Money was one thing—he had plenty of that and could offer everything Harper and a child could ever want. But he wasn’t going to be a hands-off dad...he just had no clue how to open his heart just enough for his baby and not get hurt.
After being shut down for so long, Ethan wondered if any of this was even possible.
Three
Harper clutched the notepad and pen as she circled the open ballroom once more. She would’ve already had all the last-minute notes she needed had her mind not been preoccupied volleying back and forth between redecorating Mirage and decorating a nursery.
Focus.
She had to remain true to her sister’s dream and to this job. Yes, her life had taken a complete twist from what she’d planned, but she wasn’t going to get off course. She had a job to do, and what type of mother would she be if she just gave up on her commitments whenever life got difficult or scary?
There. See? She was already thinking like a parent...not that she knew much about that role. The closest thing she’d had, her one and only life support, Carmen, had been taken much too soon. Harper would give anything to have her sister/parent/best friend here to offer advice or a hug. Harper could definitely use a consoling hug right about now.
Tears pricked her eyes, and she cursed as she blinked them away. Getting upset wouldn’t change a thing, which was why she needed to focus and stay on track.
Harper jotted down a few more last-minute notes as she slowly made her way around the open space once again. This room was currently closed off from the rest of the resort. From what Harper could gather, when Mirage first opened, there had been quite a few extravagant dances and receptions here. She wanted to bring this room back to life and compete with the newer resorts that had opened recently.
The resort was beautiful; the location demanded nothing less. But there were areas that had been overlooked and neglected for a few years, and she was overly excited, if a bit nervous, to revamp the entire place and polish those hidden gems back to a new sparkle.
She’d already done all of her designs and had everything ready to go. But the nervous worker inside her wouldn’t let her rest. She wanted to look at each room, making sure there were things she hadn’t forgotten.
This would undoubtedly be the most pivotal project she may ever take on. Perfect timing considering she was also taking on the most important role of her life...mother.
Harper glanced to her notes and realized in all her wanderings over the past couple of hours, she’d managed to doodle a baby rattle on the paper.
She’d always been one to leave random drawings on her work, but she truly had no idea she’d done this on her sketches and notes about the ballroom.
Good thing she was the only one who would see these, right?
Just as Harper started to leave the grand ballroom, her cell vibrated in her dress pocket. With her free hand, she pulled it out and stared at the text from her doctor’s office confirming her appointment.
She’d make a quick day trip to LA and be back here and on the job, hopefully before her father arrived. She really wished he’d get here, because there was only so much she could do without getting his approval. Oh, she’d love to have free rein, but he wanted to give one final okay to everything before she was let loose with the funding to start tearing up all the old to replace with new.
Sliding the cell back in her pocket, Harper made a mental note to tell Ethan about the appointment when she met up with him later. And that was just absurd. Going back to his penthouse for dinner like they’d been doing, like they were just going to continue this fling as if nothing had changed.
Talk. That’s all they could do tonight. There would be no sex. In fact, she’d find the ugliest thing she’d packed and wear it. Granny panties, too. Nothing sexy at all was going into that penthouse suite.
Actually, Harper should probably tell him they’d have dinner in one of the main restaurants. That would be best all around. They needed to curtail their desires. They’d had sex—amazing, toe-curling sex—but now it was time to move on and figure out what was best for all three of them.
First, she needed to learn more about the man. How cliché could she be? Meet a man, have a fling and still know nothing about him. Of course, she knew that if her sister was here, Carmen would likely buy Harper a drink and toast to the fact Harper had finally let loose and had a good time...then she’d promptly follow that up with some very real advice on how to embrace this new role of becoming a mother.
Of the two sisters, Harper had definitely been the more responsible, the more structured one. Carmen had taken after their mother with a little more of a free-bird mentality. Harper had never let loose...ever. She’d been so structured—until she came here.
But now more than ever, she’d need that structured mind-set to get through the project and her pregnancy. She needed a timeline and some type of plan for the future. Raising a baby while trying to grow a business would be a challenge, she had no doubt. But she wasn’t going to worry about that now. Millions of women worked and raised children. Harper had no doubt she could and would do just fine.
Harper slid open the door to the hallway and jumped.
“Ethan,” she gasped. “What are you doing here? This area is closed off to guests.”
If his wide eyes were any indication, he was just as surprised to see her.
“So why are you here?” he countered.
Harper chewed the inside of her cheek and considered how much to share. He’d find out everything at some point anyway, right? They’d well surpassed the fling stage.
“I was actually hired to revamp this resort,” she confessed. “That’s why I’ve been here so long—and will be for a while longer. I need to be part of each step and oversee the progress.”
Ethan stared at her for another moment, his brows drawn in as if trying to figure something out. Silence settled between them, and she wondered what could be so interesting about what she’d just said.