Harry watched Jade with a guarded expression as she spoke, careful not to reveal anything even though he was actually very surprised that she had finally come around to stating what she wanted.
This was interesting. At least now they could stop playing games and act like two sensible mature adults.
"You should say something," Jade urged him with a slight frown when he merely kept staring at her.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean Esquire," Harry said as he stepped closer to her and tucked a short strand of hair behind her ear.
The brush of his finger against her skin made her heart flop in her chest like a landed trout, and she swallowed as she tried to focus on him. On their conversation.
"I want you to have eyes only for me," Jade said, and Harry nodded thoughtfully.
"Now I'm wondering why you would want me to have eyes only for you, Esquire. Pray tell," Harry said as he gazed into Jade's eager eyes.
"Because I'm interested in you, Harry. I like you," Jade said, and Harry smirked.
"Took you long enough to get to that, didn't it?" Harry muttered and Jade arched a brow.
"So?" Jade asked, awaiting his response.
She had swallowed her pride and thrown caution to the wind by doing this. It had to be worth it. She deserved some accolades for making an effort at the very least.
"Being interested in you has never been an issue for me, Esquire," Harry said as his gaze shifted to her lips once again and he brushed her lips with his thumb sensually, making Jade want to wet her lips with her tongue.
"I've only had eyes for you since I set eyes on you," Harry said as he drew her close against him gradually and wrapped his arms around her, slowly.
"You've managed to hold my interest for over four years even without being physically present," Harry said, and Jade's eyes lit up at that and her lips curved in a happy smile.
His eyes stayed on hers for three seconds, and then his lips brushed hers, retreated, "However, I'm not sure I'm kind enough or willing to make this so easy for you," Harry said, and the smile on Jade's face faltered.
"What do you mean?" Jade asked with a slight frown, but the sound of his ringing phone interrupted them once again.
"Hold that thought, Esquire," Harry said with an easy grin as he let go of her and walked away from her to pick up his phone which was on the table.
Jade pressed a hand to her lower abdomen and took a deep breath to calm herself as she watched him move languidly across the room to the table to receive his call.
Not knowing what else to do at that moment, Jade returned to the table too and began to clear it up while Harry's eyes followed her.
"I take it you're with my dad now. I'm sorry I missed your call earlier," Harry said immediately after he received Lucy's call.
"I only just got here. I haven't called since our last conversation," Lucy said, making Harry realize that he had wrongly assumed the last phone call had been from Lucy.
"Oh, I see. Can you please put him on the line now?" Harry asked as he headed for his bedroom where he could speak comfortably without Jade watching him or listening to him.
"Harry is on the line," Lucy said to Aaron as she passed the phone to him, while Candace watched him with interest.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Harry..."
"You gave me quite a scare, dad," Harry said immediately he heard his father's voice.
"I'm sorry about that," Aaron said, relieved to hear Harry's voice.
"How do you feel now?" Harry asked in concern.
"I feel better knowing that you've gotten some rest. Did you have something to eat yet? Some of the dinner from last night is in the refrigerator..."
"Jade fixed us dinner already. Focus on getting better and stop worrying about me," Harry scolded as he walked into his bedroom and shut the door behind him.
"That's not something I think I can do," Aaron said sadly, and Lucy and Tom exchanged a look.
"We will be outside," Tom said before leading Lucy outside wanting to give Aaron his privacy.
"I think we should excuse him too, what do you think?" Candace whispered to Jamal and when he gave her a nod they both stood up and went to join Tom and Lucy outside.
Once he was alone, Aaron sighed, "What should I do now? How do we live now?" Aaron asked, and Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Nothing has changed between us, dad. Nothing has to. I don't want you to let this whole thing bother you anymore. You've done enough already, so leave the rest to me, okay? I will handle it," Harry promised.
"How do you feel about everything?"
"I don't know. I'm not sure how to feel about it yet. It still sounds surreal to me," Harry confessed as he sat on the edge of his bed.
"I'm sorry I lied to you and kept everything from you," Aaron said apologetically.
"If you are sorry then get well soon and take proper care of your health going forward," Harry said, and Aaron nodded.
"I will. I promise, I will."
"Good. Don't worry about anything else," Harry said once again.
"I'm worried about you making Jade too comfortable around you though," Aaron said,and Harry raised a brow.
"Are they not in there with you?" He asked, curious to know if his father was saying all of this in front of Tom and the others.
"No, they're not. They all excused me to speak with you," Aaron assured him.
"Oh, alright. What do you mean?" Harry asked, relaxed now.
"She obviously likes you..."
"I thought you were pressuring me to get involved with someone because you were scared I wouldn't want to after I learn about Sara?"
"That doesn't mean I don't want you to see you in a happy relationship," Aaron said, and Harry tried not to roll his eyes.
"Forget what I said about things staying the same between us. I'm mad at you. Until I stop being mad at you, you're not to talk to me about any relationship," Harry said, and Aaron chuckled.
"You already said you are not mad. You can't take that back, else I might have another heart attack," Aaron joked, and Harry scowled.
"Don't threaten me with that, dad. It's not funny," Harry said, and Aaron sighed.
"Sorry. Just make sure you don't be too much of a gentleman with her. This is your chance to get her."
"I will try not to disappoint you," Harry said dryly, and Aaron chuckled making Harry smile.
"How do you feel now, dad? Tell me honestly how you feel about everything."
"I feel relieved that I've finally been able to tell you the truth. And at the same time I feel guilty, sad, and heartbroken that your twin sister has been alive this whole time and I lived mourning her like she was dead. I can't say I regret meeting Sara or marrying her. That would mean I regret having you, and I don't. I'm grateful everyday that she gave me you. I can only hope that life has been good to your twin sister where she is, and that she is alive and fine," Aaron said, and Harry drew a deep breath.
"I can't say I understand how you feel, but I can promise not to let you carry the burden alone anymore," Harry said, and Aaron smiled.
"Is that why you asked the little boy to hold my hand? He held my hand for such a long time it's a wonder his doesn't feel cramped," Aaron said, and Harry smiled.
"Jamal did?"
"Yes, he did. I woke up to see him lying beside me holding my hand. He reminds me of when you were a little boy," Aaron said with a sigh.
"He's something, isn't he?"
"He sure is. He is a very wise and thoughtful kid. It's not difficult to see where he got all that from. His mom is a pretty decent person," Aaron said, and Harry's heart skipped a beat.
"Did you speak with her?" Harry asked, wondering if his father saw any resemblance between her and Sara like Jade had seen.
"A bit. She doesn't seem like the type to talk a lot but you can tell from her eyes that she has experienced too much for her young age. Have you met her before?" Aaron asked curiously.
"I've never met her. Although, I've heard a couple of things about her," Harry said, and Aaron sighed.
"I'm sure you have. From Jade I suppose?"
"Yeah. From Jade. And also from Tom and Lucy."
"I see. I know it's probably too soon to ask you this, but do you think maybe there's a way we can find your twin sister? I think we should start searching for her before Sara..."
"It's not too soon to ask me for anything, dad. Besides, We found her already so you don't have to worry your head about that," Harry said, and Aaron's brows pulled together even as his heart skipped a beat.
"You found her already? How? When?" Aaron asked, and even as the questions left his lips he remembered the conversation he had with Jade over the phone the previous day.
He remembered Jade's questions about Harry's mom and if she had any living relatives. And then he remembered his conversation with Lucy.
"I will tell you about it when I get to the hospital, alright?" Harry said as he stood from the bed and picked up his car key from his dressing table.
Jade, Lucy, Candace, and Jamal. Somehow he was beginning to get a clear picture of everything. Did that mean-- Did that mean Candace was the one? His daughter? Harry's twin sister? Aaron mused without listening to anything Harry was saying.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Dad? Are you there?" Harry called when it seemed like his father was not hearing anything he was saying.
Was that possible? Although he had thought she looked a lot like Sara and that Jamal somehow reminded him of Harry at that age, but was it possible? Aaron wondered.
"Dad?" Harry called once again as he walked out of his bedroom.
"Is she the one?" Aaron asked in a low tone.
"Is who the one?" Harry asked in confusion as he paused by the passageway.
"Is it Candace? Is she your twin sister?" Aaron asked and Harry sighed.
There was no point hiding it from him. It was best he knew so his mind would be at ease and he wouldn't have to worry about anything other than recovering fast and getting out of the hospital.
"Yes, dad. She's the one. Candace is your daughter, and Jamal is your grandson," Harry said, and Jade who had been seated on the couch waiting for Harry in the living room rose from her seat and stood up to look at Harry.
Even as Harry said the words, tears fell from Aaron's eyes as he gazed at the door where he knew his daughter was standing now with his grandson.
His daughter had been seated right there next to him and he didn't know it. He could have seen her somewhere else and would never have known that she was his daughter or that the delightful young boy was his grandson.
He not only had a daughter, but a grandson?His grandson had held his hand for hours and kept him company telling him endless funny stories most of which were made up just to cheer him up and he hadn't known the kid was his grandson.
"Oh, Harry!" Aaron cried as he broke into a sob.
"I will be right there, dad. I'm coming over now," Harry promised as he hung up the call.
"I'm going to the hospital," he informed Jade who was staring at him, and she gave him a nod.
She didn't need to be told that their conversation was suspended until further notice. Now he had to face more pressing and urgent family issues. She could wait. She would wait.
"Give me a minute to change out of this," she said, and Harry gave her a once over before giving her a nod.
As she walked past him, Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back, and before she could express her surprise he crushed his lips against hers.
"We are not done with our conversation, Esquire. Not by a long shot," Harry breathed against her lips.
Jade swallowed as she blinked back her surprise and tried to calm the fluttering of butterflies in her stomach, "I didn't think we were."
"Good. I just thought to remind you," Harry said as he let go of her hands, and Jade gave him a nod as she walked past him to the guest bedroom.
Once she left, Harry decided to check who had called him the first time, and he raised a brow when he saw that the call had been from the person he asked to keep an eye on the hospital he had been born.
He dialed the number, and almost immediately the call connected, "Do you have any news for me?" Harry asked curiously.
"Yes, sir. There was a fire accident in the medical record room of the hospital an hour ago. The doctor who was there at the time of your birth passed on five years ago," the man informed Harry.
"Look into the cause of the fire accident and make sure the culprit is caught," Harry ordered before hanging up.
He wasn't the least bit disappointed. He had expected her to make a move like this, and he was ready to find every single one of her crimes and expose her, biological mother or not.