Thirty-Seven: Pierce

THIRTY-SEVEN

PIERCE

“ T he twins are down for the night.” Harlow set the baby monitor on my desk. “I’ll see you two on Monday.”

“Monday?” Olivia whined. “You just got back!”

“I know.” She kissed her forehead. “I promised Sasha I’d join her for a weekend away at the beach, though. It’s for her birthday.”

“Why can’t I come, too?”

“It’s only for adults,” I said. “Besides, you have a packed weekend schedule with your soccer team, anyway.”

“I guess.” She hugged Harlow before plopping into the seat by my window.

“Well, um…” Harlow looked at me, biting her bottom lip. “I’ll see you Monday.”

“Okay.” I nodded, wishing we were alone. “See you Monday.”

She walked away, and I debated going after her before she spent four nights away from me, but I kept my composure.

“Oh wow,” Olivia said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “You really like Miss Hawthorne, don’t you?”

“No.”

“You do! That’s why you’re doing that telltale thing that Sasha’s grumpy book heroes do.” She laughed, clapping her hands. “It’s so obvious, Uncle Brooks.”

“What are you talking about, Olivia?”

“It’s that thing that happens when the hero and heroine are unsure of how to act around other people, when they're still struggling to fully show their feelings.”

I gave her a blank stare.

“Her cheeks flushed red when he stared at her, and the tension in the room was palpable to anyone around them…” She paused, tapping her chin. “They both wished they were alone to properly say goodbye, to show how desperately they’d miss each other, but now was not the time or place. Her lips and his touch would have to wait…”

“What the fuck have you been reading?”