“You did a good job of that.” She chuckles sadly and squeezes my hand. “I still wanted to see you, though. Even afterward, I so desperately wanted to be with you.”

“And that’s why I had to leave. I was angry and shattered and blaming the world for my problems. Making your life miserable. Even back then, I knew you were going to stick by my side. And I know it doesn’t excuse the way I treated you at all, but at least at the time, I think I was so broken that I needed to figure this all out on my own, figure out how to live without constantly thinking about my injury. So when I came back to Port Snow, I took a job I knew was going to challenge me, a job that would either make or break me.”

“Construction,” she whispers.

“Yup. It was fucking hard at first, trying to keep up with everyone else and not showing one ounce of weakness. I didn’t tell anyone about my handicap, but I didn’t have to—everyone already knew the minute it happened. But I swore I would never take special treatment, and the guys never gave it to me. I worked my ass off; most days I came home with a bloody and swollen leg, but I kept pushing forward. If I was going to live this life, I was going to make something of myself.” I shrug. “I might be just a landlord—”

“You are so much more than a landlord—not that being a landlord is even a bad thing—but you are an entrepreneur. You’ve beautified this town, brought old houses back to life. Can’t you see the life you breathed back, not just into your soul but the world around you?”

“I can,” I answer softly, the compliment hard to take, but necessary. It’s about time I realize the strides I’ve made.

“Be proud of that.” And this is exactly why I need this girl in my life again, because she instills a sense of pride in me. She helps me look past my faults and focus on my positives. She sees the beautiful side of me, the strong and caring side that only a few truly know I possess. She is the reason why I’ve been wearing a smile on my face. Because of her, I’ve learned to love myself again.

“I am, or at least I’m coming around to it. It’s not how I envisioned my life, nor is it a complete life without you in it.” She tilts her gaze down, uncertainty written all over her face. “I’m not asking you to jump back into what we had, because I know that’s going to take time, but I am asking for you to give me a chance. I’d like to show you the kind of man I’ve grown to be. The kind of man you deserve.”

Her fingers rub against my hand as silence falls between us, my pulse rapidly beating through my veins, waiting for any kind of answer.

What if she says no? I can’t imagine a life without Harper in it . . . I’ll have to keep proving to her that I’ve changed, that I’ll never leave her ever again.

Harper has always been it for me, since sixth grade. I might not have known exactly what that feeling was back then, but I knew I wanted her by my side.

Finally, she looks up at me, her eyes glassy, her lip quivering.

Fuck.

I steel myself, ready for her rejection.

But when her beautiful lips part, my heart stills in my chest. “I’m still raw from the day you broke up with me. The wound has never healed, no matter what I’ve tried, no matter how far I traveled or who I dated after you. It was still an open wound, one I think only you can sew back together.” Bringing her eyes to mine, she cups my face, her thumb rubbing over my thick whiskers. “This is terrifying, and there’s a part of me that’s screaming, No, don’t do this, but for the life of me, I can’t walk away without at least letting myself see where this goes.”

“So . . . what are you saying?” I ask, hope blooming in my chest.

“I’m saying, why don’t you ask me out on a date, and we can see where it goes from there.”

“Christ,” I whisper, feeling rather speechless. I cup the hand that’s pressed against mine. Taking a moment, I gather myself. “Harper, would you like to go out on a date with me?”

She smiles softly. “I would like that.”

As if a weight has been lifted off my chest, my lungs expand, and I take my first deep breath since the accident. It might not be a promise forever, but it’s the first step in showing her I can be the man she deserves.

I stand and pull her to her feet. “How about having that date now?”

“But we have to go over the house.”

“We can do both.” The feel of her hand in mine sends a wave of satisfaction through me. I escort her out of the den, past the entryway, and straight into the ballroom, where the fire is roaring and a little table is set up next to it, decorated with flowers, water glasses, and a charcuterie platter.

“Are you serious right now?” She eyes me suspiciously. “What if I’d said no?”

I chuckle and walk her over to the table, where I pull out the chair for her. “Then this would have been a really awkward table for one.”

I sit down as well and gesture toward the cheese and crackers. “Help yourself. I got that Boursin cheese you really like.”

“Really trying to butter me up, aren’t you?”

“Is it working?”

She spreads the cheese over a Triscuit. “Maybe a little. I haven’t had Boursin in a long time, so this gets you bonus points.”

I do a small fist pump and pick up a cracker and knife. “Starting off on the right foot.” I wince. “No pun intended.”

She startles and looks up at me, a little shocked, before a tiny chuckle pops out of her mouth. “Did you just make fun of your bad leg?”

“It’s been seven years, Harper. If I can’t joke about it now, then I really need to reevaluate things.”

She bites into her cracker and looks me up and down. “Well, it seems like you haven’t let it hold you back, given your physique.”

“Like what you see, Harp?”

“Let’s just say you’re aging well.”

“You act like we’re almost forty.”

“Well, you are older, aren’t you? All you need is a little salt and pepper mixed in with that full head of hair, and you would be irresistible.”

“What? You don’t think I’m irresistible now?”

Her eyes travel up and down my torso, pausing at my chest for longer than expected. “Ehh.”

Humor tugs at the corner of my lips. “Bullshit. Even before today, I’ve seen the way you look at me, like you want to rip my pants off and push me to the ground.”

“Push you to the ground?” She picks up a grape and pops it in her mouth. “You do realize you probably have about one hundred pounds on me, right?”

“You’ve brought me to my knees before, and I guarantee you could do it again.”

“You’re laying it on thick, Knightly.”

“I have years to make up for.” I grin but change the subject because I don’t want to come off as too needy. Even though I’m the neediest motherfucker right now. “So, ballroom, entryway with stairs, and the wraparound porch for the movie, right?”

“Yes,” she answers, morphing into business Harper. “I think I might offer them the den too now that I’ve seen it. It’s a perfect space for an office. Would that be okay?”

“Completely fine, but I’m going to need all equipment rolled on protective mats. No installing lights; they all have to be free standing, and I’m present during all shooting. I would like to be present for the other properties, but they aren’t as important as the manor.”

“I can understand that.” She picks up another cracker and spreads cheese over it. “Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“How did you figure out who owned the house?”

I knew this question was coming. Hell, I’ve wanted to tell her for so long, but I needed to wait until she didn’t hate my guts but was actually open to starting up something with me.

“I attempted to figure it out about a year ago. As it turns out, when you’re an adult and in real estate, you can find out that kind of thing pretty easily.”

“Why did you wait so long?”

“Well . . .” I take a sip of my water. “For one thing, I wasn’t sure what it was going to cost me to invest in the property, so I wanted to make sure I was financially ready. I knew the minute I got my hands on the manor, I’d want to turn it into the house . . .” I swallow hard. “The house we always dreamed of.”

Her eyes sparkle with emotion.

“And then I wanted to be emotionally ready for it. I didn’t want to be in a dark frame of mind, even though when I bought it last year, I wasn’t my normal self. Hell, I’m still not, but I was better and ready to face all the memories.”

“That makes sense. So how did you find out who it was and convince them to sell?”

“I looked through the database I have access to. The house was listed under a property manager up in Pottsmouth. The owner wanted to remain anonymous, so when I told the property manager I wanted to buy, I was shocked to find out the owner wanted to meet with me. And when she told me Iggy left her the house in his will, I knew right then and there she was the Forever Girl.”

“What?” Harper’s mouth drops open. “You’re telling me Iggy left the manor to his mistress? You know who the mystery girl is? You met her?”

“Yup,” I answer, a hint of cockiness to my voice.

“Well, are you going to tell me?”