“So are you,” she countered with a grin before getting out of bed, and he nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of her glorious, naked curves.
Doing his best to behave, Cas pulled on jeans and a black T-shirt, sneaking glances at Harper as she dressed in the room across the hall where her clothes were.
For now.
She moved with casual ease, but there was a spark in her eyes that told him she felt this new, unspoken connection between them. He smiled as he watched her tug on a sweater, her hair still a little messy from sleep.
“You’re staring,” Harper said, catching his eye.
He shrugged, unabashed. “Can you blame me? You’re kind of hard not to look at.”
Laughing, she tossed her hair over her shoulder, while a blush filled her cheeks. “Come on, charmer. Let’s go make some breakfast. I’m pretty sure I owe you an omelet.”
“You owe me, huh?” Cas grinned, following her downstairs. “I could get used to this—waking up to you, naked in my bed, then getting out to make breakfast.”
As she entered the kitchen, she shot him a playful look over her shoulder. “Oh, you’re going to have to do more than just smile at me for that kind of commitment, Caspian Taylor.”
He chuckled and leaned against the counter, watching her rummage through the fridge. “Fair enough. But I make a mean cup of coffee, so maybe I’ll win you over yet.”
She closed the fridge and raised an eyebrow. “Bold of you to assume I’m that easy.” Smirking, she set a carton of eggs, an onion, and a pepper on the counter.
He pulled a bowl from a cupboard and handed it to her. “I’d never assume that,” he replied. “I like a challenge.”
Harper met his gaze, and for a crazy moment, the room seemed to still. Then she smiled and turned back to her task, expertly whipping up omelets while he brewed the coffee. They moved around the kitchen like they’d been doing this for years, falling into a rhythm that felt as natural as breathing.
When they finally sat down to eat at the table—the place that had led to paradise last night—he shoved a forkful of omelet into his mouth and let out an appreciative hum. “Okay, you weren’t kidding. This is good.”
She smirked, taking a sip of her coffee. “Thank you.”
Cas grinned, savoring the moment—the simple pleasure of a good meal, the easy banter, the way Harper made everything feel light and possible. As they finished eating, Cas glanced over at the diary that Harper had left on the counter. The worn leather cover was a constant reminder of the mystery that still hung over them.
“Wanna see what Mary has to say today?” he asked, nodding toward the diary.
Nodding, she set down her fork, her expression shifting to something more serious. “I was thinking that, too. Let’s see where it takes us.”
They moved to the couch, and he sat next to Harper who opened the diary to the next page. She began to read aloud, her voice soft but steady.
“June 5th, 1937. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this secret. The fire was no accident, and I can’t bear the weight of knowing who was responsible. Every day, I see their faces, the way they lied to the town, the way they covered it all up. They think they’re safe, that no one will ever uncover the truth, but I have to do something. I have to tell someone. If only I knew who to trust.”
Harper’s hands trembled slightly as she held the diary, her eyes scanning the words again. “She knew, Cas. And it sounds like she was planning to come forward.”
His mind raced, piecing together the implications. “That means someone must have known she was a threat. That’s why someone’s trying to keep you from digging into this—they don’t want the truth about the fire coming out, even after all these years.”
A mix of shock and determination flittered through her eyes. “If Mary was about to expose them, and they stopped her…Cas,this is bigger than we thought. It wasn’t just a tragedy. It was deliberate.”
He reached for her hand and squeezed. “Whatever Mary knew, it’s still out there, and we’re going to find it.”
Her gaze met his, hers was fierce and resolved. “We will. For my great-grandmother and for everyone else who’s been hurt by this.”
Cas nodded, feeling the weight of their discovery settle between them. They weren’t just uncovering the past, they were unraveling a lie that had shaped the town for decades.
She tugged her hand free, and he watched her turn to the next page. Her fingers were trembling again. She glanced at him with uncertainty clouding her gaze before beginning to read aloud once more.
“June 10th, 1937. I never imagined that love could be so complicated, so entangled in lies and betrayal. They think they can control everything, keep us apart because of their own twisted sense of pride and power. But what they don’t know is that love isn’t something you can just bury. This is the kind of secret that festers, grows stronger in the dark, and it’s bound to come to light eventually. They tried to stop us, to make us pay for what they considered an unforgivable sin. But I won’t let them win. I have to protect him, even if it means risking everything I know. The truth has to come out, no matter the cost.”
Harper’s voice wavered, and when she looked up, her eyes were wide with realization. “Cas, this wasn’t just about the fire or some property dispute. It was personal. Someone’s love, someone’s life, was on the line.”
“A forbidden love affair and a family betrayal.” He leaned back and whistled. “No wonder someone wanted to keep this buried. If Mary knew all this, she was sitting on a powder keg.And now, so are we.”
