Chapter 11

Eleven

Harrison

I ’d been talking to Wren all week during our nightly calls, trying to come up with a good name for the fairy-tale plan. Every time I heard one of her suggestions, I couldn’t help but think that Everly living here with me was my fairy tale.

I saw her in a different way. The only issue was her reluctance to believe in love and relationships. But I was confident, between Wren and me, we could find a way to chip away at her defenses.

“You ready for this?” I asked Wren when I picked her up for our Wednesday night visitation. Tonight, Everly insisted on cooking dinner together and eating on the fancy dishes my mom gave me when I bought the house. Taking Wren’s advice, I brought two bouquets of fresh flowers home and lit candles.

She nodded solemnly. “I made a list of my favorite movies.”

“Good girl,” I praised her, meeting her gaze in the rearview mirror.

Wren gripped the loose-leaf sheet of paper. “We’ll start with Cinderella and move on from there.”

I nodded solemnly, picking up on her cues. “Sounds like a good plan.”

She sighed long and hard. “I don’t like our name for it. Fairy Tale Plan is so blah.”

“Tell me about it,” I said, amused that she was taking this so seriously.

“What if we call it Our Fairy Tale ?” I asked.

Wren rolled her eyes. “Dad.”

“Was that lame?” Whenever she called me “Dad” with a heavy dose of disgust, I figured I was being too cheesy for her.

“Ya think?” she asked flippantly.

“Okay, tween ager,” I teased.

Her nose scrunched. “Don’t call me that.”

“If the shoe fits—” I let my voice trail away on the last word.

We pulled into the driveway next to Everly’s car. I’d gotten used to her parking there. My heart rate picked up each time I saw it.

“She’s here,” Wren singsonged.

I put the car into park and turned off the engine. “Fairy-tale plan in action.”

“Did you get new flowers?” Wren asked, ticking the items off on her fingers.

“Check.”

“A good playlist for music?”

“Done.”

“You showered after work?”

I sniffed my pits.

“You’re so embarrassing,” Wren said, looking away from me.

“Hey, you’re too young to be embarrassed by your father.”

“Not everyone has you for a father.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” I said, getting out of the vehicle before opening her door.

Inside the foyer, I winked at Wren and called out, “Honey, we’re home.”

“I’m in the kitchen.”

I was so excited to have Wren home with us and to see Everly flitting about in my kitchen that I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to me, kissing her soundly. Pulling back, I asked, “How was your day, dear?”

My words were cliché, but the meaning behind them wasn’t. I wanted to come home to her every day. I wanted to see if the sparks I felt when we touched went further. Would they catch fire if we truly let go?

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Fine.”

“We’re going to turn that ‘fine’ into a ‘great.’ Aren’t we, Wren?”

Wren cocked her head. “Really, Dad?”

I winced. “Lame again?”

She sighed. “Very.”

“My daughter thinks I’m lame. I’m sorry,” I said to Everly.

“I think you’re cute,” Everly said as she opened the oven to check whatever she was cooking. It smelled like roasted chicken and veggies.

My mouth dropped open in mock shock and then said, “You see that? My lady thinks I’m cute.”

Everly sighed long and hard. “I’m not your lady or darling or dear.”

I hip-checked her lightly. “Should I call you schmoopie?”

Everly laughed. “Please don’t.”

Wren covered her ears as she headed out of the room. “I’m going to the bathroom. Please be done with this when I get back.”

I took the opportunity to crowd Everly against the counter. “What about honey ?”

Her nose scrunched. “No.”

“ Gorgeous ?” That one felt right. I’d need to save it for sexy times if they ever happened.

She laughed, but her cheeks flushed. “Uh. No.”

“You liked that, though. Your cheeks are pink,” I said, cupping one with my hand. “Let’s try one more.” I racked my brain for the perfect moniker. “What about baby ?”

Her breath hitched.

I lowered my head. “You like that one.”

“Harrison, what are you—”

“I’m doing exactly what I want to.” I lowered my lips to hers, soft at first, then more insistent, and she opened her lips, letting me in. I took my time, angling her head to the position that I wanted. Only when I heard the hall bathroom door open and shut with a click did I step back.

Everly’s cheeks were flushed, her chest heaving as if she was out of breath. As soon as Wren walked in, Everly spun around to check the oven.

“How was school?” I asked Wren, my go-to when I needed a second to gather my thoughts. Up until now, I knew a couple of things: Everly was my friend, and I enjoyed having her in my home. That kiss was deeper and longer than any we’d shared as part of our fake relationship plan, and it was very telling. We had undeniable chemistry.

I couldn’t believe the right woman for me was in front of me all this time. Or maybe I did and was afraid to lose her, so I pushed any signs out of my mind. But now that I’d experienced it, I couldn’t forget it.

Everly was talking to Wren while I was completely lost in thought. I felt like I was seeing Everly for the first time. As a love interest and not just a friend who was helping me out. My heart rate picked up. Could I have this with her every night?

Would she be open to it? Then I remembered her stance on relationships. I had my work cut out for me. The fairy tale wasn’t just showing what was possible. I needed to show her what was possible with me and Wren. And it was everything.

I wanted to love her like I always had, but this time, it was for keeps. I wanted the love to encompass both of us, steamrolling us until we had no choice but to give in. I should have been hesitant. I didn’t know if Everly and I had lasting power, but with our friendship, it was likely.

“You okay, Dad?” Wren asked.

“Yeah, was just thinking about work I have to do.”

“Oh, right. Work,” Wren said. She probably thought I was thinking about our plan, and I was. Just that it had shifted a bit. I didn’t want Everly to meet anyone else. Nope. She was it for me. I just needed to convince her of that.

I lit the candles while Wren found the playlist I’d made for the evening. It was all music from the fairy-tale movies we watched.

“What’s this?” Everly asked when I took the platter of food from her and placed it on the dining room table. “Another fancy dinner?”

“We’re going to introduce you to the fairy tales.”

Everly looked from me to Wren. “It’s not like I haven’t watched them.”

“You have?” I asked, truly surprised. She’d always said she hated them. That they pushed weddings and marriage on little girls, giving them unrealistic dreams of being princesses in a world where royalty didn’t exist.

She waved a hand at me. “Yeah, you know, before.”

I remembered how she used to refer to her life as before and after to signify her father leaving. But I hadn’t heard her say it in a while. I wanted to ask if she was a different person when she was a little girl and if her dad’s leaving changed her that much, but I suspected that one event had changed the trajectory of her life. I wondered if it was why she stayed in her dead-end job, not using her talents, when she could be doing so much more.

I saw her invitations. She was talented. And there was clearly a market for it. Sure, she’d reached out to Gia, but she needed to do more with it. Maybe even start her own business. I intended to encourage her to follow her dreams.

“We’re going to reintroduce them to you. No arguments. This is our plan to show you that fairy tales do exist.”

Everly sat at the table. “They exist in movies. I assumed you’d show me they exist in real life.”

I leaned over, kissing her softly. “I intend to. Just give us time.”

I exchanged a smile with Wren. Our plan was in motion now, and I could only hope that she was open to the idea that life looked the same as it had when she was a little girl. But she’d shut down the possibilities when her dad left. The only thing that had changed was her. But we could get that carefree girl back. I knew it.

“I’ll go along with your silly plan because it will make you happy.”

I cocked my brow. “That’s the only reason?”

She sighed and then chuckled. “I’m curious to see what you have planned. This should be interesting.”

I winked at her. “And fun. Don’t forget how much fun I can be—”

“ We can be fun,” Wren interrupted.

I held up a hand, showing I felt contrite. “Sorry, Wren. We are so much fun.”

“You two are incorrigible.” But Everly said it with a smile.

“And you love us for it.”

Everly nodded and grinned. “I do. I love you both.”

I sucked in a breath because I wanted her to say she loved me as more than friends. Maybe even when we made love. It was too much. We weren’t there yet, but I could feel it in my chest. That things with her would be different.

“We love you too, Everly,” Wren said, her expression serious.

“That’s why we’re doing this. You need an intervention.” I wanted her to give life another chance. To stop looking at the world through the tinted glasses she’d put on when her father left. Maybe it was na?ve to think we could be the ones to make her see things differently. But why not? We knew her best.

We cleaned up dinner and headed into the living room. I’d purchased a large sectional at some point, wanting to make this home a place Wren looked forward to coming to. The cushions felt like you were sitting on a cloud. The TV was mounted over the fireplace.

I turned off the light and lit the fireplace because Wren said it would add to the ambiance we were going for. Wren created a nest of blankets on the floor, something she’d done since she was little, and got comfortable.

I threw my legs up on the ottoman and beckoned Everly to sit next to me. She huffed a breath as she settled in beside me. She probably wanted to keep up appearances while Wren was here. But I just needed her close.

“We starting with Cinderella ?” I asked Wren.

“Yup.”

I searched the app to find the classic movie and hit play.

Everly snuggled into my side, her head on my chest and her hand on my stomach. “I haven’t watched this since I was a little girl.”

“That’s the idea. Just let go of everything and enjoy it like you did then.”

I couldn’t focus on the movie. I’d seen it a billion times when Wren was younger, but also because Everly’s hand had drifted to my thigh. And my dick noticed. I was fighting the erection every time she shifted her hand.

Whenever I snuck a look at her, she was lost in the movie. Was she remembering how much she enjoyed this movie? Or was she thinking about how ridiculous it was? That no prince would come to rescue the girl from her wicked stepsisters?

I couldn’t see her expression. I just held her close, willing her to feel something, anything other than the apathy that had been coursing through her body for the last eighteen years or so.

At some point, Wren requested popcorn, and I told the girls to watch the movie while I got it. I filled a small bowl for Wren, and one larger one for me and Everly to share.

I wanted to share, to create those moments when our fingers touched by accident. I wanted to feel like a teenager again on my first date. When every movement was closely tracked and examined. Did she want me to hold her hand?

I never had that with Everly. Instead, I’d successfully kept her in the friend zone. I ignored the fear in my chest that I might ruin everything and held the bowl in my lap. She crossed her legs on the couch like she was a kid and dug in. She always loved popcorn.

Everly confided once that her mother always worried about money after her father left, and she wasn’t allowed to get popcorn the few times her mother took her to the cinema on special occasions like her birthday. I’d always remembered it, even though she only told me once, and made sure to offer to buy it if we went out, or make it if we stayed in.

I wanted to spoil Everly. I wanted to show her that she was the Cinderella to my Prince Charming. My chest felt like it was close to bursting with this new revelation. I’d thought I’d stayed close to her over the years, to protect her, to be the friend she needed, when all along, I must have been harboring this attraction. Even if it was buried deep.

I wanted her.

“Is everything okay?” Everly asked, glancing at me instead of the screen.

“Of course.” I dove into the popcorn, chuckling when she protested. “This is mine.”

“We have to share, Cinderella.”

Her face pinched. “Don’t call me that.”

Yet it was how I’d probably always seen her, as the girl who needed to be saved, not from a wicked stepmother or stepsisters but from herself. Her outlook had changed when her dad left, and it was up to me and Wren to show her that love was possible.

I knew it was because Wren showed me the capacity to love unconditionally. But Everly didn’t have that. Her family life was less than ideal. As kids, I’d been pissed at her father and her mother. Neither had protected her. Shielded her. Took the time to tell her she was special and loved. That the fact her father was gone didn’t have to mean anything. It didn’t have to define her. She wasn’t less lovable. But no one had shown her that. And the damage was done.

I had my work cut out for me, but I knew what I needed to do. Treat Everly like the princess she was. She couldn’t resist. Or, at least, I hoped not.

The credits came on, and Wren declared she was tired. “Carry me.”

“Aren’t you too young for that?” And did she forget she was supposed to be helping me out with Everly, giving us time alone together?

I guess it was too late in the day, and she was exhausted from the week. She reverted to being the little girl who needed me for everything. I knew it wouldn’t last much longer, so I asked Everly, “Would you mind grabbing the bowls? I need to get her home.”

“Of course.”

I crouched down so Wren could climb onto my back, and I carried her piggyback-style to the door, where I let her tumble to the floor. She landed on her feet with a giggle. “Daddy!”

“You asked for a ride. You didn’t specify the landing.”

“You always do that.”

“And you love it.” I gathered her things and packed her book bag, hating that she had to leave.

In the car, she asked, “Do you think it worked?”

“I think it was step one of a very long book. We have our work cut out for us.”

“Tell me about it. Who doesn’t love fairy tales?”

People whose childhoods were cut short, who were abandoned by their father and then their mother. Maybe not physically, but mentally.

I met her gaze in the rearview mirror. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I let her words wrap around my heart. It had always been enough before, but now I needed and wanted something more.