I paced inside Harper's apartment as I waited for my London contact to call me back. She's been gone for a couple of hours now and it's given me time to think. Which isn't really a good thing. When I pulled away from her back in London, I had good reason. Losing my mom was unexpected and I don't know if I will ever get over it.

I was really glad that Ryan was there when she passed. I should have told him sooner about her condition, but I was trying to keep my promise to her. I didn't realize how much I was going to need him, and I owed him for that.

Having Harper there was a saving grace. I've never relied on somebody like that. Hell, she's the only person that I've ever had sex with on a regular basis. Not to mention, we never used protection. Well, aside from the first time. She was on the pill and, honestly, I was selfish with her. I loved the way it felt when I was with her without a condom.

In London, when she came into my room that night and simply stayed with me in an attempt to comfort me, something changed. I felt more open to her, more connected. The truth was, I wanted more. And that scared me. It scared me so much that I pulled away from her. I told myself I wouldn't see her again. I told myself I would stay in London and just tell Ryan that I couldn't come back to the States.

I told myself that for three days straight. Next thing I knew, I booked a flight to return to New York. During the long flight, I couldn't help but think about her. I was sure she was upset that I fell off the map for a little while. I told myself she would be understanding and, of course Harper being Harper, she was.

Another thing I thought about was the conversation that went on between her and my mother. I still had no idea what was said and whatever my mother said would probably piss me off. I noticed the way she would look from me to Harper.

If my assumptions were correct, she was trying to play matchmaker before she died. I had confided in her about Ryan's arranged marriage when I got to Hawaii. If she had no idea about that, she would have probably beat me with her IV pole if she knew I had a thing for Ryan's fiancé. I'm going to try to ask Harper again about what she said. But for now, I needed to figure out my current situation.

Not only did I hop on a flight to New York suddenly with a strong need to see her, I also came straight to her apartment when I landed. That was probably not one of my smartest moves. Someone could have been over here and would have questioned what I was doing there.

None of that mattered once I saw her reaction. She ran to me and threw her arms around me when she laid eyes on me. As for what happened after...I've never felt anything like that before.

My cell phone rang, bringing me back to the present. I knew who it was immediately. "Bill, thank you for calling me back so quickly."

"Of course, I'm happy to help." Jackson's long-time friend paused a moment before he said, "I found something."

"Tell me," I said, curious as to what secrets he uncovered.

"Looks like Harper's parents' business is almost bankrupt. By the looks of it, they either need a buyer or to merge with another business. When I dug a little deeper, I found out that if they didn't figure something out fast, they were going to lose everything. Including their home, assets....everything."

My mind started to spin at Bill's information. No wonder Harper's mom was so adamant about this wedding. That also explained why she was treating Harper the way she was, even though that's no excuse. I needed to tell Harper this information, and I had no idea how she was going to take it.

"It looks like they've been struggling for years," Bill said. "They took out a second mortgage five years ago and they've been falling behind on the payments."

"All right, thanks. Let me know if you find anything else." After I hung up the phone, I rubbed my hands over my face. This was a lot of information for Harper process and I was a little worried.

I glanced at my watch and saw it was almost five in the afternoon. Harper was probably at her parents' house now trying to see if she could find anything. I decided this might be a good time to go over to Ryan's and see how he's doing. I haven't spoken to him since London and Harper told me that she hasn't been able to get ahold of him.

She left me a spare key to her apartment on the counter, and I hesitated before I reached for it. It felt weird taking a spare key to her place. This thing between us was changing and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I've never had a key to a woman's apartment or home before. I knew she left it because she had to leave early this morning and I was still here, but I wondered if there was more behind it.

I sighed as I grabbed the key and locked her apartment door behind me. I got in my truck and started driving to Ryan's. I really wanted to speak with him. Not only was I worried about him after London, but I wanted to see if he knew any more information about the arranged marriage. I guess he needed to know I knew about it anyway.

I just hoped he was okay.

I knocked on the door to Ryan's apartment and frowned when there was no answer. I saw his truck parked outside so I knew he was home. I tried the doorknob and luckily it was open. I walked inside his apartment and heard the water running from the shower.

I started walking to the kitchen, intending to get something to drink when his bedroom door opened, and a female walked out. She was wearing one of his shirts that went down to her thighs and when her gaze met mine, recognition hit me instantly.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" I asked Danielle as I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled.

"Jackson...what--"

"Am I doing here? Funny you should ask. Ever since Ryan and Harper got back from London, she's had a hard time getting a hold of him. I just got back in the States and she asked me to come over here and make sure he was okay." I eyed her wet hair and lack of clothes before I arched a brow. "Looks like my brother is more than fine."

She shifted on her feet nervously before she took a step towards his bedroom. "I'm going to go. I'll let him know that you're here."

After a few minutes, she came out of his bedroom with her own clothes on before she left the apartment. Two minutes later, Ryan came out of his room with a pair a basketball shorts on.

"Jay, what the hell are you doing here?" He asked as I rose to my feet and he pulled me in for a quick hug.

"I got back yesterday. But I couldn't get ahold of you. When I reached out to Harper, she said she couldn't get ahold of you either. We were both a little worried so, here I am." I gestured my head towards the door that Danielle had left through. "You want to explain that, brother?"

Ryan ran his hands over his face as he sat in the chair across from the couch. I sat back down as I waited for him to explain.

"After we got back from London, I had a hard time...dealing. I was drinking way too much and I was just in a really bad place. Danielle had passed by one night to bring me some food as a get well thing girls do, I guess."

He was quiet for a few moments before he continued. "As a thank you, I invited her to stay for some wine and we started talking. I don't know why, but I just started confiding in her about how I was feeling and what I was dealing with." He closed his eyes tight. "When she was getting ready to leave, I kissed her."

A sarcastic chuckle escaped me. "Clearly she didn't mind."

"Actually, she slapped me. Then she accused me of cheating on Harper," he laughed before he met my stare. "Harper and I are in an arranged marriage. Our parents set it up. I thought Danielle would have known but I guess Harper didn't tell her."

Well, looks like my big brother was finally going to tell me the truth. Although, I kind of forced it out of him since I found Danielle in his apartment wearing nothing but his T-shirt. "I know about the arranged marriage. That's why I'm not punching you in the face. I know you're not cheating on Harper."

His mouth dropped open, clearly surprised that I knew about this. "How did you know?"

I had to tread lightly here. I didn't want to give too much away. "It wasn't hard for me to figure out, Ryan. I know our father and I know your mother. Besides, I see the way you look at Harper. You don't love her."

Ryan let out a long breath. "No, I don't. I mean I care about her, of course. But, we're nothing more than good friends."

Even though I knew the answer I asked, "Does she know about Danielle?"

"No. Like I said we're in an open relationship. But, this definitely breaks the rules. I feel guilty about it." He looked up at me. "Should I tell her?"

This was tricky. I had no idea how Harper was going to react, but I had to watch what I said. For fuck's sake, I'm fucking his bloody fiancee. Talk about being a hypocrite. "I don't know, brother. That's up to you."

I thought about the time I've spent with Harper and wondered how Ryan felt. Was it just sex? Or something more for him and Danielle? "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," he answered.

"Do you have feelings for her?" I asked even though I was terrified of his answer.

"Yes, I do. This is why one of our rules was not sleeping with the same person more than once. It leads to this. To feelings."

I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't want to think about that happening to me with Harper. I didn't catch feelings. "Well," I said, "maybe you should confide in Harper. I'm sure she will be understanding."

"Yeah," he nodded, "she's a good person."

That was a fucking understatement. I needed to get out of here soon. Harper will be calling any minute and due to this turn of events, I couldn't question Ryan right now. I got to my feet. "Sorry, Ry. I need to be somewhere. Can we meet tomorrow for a drink?"

Ryan got to his feet and let out a long breath. "Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks for coming by."

I left his apartment and got in my truck. What the ever-loving fuck just happened? Ryan and Danielle...I honestly didn't know what to do with that information.

As if on cue, my cell phone rang. "Hey, Princess. How did it go?"

"It went great! I found some stuff. I'm heading back to my apartment now. Did you have any luck with Ryan?"

I looked back at my brother's apartment. "No, he wasn't home," I lied for the first time to her.

And I hated it.