Secret Millionaire for the Surrogate

“Even to sacrifice your own happiness?”

“Is this a choice you’re thinking of making, son?”

Drew covered his eyes with his hand. “I don’t know. I love her, Dad. But she wants things...things that I think would make me unhappy. How is that good for a marriage?”

“It’s not. But there are compromises, Drew. And when it becomes a choice between keeping or losing the person you love...”

“That’s what Dan said.”

A warm chuckle came across the line.

“I’ll be honest, Drew. Marriage is hard sometimes. It takes work. Sometimes we say things we shouldn’t. Sometimes we—and by this I mean I—make passive-aggressive comments about things like lost opportunities. But truthfully, the best opportunity in my life was marrying your mother and raising you kids. I would have been a fool to walk away from it.”

“But what if...what if I’m not a good...” He struggled over the word, then forced himself to say it. “A good husband. Or father. Am I too selfish for that? I’m so afraid of messing it up.”

“We’re all afraid of messing it up. It’s an important decision. If you weren’t afraid, then I’d be worried.”

A lump formed in Drew’s throat. “Thanks, Dad.”

“You’re welcome. Settling down isn’t a sentence, Drew. It’s an adventure. Believe me.”

Drew laughed, and after a few minutes more they hung up. He stared at the ceiling again, wondering what he was going to do.

And wondering if anything he said would change Harper’s mind.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

DREW WENT TO Harper’s house the next night, feeling slightly sick to his stomach from nerves, but knowing he had to see her and try to make things right.

When she opened the door, he caught his breath. There were no sweatpants in sight tonight. Perhaps she’d just got home from work, because she wore a black-and-white dress and heels, while her hair was up in a tidy topknot.

“Drew,” she said softly, but she didn’t smile. He missed her smile. Wanted to see it on her lips again.

“You look amazing.”

“I had a client meeting at six.” She stepped aside. “I’m assuming you want to come in.”

He nodded. “Yeah. There were things I left unsaid the other night. Things I didn’t realize I wanted to say, you know?”

She kept her chin up, but he saw the flash of vulnerability in her eyes and it both tugged at his heart and gave him a sliver of hope.

“Do you want something to drink?” she asked politely.

“No, thank you.” When she would have passed by him, he reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her progress. “Harper. You said the other night that nothing felt right anymore. That you’re dissatisfied and want more. And I’m here to say me, too. It’s all been wrong since I left, and I’m here to ask if you will give us another chance.”

Wide eyes met his. “What changed? Because the other night you were the same Drew as I remember. Scared to death of settling down and leading a dull life.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Oh, Harper. Life with you is never boring. I’ve been an idiot. Blind, stubborn, scared...but the truth is, I love you. I fell in love with you last summer and it scared the hell out of me. But leaving didn’t make the feeling go away. It just made me miserable and took all the pleasure out of the life I used to have. I need you, sweetheart. And I’m still scared but I’m done with running.”

He let go of her hand and opened his arms. “And I hope if you do any running, it’s to right here. Because I’m not sure I can go on living this way.”

Without saying a word, she walked into his embrace, and the moment his arms closed around h

er, she started to cry. He never moved; he let her cry it out, her hands clinging to his shoulders, his fingers stroking along her hair as he sent up a prayer of gratitude.

Harper breathed deeply and inhaled the scent that was just Drew. He didn’t try to shush her, or tell her it was going to be okay. He simply let her be...just as he had last summer when they’d been together. It was one of the things she’d loved about him most. He’d never asked her to be someone she wasn’t, and even though he’d walked away, he’d never once expected her to change.

And so she cried, for the heart that had been broken and the emptiness she’d felt in his absence. And when she started to run out of tears, he squeezed her close and kissed the top of her head. “Better?” he asked.