Faking It With The Hockey Star

Justin’s POV

The first thing I did the next morning was call Harper.

She picked up before the second ring even finished. "Good morning."

Her sleepy, gravelly morning voice immediately brought a smile to my face. "Morning, beautiful."

I heard a soft, amused laugh echo through the receiver. "You only call me ’beautiful’ when you want something."

"I always call you beautiful," I protested.

"Mmm, you do," she murmured, rustling under her blankets. "But this time you definitely want something."

I chuckled, leaning back against my headboard. "Guilty as charged."

"So..."

"I need to go see Grandma," I said, my tone shifting slightly.

There was a brief pause on her end of the line. "Is everything okay?"

"I don’t know," I admitted, rubbing the tension in the back of my neck. "I just have a feeling she knows something about what my dad is pulling. And honestly, I don’t want to go over there alone."

Her voice softened instantly, all hesitation vanishing. "You won’t have to. I just finished giving Mom her morning medication, and she’s resting now. Emma and Noah are home with her, so I can definitely come with you."

The tight knot in my chest eased up a little. "I’ll be at your place in five minutes."

"Five?" she squeaked. "Justin, you do realize I haven’t even changed out of my pajamas yet?"

"I said five," I replied smoothly.

She laughed into the speaker. "Bossy hockey player. Fine, I’ll be ready."

Twenty minutes later, I pulled into the driveway outside Harper’s house. She stepped out onto the porch, carrying her backpack slung over one shoulder with the edge of her laptop peeking out from the top zipper. She’d probably planned on squeezing in some editing time while we were over there.

She spotted my truck and instantly offered a wide, bright smile. God... that smile. I didn’t care how many times I saw it, it hit me right in the chest every single time.

She opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat, setting her bag by her feet. "Hi."

"Hi."

Neither of us moved for a second. Then she leaned across the center console toward me, and I met her halfway. Our lips brushed together softly, a short, sweet kiss that grounded me right away.

When she pulled back, I realized I was sitting there smiling like a complete idiot.

"What?" she asked, laughing softly.

"Nothing."

"No, you’ve got that look on your face."

"What look?"

"The one where you’re staring at me," she pointed out, adjusting her sweater.

"I am staring," I admitted freely.

She rolled her eyes with dramatic flare. "You stare way too much."

"I can’t help it."

She clicked her seatbelt into place, giving me a pointed look. "I’ve told you before..."

"You’re beautiful," I interrupted gently, beating her to the punch.

She covered her face with one hand, her cheeks turning a gorgeous shade of pink. "You’ve already told me that today."

"I know. I’m just reminding you."

"I don’t need reminding."

"I do," I argued softly. "Have I told you yet today?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Justin."

"What?"

"I think you’ve told me about a thousand times already."

"Then I’ll make it a thousand and one."

She reached across the console and squeezed my hand tightly. "You are absolute murder to deal with."

"But you like me."

"I tolerate you," she teased.

"Ouch."

She giggled, her thumb rubbing over my knuckles. "No... I love you."

My heart did that stupid, erratic flutter again, forgetting how to beat like a normal muscle. God, I loved this girl so much it was terrifying.

Instead of pulling straight onto the highway, I took a quick detour and pulled into a small shopping plaza down the street. Harper looked out the window, confused.

"Where are we going?"

"Give me one minute."

I parked right outside her absolute favorite bubble tea shop. She frowned slightly as I unbuckled my belt. "Justin... you don’t have to buy me things every single time we hang out."

"I know," I said, flashing her a quick grin. "I wanted to."

Five minutes later, I climbed back into the cab holding two iced drinks in a cardboard carrier. I handed over her favorite brown sugar milk tea along with my usual black iced coffee.

Her eyes lit up like Christmas morning. "You remembered."

"I remember everything about you," I said, pulling back out onto the main road.

She smiled so brightly that it made me wonder why I ever spent money on anything else. Seeing her happy like this made every cent worth it.

"Thank you," she said softly, taking a careful sip from the straw. "You really didn’t have to."

"I know. I wanted to."

She hummed happily after taking another drink. "Oh, wow. This is so good."

"Worth every penny."

The rest of the drive to my grandparents’ house was remarkably peaceful. For once, neither of us brought up Ethan, Diane, or my father’s bizarre sudden interest in my life. The quiet between us wasn’t awkward at all; it was warm and comfortable. Sometimes, just having Harper sitting beside me in the truck was more than enough to quiet my racing thoughts.

We pulled up to the house, and Grandma opened the front door before we even had a chance to walk up the porch steps and knock.

"There are my favorite children!" she called out, stepping aside to let us in.

I laughed, stepping through the entryway first. "Favorite grandson, you mean."

"You’re my only grandson, Justin," she pointed out with a wink before turning her full attention to Harper. "And this is my favorite granddaughter."

Harper grinned, slipping her shoes off at the door. "I knew I ranked higher on the ladder."

"Oh, absolutely," Grandma agreed smoothly.

Grandpa appeared around the corner from the hallway, leaning on his cane with a fond smile. "Don’t let her go inflating your ego before lunch, young lady."

Harper laughed softly. "I’ll try my best not to, sir."

Grandma wrapped Harper in a long, tight hug before pulling me into one right after. For just a second, the heavy weight resting on my shoulders completely dissolved. Everything felt normal again. Safe, warm, and secure, as if the mess outside these walls couldn’t touch us here.

"Come on in," Grandma said, shooing us toward the back of the house. "I made pie."

Harper’s eyes widened in delight. "Apple?"

Grandma smiled proudly. "Of course. I remembered it’s your favorite."

"I love you," Harper said instantly.

"I know, dear."

The two of them naturally gravitated toward the kitchen together, chatting quietly. I stood in the doorway and watched them for a second. Grandma already treated Harper like she was part of the family, and Harper fit into this house so effortlessly, like she had belonged here all along.

She set her heavy backpack beside one of the dining chairs and pulled out her laptop, placing it on the table. "I’ll work on editing my documentary footage while you two talk."

I walked up behind her chair and leaned down over her shoulder. "You sure you don’t mind?"

She nodded, tapping her trackpad to wake up the screen. "I’m just cutting clips. I’ll be right here if you need me."

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders from behind, and she leaned her head back against my chest automatically. I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For coming with me today."

She smiled without looking away from her editing software. "You never have to thank me for showing up, Justin."

God, how on earth did I get this lucky? I kissed her forehead this time, breathing in the scent of her vanilla shampoo. "I’ll be back in a bit."

"I’ll be right here," she promised gently.

Grandma stepped out into the hallway, her cheerful demeanor shifting as she caught my eye. "Justin. It’s time."

I gave Harper one last glance, and she offered a reassuring smile before waving her hand at me. "Go on. I’ll survive without you for ten minutes."

"I highly doubt that," I teased.

She laughed softly. "I’ll manage."

I turned and followed Grandma down the carpeted hallway, we stepped into grandpa’s study. She pointed toward the leather armchair across from her. "Sit down, Justin."

I took a seat, my pulse beginning to quicken.

Grandma folded her hands neatly on top of the desk, took a slow, deliberate breath, and looked me straight in the eyes.

"There’s something your father has never told you."

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