Chapter 187
Eager to redeem himself after the last fiasco, Dames dove headfirst into the burlap sack, excitement written all over his face.
Felicity slipped in right behind him, calling out, “Harrison, come on, hurry up!”
She could hardly contain herself.
The instant Harrison stepped into the sack, Felicity pressed herself against him, closing the gap between them. Harrison’s brow furrowed in an instant, and Felicity, catching nothing but air, stumbled a little. Turning around, she instructed, “Harrison, the three of us need to stick close together! That way, when we start jumping, we can move as one.”
She reached for Harrison’s hand. “Put your hand in front and hold onto the sack,” she urged, guiding him so that his arm would rest around her
waist, almost as if he were hugging her.
Felicity’s heart fluttered. Thanks to this little parent-child event, she had the perfect excuse to get close to Harrison in front of everyone. She’d agreed to join Dames at the school’s family day precisely because she wanted to show Selene-and all the other parents from the elite crowd-just how close she and Harrison really were.
But when Felicity tried to grab Harrison’s hand, she came up empty.
A heartbeat later, Harrison’s palm pressed firmly against her lower back, pushing her forward and out of his space. In one swift motion, he stepped right out of the sack, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the awkward situation.
Felicity lost her balance and tumbled sideways, barely catching herself with one hand before she hit the ground hard.
“Harrison, what on earth are you doing?” she snapped, glaring at him. Couldn’t this man show even a little bit of gentleness?
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But Harrison wasn’t looking at her-his gaze was fixed on Selene.
Luke Holloway had already climbed into another sack, filling it almost entirely with his broad frame. Selene stepped in next, facing Luke, and then little Daph squeezed in between them, like the jam in a sandwich.
This arrangement made perfect sense. With Daph in the middle-she was the smallest-she wouldn’t slow down the adults during the race. Selene grabbed the edge of the sack behind Luke, and together, they lifted it up, ready to hop.
From where he stood, Harrison could see Selene leaning softly against Luke’s chest, her hands resting around Luke’s waist, as if she were embracing him. He had never seen Selene get this close to any man
before.
Watching Selene’s lineup, Clarissa turned to Quentin and said, “Let’s stand like they are.”
“Harrison, the race is about to start. Where are you going?” Felicity called after him in exasperation, watching as he strode away from the starting line toward the referee.
All the other parents were lined up, poised for the sack race to begin, but Harrison marched straight over to the supervising teacher.
“This game needs to be canceled,” he declared.
The teacher blinked, taken aback. “Mr. Vaughn, why? It’s just a standard game for family day.”
“If you’re worried, you can have Damien stand in the middle,” the teacher offered. “That way, he’ll be safe.”
Harrison shoved one hand in his pocket and jabbed the other toward Selene’s direction. “You’re telling me it’s normal to have two unrelated adults hugging each other in front of everyone? Daph is my daughter. How can she just stand there and watch her own mother hugging another man?”
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The teacher was momentarily speechless.
“Mr. Vaughn, are you talking about yourself? Is it that you don’t want to play the game with Miss Felicity?”
Harrison’s gaze was icy with authority. “As a board member, I’m telling you: either cancel this ridiculous game, or set a rule-only married couples can participate. Anyone who isn’t married has to sit it out.”
The teacher looked hopelessly confused, but with the board member’s pressure, he hesitated.
‘Among all the families here, only yours and Ms. Thompson’s aren’t married couples, so…” The teacher didn’t get a chance to finish-Harrison was already striding back toward Selene.
‘Selene! Get out here, now!”
Selene and Luke Holloway, standing face-to-face in that sack-what was she thinking? Did she have any idea how this looked, or how it made Daph feel?
Selene, for her part, found Harrison’s outburst utterly baffling. She turned to the teacher holding the whistle and said, “Ignore him!”
Over twenty parents and their children were lined up at the starting line, ready to begin. The teacher with the whistle, eyes darting nervously to Harrison, blew the starting note.
With that, the sack race began. Harrison could only watch as Selene, Luke, and Daph bounced off together.
“Harrison, what are you doing? Get back here!” Felicity was shouting, but he paid her no mind, his eyes fixed on Selene and Luke as they hopped further and further away.
Were they doing this just to spite him?
Selene and Luke, facing each other with Daph squeezed between, jumped in sync. Every time they landed, Harrison felt a pang in his temple, as if
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his own blood pressure leapt with them.
A sudden cry rang out-“Ah!” Clarissa tumbled to the ground, Quentin toppling right after her, landing in a heap. All along the track, families were tripping, parents and kids tumbling together, laughter echoing under the wide blue sky.
A vein throbbed at Harrison’s temple. This school must be insane, coming up with such a scandalous game.
Suddenly, Daph’s shrill voice cut through the commotion: “Uncle Luke!”
Harrison’s heart plummeted. He whipped his head around, eyes searching desperately for Selene, Luke, and Daph…
