his words.
Sofia couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his mind. Was he thinking what she was thinking? If they called off the annulment, they wouldn’t have to live without each other another day.
She couldn’t bring herself to say it until she was sure that’s what he still wanted, too. She’d pushed him away so much. Wouldn’t it be ironic if, now that she was finally figuring out her heart, she’d pushed him too far? What if he’d decided he didn’t want a life with her as much as he thought he did?
It wouldn’t just be ironic. It would be devastating.
“You certainly got a big, strong dose of life with children today,” she added, her tone light. “Did it cure your family-life fever?”
“Fever, huh? That’s an interesting choice of words.” He chuckled, tossing the towel onto the counter before sitting down beside her. “I don’t know. I think it only made it worse.”
The butterflies fluttered in her stomach. He was teasing, but there was truth in his words. Harris had stepped up today in a way no man in her life had before. While she’d been at the doctor’s with Jackson, he’d collected Kaitlin from school, helped her with her homework, and picked up dinner. After she’d gotten the kids to sleep, he’d made her a cup of tea and insisted she put her feet up while he put away the leftovers and tidied the kitchen.
He hadn’t needed to do all that. After she’d rushed home from work, she’d given him an out. She’d told him Jacinta could’ve picked up Kaitlin. She could’ve managed dinner. But even after she’d pushed him away, he’d been her partner in every sense of the word today.
He’d seen her at her worst, but he’d given her his best. Not just today, but since that morning that they’d woken up married in Vegas.
His gaze softened, and that familiar warmth spread through her. She wanted to snuggle into that space next to him where she’d fit so perfectly, to touch him, to kiss him like they used to before everything had gotten so complicated. But…
Harris leaned back, studying her face as though he could sense the whirlwind of thoughts in her mind.
“The other day,” he said, his voice low, “you told me that I don’t know you. But I’d love the chance to prove that I do.”
“I think you’ve already shown that you know me better than I gave you credit for, Harris. You gave me room when I needed it—” she gave her head a quick shake “—when I didn’t even know what I needed… And today, you stepped up in a way that means so much to me. I can’t even…”
Her voice broke, and tears welled in her eyes.
“I was honored to do it. I know you were worried that if we stayed together, I wouldn’t get to have kids of my own, but one thing I realized today is how much I care about Jackson and Kaitlin. Being part of their lives would be…” He shrugged. “How could I want more? When I’m with you, Sofia, we feel like a family. You and I…we fit. Like we belong together. It’s like we’ve known each other for lifetimes.”
Her breath caught. He’d always had a way of cutting right to the heart of things. But before she could respond, he continued.
“It was a jerk move to try to pressure you to jet off to Paris without giving you time to digest it.”
“I wouldn’t call it a jerk move,” she interrupted, putting a hand on his arm.
“Well, maybe not,” he conceded with a small smile. “But now, I know you well enough to understand that’s not how you operate.”
Her heart squeezed, and feeling a little shy, she glanced up at him.
“What else do you know about me?”
“I know you love hot apple cider,” he said, his smile widening, “and that you prefer Italian rosé to French, which surprised me given your love for all things French. And I know that when you’re skeptical about something, you scrunch up your nose in the cutest way.”
“No, I don’t,” she protested, though she could feel her nose scrunching up at that very moment.
He laughed and took her hand. “You’re doing it right now.”
She covered her face with her free hand and laughed despite herself.
Oooh.
She had missed him so much. What would she do without him?
“I know it’s important to you that people listen and not just form their own opinions. I know you hated how Dan tried to control you, how it always had to be his way. I would never do that to you, Sofia. I’m sorry if it seemed that way surrounding the Paris…um…proposal.”
Harris’s expression grew serious. “Most of all, I learned something priceless this week. I learned that I love you, Sofia. I love you and your children more than life itself. If you don’t want another baby, that’s fine. It won’t change how I feel about you. I want you and this family, but if you’re not ready… I can wait until you are.”
His voice was thick with emotion. “You’re worth fighting for. I know we can make this work if you’ll have me.”
Her heart was pounding now. The words she’d been holding back were bubbling up inside her. Tears spilled from her eyes as she looked at him, really looked at him. How had she been so blind not to realize the man who was meant for her had been in front of her all along?
“The crazy thing is, since we’ve been apart, I’ve been asking for a sign of what to do,” she confessed. “I’m realizing the big sign that the heavens sent might’ve been our wedding in Vegas.
“You told me to trust you,” she continued, her voice trembling. “And I think, deep down, I always did. The person I didn’t trust was myself. I kept waiting for something to go wrong, for everything to fall apart, because I couldn’t believe it could really be this good. But I know now that if I let you go, I’m just ensuring that my trust issue becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I’ll never find this kind of love again because I’ll have let the love of my life slip away.”
She paused, drawing in a shaky breath. “You’re the love of my life, Harris. I love you, and I want us to be together.”
She could see the love in Harris’s eyes as he pulled her into his arms and gently brushed a tear from her cheek. He kissed her, slow and deep, as if sealing the promise they had just made. The kiss was everything she had been missing, everything she had been too afraid to admit she needed. It was full of warmth, love and certainty.
When they finally pulled apart, Harris rested his forehead against hers, his voice barely a whisper. “Earlier, you said you didn’t know what you would’ve done without me. Don’t try. Let’s cancel the annulment.”
Sofia’s heart fluttered. “Really?”
“Really,” he said. “And if you want, we could plan another wedding in Paris. In front of the real Eiffel Tower this time. But only when you’re ready.”
She laughed. Tears of joy in her eyes. She could picture it already—the kids would be there, Abuela, Jacinta, Micah, Harris’s family—everyone they loved. The real Eiffel Tower, not the replica in Vegas where they’d first stumbled into marriage. This time, they would do it right. This time, it would be forever.
“I think that’s a perfect plan,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss him again.
As she sank into his arms, she realized something important. For years, she had been telling herself that love wasn’t real, that it was just a fairy tale people told themselves to make life bearable. But she’d been wrong.
Love was real. It was right in front of her, holding her close, offering her the future she had always dreamed of but never thought she deserved.
“You, me and the kids,” Harris murmured against her lips. “Forever. Do you trust me?”
“I trust you. Forever.”
EPILOGUE
Six months later
Paris, France
The sun hung low in the April sky, casting a golden glow over the Champ de Mars. In front of Sofia, the Eiffel Tower rose majestically, its iron lattice shimmering as it reflected the last of the day’s light.
The cherry blossoms that lined the grassy expanse of the park were showing off in fine fashion for a wedding. Even though she hadn’t realized it before now, as she stood next to Harris getting ready to take their vows, Sofia had dreamed of this moment her entire life, never quite believing it would happen. She was finally in Paris, standing in front of the real Eiffel Tower in her wedding dress with the love of her life. Her heart was full.
Harris looked gorgeous in his black Armani tuxedo. His green eyes focused on her as if she were the only woman in the world.
“You look stunning,” Harris whispered.
“You’re not so bad yourself, handsome.”
Sofia’s heart danced as she glanced from Harris to her children. Kaitlin, her maid of honor, looked like a princess in her pretty pink-tulle dress. The girl’s eyes sparkled as she beamed at her mother. Jackson was Harris’s best man. He wore a cute little tux and a huge grin as the officiant welcomed everyone.
Abuela stood off to the side with Jacinta and Micah. Sofia’s parents had flown in from California. Harris’s family was there, too. His uncle Sander, cousin Kelsey, brother Roth and sisters, Priscilla and Zara, who both watched with tearful smiles.
It wasn’t Vegas. This was the real deal. And, unlike their impulsive first ceremony, where they barely remembered the words they’d exchanged, every moment of this day would be etched on Sofia’s heart.
The officiant guided them through the final part of the ceremony. When the time came to exchange their vows, Sofia handed Kaitlin her bouquet of pink cherry blossoms, white tulips and wisteria, and turned to Harris, putting her hands in his.
“I, Harris, promise to love you, Kaitlin and Jackson with all my heart for the rest of my life. You are my family, my home, and my future. My life.” His voice caught, but he continued. “I promise to be there for you, no matter what the world throws at us. You just have to trust me.”
Sofia laughed, letting the tears slip down her cheeks.
When it was her turn, her voice was thick with emotion. “Harris, once, I told you I didn’t believe in love. I told you that marriage was just a fairy tale. I was wrong. I didn’t know what real love was then, but I do now. This—what we have—it’s real. I trust you, and I promise you, this love, this marriage, will last forever.”
As the officiant pronounced them husband and wife, Harris’s eyes glistened and he pulled her close. Their lips met in a gentle kiss.
