by A. M. Myers
Scrubbing my hand down my face, I blow out a breath. There is still so much we have to talk about and I still have a few questions about what happened when she left me but all of that can wait. Right now, my only mission is to convince Piper to go all in with me again. Last night, when I told her I wasn’t ever going to let her go again, behind the happiness shining in her eyes was a little bit of fear, a slice of hesitation, and it killed me. I will do whatever it takes to erase those feelings. It doesn’t matter if I deserve her or not because if the last ten years has taught me anything, it’s that losing her is not a fucking option. With renewed determination, I roll to my side and slip my arm around her waist, pulling her back into my body and she sighs again, a soft smile stretching across her face. I press my lips to her shoulder before moving up her neck and drawing a moan out of her as I kiss behind her ear.
“Wake up, darlin’,” I whisper and she groans, shaking her head as she reaches down and pulls the covers further up our bodies. Chuckling, I shake my head and pull the blanket back down before kissing her neck down to her shoulder. Playfully, I nip at her skin and she gasps, spinning to her back as she glares up at me.
It’s fucking adorable.
“It’s too early.”
I kiss her cheek. “Too bad. Your alarm went off five minutes ago.”
“Just five more minutes,” she groans, rolling back to her side and wiggling her ass against me. I grit my teeth as I grip her hip and lower my mouth to her ear.
“You keep doing that and your ‘just five minutes’ are going to be spent with my cock inside you, baby.”
She fights back a grin and shakes her ass again but before I can do anything about it, her phone starts ringing and she lets out a long exaggerated groan as she reaches up and grabs it off the bedside table. As soon as she accepts the call, she puts it on speakerphone and tosses it onto the mattress next to her.
“What?”
“Good morning, Pip-Squeak! It’s time to wake up,” a female voice calls through the phone and I grin as I glance down at Piper.
Pip-Squeak.
Why didn’t I think of that one?
She peeks open one eye and glares at the phone. “I’m awake.”
“Liar.”
I bite my lip to hold back my laughter as Piper rolls to her back and opens her eyes. “I’m awake, Edie. I promise.”
Ah…
So this is the infamous Eden.
“Uh-huh, that’s what you always say and somehow, you’re usually ten minutes late.”
“I’m awake,” Piper repeats, rolling her eyes and she pins me with a glare as I start laughing.
“Either get out of bed right now or I’ll be forced to come over there and drag you to work myself.”
Piper shakes her head. “You live on the other side of town and do you hear this thing I’m doing right now? It’s called talking and it means I’m fucking awake.”
“She’s telling the truth,” I add, laughing, and Piper’s gaze flies to me as her lips part as silence hangs heavy on the other side of the phone. Her eyes are wide as she gives me a “what the hell did you just do” look and I shrug. Isn’t this exactly what Eden wanted when she set us up on our little reunion tour?
“Who is that, Pip? Please tell me that’s not James… Please tell me you didn’t do something massively stupid and fuck up the whole Wyatt…”
Piper scrambles for the phone and takes it off speakerphone before Eden can say anything else and presses it to her ear.
“I will talk to you about this later,” she growls through gritted teeth but my focus is on that name Eden dropped as my mind spins. I clench my teeth as my chest burns and lights flash in my vision.
Who the fuck is James and what does he have to do with my wife?
Piper hangs up and sets the phone back on the bedside table before peeking over at me. I arch a brow, pinning her with a look.
“Who the hell is James?”
She sighs. “My ex…”
The burning in my chest intensifies and a knot forms in my stomach. It’s not fair of me to act like this to news that she has an ex when I haven’t been a saint over the last ten years either but the thought of another man with his hands on her body makes me want to kill someone.
“How recent?”
“We broke up a couple of weeks ago.”
Nodding, I fling the covers off of my legs and climb out of bed.
“Wyatt? Please don’t be mad… You know how complicated this situation is and I didn’t think we would ever be…” She motions between the two of us. “Here.”
“I know,” I snap as I run my hand through my hair and start pacing at the end of the bed. It’s not fair but no matter how many times I say that to myself, it doesn’t ease the ache.
“It was never anything… I was just trying to fill the void… Trying not to feel so broken without you…”
My gaze snaps to hers. “You broke up with him or he broke up with you?”
“Does it matter?” she asks with a scowl and I narrow my eyes as I nod.
“Yeah, it fuckin’ matters. Did you break up with him?”
She nods.
“And why would Eden think you were with him?”
“We ran into each other when I was out with the girls last night. He said he wanted to grab lunch sometime and talk but I blocked him on my phone after he left. I’ll show you.”
I stare at her for a second before releasing a breath and squeezing my eyes shut. I have to remind myself repeatedly that she never really cheated on me, there was never another man and I have no reason to not trust her before the tension slowly seeps out of my shoulders. Nodding my head, I open my eyes and hold my hand out for her, needing her touch to feel right again. She climbs up onto her knees and walks across the bed until she reaches me and wraps her arms around my neck. Peace settles over me and I release a breath.
“I’m sorry,” I say, my voice soft as I brush my thumb over her cheek and she nods.
“I don’t like thinking of you with other people either, Wyatt, but if we’re really going to make this work, we have to find a way to deal with it.”
I nod and slip my hand into her hair as I lean down, pressing my lips to her. She makes that perfect little sigh again and I want to beat my chest. I bet that James fucker never got her to make that sound. I bet he never knew that kissing her behind her ear will make goose bumps pop up all over her body and I know he never owned her heart.
It’s mine, all mine.
Just like she has always been.
Pulling away, I smile and press another quick kiss to her forehead. “Come on. Let’s get dressed and go get some breakfast. I saw a little cafe a couple blocks over on my way here last night.”
“How about we stay in? I have bacon and eggs downstairs. I’ll cook for you.”
“I don’t think so, Pip. Today is all about you,” I tell her, picturing her perfect naked body in my lap as she eats and my dick hardens. She arches a brow and glances down before shaking her head and meeting my gaze again.
“Didn’t you get enough last night?”
I tweak her nipple and she gasps. “Did you?”
“No,” she breathes and I grin as I lean in for another kiss and grab her ass. A moan slips past her lips just before I claim them and she melts into me. My tongue tangles with hers, teasing and urging each other on as she leans into me further, trying to get as close as she can. Her phone pings from the bedside table and she pulls away, glancing back at it.
“That’ll be Eden.”
I arch a brow. “Checking to make sure you didn’t go back to sleep?”
“Something like that,” she answers, rolling her eyes and I laugh as I nudge her chin and guide her gaze back to me. I plant a quick kiss before pulling away.
“Come on. I’m getting hungry.”
She flashes me a grin as desire pools in her eyes and she grabs my old Marines t-shirt off the bed before pulling it over her head and hopping off of the bed. I turn, watching her as she walks ou
t of the room. My t-shirt stops halfway down her ass and it sways back and forth with each step, teasing me.
Shit.
I should have made her stay in bed.
“You keep swinging that ass at me, baby, and you are going to be breakfast,” I call and she laughs as she shakes her hips and continues on down the stairs.
“God,” she fires back but I can hear the smile in her voice and in my head, I can see her rolling her eyes at me. “I forgot what an ass man you are.”
“I’ll show you ass man,” I grumble as I scoop my jeans off the floor and pull them on as I chase after her. She squeals and takes off running. When I get to the bottom of the stairs, I grab her and toss her over my shoulder with her ass in the air as I smack it. She gasps and pounds her little fists against my back. I spot the counter where I bent her over and took her a couple of nights ago and grin. “You teasing me cause you’re looking for a repeat performance?”
“I suppose that depends.”
“On what?” I ask, setting her down in the kitchen. Heat pools in her eyes and I lick my lips, picturing lifting her up and setting her on the counter before spreading her legs and dropping down between them to devour her.
“You going to walk out without a word again?”
I shake my head as I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her closer. “Didn’t you hear me last night, baby? I’m never walking away from you again.”
She smiles but that damn fear flicks through her gaze again, so quick that I would miss it if I wasn’t paying attention, and it fucking kills me.
Why the fuck is she so scared of being with me again?
God, I have to fix this.
“I have a really important question for you, Pip,” I tell her and she smiles up at me as she nods.
“Shoot.”
“You still like your eggs over easy?”
She laughs and nods. “Yes. You still hate eggs?”
“Yes!” I exclaim with a mock shudder as I back away from her and open the fridge. “The road trip of nineteen-ninety-six ruined eggs for me forever. You know this.”
Her sweet laugh is music to my fucking ears. As I open the fridge, she pushes off the counter and steps up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist and splaying her hands across my chest as she presses a kiss to the center of my back. In the simple touch, I can feel everything she is not saying and I smile as I grab the carton of eggs and turn back to her. Wrapping my free arm around her back, I press a kiss to her head and she sighs before she pulls away with a soft smile on her face.
“Hey, you know what I dreamed about last night?” she asks as she grabs a mug off of the shelf and fills it with coffee.
“When in the hell did you make coffee?”
She grins, shaking her head at me. “It’s set on a timer so I don’t have to deal with bullshit in the morning.”
“Shit, I forgot how grumpy you get in the A.M.,” I shoot back with a laugh and she shakes her head again. With the steaming cup in her hands, she walks across the kitchen and sits cross legged on one of the dining room chairs. I arch a brow as I start opening cupboards, looking for a pan to cook in. She points one out. “Next to the stove.”
I open the cupboard she mentioned and grab the pan. “Thanks.”
She nods in response and I grin as I set the pan on the stove.
“Now, what were you saying about a sex dream?”
Laughing, she rolls her eyes. “I didn’t have a sex dream, you pervert. I had a dream about that little vacation we took to South Carolina right before you deployed. Do you remember it?”
About two weeks before I deployed, I took leave and Piper and I went down to Charleston for a little getaway, something to remember during the year we were going to be apart and we spent five days on the beach or in bed, loving on each other and wishing we didn’t have to go back. I glance over at her and nod.
“Yeah, I do.”
She smiles. “We should do it again someday.”
“Yeah,” I agree as I open the carton and grab an egg. That trip was amazing and by the time we got back, Piper and I were so connected that I had no doubt in my mind that we were going to make it. Too bad I never saw the storm coming until it was too late. Just as I’m about to crack the egg over the pan, I turn to her.
“We should do it.”
She rolls her eyes. “I know. I just said that. Geez, pay attention, Landry.”
“I was paying attention, Pip.” I glare at her playfully as I set the egg back down in the carton and walk over to her. As I sink into the chair next to her, I grab her hands. “I’m saying let’s go back now.”
“We can’t just go back now.”
“Why not?”
Her gaze flicks up to the clock above the sink. “Because I have to be at work in an hour.”
“Yeah, but, do you, though?” I ask. “You are your own boss and I think Eden would understand if you bailed for a few days to spend time with your husband.”
“Don’t you dare use Eden’s obsession with getting us back together to your advantage,” she grumbles, her eyes betraying her mood. As much as she wants to be a responsible business owner and partner to Eden, she knows this sounds like a damn good idea. We can get to know each other again and really talk about everything. By the time we get back, we’ll be unbreakable.
“Come on, baby,” I urge, squeezing her hands between mine before leaning forward and cupping her cheek. “We need this.”
She sighs.
“Okay. Only because you look so pitiful when you beg.” She leans forward and kisses me before standing up. “I’ll call Eden and get her to cover or reschedule my shoots for the next three days if you’ll find us a house on the beach to rent.”
I nod. “Deal.”
Flashing me a huge grin, she jumps up to go grab her phone and as I watch her walk away, a feeling of peace settles inside me. This trip is going to be perfect and by the time we get back, that fear I see in her eyes will be gone, banished from our lives forever.
Chapter Seventeen
Piper
“I can’t believe you still have this thing,” I say as I run my fingertips over the multicolored stitching on the bench seat of his old Ford Bronco and take a deep breath. It smells exactly the same as I remember. I can’t identify it or compare it to anything but to me, it has always brought me a sense of peace because the scent is burned into my brain and forever associated with Wyatt. Peeking over my shoulder, I smile as my gaze lands on the back where Wyatt and I would cuddle up and make out down by the river on Friday nights.
When he was fifteen, his dad pulled into the driveway with this thing on a trailer. It looked like shit and it hadn’t ran in years but the two of them spent the next seven months fixing it up. I would go over to their house every single day and sit in a lawn chair, tanning, while they cranked on the engine and made it like new again and on his sixteenth birthday, his dad tossed him the keys and told him it was his. I’ll never forget the look on his face as he stared up at the truck he’d been working on for so long or the way he pulled me into his side and threw his arm over my shoulders as we took it for that first drive.
He scoffs and I turn back to him as he shoots me a look that makes me giggle. “Of course I still have it.”
Patting the steering wheel like he has to reassure the truck of his love, he shakes his head and I giggle again as I lean my head back against the seat and turn to stare out of my window as the endless ocean crashes against the shore. Butterflies flutter around in my belly and I can’t wipe the smile off of my face. I’m living in a level of happiness I honestly forgot existed today and I pray that I’m not going to wake up anytime soon. So many times over the past ten years, I’ve had dreams just like this one where Wyatt and I are together and back in Charleston, reliving the best time in our lives and I’ve had to pinch myself several times during our drive up here to remind myself that this is real.
Last night was incredible. After our talk and Wyatt’s little declaration, we reconnected and it
was everything I could have wanted and more. Overnight, everything changed and sometimes it is easy to forget that were were ever apart but I know it is not always going to be that way. Right now, I’m happy and so fucking in love with my husband but I’m not foolish enough to think it will be this easy. There are still things we need to talk about and we need to learn to be with each other again, which will take time and patience.
I just hope I can handle it.
To be honest, I’m scared shitless. The last time Wyatt and I were together, I was so codependent that when he had to leave, I couldn’t even function without him and I don’t want to fall back into those same bad habits. He makes me feel so safe but I can’t rely on that anymore or I’ll be right back where I was before. We need to take things slow but that’s easier said than done… especially with Wyatt. He was never the guy to tread lightly or be cautious. He runs into things full-on with no plan and no fear at all. It’s so different from me that you have to wonder how we ever got together but even if I can’t explain it, it works. We work and I’m so fucking happy to have him back. Just the simple fact that I’m sitting next to him in his truck and we’re not yelling and screaming at each other and he doesn’t hate me anymore… I never thought this would happen. And when Eden forced us back into each other’s lives, I couldn’t even hope for this when the issues between us seemed so big and impossible to overcome.
“I think this is us,” Wyatt says as he slows down and pulls into the gravel driveway in front of little blue cottage with a bright pink door that might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Each window is framed by white shutters and it’s private… or as private as you can get right on the beach in Isle of Palms. There is an empty lot on both sides of the house and our closest neighbors only have one car in the driveway so we don’t have to worry about crazy parties going on all night. I grin as I peek over at him and slap my hand on his thigh.