Beneath the Summer Sky - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

The silence between us is unbearable. I'm sitting at the kitchen table, the morning sun pouring through the windows, casting long shadows over the room. Harper's sitting across from me, her eyes locked onto mine, and there's something about the way she's looking at me that's making everything inside me twist and tighten.
She's waiting for me to say something, but what could I possibly say? How do I tell her that I've been fighting this, fighting her, for far too long? That what started as an innocent spark has grown into something I can't control, and now... now it's too late.
She presses her lips together, her fingers nervously tracing the rim of her coffee cup. I can see the question in her eyes, the unspoken plea for me to finally give her something, an answer, a reason, anything.
I lean back in my chair, trying to steady myself, but it's impossible. I feel the weight of her gaze pressing down on me, dragging me into the fire that I've been avoiding for weeks.
"Graham," she finally says, her voice low but steady. "What are we doing here? What's going on between us?"
I close my eyes for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts, but it's all a blur. All I can think about is how she looks right now, so damn beautiful, so sure of herself, while I'm a mess inside. This thing between us, it shouldn't be happening, and yet... it is.
"I don't know," I say, the words slipping out before I can stop them. I run a hand through my hair, trying to find the right words. "But I've been feeling it, Harper. The pull. Since the moment you came back."
Her gaze softens, just a little, but I can see the hurt in her eyes. The uncertainty that's been growing there for weeks. She doesn't say anything at first, just looks at me like she's trying to decide whether I'm being honest or just stalling.
"I don't want to play games anymore, Graham," she says, her voice stronger now. "I need to know if this, us, is even real. If what happened... if that kiss... was just a mistake. Or if it's something more."
I feel a tightening in my chest, the pressure building until it feels like I can't breathe. A mistake? She really thinks that? She thinks it was a mistake?
"Harper..." I start, but my voice cracks. I shake my head, trying to collect myself. "It wasn't a mistake. But that doesn't mean it's easy. This isn't just about us, Harper. There's too much at stake here. Too much to lose."
Her brow furrows, and she leans forward slightly. "Too much to lose?" she repeats, the disbelief clear in her tone. "What's at stake, Graham? Your damn pride? The family dynamics? Because if that's all this is about, then I don't know why we're even having this conversation."
I stare at her, the fire in her words lighting something in me. She's right. I'm standing here, still trying to protect everything, everyone, around me, and all she's doing is asking for the truth.
She deserves the truth.
I stand up, my chair scraping across the wooden floor, and walk over to the window. The sky outside is clear, the sun rising higher, but I feel like I'm suffocating. There's no way around this anymore. No more running, no more avoiding it.
Turning back to her, I let out a long breath. "It's not just about the family, Harper. It's about me. About what this could mean for us, if we really go there. I've been fighting this because I don't want to destroy everything around us. You're Grace's best friend, for Christ's sake. You're... you're like a daughter to me. I've watched you grow up, and I—"
I stop myself, my heart pounding as the words hang in the air. It's too damn hard to admit this, to say it out loud.
"I'm not like you," I continue, my voice low, almost a growl. "I don't get to have something like this. Not with someone like you. I'm too damn old for you, Harper. I've seen the way men look at you now. Hell, I've seen it in my own reflection. But I can't stop it. I can't stop looking at you and wondering what it would be like to have you."
Her lips part, and I see the flicker of something, relief, desire, maybe even understanding. She stands up slowly, crossing the room toward me. My pulse spikes, and I can feel the heat radiating off of her, drawing me in like gravity.
"I don't care about the age difference," she says quietly, her voice fierce, but there's a hint of vulnerability there too. "I don't care about what anyone thinks. I care about what I feel. What we feel. And I feel something between us that I can't ignore anymore."
She steps closer, close enough that I can feel the warmth of her body, the sweet scent of her skin. I want to pull her into my arms, take her right here and now, but I force myself to stand still, to fight the urge.
"I don't want to lose you," I say, my voice ragged. "But I'm scared, Harper. Scared of what this could do to you, to me. To everyone around us."
She reaches up and touches my chest, her hand soft and steady against my heart. "Then don't lose me. Don't push me away. We don't have to figure everything out right now, Graham. Just... just let me in. Let us in."
I close my eyes, my chest tight with everything I'm feeling. For the first time in ages, I feel like I can breathe again. But I know this won't be easy.
Nothing about this will be.
I open my eyes and meet her gaze, seeing the strength in her, the unshakable certainty in the way she looks at me.
"Are you sure?" I ask, my voice low, almost a whisper. "Because once we start this, there's no going back."
She nods, her fingers curling into my shirt, pulling me closer. "I'm sure."
And in that moment, I know there's no turning back for me either.