Chapter 2

After Jasper tells me that he'll be home around 8 via cab since he's been drinking, I kiss him goodbye before going to my desk to gather my things. When I get to the house, I gather the box and place it into the backseat of the car, feeling my nerves grow in my lower belly. Gosh, I’m just dropping off a box. It's not that serious, Eden.

Harper moved not too far from the office into a set of new condos, which made me feel even guiltier. He went from living in a house to a condo. It feels like we kicked him out, but in reality, he left on his own. Pulling up in front of the building, I grab the box and head up. Inside the lobby, I hit the button to his place and wait.

"Hello?"

"Hey. It's me. Let me up." I huff, trying to hold the heavy box up.

I hear a buzz and I pull the door open. Nervous and halfway out of breath, I ride the elevator up to his floor. I stare out the glass elevator and watch the skyline appear as the sun sets. I'd kill for a view like this.

By the time I get to Harper's door, I can barely hold the box up. I knock my wedged heel against his door and seconds later it opens.

"Hey, E-"

"Help me!" I yelp as the box starts to slip from my fingers.

Harper reaches out and our fingers brush as he takes the box, sending little shocks of electricity through me. Whoa.

"Come on in." Harper smiles as he effortlessly carries the box inside. Walking behind him, I look around, and suddenly, I don't feel so guilty about the house situation.

"Holy crap, this place is nice."

"Thanks," Harper mumbles as he sits the box on the black leather couch facing the window that looks out towards the skyline. I slowly walk over to it and stare out.

"This view is amazing."

"Yeah, it's why I bought the place." I flinch at the closeness of his voice.

Looking up, Harper steps next to me. Heat radiates off him and burns into my arm. I shudder runs through me and I wrap my arms around myself. Turning to Harper, I examine his appearance. His hair is as messy as ever and there is some end-of-the-day scruff developing on his chin.

"How are you?" I ask, trying to divert my eyes from his lips. I shouldn’t' have come here.

"I'm doing well. It's different living alone, but I’m getting used to it." He shrugs and walks back to the box on the couch and starts pulling things out. I watch as he pulls out a few books and knick-knacks. When he pulls out a black sweater, I smile "I almost kept that." I blurt out. Harper glances over at me and smirks

"You could have."

The small curve in his lips reminds me of all the times I woke up next to him. Warmth runs up my neck and over my cheeks, forcing me to look down at my plum-painted toes.

"You look nice," Harper admits while sitting the box on the floor, the contents of it places in a small pile on his coffee table.

"Thank you. So you do."

"I try." He chuckles. "Um, would you like something to drink? A glass of wine or something?"

I should say no. Jasper barely lets me drink at all and when I do it's usually half of his beer or a sip of his wine. Being under the drinking age sort of sucks.

"Sure. A glass of wine, please."

"I figured." He whispers as he strolls into the kitchen.

Walking to the couch, I sit down and cross one leg over the other, the end of my emerald green dress riding up my thighs slightly. Reaching up, I brush a loose curl away from my eyebrow as Harper returns with two glasses of red wine. Handing me one, I give him a small nod.

"Thanks."

"So how is everything going? Work? Home?" Harper clears his throat on the last question.

"Um, everything is good. I can't really complain much. Work is work. Gary and Stacy make it interesting. Did Gary ever get those copies to you this morning?"

Harper snorts. "Just barely. I swear he is the worst assistant. Always late."

"He's usually sitting at my desk when I get there." I laugh. "He's convinced that you can't fire him."

Raising an eyebrow, Harper takes a sip of wine.

"What the hell makes him think that? I've been debating it for a week now."

Tapping the side of my glass, I try to hide my smile. "He thinks that since he's my friend that you won't fire him."

"And what do you think about that?"

"I don't know. I told him that I don't have that kind of power, but he doesn't listen. If you fire him though, I would be a little bummed." I use a soft innocent voice and Harper snorts loudly.

"Sneaky Eden as always. You aren't fooling anyone."

Shrugging softly, I giggle.

"You can't blame me for trying. I'll try to get Gary to work a little harder. I promise." Looking down at me, Harper can't seem to hide his amusement and I can't help the fact that I've missed him dearly.

"You didn't answer the last question. How's home?" Harper's smile fades and is replaced by a serious glare. Shifting on the couch, I sigh.

"It's good. I'm happy, Jasper's happy."

"I didn't ask about Jasper." Harper spits out.

Rolling my eyes, I sit the glass down and run my hands over the edges of my hair, smoothing them down to keep me calm.

"You two are so stubborn! Why won't you just talk?"

"I've tried. He doesn't want to talk to me or see me. He won't even return my emails." Harper flops back against the couch, running his fingers through his hair.

Turning to look at him, I shake my head.

"Can you blame him, Harper? You hurt us. He's your brother and you lied to him."

Harper's whole demeanor changes and his shoulders slump a bit.

"I know. I've tried apologizing so many times. He won't accept them."

"He's so hard-headed, but when I told him I was coming to see you, he was perfectly....well normally calm about it." I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"I feel so guilty," I whisper, resting my elbows on my knees. Sitting up, Harper presses his hand against my back.

"Please, don't be. None of this is your fault."

"Isn't it though? You two would still be close if it weren't for me and that stupid arrangement. I broke you two apart. I hate that you two don't talk or see each other. Jasper tries to put on a front as if he's fine, but I know he isn't."

Neither of us says anything for a moment and when I look down at my watch, I see that it's almost 8. Pulling me from the time, I focus on the hand, rubbing circles in the middle of my back. A sense of calmness washes over me and I sigh, letting my shoulders slump. Harper's hand slides up around the back of my neck, giving it a firm rub.

"I'm sorry you have to be stuck in the middle of this, Eden. I didn't want this."

"But you did. You didn't want me anymore! You left for Claire. She makes you happy now. Apparently, she has something I don't." I reach up and pull his hand away from my neck only to run my fingers over the area where his hand was. Looking around, I realize it's night time and Clair isn't here.

"Where is she, anyway?"

"She's still at work. Doesn't get off until 10 tonight."

I nod, running my thumb over my bottom lip.

"I should get going."

I don't really have anything else to say. Nothing is getting resolved from this visit. I thought I could figure out how to fix everything, but I'm wrong. I can't fix this. Only Harper and Jasper can. Standing up, I grab my keys.

"Thanks for the wine, Harper."

Harper stands, laying his hands on the top of his head, causing his shirt to ride up. My eyes flicker down to the small gap between his shirt and pants, revealing his toned stomach and the trail of hair running down to his....no, Eden, leave!

Harper walks me to the door and when he opens it, I turn to him. Before I can open my mouth, he speaks.

"Thanks for bringing my things."

"It wasn't a problem. I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, I'll probably see you at your mother's party." He nods.

"Yeah, right. Don't forget to invite Claire." I bite down on my lip hard, trying to keep my sadness at bay.

"Good night, Harper." I nearly choke out.

As I walk out of his condo, a mix of arousal and sorrow wash over me. Feeling my eyes water, I don't turn to look at Harper as I walk away. At the elevator, I hit the button as a tear spills onto my cheek. Stepping inside, I cover my eyes with my hand and let myself sob for a moment. I hate how much I miss Harper. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be the two men that I love. I'm so happy with Jasper, but even he is miserable without Harper. It's his brother for Christ's sake and they aren't even speaking over something that can be resolved if they just have a decent conversation. Damn, grown men.

Sniffing loudly, I wipe my tears away and in the reflection of the elevator, I see the redness in my face. Taking a few deep breaths, I realize that I haven't even hit the lobby button for the elevator to move. Reaching out, I go to press the button when suddenly the door open. I gasp as Harper appears.

"Harper." I choke out.

"Oh, Eden." He steps in, pulling me into a tight hug before pulling back to cup both sides of my face. "I'm so sorry. I swear I never meant to hurt you or Jasper. I hated lying about how I felt."

"You could have talked to us. We would have understood." I manage to get out through the small hiccups. With his thumb, Harper brushes away the wetness on my cheeks.

"I know, I know. I just didn't know how and before I could realize it, it was the day of the commitment ceremony and I couldn't hold it in anymore."

Pushing him back, my hand swings out and I slap him before I could even blink. Harper looks at me with a blank stare as I frown.

"What the hell, Eden?!"

"I've been wanting to do that for so long." I sniff as my palm begins to sting. Leaning against the elevator wall, we stare at each other. Harper's hand drops from his jaw and he sighs.

"I lied."

"What?"

"I lied about Claire. We aren't together anymore. We broke up a month ago. My head wasn't in it."

"I'm so sorry, Harper." I take a step toward him but stop myself.

"No, it's fine. I deserve it. I don't deserve to be happy. I was happy at once and I completely doubted it. I fucked up so bad." His expression hardens.

I can't find the words to make him feel any better. I'm just stunned into silence. Looking over at Harper, his eyes fall on me, and in a blink, he is in front of me, hands on my waist, his warm breath hitting my face. My eyes flutter in shock and I trip over my words.

"Harper...I...this." I shake my head, but he reaches up, tilting my head to look up into his eyes "I'm so sorry for hurting you. It's the last thing I ever wanted to do."

"I know," I whisper as his fingers caress over my cheek.

My mind tells me to step away from him and think about what a mistake this could turn into. I'm married and can't let myself do anything foolish or childish, but my feet stay planted. Harper leans in and when his lips brush over mine, my breath hitches. With his arm around me, he pulls me tightly against his body, sending fire through my veins. My chest rises and falls against his, erratically. Waiting. Wanting.

When Harper doesn't kiss me, I press my lips together and it gives me just the right amount of time for clarity. "I should really go."

"I know you still feel it, Eden. I know you still want me and I want you too, but I want to fix all of this first. I need to. I want you and my brother back in my life."

A smile spreads over my lips and I almost jump into his arms.

"I think that would be great. And since you're already in an elevator, we should just head on over to the house."

Harper chuckles.

"Persistent as ever." Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his car keys.

"I was prepared to follow you home anyway.

When we finally get down to the lobby after standing in the dormant elevator for almost 10 minutes, Harper follows me home and I can't help, but feel worried and about how Jasper will react.

Pulling into the yard, my stomach does flips and my nerves run rapidly. I watch as Harper pulls in behind me and I get out. He follows me to the door and when I open, I call out for my husband

"Jas! Are you here?"

"Yeah, kitchen." He calls back and when I look back at Harper, his hands are buried in his pocket, and his nerves plaster all over his expression. I sit my thing down on the foyer table as I walk in. Stepping into the kitchen opening, I smile.

"Hi." I squeak and Jasper eyes me.

"Hi, how was the visit?"

"It was...good. Enlightening. I kind of want to talk to you about it." I lock my hands together in front of me as I step out of heels, shortening myself by a few inches.

"Okay," Jasper says as he sets out two plates for dinner.

"Uh, you may want to set out an extra plate. We have company." I give him guilty smiles and Jasper frowns.

On cue, Harper steps out of hiding. "I think we should talk."

Jasper glares at Harper then at me. “What is this, Eden?"

"Please, don't blame her. I need to do this. I can't handle not having you in my life. You or Eden. You both are my family."

"If you two had been talking like sensible people then Harper wouldn't have had to hide the fact that he and Clair broke up a month ago." I frown at Jasper and he tosses the kitchen towel on the counter before pacing in front of us.

"I'm sorry, but he did it to himself."

Step forward, I cup, Jasper's jaw.

"Please, Jasper, stop trying to punish him. He's your younger brother. Before me, you two were inseparable. The longer you two go without talking, the guiltier I feel. It's keeping us from really being happy. You two used to talk about everything. You would have had someone to talk to about..." I pause and Jasper's eyes burn into mine, knowing I’m referring to the miscarriage. He didn't talk to anyone about it, but I know he would have talked to Harper about it they weren't so pig-headed.

I look at Harper and he has confusion etched on his face.

"I found out that I was pregnant after the wedding, but I had a miscarriage." I shrug and Harper steps towards us.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. I'm fine. I just know Jasper took it hard and it hurt that he couldn't talk about it to the one person he is close to."

Harper steps closer and I step aside. Jasper looks at Harper with a blank stare as Harper reluctantly lays a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I lied to you. I've always been about to tell you anything and it hurt to keep things from you. I feel like I've lost all your respect and I want to earn it back. You're my big brother and I couldn't imagine talking to you again. Please, can we just talk?"

The room falls silent and suddenly, Jasper turns about from us and walks back into the kitchen, I think he is about to do something off the rails, but he doesn't. Reaching into the cabinet, he grabs about the plate and sits it on the counter. My heart swells and I bite back a smile. I take a seat at the kitchen counter and Harper follows. Jasper opens the fridge and grabs two beers and a bottle of water. Sliding the water across the counter to me, I frown, but it falls when he gives me a stern look.

"Don't even." He says as I press my lips together. I won't be pouty tonight. I had wine at Harper's anyways.

Jasper slides a beer over to Harper and gives him a short nod. They open their beers at the same time and take a sip. Hope grows in me and I am just happy that they are in the same room, willing to work this whole fiasco out. I watch as Jasper clears his throat.

"So where should we start?"