“You weren’t gonna ask me?”

“Do I have your blessing?”

“I don’t know,” he grits out, and I fight back a smile.

“Just sayin’ I’m asking her one way or another, but she’d probably love it if she knew I had your permission,” I say, and then set my beer down and lean into the counter between us. “I love your daughter, Nico. I’ll work my ass off to protect her, to keep her happy, and to make sure every day she’s on this earth is a good one. Part of her being happy is you and me getting along, but in order for that to happen, you need to back down when it comes to us. I get that she’s your girl, but you need to understand that now, she’s mine.”

“You have my permission.”

“Fucking finally,” I mutter, picking my beer back up and putting it to my mouth.

“Are things with you always gonna be a pain in my ass?”

“Probably.” I shrug, telling the God’s honest truth. My dad taught me that respect is earned and with Nico that goes both ways.

“Fuck me,” he mutters, taking a pull from his beer. “You got a ring?” he asks after a minute.

I grin. “Yeah.”

“Can I see it?” he asks, and I think about it for a second then head back to the bedroom. I get the box out of the bag I shoved up in the top of the closet out of her reach. Pulling the ring out, I toss the box on the bed then head back to the kitchen.

“I see you didn’t fuck around with spending money on her ring,” he remarks, taking it from me. He’s not wrong. It cost a mint to have a designer in L.A. make the ring for me from scratch, but I knew what I wanted for her and knew it would be perfect when it was done, so it was worth it. “How long before I have a grandbaby to dote on?”

“I want time with her before we start having babies, and I know she has things she wants to do before that too.”

“Her goals,” he says quietly, his eyes on the ring he’s still holding.

“Yeah,” I mutter. “Her goals are important to her, which means they are important to me.”

He pulls his eyes off the ring to look at me. “You’re making it hard for me not to like you, Harlen.”

“What can I say? I’m a likeable guy,” I mutter, and he shakes his head.

Handing me the ring, he picks up his beer and finishes it off. “If anything else happens with Hofstadter, call me before you go in to deliver another message.”

“Sure.”

“I’m serious. This isn’t me being a dick; this is me looking out for my family.”

His family

Fuck me

“I’ll call.”

“Good, and Sophie will expect a call from our daughter after you ask her.”

“I’ll make sure that happens,” I agree, and he lifts his chin then turns for the door, walking right out without another word as it closes behind him.

Picking my beer back up, I slug it back then head for the bedroom to return the ring to the box and put my bag back in the top of the closet. After that’s done, I go to the kitchen to start dinner.

***

Standing on the back deck, I pick up the ball Dizzy dropped at my feet, pull my arm back, and let it fly. I watch Dizzy jump over the two steps, down into the yard, and race for the ball. Picking up my cup of coffee off the rail. I chuckle as Dizzy races back toward me, the ball in his mouth as he comes up the steps, dropping it at my feet again. I throw it once more then turn, hearing the sliding glass door swish open.

I scan Harmony from her wet hair to her pink painted toes, feeling my cock jump when I see she’s got nothing on but one of my tees. My eyes focus on hers, searching. I know from just one look that she’s still worried, and that shit makes my anger come back almost full force. Last night when we were lying in bed, it took everything in me not to lose my mind when she started talking about searching for another job. That’s how much this shit is upsetting her. Since almost the moment we met, she’s talked about how happy she is to be working at the hospital, and then hopefully transferring to the emergency room. Every time she’s spoken about one of her goals, her eyes light up with hopeful excitement. That motherfucker took that from her. No I absolutely do not feel bad about putting my hands on him.

“It’s cold out,” she says, and I come out of my head, seeing goose bumps rising on her bare arms.

“You shouldn’t be standing in the open door with wet hair, baby,” I tell her, and her nose scrunches up, something it does whenever she thinks I’m bossing her around—something I think is adorable, which means half the time I boss her around just to see it.

“You shouldn’t be standing outside in a T-shirt and jeans without shoes,” she shoots back, and I grin, watching her eyes drop to my mouth. “Are you packed?”

“No.”

“Harlen, we’re leaving in an hour. You should pack.”

“It’ll take me two minutes to pack.”

“Two minutes?” Her eyes widen, and I take a sip of my coffee to hide my smile.

“I just gotta throw a couple tees and jeans into a bag, babe. So yeah, two minutes.”

“Where’s your bag?” she asks, resting her hands on her hips. “I’ll pack for you after I finish packing for myself.”

“You’re not packing for me. Go blow-dry your hair and finish getting ready. I’ll be in to pack in a few minutes.”

“Honey, we’re going away for three days,” she tells me, something I already know, since I’m the one who booked the cabin for those days.

“And?”

“And… the weather up in the mountains can change. You need more than just a couple T-shirts and jeans.”

“Baby, I’ll pack my shit when I come in. Just get yourself sorted.”

“What if you don’t pack enough stuff?” she questions, her eyes narrowing on mine.

“Angel, first, I don’t plan on us spending much time out of the bed while we’re there, so I don’t need to pack a ton of shit. And second, I’m pretty fucking sure they have stores. If I need something, I can pick it up.”

“Fine,” she huffs, crossing her arms under her breasts, causing her hard nipples to show through the material. “I’ll go finish getting ready, but only because I was going to do that anyway.”

“Right,” I mutter, fighting back a smile, and her eyes drop to my mouth before she lets out another huff then spins around, her hair flying behind her as she goes.

I watch, enjoying the view of her long legs, the back of her thighs, and my tee riding up to just under her ass until she’s out of sight. I then look down at Dizzy, pick up the ball, and throw it again a few more times before it’s time to go in and pack.

***

“Oh my God,” Harmony whispers. She sits forward in the passenger seat to look out the windshield at the cabin in front of us as I pull into the driveway and park. This isn’t the only cabin around. We must’ve passed at least a dozen if not more on the way up the mountain, but it’s the only one for a mile. It’s secluded and private, surrounded by full-grown trees and right on the edge of a cliff. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is,” I agree, scanning the large lower deck and huge picture windows. I know from the listing online that there is also a deck off the master bedroom with a hot tub on it.

“I can’t wait to see the inside. Is someone meeting us here to drop off a key?” she asks as I shut down the engine, and she unbuckles her belt.

“Door should be open. Owners said they’d leave the key on the counter in the kitchen,” I tell her, and she grins then leans in, touching her mouth to mine. Pulling away way too fucking quickly, she pushes open the door and gets out. I open my door and get out to meet her at the trunk, where I grab both my duffle and her large suitcase. I follow behind her up to the deck and into the house when she opens the door.

I drop our bags by the stairs that lead to the bedroom on the second floor, then take her hand and pull her into the house. Releasing her so she can keep going into the living room, I stop at the kitchen to grab the keys off the counter and read the note the owners left with rules for the garbage, since there are black bears around, and instructions on how to use the hot tub. Checking the fridge, I scan the items inside to make sure they got everything I asked for, including two bottles of champagne.