Collide in Plain Sight

Chapter 7

"Not all of us have the luxury of turning down work." he spits back, but Pierce chuckles this time. 

"But apparently you have the luxury of not only losing that work, but of catching a harassment charge as well. Get the fuck out of my house. I won't tell you again." 

The guys' hands clench into fists before he lets out a frustrated sound and heads towards the door. I didn't see it propped open when I first came down, but it shuts with a click behind him. As soon as it does, Pierce spins to look at me, his hands gently holding my face as his eyes bounce over me quickly. 

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" he asks, stepping away slightly to look me up and down. 

"No. I'm fine, Pierce. I'm fine." I say, taking deep breaths to try and calm my painfully beating heart. 

Pierce's palms go to the wall behind me, one on either side of my head as his falls and he lets out a haggard breath. When he looks back up at me, I swear there are tears swimming in his eyes. 

"I'm so sorry, Harlow." he murmurs. 

"For what?" I ask. 

"The whole point of bringing you here was to keep you safe. I can't even do that." he says bitterly. 

I look at him for a long moment and before I really have time to think, I reach out to hold his face in my hands. I run my thumbs gently along his cheeks, feeling the soft stubble under my touch. His eyes widen slightly and his body goes very still as I try to comfort him. 

"It's not your fault, Pierce." I say gently. "You can't protect me from everything."

"I can try." he says firmly, tilting his head to kiss my palm before he pulls away from me. "Will you wait in the kitchen for me. I have something to take care of. Then I have something else to show you." he says with a forced smile. 

I nod and walk away from him towards the kitchen, sitting in the same place I usually do. He's gone for awhile and I decide to start cooking. I open the refrigerator to see two steaks marinating. I pull them out to let them warm to room temperature, turning on his indoor grill in preparation. Then I find some vegetables and a pasta to make a salad. I'm almost ready to sear the steak when he walks in. He stops in the doorway, his eyes turning warm as he watches me. 

"What?" I ask. 

"It's just... nice to see you so comfortable in here. But you didn't have to do that, sweetheart. I love cooking for you." he says as he rounds the island and walks towards me. 

"You can make dessert." I say, motioning towards the hot chocolate I had started. He nods and stirs it for me as I plate our food. "What did you do? About the guy?" I ask quietly, not sure he'll tell me. 

"Told Charles what he did. He was fired. Then I called every company I've ever worked with and told them not to hire him or they won't get another penny out of me." he says firmly. I nod and go quiet, setting our plates down. He sits next to me and we eat in a contented quiet. It's not really awkward, just peaceful. 

"Oh!" he says excitedly just as we finish our meals. "I forgot. Stay right here." he says as he jumps up from his chair. 

"Where else would I go?" I ask sarcastically and he has the audacity to laugh. I roll my eyes and wait for him to come back.

When he does, he's carrying a folder under his arms. He pulls out glossy pictures and lays them in front of me, a different dog on each one. 

"I couldn't tell if you were serious about the puppy thing, but I found some options." he says, straightening the pictures so I can see them clearly. My mouth drops and I look from the dogs to him. 

"You're not serious." I say, but he just nods. 

"Of course. I'm not sure how Goosey boy would feel about a puppy, but this is a big house, I'm sure he'd adapt. These ones here are Newfies." he says, pointing to a few smushy, fluffy, adorable faces. "And these ones are Bernese Mountain pups. I know you didn't say them in particular, I just feel like you would enjoy their temperament." he says. I look from the dogs back up to him, then back down to the dogs. 

"I wasn't serious, Pierce. Puppies are a lot of work." I say. Pierce shrugs but nods in agreement. 

"They are. But we have plenty of time to devote to training. And now with the pool, plenty of ways to get their energy out." he says before looking at me. He sighs a little then sits down to face me, resting his arm on the counter as he looks at me. "If you want a dog, Harlow, just tell me. We'll figure it out. If you want a duck pond or a chicken coop or a cow to get fresh milk from every day, just tell me. Tell me what I can do to put a smile on your face and I'll do it. I swear." he says firmly. 

My heart patters dangerously at his words. I look down at the puppies then back up to him, my answer flying out of my mouth before I can stop it.