by Toni Aleo
Erik laughed. “They’re okay.”
Really, Erik didn’t care for the mini cakes but everyone in the store seemed to.
Glancing over at Piper from where he stood he saw she was looking over at him. Without really thinking about it he chucked his chin at her. She smiled and he saw the little gap between her teeth and for some fucking reason his heart kicked into high speed.
What the hell was wrong with him?
“Things are going well, I see,” Phillip said.
Erik rolled his eyes at Phillip.
“She got mad at me because I didn’t help her out of the car. I mean if I didn’t call her after we have sex all night, then what made her think I’m gonna help her out of the car?” Phillip laughed.
“This is true, but you did ask her to marry you, and also, she is carrying your kid. You might need to help her out a little.”
“Yeah, I guess. I told her I would.”
“That’s good,” Phillip said with a slap on Erik’s shoulder. “Moving in the right direction. Soon you’ll be wrapping your arms around her, telling her you love her.”
Erik grunted. “Cold day in hell.”
Phillip laughed as he said, “You never know.”
“No, I do know, and I have three months tops before I am out that door and I’ll have to see her every other weekend when I get my kid.”
“Actually four, but ah, who’s counting right?” A small voice said from beside them.
Phillip’s eyes went wide as Erik looked over to confirm who had spoken: Piper. Erik wanted to be anywhere but right there at the moment. He never meant for her to hear that, and with one look, he knew that his stupid statement had hurt her feelings.
Fuck.
“How are you, Phillip?” Piper asked, ignoring him.
Phillip glanced up at Erik, giving him a sympathetic look, before looking back down to Piper and saying, “Great, Piper. How are you?”
“Ah, pregnant, and tired. I was actually coming over to steal your best friend away and ask him to take me home.”
Phillip smiled.
“He’s all yours.”
“This is true, but only for three more months, and then you can have him back,” she said with a little sass in her voice.
She turned to look up at Erik with cold eyes and said, “I’ll be outside.”
Both men watched as she made her way to Audrey, probably to say goodbye. Phillip was shaking his head with a stupid grin on his face.
“You’re stupid, dude.”
“Why is that?” Erik asked, taking a swig of his beer.
“Because that girl is not only smoking hot, but also real. You aren’t going to meet another girl like her. She doesn’t deal with your shit, she is a nice person, and even though you are a complete dick, she still has those girly feelings for you.”
Erik shook his head, wishing he could put his fingers in his ears and sing out, lalalalalala.
Knowing he couldn’t, he said, “She doesn’t have any feelings for me.”
“She has more feelings than you could ever fathom. Like right now, even though you just cut her down to size, she is still looking over at you, longingly.”
Erik was about to protest that statement and prove Phillip wrong, but when he glanced over at Piper, he found her watching him. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and while her face and body said she was pissed, her eyes said something totally different, that she was hurt. How did he not catch this before? He had ignored that she had real feelings for him. Looking down at the ground, he muttered the only thing that was on his mind: “What am I going to do?”
Phillip chuckled. “We all know what the old Erik would do, but maybe a new Erik is in there?”
Erik rolled his eyes as he looked up at Phillip.
“What if he isn’t?”
“Then our sweet little Piper will be heartbroken. I think she knows that there is a chance that will happen, but I also think she sees right through you like I do.”
“What does that mean?” he snapped. “What do you think you see?”
“I see a decent guy who is hiding behind this dick-ass attitude. You aren’t a dick, you just act like one to keep people away, and I’m telling you, I don’t think she is the one that you need to keep away from.”
Okay, Phillip was starting to piss him off.
“How do you know? When the hell did you become so fucking philosophical?”
Phillip laughed. “Whoa, buddy, this is coming from your friend, remember? No need to be an ass. I’m just telling you the way I see it.”
“Well, maybe the way you see it is bullshit,” Erik snapped, before downing his beer. “Maybe it isn’t, and that’s why it’s bothering you.”
Erik paused mid-swig and then slammed the bottle on the table, before wiping the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah? Well, fuck you.”
With that he turned and started for the source of his problem. Then he heard Phillip call out, “Nice talking to you, Erik. Love ya, buddy!”
He cringed as he finally met up with Piper at the door.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said simply as she turned and went out the door.
Erik followed behind her, pissed as hell because maybe Phillip was right and Erik didn’t like that. Once the valet brought the car around they both got in.
As they reached the highway, he turned down the music and asked, “So why were you mad?”
He felt her eyes on him as she said, “When? Before or after you made the comment about leaving in three months?”
“We both know I’m leaving, so I don’t understand why that would make you mad.”
“It makes me mad because you seem happy about it. I’m sorry that I am so fucking terrible to deal with, and that you hate your life because of me.”
She was fucking crazy!
“Did I say that? No, all I said was that I would be gone in three months. Stop jumping to conclusions.”
“So you are happy?”
“Fuck no, I want my life back!”
Looking over at her, he found her crossing her arms across her chest with a huff.
“Just like I said,” she muttered, and he wanted to kick himself in the balls.
He hated to hurt her, he didn’t want that, but he couldn’t seem to think around her. She jumbled his mind and things just flew out of his mouth without much thought. He knew that was the wrong thing to say, it wasn’t nice and also not the entire truth, but that was him trying to push her away. That was the way he was programmed. He pushed people away, and maybe that was a good thing. He would never be that man for her, so why tell her what he was really thinking or feeling when he could mask it with what he had been telling females his whole adult life?
When she didn’t say anything else, he turned the music back up and wanted to scream in frustration at how fucked-up his feelings were. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and apologize for being a douche, while the other part of him wanted to keep saying mean things just to keep her away. What was wrong with him? Was he mentally fucked-up?
“What’s the shit about you loving me?” he found himself asking once they got close to Sweetbriar.
“Excuse me?”
“I heard Audrey say it. Is it true?”
Piper laughed and shook her head.
“Like I would ever admit that or deny it. I’m done talking to you, Erik. Completely and utterly done with you. We are going to get through the next few months and that’s it if for no other reason than I stand by my word.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Don’t. I don’t give a shit.”
“Piper,” he said softly, “stop. We can be adults about this.”
“What’s there to be adults about, Erik? You don’t want to be with me. You don’t want to have this baby, and you for sure don’t love me, so what else is there? We are just two people living in a house together, putting on a show for the world. The end is near, don’t worry, then you can go on with your amazin
g life with a different girl every night of the week, but until then, keep your dick in your pants and keep the hell away from me.”
He was dumbfounded. How the fuck did she get so mad?
“You are being childish.”
“Childish would be me smacking you upside your head and telling you to fuck off. Instead, I did not hit you, though I more or less told you to fuck off.”
Erik couldn’t believe what had just happened, but then again, this could be a good thing. Maybe this would soften the blow for her in the end.
However, something wasn’t sitting right. What the hell did she mean she didn’t want to talk to him? That was ludicrous given their situation!
“Can we still talk about upcoming events?” he found himself asking.
She let out a groan as if it pained her to say, “What do we need to talk about, Erik?”
“I have the NHL awards next week. We have to leave Monday for Las Vegas.”
“And why would I have to go?”
She didn’t, really, but Koey thought it would be good for Erik’s image. And now Erik just wanted her there. Her anger made him uncomfortable and if they were apart for a week it would make it even harder to make amends. And again, why he wanted to fix them was beyond him.
“Because all the wives go, plus Elli is going to be there.”
“Fine.”
Fine? That was it? That’s all she was going to say? She drove him insane!
“I’m so glad you are excited about this,” he muttered.
“Oh, I am excited,” she said turning to him with a condescending smile, “about the slots, of course.”
Yup, Erik was fucked.
Chapter 10
It was a beautiful hot summer day, and Piper had been out working in the yard all morning. Even though they were supposed to be flying out that afternoon for the NHL awards, she decided that she needed to get rid of some of the frustration that was building up inside her. With all that had been going on the last weeks she had been neglecting her yard. Slamming the shovel into the ground to break up the dirt was awesome, and it also helped her relieve the tension and the ongoing obsession she was developing to gouge out Erik’s eyeballs.
God, she was so mad at him.
She had been so naïve, so stupid, thinking that maybe he was starting to care, when the evidence to the contrary was right there. He was counting the days until he was out the door. Nothing between them was real except for their child. She was livid with him, and with herself, because a small part of her still thought maybe he would change. Maybe when he saw the baby during the ultrasound or when he held it for the first time, he would realize that this was the life he wanted.
Sometimes he made her feel like she was nothing, like when he made that comment to Phillip about leaving, and when he yelled about wanting his life back. But then sometimes when he would look into her eyes she felt like she was the only person in his world. He confused the living shit out of her and she just wished he would do what he truly felt, and stop hiding behind those walls he’d built to protect himself. God, it was so frustrating because she could see his potential. He could be a great guy, but instead he chose to be this insensitive jerk!
Ahh! How was she going to make it without killing him?
Piper was elbow-deep in dirt, slamming her shovel into the soil when her phone rang. It was Reese, and since Piper hadn’t talked to her in a couple of days, she hurried to get the phone out of her pocket.
“Hello?”
“Hey, what are you up to?” Reese asked.
“I’m working in the yard; what are you doing?” Piper asked, falling back onto her haunches before wiping the sweat off her forehead.
Reese let out a long breath. “Did you forget about me?”
Piper paused as she thought really hard. Did she forget what? “Huh?”
“Are you not coming to the studio today to help me out?”
Shit! Reese was about to get really mad at her and that wasn’t good; with all that had been going on things seemed to be a bit strained between them.
“Shit, Ree. I totally forgot, I’m sorry. What time do you need me?”
“Eleven to three.” She sounded annoyed.
Piper pulled her phone from her ear to check the time, and saw that she had to leave in the next twenty minutes. Ugh, with her plane leaving at five that would give her no time to pack.
“Shit balls, okay, I might be a tad bit late, I’m leaving for the NHL awards at five today and I haven’t packed, so I’m gonna take a quick shower, throw a few things in a bag, and then I’ll be there.”
“Whatever,” Reese said with a snappy little attitude.
“Whoa, I don’t have to come at all, thank you. I’m sorry that I have a lot on my mind.”
Reese let out another annoyed breath and said, “I know you do, and it pisses me off that I’m at the bottom of your priorities. You are the only one who can help me with this. I depend on you.”
“Okay, and I’ll be there; I can learn the dance in an hour before the girls get there, relax.”
“All right, see you soon.”
“Bye,” Piper said as she tried to hop up.
Hopping didn’t work very well at this stage of her pregnancy, so she stood up slowly. She really didn’t know how she was going to help Reese with choreography when she couldn’t even get up off her knees. With a shake of her head, she headed inside to be greeted by Stanley. He barked happily at her as she moved past him, giving him a little love before going to the kitchen to wash her hands. As always, Erik was engrossed in his game and paid no attention to her as she moved around him collecting the things she would need. Going into her room, she packed up a few dresses, some matching heels, and a few casual clothes, too. They would be there for a few days and she was just as excited about this trip as she would at being scheduled for a barium enema.
She did not want to play nice with Erik; it was too painful knowing it was all a façade. She’d rather just stay at home and go on as they had been for the last few days. He would play his game, while she would work or read. When she would cook dinner, he’d fill his plate and would go into the living room to eat and play his stupid games. It was manageable; not what she wanted but it had only been a few nights that she had cried herself to sleep. It was all just so hard because she didn’t want it to be like this. She wanted them to get along.
She wanted them to be happy. Dammit, she wanted them to be a family!
After a hasty shower, she threw on her dance clothes, then layered her sweats over them. She quickly fixed her hair, then grabbed her packed suitcase and wheeled it down the hall. When she reached the living room, Erik was standing at the kitchen counter with a Coke in his hand, watching her. She tried not to look at him, but it was so flipping hard when he wasn’t wearing anything but sport shorts! They were big on him and hung loosely on his defined, hard hips. And she swore she could see the outline of his dick!
It was maddening!
“We don’t leave for a while. I have got to go and work out before we head to the airport,” he said, running his hand down his stomach to the spot above the waistband of his shorts.
She watched as he ran his fingers through the dark hair that gathered there and knew she had to get out of the house, fast.
“I know. I’ve got to go to Reese’s studio and help her out with some stuff, so I guess I’ll meet you at the airport.”
“Okay, but I can drive you to the studio and pick you up when you’re done so we can go to the airport together. I’m about to leave now anyway,” Erik suggested, throwing a shirt over his glorious body.
“It’s okay. I can drive.”
“Why?” he asked with his hands out in front of him. “And why aren’t you looking at me?”
She let out an annoyed breath, then looked up into his eyes. She knew it was a bad idea before she had even done it because his eyes were soft, and sweet-looking, hitting her straight in the chest.
With as much gumption as she could gather, she ans
wered, “Because I can drive myself, and I’m still mad at you.”
He let out an annoyed breath and then came toward her, reaching for her bag.
“Just ride with me.”
He turned from her, grabbing his gym bag and his suitcase as he called for Stanley. The sweet pup hopped up and down behind him, ready to go. Piper decided that it would save gas money to just ride with him, so she followed behind the two of them to Erik’s car.
Once in the car, Stanley sprawled out in the backseat, his snores filling the car as they drove toward Nashville. Piper glanced back at him and smiled. He was so sweet.
“Where are you taking Stanley?” she asked without thinking.
Erik glanced over at her and smiled.
“Tate is going to puppy-sit for me since he isn’t going.”
“Tate wasn’t nominated this year?”
Erik shook his head. “No, when he missed the games while Audrey was in the hospital, his stats suffered.”
“Wow, that sucks.”
“Yeah, because he deserves the award. He’s the best goalie in the league.”
“I agree,” she said as she fidgeted.
“You watch hockey?”
She nodded her head. “Yeah, I love hockey. I’m a big Assassins fan, kinda have to be in the family I’m in.”
Erik smiled. “So, you’ve watched me play?”
Oh, she was about to lie her ass off.
“I guess. What number are you?”
He glanced over at her, his eyes narrowing as he said, “Fifteen.”
“I might have seen you out there,” she said offhandedly.
The truth was, he was the only reason she watched hockey anymore. It used to be about the game, but now it was about how many goals he would get in a game. He was the leading scorer on the team and was pretty much the best forward in the league, in her opinion. He was up against some tough competition at the awards tomorrow, but she had no doubt he would win.
Erik was, hands down, the best.
“That’s nice to know,” he said and that was the last of their conversation for the rest of the car ride.
When he pulled into Reese’s parking lot, he got out and she watched as he came around the car, opening the door for her. It was a little shocking but it was good to know that he meant what he said last night. But as he reached for her hand, something else bothered her, and when he shut the door behind her, she asked, “How’d you know where Reese’s studio was?”