Though I had every right to have Harris escorted off the premises, something told me I needed to hear him out. Gael watched me for a second before he grabbed my hand and led us to the office. The baby made little noises filling the silence.
The office door closed, encapsulating us all together. The baby reached for me and I couldn’t help but talk to her. “Why hello there, beautiful. You are such a sweet baby.” A toothless grin met me. “Yes, you are. How old are you?”
Harris cleared his throat and set the diaper bag down and continued bouncing her. “Three months. She seems to like the movement.”
“Sophia did too. Gael and I had to alternate bouncing her when our arms would get sore.”
Finally, Gael smiled at me for a brief second before he resumed his less-than-friendly stance with Harris.
My fingers touched the baby’s outreached hand.
“You seem happy. I’m glad. You deserve it.” The earnestness in Harris’s voice took me off guard.
The room grew awkward. I broke the short period of silence by getting us back on track. “What are you doing in Savannah?”
Taking a few steps, Harris sat in the chair while lightly bouncing the baby on his knee. We sat on the couch against the brick wall. “I’m here on my honeymoon.”
“You’re married?”
From time to time I saw updates on Harris in magazines in checkout lines. Normally, the lines read the same thing about him conquering another empire or being the most eligible bachelor. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen anything for over a year. He had gone relatively quiet.
He nodded. “I am. I married Rachel’s mom. Her name is Christina. I kept the media out of our relationship. They don’t know about the baby. I stepped down as CEO last month and will only remain on the board. The announcement will come out in a month. It’s still confidential.”
An audible gasp left me in shock. This was not the man I remembered. In essence he was giving up control of his coveted empire.
Another soft chuckle left him as he gave me a smile I remembered from the time he hadn’t been jaded by the world. “I deserve the shock. I deserve all the mean things you’ve thought about me these last six years. I was wrong for what I did to you, Ashlin, before and after you met Gael. I’m sorry.” Words escaped me as Harris moved to look at Gael. “And I’m sorry to you, too, for what I did. I know that doesn’t fix it or make it better, but you deserve to hear it.”
“Wh-what happened to you?” It was rude the way I asked, but I had not expected this.
The baby threw her arms up and yelled. Expertly, Harris adjusted her. “Shh, my little pumpkin. It’s okay. Daddy’s fixing things.” He stood and patted the baby on the back. “After we last saw each other in New York, I grew more bitter. The only reason I didn’t come after you was the threat.”
A shudder ran through me thinking about Amelia being in the hospital. Gael took a step in front of me. “Harris …” The warning was clear in Gael’s voice.
“Gael, I’ve changed. A year ago I met Christina. She was only meant to be a one night stand. Then, she got pregnant. I wanted nothing to do with the baby. I offered to pay her off.” Harris’s eyes closed in anguish before they reopened. The idea bothered him. “She refused the payout. All Christina wanted was for her baby to have a loving father. No threats, but she was persistent. By some miracle she convinced me to go to doctor appointments. Then when Rachel was born my entire world changed. I fell in love with her, instantly, and realized I felt the same about Christina.”
A watery smile formed. “You found your happily ever after.”
I was glad for him. Everyone deserved a chance at happiness despite the actions of the past. Though I felt nothing for him romantically, Harris had been part of my life for quite some time. There had been happy times.
He gave Rachel a kiss on the head. “I did. For the honeymoon, Christina wanted to come to Savannah. She always wanted to come here to see the moss growing on the trees. In story books, it reminded her of a magical place.” Harris exhaled a deep breath before continuing, “I took it as a sign for me to make things right. The way I did things hadn’t felt right for a while, but I was too stubborn to admit it. I told Christina everything I did and she still loves me.”
He shrugged like it was unbelievable. Honestly, it was.
Gael watched me closely and I only imagined the thoughts going through his head. If Harris had been the person before me, I might not have ever left him and settled for something less than either of us deserved. Fate had truly had a hand in everything with how it pushed us. “Where is Christina?”
“At the spa. She never had a massage and I wanted to treat her. Rachel doesn’t sleep very well and we’ve decided not to hire a nanny. I want to raise my daughter and any other children we have myself. I won’t make the same mistakes my parents did.”
A smile spread across my face. “I’m happy for you, Harris. And your apology is accepted.”
“Really?” He was shocked.
“Yes. Everyone deserves another chance. I hope you live life to the fullest and enjoy every single minute. They grow up so fast. It’s hard to believe our little Sophia is three.”
Gael walked up to him to shake hands. “I wish you the best, Harris. It took a lot of courage to come here today. I appreciate it.”
Leaning over he picked up the diaper bag. “Thanks. Congratulations on the new baby. I can’t wait for Rachel to have a baby sister or brother.”
“Thank you. And on your new life as well. I’m happy for you, Harris.”