“Piper, oh my God! What happened to you?” she said, rushing in and shutting the door behind her.
I drew away from her as she tried to hug me.
“Do you want some coffee?” I asked, and she gulped and nodded.
Lily followed me to the kitchen as I started brewing a pot.
“It’s been three weeks Piper! Three weeks since any of us heard from you. Mom and dad have been worried sick, and I’ve been trying to call you.”
Lily continued scolding while I tinkered around the kitchen.
“Are you even hearing me, Piper?” she snapped when I hadn’t said anything for a while.
“Yeah, I am. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch. I’ve just had a few things going on,” I told her.
I put the pot of coffee down on the kitchen table and sat down. Lily continued glaring at me for a while, then she had no choice but to sit down too.
“Pip, what’s going on with you, honey? Is this about Cliff?”
Her voice was softer now, and she reached for my hand. She rarely ever called me Pip anymore, because she knew how much I hated that name.
“Why would you just assume this has anything to do with Cliff?” I snapped, yanking my hand away from her.
Lily sighed and shook her head at me disappointedly.
“The last time we spoke, which was three weeks ago it was about Cliff. Since then I haven’t heard from you at all. So you tell me what this is about.”
There was no escaping Lily’s searching blue eyes. Now that she was here, I knew she wasn’t going to leave until she had gotten to the bottom of this. I tried not looking at her, but she was drilling a hole in me.
“I lost my job at the restaurant,” I told her.
Lily gasped and rose her hands up to her mouth. When I glared at her, she realized that her reaction wasn’t helping matters.
“I’m sorry, honey. I’m sure you’ll find something else. What happened?”
I shook my head, trying to pretend like it didn’t bother me.
“I hated that place. The Chef was rude and demanding, and he never appreciated the work I did. I’m glad I left.”
It wasn’t entirely untrue, but I didn’t mention to her the role Cliff had to play in the matter. Nor how I’d spoken to Chef which ultimately led to the final nail in the coffin.
Lily chewed on her bottom lip and nodded her head.
“You know what? This could be a good thing. You’ve been working so hard these last couple of years. We’ve barely gotten a chance to see you. Maybe you should take a break, move in with mom and dad? Or you could move in with Brian and me too?”
I smiled weakly at her and shook my head.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m pregnant.”
For a moment, it looked like Lily didn’t believe what I had just said. She laughed out loud like it was a joke. But when I wasn’t smiling, she clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes were wide with shock.
“Is it…is it, his?”
“It’s Cliff’s.”
Lily tried to stifle her gasp, but she couldn’t.
“Honey…” she whispered and took my hand again. Feeling Lily’s warm touch on my hand was all the trigger I needed. A few tears rolled down my cheeks, and I tried to blink them away.
“Well, that’s all the more reason to move in with us. You need help, Piper. You need your family with you!”
“This child needs a father, Lily! That is what I need! I need a family of my own. I don’t have one. I don’t even have a job. I don’t know how I’m going to do this alone!”
I was crying. Lily stood up to throw her arms around my neck, and she held me tightly.
“It’ll be okay, honey. We’ll figure it out,” she said.
“I miss him, Lily. Is it wrong that I miss him? I know he doesn’t want me and I know you were right. I can never be with Cliff, but I can’t help the way I feel about him.”
I was sobbing on her shoulder while she held me, patting my back and stroking my hair.
“I’m sorry, Piper. I’m sorry this is happening to you,” she whispered.
“I should have listened to you. I should have stayed away from him. But I couldn’t. I kept going back to him until I felt like I would burst. I haven’t seen him in over two weeks, and I know it’s for the best.”
Lily drew herself away from me so she could look into my eyes.
“You’re not alone, Piper. You have to believe me. I’m here for you. We don’t have to tell mom and dad right away. Let’s figure this out together,” she spoke gently.
I nodded my head and wiped my tears. I was glad she was here. I was grateful for her. My sister always knew what to say to make me feel better. I shouldn’t ever have trusted Cliff. There was nobody in the world I could trust more than Lily.
Chapter 18
Cliff
When Lily called me, I didn’t know what to think. There was a gap of two days between when I called her and now. The last time she eventually hung up the phone claiming she had to put her child to sleep. After that, I didn’t think I would hear from her again. In fact, I didn’t plan on calling her either.
Then she called me while I was at work and asked if I wanted to meet her for coffee. She said she was in Boston for the day and she wanted to see me.
I invited her to the cafe around the corner from my office building. When she walked in, I recognized her immediately. Just like Piper, there was very little that had changed about Lily too except that she was a mother now and there was a softness in her sharp features.
“Hello, Cliff,” she greeted me when I stood up from my chair. She looked exhausted as if she had a tough day.
“It’s good to see you again, Lily,” I told her. We both sat down.
Unlike Piper, Lily had let her hair grow. She flipped her brown locks over to one side of her shoulder and fixed her eyes firmly on me.
“Were you surprised to hear from me?” she asked, and I nodded.
“You know I was. What are you doing in Boston?”
“I came to see Piper,” she replied, still watching me intently.
It was some relief to know that Piper was still in Boston. It meant that I had some hope in finding her again.
“How is she?” I asked her and Lily shrugged her shoulders.
“She’s fine, I guess. I don’t know.m I don’t know what to tell you. She, of course, has no idea that I’ve come to see you,” Lily replied.
“Why have you come to see me?” I asked.
Lily was playing with her fingers, and I could sense she was nervous about something.
“The last time we spoke you told me you’ve always had feelings for Piper. I didn’t want to believe you, because I’ve never trusted you.”
We were staring at each other. I nodded my head.
“I don’t expect you to. I didn’t exactly paint a good picture of myself. I was young. I was just a kid. I thought it was cool to be like that, not to be serious about life.”
Lily licked her lips nervously and stared down at her lap.
“And I should have cut you some slack. I know I judged you too quickly, but you didn’t help matters by breaking up with Piper like that. She was heartbroken when you left. She had no idea you even applied for Harvard. Is that why you broke up with her? Because your life had kicked off?”
I pressed my eyes closed, trying to decide what to tell her.
The truth was that I hadn’t said aloud before the reason why I broke up with Piper. I did what I thought was right, and didn’t talk about it. It was done. I broke Piper’s heart and in the process, broken myself too.
“I ended it with her weeks before I got the acceptance letter from Harvard,” I told Lily.
“But she had no idea you even applied. None of us had a clue that you were even interested in college,” she continued.
“You just thought I was going to throw away my life and drag Piper down along with me…”
Lily gulped and looked away f
rom me guiltily.
“You gave us no evidence that you had other plans, Cliff,” she said softly, and I nodded.
“I know. It was my fault. As I said, I was a kid, and I was stupid. I thought it was cool to pretend to be the bad guy, the kind of guy mothers warned their daughters about. It was the biggest mistake I made in my life,” I said.
Lily’s brows were crossed. I knew she was desperate to know the truth. Maybe it was time I did tell her the truth. It wasn’t like that would change the past.
“If you always had feelings for Piper, why did you break up with her?” she asked.
I ran a hand through my hair and sighed.
“Because I knew what you thought of me, you and your parents,” I said.
Lily clenched her jaw. She was getting frustrated with me.
“That is unfair, Cliff. We had you over for Christmas. You ate with us! I thought it was going well. Piper was so happy to have you there!”
I nodded.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I know you all were perfectly hospitable. You didn’t behave badly with me, and for that, I’ll always be grateful. I know you were all putting on a show for Piper though, being nice to me to make her happy.”
“And what is wrong with that? We all wanted what was best for her!” Lily snapped. I smiled mockingly at her.
“Only, I overheard you when you were talking after dinner, and I knew it was all an act.”
Lily sat back in her chair. Her eyes narrowed at me.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You might not remember this, because it didn’t mean anything to you. But it meant everything to me. Piper and I were clearing up the table in the kitchen. You and your parents had gone into the living room, to set up the board games. While Piper was washing the dishes, I was putting them away in the cupboard in the corridor, and I could hear what you guys were discussing.”
“What were we discussing?” Lily asked.
“Me.”
She looked away from me, the tops of her cheeks had turned red. I guessed that she now remembered what they had said.
“I was a laughing stock. My hair, my leather jackets, my bike. Your father thought I was no good. Your mother pointed out that I had gotten into fights recently, and you said you heard rumors I was cheating on Piper with some cheerleader.”
Lily gulped. She was refusing to meet my eyes.
“We were…” she tried to say, but I interrupted her. Now that I started, there was no stopping me.
I shifted in my chair, leaning in closer to her.
“I heard every word, Lily. I heard what you said about my family, that my father was a drunk and that my mother left us because she couldn’t bear to live in that home. I heard your mother hoping, praying that Piper came to her senses and saw me for the loser that I was.”
Lily’s eyes had filled with tears.
“I’m sorry, Cliff. We thought…we were so sure you were wrong for her,” she said in a whisper.
I sank back in my chair.
“And you were right. I couldn’t be good for her, not the way I was back then. Hearing you say those things, hearing your parents, I knew I didn’t deserve Piper. I didn’t have a choice. I had to break up with her because I was convinced. You guys had convinced me. I didn’t want to ruin her life.”
I was angry with myself and them, and I was speaking through gritted teeth. The reason why I hadn’t talked about this before was that I wanted to keep my temper in check. I hadn’t told Piper because I didn’t want her to blame her family. I didn’t want to do anything that would make her hate them.
Lily blinked her tears away. Her voice was broken and weak.
“I’m sorry, Cliff. We shouldn’t have judged you, and we were so mean to you. You were just a kid, and we didn’t give you a chance.”
I looked away from her.
“Harvard was supposed to be my way out of my childhood. I was going to make something of myself, for Piper’s sake. But I hadn’t heard back from them, and I was sure I’d never get in. I didn’t think Piper deserved that.”
Lily’s eyes were strained as she stared at me.
“Why didn’t you look for her? Why didn’t you come home and tell her everything once you got in?”
“Because it wouldn’t change things. Just because I got into a good school didn’t mean you guys would look at me differently,” I replied.
“Of course we would. Of course, we did! The only reason I wanted you to stay out of her life now, was because you abandoned her. Cliff!” Lily leaned in towards me over the table.
“Piper has always been in love with you. She never got over you. I don’t know what she told you, but she’s always…” her voice drifted. There was a manic look in her eyes.
“What? What is it?” I coaxed her, and she stared back at me.
“You have to fix this, Cliff. You have to fix this for us. It’s all our fault. It’s my fault that my sister’s been so unhappy all these years. And now…now…”
I waited for her to continue. If Piper still loved me, then there might be hope.
“She’s pregnant.”
When I heard the words, it felt like the ground shook underneath my feet.
“Piper is…” my voice drifted.
“She’s pregnant. You’re the father. You have to go to her. You have to find a way to make her see what I see!”
I jumped up from the chair.
“Where is she?” I growled. Lily was shaking her head.
“You need to calm down, Cliff. You can’t go to her now, not like this. She’ll refuse to speak to you. I know my sister. You have to find a way to make her believe you still love her. Not just by words, but through your actions.”
Chapter 19
Piper
I couldn’t go home, because I couldn’t face my parents. I couldn’t leave Boston because I didn’t want to start over. My only choice now was to look for a job here.
Finally dragging myself out of the apartment, I went around the city handing in my resumé to all the top restaurants I could think of. I couldn’t believe this was the situation I was in!
Before this, I was headhunted by places. I was working in a fancy restaurant in LA when the folks at Privy snapped me up. I was never out of work. I didn’t know what it felt like to be helpless and look for a job door to door. But that was what I was doing now because Chef Morris had made sure of it.
After spending the day handing my CV to places, I felt frustrated and miserable. It had been a week since I saw Lily, and now she was calling me every day begging me to come home or to tell Cliff what was going on. It was strange that now she suddenly changed her mind about him.
She was determined that he deserved to know he was going to be a father. I told her I didn’t want to see him, that he never wanted me and he never would.
After the long day, I had today, I was desperate for some peace and calm. Lily had tried calling me again, but I ignored her calls. I needed some time to myself.
I decided to go to the place that always made me feel better. I went to the old abandoned restaurant I dreamed about owning.
Getting in my car, I drove thirty minutes out of the city, until I hit the quieter suburbs. Just picturing it again soothed my soul. I hadn’t been back there in several months, and I longed to see it again. I knew that once I saw it, I would feel calm again. I could spend hours, walking around the abandoned premises, imagining what I would do with the place if I owned it.
When I eventually drove up to it and parked my car at the gates, I noticed there was something different about it today. It didn’t look so abandoned anymore. There were signs of life. The overgrown gardens surrounding the main structure seemed to be cleared.
I thought I could even hear people’s voices inside.
I rushed through the short driveway, up the beaten path and pushed open the front door. It creaked as I did.
I had been inside the building before, and I expected to see it in its usual dark, gloomy glory, bursting with pote
ntial.
Instead, I found a man standing there, with his back turned to me. He was on the phone. Around him were paint buckets and tarp on the walls. Someone had bought this place. I was beaten to it!
I cleared my throat, feeling anxiety rising in my bones. My dreams were tarnished. Who would want to buy this place anyway?
“Excuse me!” I snapped when he didn’t turn. Then he looked over his shoulder, and I saw who it was.
Martin Shay switched off his phone and faced me with a smile on his face.
“Piper! You’re here,” he exclaimed.
I had my brows crossed in confusion. What was he doing here? Why was he expecting to see me?
“What are you doing here?” I raged at him.
I watched as he slipped his phone in his pocket and looked up at the ceiling.
“He’s been waiting for you,” Martin replied.
Then I heard footsteps. Someone was rushing down the dilapidated steps. Within moments, Cliff was standing on the landing, staring at me with a glow in his eyes.
“Cliff!” I exclaimed, and he rushed towards me, stopping in his tracks just inches away from me.
“She just arrived, boss,” Martin said. Cliff didn’t even look at him.
“Leave us alone, Martin!” he growled.
I was shaking my head, already backing away from him.
“You did this! You bought this place! Why? What are you going to do to it?” I hissed.
Cliff stepped towards me, but I could sense he didn’t want to touch me. He wasn’t sure if I wanted to be touched.
I didn’t know what to feel. I had been yearning for him, so I should have been happy. But this situation had shocked me.
“Piper, please just listen to me,” he said, joining his hands together in a plea.
“You bought this place when you knew I wanted it! What are you trying to do?” I squealed.
“I bought it for you, Piper. I bought it a few days ago. I’ve been coming here every day, waiting for you to visit because your sister said you would come here eventually.”
Daddy CEO: A BILLIONAIRE SECOND CHANCE BABY ROMANCE Page 8