Chapter 22: Better Times

A couple of months later
A lot happened since Harper’s incident. As soon as she woke up and was able to talk, Cole proposed. Of course she’d agreed to marry him. But that happy moment was overshadowed by the grief Harper experienced when she learned she had been pregnant. That, combined with the pain was too much so the doctors put her back into a coma. She was taken out a week later. Cole was by her side every single day. He was thankful for his brothers and her brother and sister-in-law because he couldn’t cope on his own. He requested leave from the military because he had to be there for Harper. Thankfully, they understood and granted him as much time as he needed. Harper switched all of her classes online and they moved back to California where their families were. She was in therapy a lot since she’d temporarily lost movement in the left side: the side the driver hit. As for the driver, he came out relatively unscathed compared to her. Cole sued him and had him locked away. It wasn’t hard since he’d been DUI when the accident happened. The judge also took into consideration that should the accident not have happened, Harper would still be pregnant. Cole wanted him put away for manslaughter. Yet through all the pain, Cole and Harper’s relationship only grew stronger. Maybe it was because of the pain that it did. Either way, they found the small joys to be happy about such as their imminent wedding and Emerald.
……….
Cole rolled over in bed, pulling Harper flush against him. He had to feel her beside him every morning now. “How are you hard already?” she mumbled. He chuckled, “‘Cus I have the most beautiful woman beside me. Duh.” She rubbed her backside against him and he groaned, “Harper, don’t start something you can’t finish.” She snickered. Before things could get too out of hand, their bedroom door swung open and Emerald came in. “Daddy! Mommy!” Cole cursed. Great, now his toddler daughter was in here while he was very aroused. “Hi baby, come here.” Harper said. Emerald climbed onto the bed and into her mother’s open arms. “How are you?” Harper asked. Emerald smiled, “Hungry.” “You’re hungry?” Emerald nodded, “I’m growing!” “You are, aren’t you? What do you want for breakfast?” “Hash browns!” Emerald loved hashbrowns. Cole, on the other hand, loved watching his two girls interact. He counted his blessings. He had them both here and that’s all he could ever ask for. Once Harper agreed to make Emerald hash browns and eggs for breakfast, Em skipped to her own room. Cole sighed with relief. “I’m going to take a shower so I can make Em her breakfast,” Harper said, getting up. Cole’s mouth watered as he took in all of his fiance’s naked glory. Then her words registered. She smiled coyly, “I might need help washing my back.” Offer accepted. He hopped up, scooped her up, and carried her to the shower. When the water temperature was right, he joined her. Needless to say, their shower was anything but wholesome.
Harper got out of the shower first. She patted her hair dry then went to get her clothes on before Cole came out. Cole’s sex drive was impressive. But she had no such luck in avoiding him. She barely had her underwear on when he emerged from the bathroom with only a towel on. Her mouth went dry as he ran his fingers through his wet hair. She watched water droplets trickle down his toned chest. “Like what you see?” he asked. She rolled her eyes, “I’ve seen better.” “Please.” She knew he knew she hadn’t, but it was always fun to tease him. He wrapped his arms around her middle, letting the towel fall away. “Ready as ever,” she said dryly. “Always for you,” he said, nipping at her ear. She shivered with delight. It didn’t take him long to coax her into a quick round between the sheets before she dressed and went to feed Emerald. He chuckled and got his clothes to get dressed.
Before he could finish, he got a call from a number he didn’t recognize. “Hello?” “Cole?” “Mr.Turner?!” He hadn’t heard from Harper and Harvey’s dad since the phony rape lawsuit. Why was he calling him now? “Yes, it’s me.” “...What would you like?” Cole wanted to hang up, but this man would technically soon be his father-in-law, so he bit his tongue. “I know you don’t want to speak with me after what I did.” “That’s an understatement, sir. What you did ultimately cost me two years without Harper.” “Could we meet up? Just the two of us, today?” “What?” “I know it’s a lot to ask but there are things I want to tell you face-to-face.” “...When and where?” Once he got the location and time, he hung up. At first, he had no intention of going, but then he thought about it. It must’ve taken Mr.Turner some balls to call him, so he at least owed him twenty minutes of his time. Satisfied that he was making the right choice, he went downstairs to join his family for breakfast.