***
“What the fuck?” I hear Harlen growl, then I feel the bed move. Opening one eye then the other, I see that the room is filled with light—not light from the overhead light, but sunlight.
Shit, I must’ve passed out last night. I don’t even remember falling asleep. “What’s going on?” I put my elbow in the bed, and Harlen turns to look at me over his naked shoulder from the doorway. Watching his eyes wander over me and get soft, I feel my belly get warm.
Before he can answer my question, I hear the doorbell go off and watch the softness slide out of his eyes and aggravation slide in. “Someone’s at the door.”
“Crap, it’s probably my mom.” I hop out of the bed and look down at myself. I’m still very much naked. I never sleep naked. I’ve tried but always found I couldn’t do it; I just wasn’t ever comfortable enough to get to sleep and stay that way. Then again, I had never had two orgasms in a row before trying.
“I’ll answer the door. You get dressed,” he says, bringing me out of my thoughts, and my head flies up.
“But—” I don’t have a chance to tell him he should put on his shirt before he’s gone, disappearing out of sight. Running naked to my bathroom, I take care of business quickly then go to my closet, grab a pair of sweats and a tank top, and put both on before running out of the room. When I make it to the kitchen, I find out I was right. My mom is sitting at the island with a smile on her face, and Harlen is filling the coffee pot, shirtless, giving my mom a reason to smile.
“Mom,” I say, probably a little too loudly, and her head spins in my direction then her eyes do a mom sweep.
“Hey, honey.” She does another sweep then gives me a knowing smile.
“Uh… hey.” I go to her, kissing her cheek. “I was going to call you when I got up today.”
“I was in town, figured I’d stop by to check on you,” she explains, and then her eyes go to Harlen before coming back to me. “I see you’re okay.”
“Ugh… Yeah.” I bite my lip, not sure what to say to her. I know she and my dad heard what happened the other night… but still.
“You want coffee, Mrs. Mayson?” Harlen asks, and my mom turns to look at him.
“Call me Sophie, Harlen, and yes, I’d love a cup,” she replies, smiling at him.
“Right,” he mutters, looking at her before his eyes come to me. “Angel?”
“Yes, please.” I take a seat on the stool next to my mom and watch his back muscles flex as he pulls down three mugs from the cupboard above the coffee pot.
Feeling my mom nudge my shoulder, I pull my eyes from Harlen’s shirtless back to look at her. “Friends, huh?”
“It just happened, Mom. I was going to tell you about it, but yesterday got away from me, and then you showed up today before I could call you.”
“I’m not upset,” she says quietly, and then adds, “Your dad might take some convincing.”
“Coffee,” Harlen interjects, setting down two full cups on the island. “I’ll be back, gonna go put on a shirt,” he mutters, and I nod then hold in a sigh when he comes around the island, stopping to give the side of my head a kiss.
I wait until he’s gone to look at my mom. “Dad’s going to have to get over it. I’m mad at him,” I whisper.
“You’re mad at him?” she repeats, studying me like I’ve grown a third head. I don’t think I’ve ever been mad at my dad. Even growing up, I don’t remember ever being mad at him.
“Yes, I’m mad at him. He told Harlen to back off. That is not okay,” I gripe, and her eyes narrow.
“He did that?”
“Yes.”
“He just cannot be believed,” she whispers, looking angry.
Shit.
“Mom.”
“I’ll talk to him,” she says, and I feel my eyes widen. Crap, Mom pissed at Dad is never a good thing.
“Let me handle it.”
“I told him to stay out of it, to let things play out,” she tells me with a jerk of her head. “And then he goes and does that.”
“Mom.” I grab her hand and force her to focus on me. “Let me deal with Dad.”
Studying me, she finally relents. “Fine.”
“Thank you.” I breathe out a sigh of relief then pick up my coffee and take a sip.
“I think he sees a lot of himself in Harlen, and that scares the bejesus out of him,” she admits after a moment, and I turn my head, meeting her gaze. “It will be okay.”
“I know it will,” I agree. It will be okay; it might take some time for my dad to come around, but I know he will eventually and if he doesn’t then… Well I hope I never have to think about that.