Lucas had always considered himself to be pragmatic. Possibly even to a fault. Given what went down between him, his brother, and his mate, he used to detest that aspect of himself, as he did many other qualities of himself.
But that was in the past.
Though he remained pragmatic, he had become a lot less self-deprecating. Because, to his great surprise, the pain he had felt when Harper turned him down in Velaris was much less as soon as he was back in his room in his apartment.
As he sat at his desk and looked at the window in his room, he thought about the time when he was still bound to Harper and how agonizing and incredibly difficult it was for him to make decisions that did not involve her. But he suddenly sobered up quickly, and making decisions became a lot easier for him. And a few months later, with the wind at his back, he finally took a step in a different direction.
A twitch of a smile appeared on his face as he took a quick glance at his watch. It was time to leave. He quickly crammed a few documents that would need his further attention later into his briefcase.
It had been three years since he had taken over the Carmichael Group of Companies as the CEO, and because of his extensive knowledge as well as experience working for the company as Alex's assistant, along with his remarkable organizational skills, the business had been operating without a hitch ever since he had assumed control. Regardless of the complicated nature of his relationship with the Carmichaels, particularly Alex's father, Ramon.
He picked up the last stack of documents he had been reviewing for the past few hours and was about to head directly to the airport when he received a text message. Sighing, he decided to stop by *Merricup* first.
It was a frigid day in early January, so he put on a warm peacoat, scarf, and boots over his shirt and jeans. He assumed that after living in Alaska for a half-year to kick-start his new life, he would be used to the frigid temperature by now, but the cold in Merribridge was something else—always nipping.
Soon after, he arrived at the charming coffee shop that was located only a few blocks from the place where he was staying. The Merricup was a little café that was sandwiched in between two large brick buildings that were once home to a bookshop. Harper's father owned the shop, and she managed it.
Lucas grabbed the doorknob and yanked the door open, causing a string of bells to jingle loudly to announce his arrival. The smells of freshly brewed coffee and tea, chocolate, and cinnamon welcomed him inside.
The interior of the coffee shop, which Harper herself had designed, was decorated with photographs of several coffee shops in New England that hung on the old brick walls. The place exuded a warm and welcoming vibe, and the presence of bean bags, comfy chairs, and couches emphasized the general sense that one was in their own living room. It was the kind of place where one could have a cup of coffee or tea, a delicious pastry, and a good book; in fact, there was a book shelf against the far back wall.The counter was built of wood with an old cash register. Above it was a glass cabinet filled with handmade baked goods.
Running the shop were Harper and a teenager, whose appearance screamed gothic and cynical.
"Lila! A little help here, please!" The gothic teen shouted over the heads of a few customers who came to get something warm.
"Hey, it's not my fault that I'm late. Okay? Blame the bad weather," Lila, who looked like she belonged in beauty pageants with her flawless black complexion and almond eyes, responded, taking off her coat and hanging it on the coat rack. She put on her apron, went behind the counter, and made a caramel frappuccino for an impatient man who was carrying a suitcase while she listened to Paula's never-ending griping.
Then Lucas, who was now seated at one of the tables, tilted his head and noticed Harper behind the pastry display, shaking her head and smiling at her bickering young staff.
The next hour was quite busy, and by the time Lucas got up from his seat and approached the counter, a woman had already left with her order, so he was able to walk straight up to the register.
"Good evening, Mr. Weston. What can I get you this evening?" Paula asked, her face brightening for the first time since Lucas entered the shop.
"Good evening, Paula; I'll have the usual dark roast and two sugars, please."
"Long night?"
"I've got a flight to catch later."
"*Mr. Weston's usual dark roast*," the young lady said, her smile quickly growing into a grin.
"I hope you didn't just name a coffee after me." Lucas reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and removed a five-dollar bill. Smiling, he slid it across the counter. "Keep the change."
Paula smiled shyly as she pressed a few buttons on the register and opened the drawer to slip the bill inside. "See you around, Mr. Weston."
"Call me Lucas, Paula," Lucas replied, still smiling and making Paula blush. "I'm not that old for you to start calling me Mr. Weston," he added before walking to a corner table to sit, setting his cup of dark roast in front of him.
It was now past eight o'clock, and there were only a few customers at a couple of tables inside.
"You should have it in a To-Go cup," Harper said as she walked through the kitchen door.
Even after three years had passed, whenever Lucas saw Harper, he could not help but have a fluttering sensation in his stomach.
While blowing a puff of steam, before taking a careful sip, he jokingly said, "Oh, it's cozier here." He winced faintly as the hot liquid ran down his throat and into his stomach. "And your coffee is pretty decent."
"You can't be late for your flight."
"I've still got an hour to distract you."
"Well, that's so very nice and honest of you."
"Why, thank you very much. I've also come to say that I'll see you in a few months," he added.
"A few months?" Harper sat down next to him, unsure whether to believe him or not.
"Yes, *she* said that she needed my help with something."
"Gwinifer is back?"
"Yes, she will be attending this convention, and she asked me to travel with her."
Harper smiled. "You two have been hanging around a lot since Paris."
Lucas returned her smile fast. "Come on, Harper. You should know that even now, you remain my *favorite*."
"Oh yeah? Well, Lila and Paula rarely agree on anything, but they both think that you and Gwinifer make a cute couple."
A small smile played on Lucas's lips. "They're teenagers. What do they know?"
Harper laughed before looking at the closed glass door and then back at Lucas. "Is there any word on Francine?"
"According to Gwinifer, she's back in Nebiru after a month in Spain. She has joined Queen Niran's *Royal Reform Council*. So she's probably in Lemelherv right now."
Harper nodded. After that, they went on to talk about Lucas' recent acquisition, as well as when he would be returning to Merribridge.
Behind the counter, Lila was in the middle of filling Paula in on all the latest gossip from their school when the bells in the door jingled. When they turned their heads, they saw a man in a long black trench coat walking toward the counter. The two girls exchanged a curious look; they knew he wasn't one of their regulars who usually came in at this hour.
"Well, I must go. *He's here*."
Harper suddenly looked perplexed. "Who is?" she asked, following Lucas' gaze, and then... her stomach dropped.
Lucas brought the cup to his lips for another sip. He swallowed slowly. "Him."
He reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly. She immediately felt his warmth and love.
"Lucas..." For a moment, she could only hold a disappointed expression as she gazed into his eyes.
"I'll see you in a few months." Lucas reached for her hand and held it tightly. Then he got to his feet. Before heading to the door, he came to a halt in front of Alex. "You better not screw this up," he said to his brother, and then nodded over his shoulder at Paula and Lila, who stood smiling as they watched him walk out the door.
The rest of the world seemed to come to a standstill as Harper held her breath for a moment.
Alex stood in the middle of the café, looking just as ridiculously handsome and tall as he did the last time she saw him. Although his hair had changed to a gorgeous dirty blonde mess, his eyes had not; they remained a deep ocean blue.
Harper suddenly let out all the air that she had been holding in as she watched him approach her. Her legs were shaking, and her heart was beating quite loudly in her chest. She put on a tight-lipped smile as he sat in front of her, but it did not help her to look calm.
"Hello, Harper."
*Oh that voice. How she missed that voice.*
Alex smiled, enjoying her shocked expression. And she was a little taken aback by how casually he reacted upon first seeing her. "I looked everywhere for you, you know. Didn't know I'd *see* you here."
As she racked her brain, trying to figure out how Alex might have found her, she nervously tapped her fingers on the table. "H-How…"
"Lucas... who else?" he replied nonchalantly. "You've got to give it to him though; he shows more loyalty to you than he does to me, his own brother. It took me almost a year to fugure out that he knew where you were, and it took me a few months to convince him to tell me."
"I don't know about loyalty. He swore to me that he'd never tell a single soul. Yet, here you are."
"He's got a few months to atone, right? Though it does come as a bit of a surprise that you told him where you are in the first place."
"Trust me, I didn't tell him. Your brother's *investigative skills* are exceptional," Harper joshed.
"You mean stalking skill?" Alex mocked. "Now that I think about it, I really should have hired him to look for you."
"Hire him? The *CEO* of Carmichael Group?" Harper let out a soft laugh. "Well, he's no longer my mate," she suddenly added, which surprised both of them because Alex had not brought that up.
"I know. Alex smiled knowingly. "He told me that he'd come to terms with that fact a year after you left Seattle － after you left me at the airport and *broke* my heart with a *text message*."
Harper stiffened. She looked down, and then she backed up against the chair and looked away. She didn't think she could bear to look at him this closely after hearing that from him. Though it was necerssary for her to leave at that time, she wasn't proud of *how* she ended things between her and Alex.
"I'm... really sorry," she said softly. "I couldn't think of anything else to do." She finally looked at him. "I couldn't do it. When I thought about how much other people were hurting, I just couldn't be with you. I'm sorry."
But Alex only looked at her with longing. "I know. When I first learned Lucas was secretly in contact with you, I assumed you'd chosen to be with him. I struggled to accept it, as well as the fact that everything was truly over between us. But after he told me everything, including how he accepted your rejection and how he found you, I knew that things could never be over between the two of us."
Harper gave him an incredulous look. "Aren't you mad?"
He shrugged and smiled. "Not really. No."
"Surely... y-you... must still be angry at me. I... I was being stupid. Francine... Lucas... " Harper stumbled over her words, not really knowing what to say. I didn't want to cause any more pain to Francine."
"So you chose to hurt me instead." Alex's voice was surprisingly gentle and sympathetic, and it was the very last thing she wanted at that moment. Why couldn't he just scream at her for dumping him, for making him feel unwanted?
Looking at him closely, she could see a glimmer of pain in his eyes, though he was trying to conceal it. But, it was obvious that he still cared for her, despite the fact that she had left him and had ended things between the two of them by text message.
"I'm sorry, I didn't－"
"And you choose to hurt yourself － "
"Hurt me? I didn't－"
"Because you feel the same way about me."
Harper paused and looked at him. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were wide with astonishment.
"You'd be amazed at what's happened in the last three years." He smirked and shook his head. "Quite a bit has happened. So, you have to stop blaming yourself and stop sacrificing your happiness for the sake of others. You have－"
"*Mommy*?"
Alex and Harper both turned to see a little boy emerge from the back kitchen door. Harper jumped to her feet and rushed to the child's side. She sat and pulled the boy onto her lap.
"What is it, sweetie?" she asked gently, running her palm across his back.
"I *wang* go home…" The toddler gave Alex a curious look and snuggled closer to her.
"Where is Grandpa?"
"*Wor-ying.*"
The second time that night, Harper couldn't seem to look up at Alex again. If she looked into his eyes for more than a minute, the shock and bewilderment in them were too much for her to handle at the moment. It was only when he turned away from her that she was able to regain her composure. "Oh, he's still working, isn't he?"
Alex remained seated in the chair, saying nothing. And Harper started getting nervous because of his silent reaction. However, she was able to deduce from the expression on his face alone that he had a lot of questions racing through his head. When she opened her mouth, about to say something, he asked her a question that made her lose her breath for a moment.
"Your son?"
"Yes." Her voice was surprisingly small. "His name's *Luke*."
"Luke. Nice name." As he slowly stood up from the chair, a furrow formed between Alex's eyebrows. "And how old is he?"
"*Three*."
And when he asked, "Is Lucas his dad?" Harper got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her pursed lips softened into a feeble smile, and at that moment, he understood.
"No."
He sat down in front of the boy, then looked at her for a moment, and then carefully asked, "*Am I his dad?*"
Harper bit her lower lip in response to his question and intense gaze. Then his eyes moved to the little child, who was hugging his stuffed rabbit to his chest and looking at him with curiosity. He couldn't help but smile at the boy who had the same shade of sandy blonde hair as him, as well as eyes as blue as the calm ocean.
"*Yes*." Harper finally said, after a long pause.