by K. L. Ramsey
It was comforting and terrifying, all at once, to think of herself as being part of a couple. Tag made her feel safer than she ever felt, but she still had her same worries, the biggest being that he would leave her. She didn’t want to experience that pain again. But what if Sunny and Lorna were right? What if constantly living with fear meant that she wasn’t really living life? She needed to step out onto that ledge and look fear straight in the eyes, otherwise she would be missing out on one of the most amazing men that she’d ever met.
Her phone chimed, tearing her from her thoughts. Sunny had sent her a text.
Didn’t want to wake you. Mads and Jack can’t make it. Maddie isn’t feeling well—morning sickness.
She was just about to call Sunny when her phone chimed again. This time it was Tag.
Good morning gorgeous. We are down to just four people today. I’m thinking a little picnic lunch at my grandpa’s cabin. Sound good?
Piper couldn’t help her smile. She loved the idea of a picnic lunch and being able to see Tag’s cabin was a bonus. She wanted to find out what made him tick and seeing the place where he grew up would help put some puzzle pieces in place.
Good morning yourself, handsome. A picnic at your place sounds perfect. See you at 8am. Looking forward to my good morning kiss.
Piper finished getting ready, with her hair pulled back and wearing just a little make-up. She kept it simple.
She was downstairs pulling on her hiking boots when Sunny popped in through the front door. Piper’s heart sank a little since she was expecting Tag, but Sunny didn’t seem to notice.
“Hey, birthday girl! Look at you in those shorts—sexy!”
Piper laughed at Sunny’s outrageous remarks. Her friend was always saying inappropriate things to her and Maddie.
“So, you ready for your day?” Sunny pulled out a mason jar to stick in the wildflowers that she’d picked. “Hope you don’t mind, I picked you some flowers from your garden. They were just too pretty not to bring inside and enjoy.”
Piper smiled. “You know that I haven’t been able to get a word in since you barged into my house.”
Sunny waved her hands in the air, as if erasing a board. “Sorry, start over. How are you?”
It was comical to watch Sunny try to patiently wait for Piper’s reply. She couldn’t make her wait too long, otherwise her friend would burst.
“I’m well. How are you?” Piper was almost afraid to ask.
“As you can tell, I’m super excited about your birthday. And I may have had a few of these donuts already.” Sunny held up a box full of delicious, warm donuts and Piper moaned.
“God, please tell me that those are all for me.” Piper snatched the box from Sunny’s hands and breathed in the sugary goodness.
“Hey, you aren’t going to share any with me?”
They both turned to find Tag standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall as if he was listening into their conversation.
“Your door was open again, honey.” Tag took the three steps to stand in front of Piper and pulled her against his body.
“Morning.” He took her lips in a long, wet, passionate kiss that left her knees week. He pulled away, leaving her breathless.
“Good morning, Sunny.” Tag smiled at Sunny who had dropped most of the flowers on the floor. If Piper wasn’t mistaken, Sunny had a little drool running down her chin.
“Okay, that’s enough ogling Tag, Sunshine Francis.” She went over to her friend, picking up the discarded flowers from the kitchen floor on the way. “You can stop staring at him now.”
Piper snapped her fingers in front of her friend’s face and Sunny blinked, as if being woken from a trance.
“Hi Tag,” she squeaked, taking the flowers from Piper. Sunny mouthed Oh. My. God. at Piper as she spun back around to face the sink and finish arranging the wildflowers she picked.
Piper looked back at Tag who seemed to be amused by the whole scene. She shook her head and started to gather her stuff. Her little house suddenly felt way too small. The sooner they all got on the trail, the sooner she could be alone with Tag and they could pick up where that kiss left off.
Chapter Eight
Tag couldn’t wait to get up to his cabin; he’d planned a special picnic for Piper and their friends. Poor Sunny seemed to be uncomfortable on their hike, but she would never admit it. He’d told her not to wear street shoes to hike in, but she hadn’t listened.
Aaron wasn’t helping matters any—he was challenging Sunny to mini races up the mountain. Sunny was never a girl to back down from any kind of challenge; she would never let anyone know that she wasn’t up for a competition. She and Aaron were two peas in a pod. If they didn’t pace themselves, the two would be lying on the side of the trail dehydrated before they even made it to the cabin.
But Tag didn’t mind the alone time with Piper as their two friends raced each other up the side of the mountain.
“I think that Aaron might be into Sunny.” Tag reached for Piper’s hand and laced their fingers together. “He’d never admit it, but he shows off around her.”
Piper’s laugh was musical and filled the small canyon that they were in.
“Well, I’m pretty sure that Sunny likes Aaron too. She wouldn’t run up the side of a mountain for just any guy. I think that they have been circling each other for a few months now. Aaron keeps showing up for donuts every morning. From the looks of him, I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t eat that many donuts.”
Tag stopped walking and pulled Piper into his body. “So, you’re looking at Aaron now?”
Piper looked confused, “No, why would you say that?”
“You said that he doesn’t look like he eats donuts, so you’re looking at him?” Tag kissed her neck, adding a little distraction. It amused him when Piper was flustered.
“No!” Piper all but shouted her denial. “I don’t think of Aaron that way.”
“Tell me that you think of me that way, Piper.” Tag felt as though his world stopped spinning, waiting for her answer.
Piper searched his face, taking her sweet time with her answer. “Yes, Tag. I think of you in that way.”
Her voice sounded breathy and hot. He liked the way she said his name, like she couldn’t hold back her desire for him.
“Thank fuck. I think about you all the time, honey. In fact, you are all that I’ve been able to think about this past year.”
Piper pulled her hand away from Tag’s and he was afraid that he’d spooked her.
“Piper, I’m not trying to scare you off, just being honest.”
“I like honesty, Tag. But you also must know that I’m new to all of this. My life was quiet and safe before you turned it upside down. Now, I spend all my waking and sleeping hours thinking about you. It’s just scary for me. I’m feeling a little out of my comfort zone.”
Tag couldn’t help himself—he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her. He wanted to prove to her that being with him didn’t have to be scary. He needed to show Piper how good they could be together.
“Hey, you two, aren’t we supposed to be hiking? I’m no expert but that does not look like hiking to me.”
Piper giggled at Aaron. Tag growled, finding his friend less funny.
“Why don’t you run along and try to catch up to Sunny? Piper and I were doing just fine without your help.” Tag reached out to Piper and she took his hand. The three of them started back on the trail, when they heard Sunny’s scream.
“Oh my God, that’s Sunny!” Piper took off running in her friend’s direction, leaving Aaron and Tag behind.
“What now?” Tag followed Piper up the trail to find Sunny sitting on the ground, holding her ankle.
“Damn it!” Sunny seemed madder than hurt. “I hurt my ankle guys. I was coming back down to find you all and tripped over that stupid rock.” She motioned back to a good-sized boulder behind her.
“How did you not see that?” Aaron teased. Tag removed Sunny’s sneaker and sock to check her
ankle. She cried out when Tag tried to move her foot. He couldn’t see any bruising or swelling but she needed to have it x-rayed, just in case.
“Sorry, Piper, but I think we need to get Sunny to a hospital. I’ll radio for help.” Tag pulled out his satellite phone to reach the store. He could have a rescue team up to them in less than an hour. He wasn’t sure that Sunny would be able to walk down the mountain.
“No! I won’t let my mistake ruin Pipe’s birthday.” Sunny tried to stand, only to fall again once she put pressure on her bad foot.
“You guys are so close to Tag’s cabin, you should go and have the picnic. I’ll give Sunny a piggy back down the mountain and have her foot checked out.” Aaron waggled his eyebrows at Sunny, causing her to laugh.
“Pipe, please go and enjoy your picnic. Tag has gone to so much trouble to make this day special for you.”
Piper looked torn. Tag knew she wouldn’t want to leave her friend, but he hoped like hell she would agree. He wanted to be alone with Piper more than he wanted his next breath.
“I’ll still call it in. Search and Rescue will meet you on the trail and take Sunny from there.”
Aaron agreed to Tag’s plan.
“Don’t worry Piper, she’s in good hands. I’m a fireman.” Aaron puffed out his broad chest making both women laugh. Tag could see that Piper was still torn.
“Hey, honey, if you don’t want to have the picnic, we can do it another time. We can head back down with Sunny, no pressure.”
Piper nodded. “I just don’t want to leave her.” She looked at her best friend.
Sunny jumped on Aaron’s back, with some help from Tag. “Pipe, if you don’t go up to the cabin and have that damn picnic, I will never speak to you again.” Sunny did her best to look angry, but she wasn’t very good at pulling that emotion off. “I will have the store radio Tag when I find out what’s wrong with my ankle. I’m in good hands.” Sunny wrapped her arms tighter around Aaron’s neck.
Piper finally agreed, making Aaron promise to take good care of Sunny.
“If you change your mind, honey, just say the word. I can have you back down the mountain in no time flat.”
Piper smiled up at Tag, taking his hand. “Thanks, but I think that Sunny is happy about having Aaron all to herself. Did you see the way she wrapped her arms around him? She’ll be fine.”
Piper giggled as Tag pulled her faster up the hill. He wanted to show Piper that she was in good hands too and now was his chance.
***
It took another half hour to reach the cabin. Piper loved the rustic feel of Tag’s place. It was almost like they had stumbled onto a magical house in the woods. He must have made his way up earlier; his truck was parked on the side of the house and smoke was streaming from the chimney.
He led her onto the front porch. “Wait here, honey.” He went into the cabin and came right back out holding a wicker picnic basket and red tartan blanket.
“You ready for our picnic?” Tag laid out the blanket and put the basket down.
“When did you do all of this?” Piper took his outstretched hand and settled next to him on the blanket.
“I ran everything up here early this morning and hiked back down the trail.” Tag shrugged as if it was nothing that he planned such a wonderful surprise.
“Tag, no one has ever done anything like this for me. The last time I was on a picnic was—”
Piper froze at her own words; she didn’t mean to talk about her past. Tag had planned such a perfect day for her and she didn’t want to ruin it with memories from her childhood.
“It’s okay, Piper. I know about your parents. I’m sorry that you had to go through that. You must have felt so alone.” Piper nodded her head, tears filling her eyes.
“The last time I went on a picnic was with my parents the day before they died, in Central Park.”
“Piper, you need to hold onto those good memories and let go of the bad ones.” Tag held her hand, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. The connection felt comforting.
“I get that, I really do. But I can’t let go of what happened to them. I was there. I should have died too, but I was too afraid to go into the store to help them.” Piper felt foolish that she was crying again, but she couldn’t help her fresh tears.
“Honey, if you had gone into that store, you would be dead too. You were just a little girl; what could you have done?”
Piper didn’t know how much she could tell Tag about that day. At what point would he want to walk away from her?
“I could have tried. They died that day; maybe I should have too.” Piper wiped her tears from her face. It was her birthday and yet they had ended up talking about the saddest day of her life.
“Piper.” Tag pulled her into his lap, stroking her back with his hands. “I won’t pretend to know what you are going through, but I do know what it feels like to lose a parent. My mother died when I was six. I wasn’t all alone though; I had Torren.” Tag kissed her forehead and rubbed his nose over hers.
Hearing about Tag’s mother, Piper felt his sadness, almost like it was a part of her. He and Torren were only six, just babies. She had twelve years with her parents—not enough to make her loss any easier, but enough to have some happy memories of them. Did Tag have any happy memories of his mother?
“At least you had your brother,” Piper whispered.
“That’s true, I did have my brother. But you are forgetting the fact that you had Sunny and your aunt. I know it’s not the same, but you were not alone.”
“Well, it didn’t feel that way. Tell me about your mom.” Piper needed to change the subject. If she traveled down the rabbit hole into her despair, there would be no salvaging their picnic. It was easier to focus on Tag and his loss than to wallow in her own.
“She was only thirty-two. She had breast cancer.” Tag almost whispered, making Piper regret her question.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered back.
“Yeah, me too. My dad couldn’t handle being left with two six-year-old boys, so he took off. Left us both on Dane’s doorstep and didn’t look back.” Tag shrugged, and Piper wrapped her arms around him. They sat there, wrapped up in each other for a while.
She cuddled closer into his body. “Tag, I’m so sorry that you lost your mother. I don’t have any answers or great wisdom to share. Don’t you ever want to find your father, at least to ask him why he left?”
Tag shook his head at her question, seeming to stare off at nothing. “He’s not worth the trouble. I don’t want to waste any of my energy on a man that didn’t care enough about my brother and me to stick around. My grandfather did the best job he could, and the rest Torren and I filled in as we went along.”
“Honey, I decided a long time ago that I wasn’t going to let my mother’s death and my father’s shitty decision-making skills ruin my life. You have to choose what kind of life you want. You’ve been hiding all these years. It’s time to start living.”
Piper let Tag’s words sink in. He was right; she just wasn’t sure how to move forward and let the past go.
“I’m not sure how to do that Tag.”
He cupped her cheek and pulled her in for a soft kiss.
“I can help you with that, honey. Let me help you forget.” He took her mouth again, this time with more passion than she had ever experienced. She knew what he was asking, she just wasn’t sure if she was ready. He was right—she was twenty-six years old and had never really lived. If she took Tag up on his offer, she would be opening herself up for more pain and hurt, and possibly even loss. But she wanted Tag, needed him with every fiber of her being. She wanted to lose herself in what Tag was offering; a chance at life, maybe even love.
Chapter Nine
Tag slowly laid Piper back on the blanket. He wanted to carry her into his cabin, strip her down and sink deep into her, but she wasn’t ready for that. He could see her wheels spinning, wondering if she was doing the right thing. He didn’t want her to think too hard about what they were
about to do. If she let her fears get in the way, he’d never break through her defenses. He wanted to show Piper just how good life could be with him. She was trapped in the past. In a lot of ways, she was still that twelve-year-old scared little girl, left all alone to face the world. His only hope would be to show her that this thing between them could work, otherwise she would walk away and leave him, just as his father did all those years ago. He couldn’t stand to lose Piper because he wasn’t enough for her.
Tag liked the way Piper squirmed underneath his big frame. He rolled them onto their sides, not wanting to crush her. She wrapped her leg over his thigh, pulling his erection into her body. He couldn’t help but grind against her belly. That didn’t completely satisfy his growing hunger for Piper. He wanted them both naked and in his bed.
“Honey, I need to know that you are on board. Tell me that you want this.” Tag felt his own breath heaving from his chest. He sounded like he had just run a marathon.
“Yes, I want this. I want you, Tag.” Piper’s breathy whisper was all that he needed. He pulled her arms up over her head, pinning them above her. He liked the way she moaned and rubbed her body up against his.
“Tag, I want to touch you,” Piper moaned. Tag chuckled against her lips, licking into her mouth for sloppy wet kisses.
“You can touch me later, honey. If I let you have your way now, I wouldn’t be able to last. I want this to be good for you Piper. I want your first time to be perfect.”
Tag let go of her wrists. “Don’t move them, I want to see you.” He pulled the hem of her t-shirt up her body. She watched him; he could see the uncertainty in her eyes. He hated that she didn’t know how beautiful she was. He unhooked her bra and removed it along with her shirt, leaning back to take her in.