“Yes, I did, but it wasn’t because he wanted to take control of me. He wanted to know that he was special to me and not just another guy I banged.” She glanced at the gift on the passenger seat and said, “That’s kind of sweet, right?”
“That’s really sweet, and he is special, right?”
“Yeah, Tal. He definitely is.” She expected to feel a shiver of weirdness with the admission, but nothing tainted the happiness she felt.
“Oh, Piper. I’m so happy for both of you! Harley has been in love with you for a long time, and I always knew you’d fall in love despite yourself.”
“Whoa, let’s slow the love train, sis.” She didn’t know if Harley was in love with her, but she had no doubt that they were falling for each other in a big way. She’d been experiencing all of the characteristics of falling for a guy that her sisters had drilled into her head over the last couple of years—the fluttery feeling in her stomach, heart palpitations when they kissed, wanting to be with him every second, and feeling off when they were apart. But she didn’t need the pressure to get married that she knew would come if her family got wind of how powerful her feelings were. She turned down Harley’s street and quickly changed the subject. “How are things with Derek and Jonah? Will they be at Mom’s for Mother’s Day next weekend?”
“They’ll be there, and they’re doing great. I’m so glad we opened the center. Jonah has friends now that he sees every day, and in his lucid moments, he enjoys them. It’s turning out to be everything Derek had hoped it would.”
“That’s wonderful. I know how hard he worked for this.” When Talia met Derek, he’d been on the cusp of making his dream come true. He’d been working as an erotic dancer and bartender at a club in Harmony Pointe to earn money to care for his father and to start the adult-daycare center. Though Derek hadn’t sought out investors, Ben had seen potential in the business, and he’d offered to invest as a silent partner, which had allowed Derek to remain in control and not deplete his savings. Piper and their father had handled the renovations to bring his dream to fruition.
Piper pulled into Harley’s driveway and cut the engine. “I have to go, Tal. I just got to my boyfriend’s house.”
“I still can’t believe that you have a real boyfriend. You haven’t had one since . . . Oh my gosh, Piper! Since Marshall? Can that be right?”
A flutter of discomfort rattled her. She’d been trying not to think about Marshall, mainly because he wasn’t a happy memory for her, but also because she wondered if her having dated Marshall bothered Harley. He’d mentioned his brother the other day when he’d spoken of self-sabotage, and that had stung. But he’d quickly soothed that sting by using his experiences with Marshall to understand how Piper’s mind worked and help her understand, too. That he thought she was anything like Marshall bothered her, but there was an element of truth about her pushing people away. She was working on that.
“Yes,” she answered. “But don’t make a thing out of it.”
“What? That you have now run through all the Dutch men in Sweetwater?” Talia laughed at her own joke. “I’m just kidding, but it’s true.”
“Goodbye, Talia.” She ended the call and grabbed the gift from the other seat, wondering if she should bring up Marshall with Harley and kick that big old elephant to the center of the room.
She chewed on that thought as she climbed from the truck with the gift for Harley in her hand. A lantern glowed from the top step of the front porch. As she approached, she noticed a note tucked under a rock behind it. She set the rock to the side, scanning Harley’s distinctly male handwriting. The note was written in pencil. Although each letter was perfectly crafted with tall, strong vertical strokes and perfectly rounded elements, the words were half-printed, half-cursive, as if he’d been in a hurry.
Pipe, you know where this half of our coupledom will be waiting. H
Piper usually hated games, and she had no idea what Harley was talking about, but a thrill tiptoed through her. She looked around for clues of where he was waiting. His truck was there, which meant he was on the property, and he’d left a lantern, which she assumed meant she needed to walk somewhere. She sat on the steps, mulling over her dilemma, and ruled out the obvious choice of Dutch’s Pub.
Her mind drew a blank. She and Harley didn’t have a special place.
That realization bothered her. Didn’t most couples have special places? She guessed the pub was sort of their special place. It was where they’d spent so much time together, where they’d found each other . . .
She glanced at her truck and debated driving there, but quickly nixed that idea because he wouldn’t have walked there. She read the note again, and her mind sifted through their conversations about being a couple.
I want to be with you . . . Check. They were together every night.
I want to be the guy you come to see at Dutch’s . . . Check.
I want to go out with you as a couple, with other couples, and do more than play basketball. She thought of the night they’d gone out with Willow, Zane, Remi, and Mason and mentally checked that one off, too.
I want to spend time together at night doing normal things people do when they’re in a relationship, like having dinner and talking about what they want out of life. Their hockey date was always on her mind. It was a night she’d never forget. Check.
I want to go out on my boat with you and go fishing and swimming and make love to you under the stars. Checkmate!
She shot to her feet, grabbed the lantern, and ran down the path toward the dock. As she passed a tree that had a beach towel hanging from a branch, she snagged it without slowing down. Her heart raced as she came to the crest of the hill behind his house and looked out at the dock. She clutched the towel to her belly, taking in strings of pretty blue lights trailing from post to post, illuminating a number of indiscernible items on the dock that formed a trail to the boat. Misty light rained down on Harley from a lantern hanging from the roof of the slip. His eyes caught hers, and her heart turned over in her chest, kicking her legs into gear. She ran down the path, nearly tripping over a small rosebush in a pretty blue container at the entrance to the dock. A rosebush! She’d never loved cut flowers because they died, and she couldn’t remember if she’d ever mentioned that to Harley, but she must have. She picked it up and hurried to the next item on her trail to the best boyfriend in the world, a bottle of wine in a wine caddy built to look like a contractor, complete with a metal shirt, a toolbox in one hand, and a hammer in the other. She wasn’t big on wine, but she loved this so much, she’d drink wine every day just to remember this moment.
She was wrong about hating games. She loved this game!
She rushed to the next item, picking up a fishing pole, and a few feet from there she retrieved a box of condoms. She was grinning so hard her cheeks hurt as she arrived at the boat juggling all her goodies.
“Oh my God, Harley!” She thrust her arms, full of goodies, toward him and said, “Takeittakeittakeit!”
He laughed as he took the plant from her arms and set it behind him.
“I don’t know what to say! Thank you doesn’t seem big enough,” she said as he took more gifts from her hands. “Nobody’s ever done anything like this for me before! Hurry! Get me in there! I need to be with you!”
He lifted her into the boat as if she were light as a feather and set her down beside a picnic basket and a thick blue blanket. She set the rest of the gifts down as fast as she could and launched herself into his arms, crushing her mouth to his. He tasted like new adventures, breezy evenings, and heart-thundering happiness.
“Thank you,” she said between kisses.
As her toes touched down again, he said, “I brought dinner. Bacon burgers and cheese fries, just the way you like them.”
“Oh, Harley!” she said, suddenly getting all choked up.
He pressed his lips to hers again and said, “In case you’re wondering, that’s beer in the wine bottle. I couldn’t find a six-pack caddy that looked li
ke a contractor. I hope that’s okay. I’ll personally refill the bottle with beer as many times as we need to.”
She couldn’t stop smiling. “I love the wine caddy and the towel and everything. You got me a rosebush! How did you know that I don’t love cut flowers?”
“You don’t remember the guy who brought you a bouquet when he met you for a date at the pub?”
“That was ages ago.” She remembered it clearly, because it was the last date she’d had before she went out with Harley.
“I’ll never forget the way you looked at him like he’d lost his mind. You told him you didn’t appreciate gifts that died, and later, after I sent him packing, you bitched about it being bad enough that your sister made a living killing plants and flowers.”
She loved that he’d remembered, but that joy was chased by guilt at what she’d said about Bridgette. “Thank God Bridgette wasn’t there to hear that. She’s so good at what she does, and she loves it. I must have been having a really bad day to have admitted it in public like that.”
“You said you were ready to give up on men.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek and said, “I remember hoping you meant it about all men except me.”
“I did” slipped out. “I mean, I didn’t know how I felt about you then, but that was the last time I went out on a date until you came along and turned my world upside down. Now kiss me again before all this sappy stuff gets to me.”
“I kind of like the sappy stuff getting to y—”
She went up on her toes, silencing him with the press of her lips.
A long while later, after anchoring the boat in the middle of the lake and enjoying dinner, they sat side by side in the moonlight with their fishing lines in the water. They were drinking beer straight from the wine bottle because Piper’s incredible boyfriend who remembered everything they needed for dinner and a night of lovin’ beneath the stars forgot to bring glasses. Sweetwater was a distant glimmer of lights on the horizon, and Piper couldn’t imagine a more perfect evening.
She tightened the slack on her line and said, “Remi texted earlier about the volunteer day to put together the duffels and birthday boxes. It was supposed to be two weeks from yesterday, but they had to change it to two weeks from today. Do you think you can still make it?”
“Absolutely. Jasper wants extra hours, and my two part-time bartenders are always happy to take on more.”
“Good. What they’re doing for foster kids is so important. I love being a part of it. It’s like fate dropped Mason into Remi’s life at the perfect moment. They’re so similar, and it’s great that they both want to foster children and maybe have their own.”
“How about you, Pipe?”
“Me? I’m afraid Mason’s out of luck, because fate already dropped a man into my life at the perfect time, and I have no plans of swapping him out.”
“I’m damn glad about that, even though it’s not what I meant.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I know you aren’t looking to get married, but you’re great with kids. Do you want a family one day?”
“That’s a hard question.”
“Why?” He held her gaze, and she sensed that he might not let her out of answering.
“Because I want a family, but I also want my career. It might be hard to be several months pregnant in my line of work, or even a few weeks pregnant, because my crew might treat me different.” She shrugged. “I don’t know the answer, but since I don’t want to get married, I might just be Auntie Piper forever.”
He wiggled his fishing line and said, “Lots of mothers have careers. Look at our sisters. I know your job is different, but that doesn’t mean you have to give it up if you want to have kids. Would it be so bad to manage projects instead of working hands-on for a few months?”
“I don’t know. It’s too much to think about right now.”
“Okay, but I just want to throw out there that getting married isn’t a prerequisite for having children.”
“Just ask Ben, right?” She lifted her line, reeling in the slack, and hoped he would accept the subtle change in subject.
“Exactly. Speaking of Ben, he paid me a visit at the pub today.”
“Oh yeah? How is my big brother?”
“He’s good. He came to make sure my intentions were honorable.”
Piper snort-laughed. “Ben did? I’d like to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. You’ve got fifty pounds on him.”
“It’s not about size, babe.”
“Here’s a hint. Women lie.” She arched a brow and said, “It’s always about size.”
He chuckled. “Let me rephrase that. Making a point is not about the size of the man; it’s about respect. He did good by you. You should be proud of him.”
“I’m always proud of him. I could never do all the things he does. Ben is a financial genius, and though it hasn’t been easy, he’s stepped up for Bea and handled fatherhood like he handles everything else—with humor, heart, and a boatload of patience. Like you do.”
The appreciation in his eyes warmed her all over.
“Thanks, babe. Your brother’s good with numbers, but so are you. You’re also good with tools, with your body, my body . . .”
All her best parts sizzled with the smoldering look he was casting her way, and she leaned in for another kiss.
When their lips parted, he said, “Ben brought Bea with him.”
So much for sizzling. “To give you a stern talking-to? That must have been hilarious.”
“She’s a doll.” He gazed out over the water for a long moment, and then he said, “You’d make a great mom, Piper. It would be a shame for you to miss out on having a family of your own.”
She didn’t want to get into a heavy discussion when they’d had such a wonderful night, so she said, “What would be a shame is if we don’t catch any fish tonight.” They hadn’t caught anything, and she didn’t care. Just being with Harley was enough for her.
Harley’s face turned serious as he reeled in his line. “Feel like swimming?”
“I kind of love sitting here with you. Unless you want to swim?”
“Nope.” He rebaited his line and cast it out again. “I’m loving this, too. I hope you don’t feel like I was pressuring you just now.”
“I don’t. You know how I feel about marriage. It’s right for a lot of people, but it scares the hell out of me. I don’t want to get married and wake up one day and find that my marriage has fallen apart because I’m not good at the whole wife/mother thing. I’m happier than I’ve ever been right now, with you, Harley. Please don’t make me think about things that are hard to figure out.”
Moonlight reflected in his eyes as he leaned in for a kiss, stopping with his lips a breath away from hers, and said, “How about hard things? Is that an appropriate topic for tonight?”
“Absolutely. But you should know that I like doing this with you, too—talking, fishing, having dinner. It’s so peaceful out here, it’s impossible to be stressed about anything. Kind of like being with you.”
“You’d better be careful; that’s two pretty big reveals you’ve made tonight.”
“That’s okay. Anything said out on the water stays on the water. And I’m counting on you sticking to that because I have one more thing I want to say, but if you make a big deal out of it, I can’t guarantee how I’ll react.”
His lips tipped up with warm, loving acceptance. “I won’t say a word.”
“Okay.” She looked out at her fishing line and said, “The reason I spent so much time at the pub after you moved back to Sweetwater is because I like being with you.” She pressed her side against his and said, “I think I hid it even from myself, but ever since you moved back, at the end of a long day, you’re the person I’ve wanted to spend time with.”
He peered around her back, then glanced to his left.
“What are you looking for?”
“Making sure no one has a gun to your head.”
She pressed a kiss to his shoulder and said, �
�No gun, just all this weird shit going on in my head that needs to get out. Anyway,” she said loudly, letting him know they were done with that conversation, “it’s been a long time since I’ve been out on the lake fishing at night. I miss it.”
“You used to go out in your rowboat and fish, didn’t you?”
“That was a long time ago.” She reeled in her line, rebaited it, and cast it out again. She leaned over the edge of the boat and rinsed her fingers. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“You can tell me anything.”
“The boat Marshall and I started building together wasn’t destroyed in a storm. I smashed it at the Mad House.”
“I wondered about that.” He looked over and said, “I saw a piece of it in the barn when we were there with the girls. That bright blue paint gave it away.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t want to pry.”
“Harley, we’re in a relationship and the whole town is talking about us. I think it’s okay for you to pry.”
“Maybe there are some things I don’t need to know.”
They fished in silence for a little while, each lost in their own thoughts. But the need to clear the air about Marshall got the best of her, and she said, “Does it bother you that I went out with your brother?”
Harley’s chest expanded as he inhaled a long breath. He shook his head as he exhaled. “You were just kids.”
“I know, but so were you and Heaven. Does it bother you?”
“The fact that you went out with him doesn’t bother me, but it bothers me that he hurt you.”
“Well, that makes two of us. The only reason I kept that piece of the boat was because I had worked so hard to build it.”
“You mean you and Marshall worked hard,” he corrected her.
“No. Marshall spent most of the time checking me out, trying to look busy, or talking with his friends. I have no idea how he finished building it when I had that flu. To be honest, it kind of pissed me off that he could pull his shit together over those five days while I was sick, when for two months he’d barely lifted a finger. But I was thankful he’d finished it. I think it was the only good thing that came out of our relationship.” She reeled in her fishing line and set the rod aside. “That’s not true. Destroying the boat was good, too. And having that constant reminder in the barn about why I don’t want to change who I am is a good thing for me.”
She Loves Me Page 24