by Ciara Shayee
“I want to renovate the house.”
The fingers drawing mindless shapes on my stomach still. “Renovate?”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “I love this house, but I want to feel like…” ours.
I want to get rid of the remnants of Shannon that still linger in the colors on the walls and the kitchen cabinets she picked out. I want to spend hours looking at paint colors in the hardware store with Piper and have her choose what the kitchen counters should look like so that, in the future, I can teach the boys to cook in a kitchen she and I designed together. I want to help the boys with their math homework at a table she and I picked out. I want to make blanket nests with her on a sofa we tested out together.
I want to be a team.
It’s too soon to ask Piper to move in permanently, I think, but I do want Piper to know that living together is something I’ll want sooner rather than later, if she and the boys are amenable. Hell, if I didn’t think she’d kill me, I’d have hired movers and had all their stuff moved down here while she was in the hospital.
We’ve casually talked about it a few times since sharing our first “I love you’s” but it’s never escalated further than knowing it’s an abstract, ‘in the future’ sort of thing.
Of course, because I’m getting way too ahead of myself, thinking about asking Piper to move in leads to me imagining asking her another very important question; goosebumps rise over my arms and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
It’s too soon for that…isn’t it?
“Can I help? I’ve uncovered a love of decorating I didn’t know I had when I bought my house.”
With a grin, I squeeze her tighter to me and nod. “I was hoping you would.”
Piper lifts herself up, propping her chin on her palm with an impish smile. “I haven’t said it yet, but I’m really proud of you, Kellan. You’ve grown so much even just in the five months I’ve been back. Your spark is returning.”
My…spark. Right.
She laughs softly. “You’d lost your spark, handsome, but every day you seem a little more like yourself. I just like seeing you happy, that’s all.”
Rolling us over so she’s caged in my arms, her leg sneaking between mine and one of her hands coming to rest on my abs, I sneak a kiss. “It’s you, Piper. You make me happy. You and our boys.”
*
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome the new Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald to the room! Give the bride and groom some love, people!”
Everyone chuckles at the best man’s introductions, all of us rising to applaud the blushing bride and her Cheshire-cat-grinning husband as they enter the room. Sebastian and Gianna make a stunning couple, both of them smiling so hard their cheeks must be hurting. Once they’ve taken their seats, we all settle back down and are quickly served our food.
Smirking, Sullivan leans into my space to whisper, “Does it sting that you weren’t asked to cater?”
Piper, Everly, and Rosie laugh at my vehement “Fuck, no.” Continuing, I add, “If Burger Co. had catered, I would have been a nervous wreck running all over the place to make sure it all went off without a hitch. Catering a wedding is a lot of pressure.”
Thanking the server as she sets my food in front of me, I hum happily and offer my brother the lopsided grin we share. “This way, I can chill out with my family and not have to worry about a thing.”
His grin widens, and somehow I know it’s less because of anything to do with the wedding, more because I’m now openly claiming Piper and the boys as my family.
The few of us who were roped in to help out have done a great job turning the function room at In The Bay into a beautiful reception venue. There are only fifty or so people here, almost all of them family. The tables are set up in shades of cream and white with pink accents here and there. At one end of the room, there’s a small stage rigged up with speakers, a microphone, and a guitar stand for the musician who will arrive later.
For now, soft, romantic music is playing through the overhead speakers which have been carefully hidden behind the white bunting Carson and I put up this morning.
As we all tuck into our food, my thoughts stray to the somewhat nerve-wracked conversation I had with Carson, my eyes sliding left to Piper.
She’s crazy beautiful in her soft pink bridesmaid dress. It’s got thin straps and falls to just above her knees, which means I still have a great view of the legs that were wrapped around my waist into the early hours of this morning.
All three bridesmaids—Piper, Rosie, and Everly—have their hair loose down their backs in gentle waves, their bangs pinned back off their faces, so I can see the unabashedly happy smile on my love’s face as she laughs at something Finley says. I watch her switch some prawns from his plate to hers, replacing them with a few scallops.
My heart aches, but not with the pain that had become so second-nature to me. Contentment and love fill me up as I set down my knife and fork for a moment, looking around at the friends who are really family.
Carson and Bethany are up on the top table with the bride, groom, and Gianna’s parents. They’re both grinning broadly at each other when I glance over, high on the excitement of their eldest child’s nuptials.
Much to everybody’s surprise, Rosie brought a date to the wedding today. Bryce seems like a nice enough guy, but he’s brash and a little rude at times. I’ve already caught Piper and Everly cursing him out twice while their sister is distracted; even Rosie is looking irritated now. I don’t think he’ll be around long.
Everly has Jaxson on one side of her, Sullivan on the other, and she’s handling their craziness like a pro. “Hey, Jax, do you want to try a giant booger?” she’s saying, waving an oyster in front of his scrunched-up face as I tune into their conversation, glancing at Sullivan as he bursts out laughing, falling in love with her on the spot.
Then there’s Arlo between me and Sullivan. He’s twisted all the way around in his chair to wave at Jude, who is at the table with a bunch of Carson’s many sisters. She hit it off with a few of them at the Halloween party, so she’s more than happy sitting with them now as our table was already full. She blows Arlo a kiss and mimes eating her food so he’ll get the hint to turn around and follow suit. When he does, he finds me watching him and grins with no shame.
“Can you help me cut this?”
Without missing a beat, Piper stresses “please” over her shoulder.
Arlo nods, rolling his eyes, but he does as he’s told and cheerfully thanks me once I’m done helping him with his food. “Are we gonna party after this?”
“We sure are, bud,” I laugh lightly, stifling the urge to ruffle his hair. I know better than to do that after watching Piper battle his mop into submission this morning. Right now, it’s still in the neat, straight waves she brushed out earlier. Give it a couple hours, and it’ll be a wild mane around his face or tied up in a messy knot on top of his head.
“Will you dance with me?”
“Uh…” Dancing isn’t really my thing, but the hope in Arlo’s dark eyes breaks me. Since losing his cast a couple days ago, he’s making full use of his new freedom. “Sure I will.”
Sullivan coughs to hide his laugh pretty fuckin’ unsuccessfully, winking at Arlo when he asks him what’s up. “Nothin’, little dude. You’ll see later.”
Unconcerned by Sullivan’s cryptic response hinting at my God-awful dancing, Arlo tucks into his dinner with the enthusiasm I’ve come to expect from him, which leaves me free to continue people-watching.
Only, I’m busted.
Piper’s eyes crinkle at the corners as she smiles, reaching over to squeeze my forearm. “Are you okay?”
Am I okay?
“I’ve never been better.”
*
Sebastian and Gianna’s wedding day has been both relaxing and a pleasure to be a part of, but there’s no relief like Piper stepping into my arms as the sunset paints the sky a glorious mixture of pinks, purples, a
nd blues, the cool breeze whipping in off the ocean a welcome balm to the heat inside.
Out here, on the deck overlooking the water, we’re alone—for now.
“Dance with me,” Piper demands, flashing me a smirk when I grumble a curse but take her hand anyway, my other hand slipping down to rest in the curve of her waist. The faint sounds of a MAJOR song reach us through the ajar windows. I grin into Piper’s hair and hum along with the musician, my eyes slipping closed.
“You sappy thing, you,” Piper teases softly, twisting her fingers into the hair at the nape of my neck and tipping her face up to treat me to the stunning vista that is her eyes. They’re such an unusual color, bottomless like the ocean and utterly guileless as she gazes at me with nothing but love.
“What, I’m sappy because I know the tune of a romantic song?”
“No, you’re sappy because you’re humming the tune and swaying us to the music,” she laughs, but the soft look on her face takes the sting out of her teasing.
“Well, then I’m sappy,” I agree, guiding her cheek back to my chest and tucking my chin over her crown. “Now let me be all romantic and shit, woman.”
Giggling, she murmurs, “Sir, yes, Sir.”
In the peace and tranquility of our solitude, I let everything fall away so nothing can detract from this moment here with Piper and nobody else as we sway together, listening to the distant rush of the ocean meeting the shore, the breeze rustling the palms.
“I’m going to miss you when we go to England next week,” she whispers after the song has segued into another, this one more upbeat.
Blowing out a deep breath, there’s no denying that I’m going to miss the shit out of her and the boys, too, so I don’t even try. They’ve had this trip planned since before they moved back to Florida, so I can’t complain even if I were inclined to—which I’m not, because I know it’s going to be tough when Jude flies home on Monday, a week before Piper and the boys join her for ten days in England. I’m not looking forward to her going either, if I’m honest. She’s been here a little over two months now, her steady presence not something I think any of us are ready to lose just yet.
Of course, she’ll be back—and not just to see us. Her new man will miss her as much as we will.
Nobody was more mortified than me when I stopped into Mr. Eddison’s house two weeks ago, worried because I hadn’t seen much of him recently, and found him and Jude ‘making kissy faces,’ as the boys call it.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt my cheeks burn as hot as they did while I bumbled through my apology before getting the hell out of there.
In the two weeks since, they’ve grown closer, joining us for dinner a handful of times and trips out to Lake Eola. They’re not a couple I ever would have anticipated, but they make each other happy and that’s all I can ask for my old friend and the woman who is, for all intents and purposes, another grandma to our boys.
“You could come with us,” Piper finally breathes, squeezing me around the waist. “Burger Co. is closed for some of December, anyway. I think it’s only open for five of the days we’re away, and I’m sure Sully would love the extra money for his trip.”
My mind takes off at a sprint as I attempt to work out the logistics of taking five days off to go with Piper and the boys. I’ve never been to England, so it would be great to experience it with them—especially at Christmas time. But does it make me a shitty boss, taking off at such short notice? Probably. Then again, December is arguably our quietest month of the year, and I know Piper is right about Sullivan wanting the hours.
He’s been picking up shifts for me whenever anyone is sick or on vacation, but he and some of his high school buddies are going skiing in January so I know he’d be grateful for a few extra days of work.
The boys make the decision for me.
The slapping of their hands against the glass makes Piper jump; she twists in my arms, her body shaking against mine as she laughs at their faces smooshed against the windows. All three of them have lost multiple components of their tuxes and, just as I predicted a couple of hours ago, Arlo’s hair is piled on top of his head in a scruffy topknot. Even so, they’re adorable as fuck and I can’t help but compare them to the kids I met just five months ago.
They’ve all grown so much. I swear they get taller and older and smarter every damn day. I already feel like I miss stuff on the days they spend at their house instead of mine.
Piper and I came to an agreement that weeknights will be spent at her place, weekends at mine—at least until the renovations are all done. I’ve already ripped out half of the kitchen. I saw no reason to put it off, especially since I just want Shannon out of my damn house already. Once that’s done, we’ll revisit the topic of them moving in with me. In hindsight, asking on Thanksgiving morning just before we all left to go spend the day at Carson and Bethany’s probably wasn’t the best or brightest idea, but I don’t want to wait.
I don’t want to waste a minute of time I could be spending with the people I love the most—and Max, of course.
I spent too long wallowing in grief and loneliness to put off the happiness I know I can have with Piper and the boys.
I don’t want to miss seeing Jaxson, Finley, and Arlo light up when Jude and Piper take them to the Christmas markets back in England. I want to be there when they go see Santa at the grotto they’ve been going to ever since the twins were born. I don’t want to miss seeing the lights being switched on at the park where Piper, Jude, and the boys will pick out Jude’s Christmas tree.
“Okay.”
Twisting to look up at me, Piper frowns. “‘Okay,’ what?”
“Okay, I’ll come with you. If you’re sure.”
Instead of answering, or I suppose her actions are answer enough, she turns and grabs my face in both of her hands, tugging me down so we’re forehead to forehead, nose to nose. “You will? You’ll come with us?”
“I will,” I chuckle. “I don’t want to miss all the holiday stuff with you and the boys, even though we’ll probably do a bunch of it again here with everybody else. You guys are my family. I want to be where you are, and if that’s England…” I shrug, smiling at her teary-eyed grin. “If Jude has room for one more, I’ll get online tomorrow and see what tickets are still available.”
Once she gets over her initial rush of excitement, Piper announces that she needs to go tell Jude, heading for the door as Sullivan throws it open.
“It’s too fuckin’ mushy in there,” he announces loudly.
Music spills out, the musician now back playing romantic songs. I can see numerous couples dancing closely together, Piper teasingly ordering me to come inside in a few minutes so she can give me a twirl on the dancefloor.
“Yes, dear,” I tease, shooting her a wink and a smirk as she blows me a kiss and slips inside.
Sullivan rolls his eyes and pretends to gag as he sidles over to join me. “Did you do it yet?”
Cursing under my breath, I lightly tap the back of his head and bump him with my shoulder when he just laughs and leans against the wooden railing around the edge of the desk. “No, you ass. I wish I hadn’t even told you I was thinking about it.”
“Thinking about it, schminking about it. You’re gonna propose and you know it.”
I fight a shit-eating grin, because yeah, I’m going to propose to Piper.
I’ve been alone for six years. That’s a long time to think you’ll never find love again, to think you’re going to spend the rest of your life wallowing in self-pity and misery. But it’s not true. I’ve found love and I don’t ever want to lose it or let it go. She’s only been back in my life for six months and we’ve been together even less than that, but she’s it for me. I know that now.
I want to be able to call Piper my wife, if she’ll have me as her husband.
“I spoke to Carson this morning,” I admit, able to smile about it now that the residual nerves have worn off.
Rubbing my freshly
trimmed beard, I take a big step back and shake my head. “A little to your right. There we go. Now it’s level with the other end, see?”
Carson pins the end of the bunting, climbing down from the stepladder with a muttered curse. If it weren’t for the tiny smile on his face, I’d think he was hating this. “I can’t believe I’m here doing manual labor on my firstborn’s wedding day.”
Pointing a finger at me with a suddenly much more serious expression, he frowns. “Don’t you be getting any ideas, KP. This is it, this is the last damn wedding for a while. I’m tellin’ you now, I’m not spending any of my daughters’ wedding days pinning mini fuckin’ flags to any walls. I don’t care if they do ‘need to be perfect.’ Someone else can be in charge of making sure they’re perfect.”
Barking a nervous laugh, I rake a hand through my hair, sliding it down to rub the back of my neck. Sweaty, gross. “Well, about that…”
Carson’s eyes widen. He throws his hands in the air, backing away from me. “Oh, no. You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m not in any rush, Carson, but Piper is it for me. There’s gonna come a day sometime in the future when I’m gonna ask for your permission to ask her a certain question, and you know I’m a stubborn jackass.”
Muttering something unintelligible, he grabs his soda from the table nearby and downs the rest. Then he shakes his head and strides over to me, his dark eyes narrowed. “Have you got a ring?”
“No, not yet.” Reaching up to squeeze his shoulder, I smile. “Like I said, I’m in no rush, and neither is she. But I just thought you’d appreciate the heads up.”
“Well, we’ll see how you feel in twenty years when some girl is shacking up with one of the boys,” he grumbles, heading back to his ladder.
I laugh quietly, getting back to work untangling the ribbons on bunting, but after a little while, Carson calls my name. looking up, I find him trying to hold back a grin.
“For what it’s worth, you’ve got it.”
“Got what?”