She Loves Me

by Foster, Melissa

  “Nothing,” Piper snapped. “Let’s get back to Jolie. What should I do?”

  “Talk to her,” her sisters said in unison.

  Piper slid off the counter and paced. “Did you not just hear me say I’m not used to dealing with this kind of thing? It’s as foreign to me as taking care of Harley, who, by the way, is a wicked flirt when he’s high on pain meds. Which brings me to my other issue. What the hell happened to me when they were handing out wifely genes? I swear I must have been standing in the badass-single-broad gene line and missed out completely. Don’t worry—I’m not looking to get married. Nothing has changed in that regard. The last thing I need is a guy who thinks he knows everything telling me what to do or how to act. And that’s a good thing, because I don’t have what it takes to be a wife anyway. I don’t know how to be sweet like Bridge or careful like Talia. I can’t dole out peppy tidbits of advice like Willow. I have no business even helping Harley and the girls. If I were a better friend, I’d recruit a chick who cooked and cleaned and didn’t roll her frigging eyes—”

  Willow touched Piper’s arm, startling her out of her rant. She’d been talking so fast, she lost track of what she was saying.

  “Where did all that come from?” Concern swam in Willow’s eyes. “Do you really feel like that?”

  Piper looked at Bridgette and saw the same worry gazing back at her. “No,” she snapped, falling into self-protection mode. She looked up at the ceiling feeling conflicted and vulnerable, fighting the urge to keep her feelings to herself because she desperately wanted to figure out how to help Jolie—and maybe even herself. Time to pull up my big-girl panties.

  She lowered her chin and said, “Yes, okay? I do feel like that. You guys know how I am. Who I am.”

  “You’re right, we do. You’re an amazing sister and a loving aunt and friend,” Willow said vehemently.

  “Who intimidates every man I come across.”

  “Only the weak ones are intimidated.” Willow pointed at Piper and said, “You don’t want them anyway.”

  “And even though you don’t want to get married,” Bridgette said as she came to Piper’s other side, “you would be a good wife and mother. I don’t even know how you can question those things. Who cares if you’re different from us? We’re all different from each other. And you might think you’re harsh, but you’re really not that way when it comes to kids. Don’t you remember when Ben and Aurelia first found Bea on his porch? They didn’t know what to do with her. You showed up with everything they needed, and you taught them how to swaddle her. You’re a natural mother, Piper, even if you don’t want to be one right now. I’ll always be grateful for how you handled Louie when I first had Emerson and Louie was having a hard time. You took him outside with his tools and had him work out his frustrations on the treehouse. Remember? When he came inside he was a whole different kid. I couldn’t have done that. Even Bodhi didn’t know what to do. If you ask me, it’s a darn good thing you and I are different.”

  “Yes, but I was flying by the seat of my pants, hoping I was doing the right thing. Nine times out of ten you guys inherently know what to do for your husbands and for the kids,” Piper said.

  “Oh, bull,” Bridgette exclaimed. “We’re all flying by the seat of our pants.”

  Willow nodded in agreement. “We’re all just hoping we’re doing things right. The most important thing is that we aren’t doing them so wrong we cause them harm or hurt feelings.”

  Piper sighed. “I don’t know. Poor Harley’s ankle is so swollen, it hurts me just to look at it. Most people’s first instinct would be to coddle him and make sure he was comfortable. But mine?” She couldn’t believe she was going to admit the truth, but if she didn’t, it might eat her alive. “In the hospital I felt horrible when I first saw him. My heart ached in a way it never has toward the big lug. But then he pretended to have amnesia, and I was pissed. By the time we got to his house, I wanted to tell him to just get over it already and hobble around. Harley didn’t deserve that. The guy gave up his career and his entire life in the city to come back and be with his family. I mean, that’s huge, right? And there he was, one of my closest friends, who has never asked for a damn thing from anyone, loopy from pain meds, while caring for his nieces. I should want to take care of him. But it wasn’t until he was hobbling around and clearly uncomfortable that I started to feel like that, and even then, when I was feeling guilty for not being nurturing enough, that guilt kind of annoyed me.”

  “Because you were mad at him,” Willow said.

  “Or maybe because you aren’t used to seeing him like that, and it scared you,” Bridgette said carefully.

  That was just one of the things Piper had been up all night picking apart. “I don’t think that’s it.” Is it? And what about all the other feelings he’d sparked in her?

  “It’s okay to be scared, Piper,” Bridgette said softly. “Harley’s your friend, and he’s a big, strong man. Seeing him hurting is scary. It makes him go from the indestructible guy you hang out with at the bar who isn’t afraid to stand up to troublemakers and the sports partner who can play for hours to being a mere human. Seeing this more vulnerable side of him has got to throw you off-kilter. I think I’d worry more if it didn’t make you feel weird. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen you react to bad things with anything but anger. Remember when Jerry died? We were all a mess, crying our eyes out, and you wanted to kill him for hurting me and Louie. And last year when Caroline showed up at Ben’s door, you were ready to go to her hotel room and kick her ass for abandoning Bea.” Caroline was Bea’s birth mother.

  “Bridgette has a point,” Willow said. “Plus, you’re around construction guys all day. You’re not really allowed to be nurturing or soft. You’re the boss, leading rough and gruff men. You have to command respect. I would imagine that showing any weakness is a no-go in your position, and that has to carry over to other aspects of your life. Not in a bad way, but it’s not like you can work construction all day and come home and throw on a frilly dress, get your nails done, and turn into sweet Suzy Homemaker. Just because you’re more direct doesn’t mean you can’t talk to Jolie about a sensitive subject or take care of Harley.”

  “I get all that, but it doesn’t help me figure out what to do. I don’t want to screw up Jolie or make Harley think I don’t care if he’s hurt.”

  Bridgette sighed. “I’m sure you’re fine with them, but don’t you remember how your tough love pulled me through my grief? While everyone else was telling me they’d be there to take care of everything and that I’d figure out how to move on for Louie’s sake, you reminded me of how brave and strong I was to have gone against everyone’s advice when I ran away to marry Jerry. You made a list of all the things I needed to do each day and gave me something other than Jerry’s death to focus on. Remember? You said it was normal to be sad and torn up, but to ‘suck it up, buttercup,’ because I had a baby who needed a mother. I needed that more than you could ever know, Piper. And when you took me to the Mad House, that was genius.”

  The Mad House, ten wooded acres with an old stone house and several outbuildings in various stages of disrepair, had been in the Dalton family for many generations. It was where Piper went to work out her frustrations by wielding a sledgehammer and doing as much damage as she could before wearing herself out.

  “Wait a sec. I never knew you said that buttercup stuff to Bridgette. I’m glad it helped. But more importantly, you took her to the Mad House?” Willow asked, wide-eyed.

  “Yes, she took me there,” Bridgette said. “Why?”

  “Because she took me there the first time I came home from college freshman year.” Willow narrowed her eyes in Piper’s direction. “She told me to let it be our little secret.”

  Piper shrugged. “Guilty as charged. I didn’t want your friends getting wind of it and turning it into make-out central. You both needed to go there. It was either that or listen to you sob into your pillows.”

  “Did you ever take Talia ther
e?” Willow asked.

  “No. She would have launched into a diatribe about destroying property. Talia works through things in her own way. She confronts her worst fears head-on, which is funny since she’s the most timid of us all.”

  “I know,” Bridgette said. “That is weird. But taking me to the Mad House worked so well. It felt amazing to smash that outdoor firepit. I have never felt so powerful or in control. I hurt all over the next day. I remember thinking I’d never be able to use my arms again, but it did the trick. You knew just what I needed. And you know what else, Piper? Harley knows exactly who you are and what you’re capable of. He wouldn’t ask you to help with the girls if he didn’t think you could handle it. And as far as all that flirting goes, the man is crazy about you.”

  “That’s true.” Willow looked over a tray of tarts and said, “That man likes everything about you, construction boots and all. I think you’re worrying about nothing.”

  “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that he’s not really into me,” Piper snapped. “He just wants everyone to think that he is because he gets his jollies cockblocking me.”

  “But—”

  “Don’t go there, Willow,” Piper warned. “Harley and I are not happening.” Maybe if she said it enough times she wouldn’t have any more of those weird feelings when she saw him later.

  “Didn’t you go out with his brother when we were kids?” Bridgette asked.

  “Oh my gosh, that’s right! Marshall made you a rowboat, didn’t he?” Willow asked.

  “Hardly. I built most of it while he checked out my ass and dicked around with his friends. But he did finish it when I got sick with the flu.”

  Willow began mixing something in a bowl and said, “What happened to that thing?”

  “It got ruined in a storm,” she lied. She’d taken that vibrant blue boat with winter-white stripes to the Mad House and beaten the hell out of it.

  “Well, I still don’t understand why you don’t want to go out with Harley. It’s not like Marshall was the love of your life or anything. I don’t even remember you being upset when you two broke up.”

  Of course she didn’t. There was only one person on earth who knew that secret, and Piper intended to keep it that way.

  “It’s because I like Harley and I don’t want to ruin that by screwing him. You’ve seen the women he dates. They’re ladies. I’m . . . me. He needs a wife, kids, and a little picket fence around his lake house. You should see the way he spoils his dog. You are well aware that Harley is the marrying type, and I’m not.” Piper picked up the chocolate croissant and tore off a piece, popping it into her mouth. “Can we get off the Harley-and-Piper train now? I’m not looking for a husband. You don’t have to sell me on being a wife. I just need to figure out how I can help Jolie without screwing her up.”

  “None of that will matter if you keep eating like that. You’ll keel over from a sugar coma before you leave the bakery,” Bridgette teased.

  “I’ve been eating like this my whole life, and so far, no sugar coma.” Piper shoved half of the croissant into her mouth and tore a hunk off with her teeth.

  “We just got off track. We’re not trying to sell you on being a wife. We’re just showing you that your type of tough love isn’t a bad thing. But you know what I’m wondering?” Willow began frosting a tray of cupcakes. “You said you were annoyed about feeling guilty for not being nurturing enough toward Harley. But you did start to nurture him more, right? How did that make you feel?”

  Piper tore off another piece of the croissant and put it in her mouth, mulling over the question. “Surprisingly, I didn’t hate it. But it kind of bothered me that I didn’t hate it, which shows you how effed up I am.”

  Her sisters exchanged another secret look.

  “Maybe you feel something for him,” Bridgette offered.

  “Can we please stop with that and focus on what I should do? I have to be at his place by seven to get the girls ready for school.”

  Willow gasped and pointed the spatula at Piper. “I’ve got it! You think you’re too harsh to help Jolie, which means you want to be more nurturing. You’re taking care of Harley! Use him as a test.”

  “You’ve lost me.”

  “A test!” Willow exclaimed. “Whatever you think you need to do to help Jolie, try it out on Harley first. If that means be softer, try it. It might not feel like you, and then you know not to try it with Jolie.”

  “Oh, I like where this is going! I’m not sure what you think is wrong exactly, but maybe you could try to be more patient? Use fewer curse words so things come out less forceful?” Bridgette suggested.

  “I guess I could try that,” Piper agreed. “What else?” She finished her croissant as her sisters looked curiously at each other.

  “We don’t think you have a problem,” Willow pointed out.

  Piper rolled her eyes. “Come on, you guys. If you can’t give it to me straight, who can?”

  Bridgette shrugged. “I’ve got nothing, Pipe. Sorry.”

  “This isn’t a lot to go on, but I’ll try those things.” She glanced at the clock. “I’ve got to run. Willow, can I take a few doughnuts for the girls? And can you throw in two blueberry scones for Harley?”

  “Sure. I’ll box them up.”

  As Willow put the goodies in a box, Piper said, “I still don’t know exactly what I should do about Jolie.”

  “Talk to her!” her sisters said emphatically.

  Willow handed her the box. “You’ve got this, Pipe.”

  “But what if I say the wrong thing?” She headed for the door.

  “You won’t,” Bridgette said. “We have faith in you.”

  Willow hugged her. “I’m excited for your test! Watch out, Harley Dutch, because Piper is going to blow you away.”

  “I’m not blowing Harley!” Piper laughed as she pushed through the door.

  Her sisters’ laughter followed her out to the truck, but much to Piper’s dismay, it was quickly overridden by thoughts of blowing Harley. She climbed into the truck, mumbling about how ridiculous she was being. As she drove out of the parking lot, she rolled down her window, hoping the crisp morning air would clear her head. And just in case that didn’t help, she mentally chanted a mantra—I will not fall for Harley Dutch. I will not fall for Harley Dutch—and continued all the way to Harley’s house.

  By the time she arrived, she was breathing easier and felt more in control. She let herself in and found the girls watching television in the living room, still in their pajamas. The sheets and blanket were folded neatly and piled on an armchair. Jiggs darted over to greet her.

  “Hi, Piper,” Sophie called out.

  Piper petted Jiggs, holding the box out of his reach. “Hi, Soph. Good morning, Jolie.”

  “Morning,” Jolie said, not too sullenly, which gave Piper hope that she might have a good day.

  Piper held up the box and said, “I brought doughnuts.”

  “Doughnuts!” Sophie hollered, and the girls hurried to the table.

  Piper put the box on the table and peeked into the open bathroom door looking for Harley, but the bathroom was empty. “Where’s Uncle Harley?”

  “Upstairs,” Sophie answered.

  Piper got the girls settled with plates and drinks and said, “I’m going to check on him. I’ll be right back.”

  When she got to the top of the stairs, she heard a loud crash and a thud and took off running toward Harley’s room, her heart racing. “Harley?” She ran through the open door, her eyes sweeping over a pile of folded clothes on the bed, to the open bathroom door.

  “Piper?”

  Harley’s pained voice sent her bolting through that door into a ridiculously small bathroom, and she froze. Water rained down on Harley, sitting cockeyed and naked on the tiny shower floor, one knee bent, his right leg sticking straight out of the shower, and part of the curtain bunched in his fist. The curtain rod lay on the bathroom floor.

  She needed to move, to help Harley, but Lor
d help her. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him, and she had no idea why he suddenly looked exceptionally beautiful, but he did, with a thick, muscular chest covered in a dusting of hair, which led south to the monster between his legs.

  And he was groaning in pain.

  Pain? Oh shit! Shit, shit, shit. “Harley! Are you okay?” she asked frantically.

  “No,” he ground out between gritted teeth. “I think I broke my ass.”

  The sound of the girls ascending the steps sent panic through Piper. She grabbed a towel and threw it at Harley, then ran out of the bathroom, pulling the door closed just as the girls and Jiggs raced into the room.

  “Is Uncle Harley okay?” Jolie asked, fear written all over her face.

  Jiggs jumped onto the bed, sniffed the folded clothes that were piled there, then jumped off and scratched at the bathroom door.

  Piper put an arm around Jolie, trying to act calm despite her whirling thoughts, and said, “Yes. The shower curtain fell. But he’s fine, I promise.” At least she hoped he was, because she sure as hell wasn’t.

  “Are you sure?” Sophie asked.

  “Yes. Why don’t you girls get dressed and brush your teeth so you’re ready for school, and run Jiggsy out back so he can pee before we go. I’ll help Uncle Harley get himself together, okay?”

  “I’ll walk Jiggs!” Sophie said as she ran out of the room with Jiggs on her heels.

  Jolie was staring absently at the bathroom door. Piper moved in front of her, looking directly into her worried eyes, and said, “I promise he’s okay. The shower curtain fell, that’s all.” She gave herself a pat on the back for being patient, considering it a win, but that win was quickly overshadowed by worry about Harley.

  Jolie nodded and left the room.

  Piper’s hand flew over her panicked heart. God, I suck at this. Jolie’s freaking out, and I have no idea how to help her, and Harley was sprawled out on the floor and I stood there staring like I’ve never seen a naked man before.

  Not that she’d ever seen a man as magnificent as Harley Dutch. She looked at the bathroom door, wondering how she would be able to look into his eyes after everything she’d just seen.