by J. M. Walker
“It’s nothing.” She went to pull away from me, but I caught her arm.
“Talk to me.”
“Are you okay?” she finally asked me.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” But I knew why she was asking. We hadn’t talked about what I had done or even gone through while being locked up. Whenever I closed my eyes at night, I kept thinking that I would wake up in the morning, back in that hell. That being with her had only been a dream. I couldn’t imagine being put away for years. The time I had been gone, was long enough.
“I love you.” Piper placed her hands on my chest. “You know that right?”
I only nodded, my throat suddenly working over a hard lump.
“Good.” She grabbed my hand again and led me to the door of the restaurant.
I knew it wasn’t fair; me expecting her to talk when I wouldn’t. But I couldn’t tell her everything. Not yet. Maybe never. I wanted to. God, I wanted to. I wanted her to help me heal. I wanted her to save me much like I did for her.
“Wait.” I tugged on her hand, spinning her around and crashing her into me. I wrapped my body around hers, needing to let her know without saying so many words how I felt. I told her that I loved her but even I knew that sometimes words weren’t enough.
I wasn’t proud of what I had done. My temper got the best of me and I took a life. Even though Brody deserved it, it still wasn’t right. But what scared me most of all was that I didn’t regret it. Not one bit. What I did regret was having to go to jail and leaving Piper to fend for herself and our daughter.
“Does your dad know?” Piper asked softly. “What you went through in jail?”
“He knows some.” I pushed my nose against hers. “I didn’t give him a lot of information because I know he tells my mom everything. I didn’t want her worrying.” But I knew she did anyway.
“I get that.” Piper’s hand dropped to my hip. “We should go before we miss our reservation.”
I nodded, staring at her.
The air suddenly became thick between us, the tension almost suffocating.
“Let’s go.” I released her, took a step back and held out my hand.
She chewed her bottom lip, tentatively placing her hand in mine. “Jaron,” she said, before I could lead us to the restaurant.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
I cupped her face and crushed my mouth to hers.
“I love you too,” I whispered against her lips. Clearing my throat, I pulled away again but kept her hand tight in mine.
“How did you find out about this place?” Piper asked, following along beside me.
“Zach’s taken Luna here a few times.” I didn’t talk to my cousin as often as I would have liked but we did text back and forth a bit. I reached out to him earlier today over where I should take Piper, and this was his first choice. “He said it’s a little expensive, but the food and atmosphere are worth it.”
When we entered the building, Piper gasped. “Wow, this place is beautiful.”
We walked through a second set of doors and was greeted by a female hostess. She looked up from the podium she was standing behind and gave us a wide smile.
“Hi there. Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”
“We do. It’s under Mercer,” I told her.
She looked down at her tablet. “Perfect.”
Another woman approached us. “Welcome. I’ll take you to your table.”
Piper and I followed behind her, entering farther into the large restaurant. The looks on the outside were deceiving because you would never know just how far back the restaurant went until you were inside it.
“Here’s your table.” The hostess placed two menus on top of it and stepped out of the way so we could slide into the booth that was shaped like a half-circle. I was thankful for that because then I could be close to Piper.
“Your server will be with you in just a moment.” The hostess looked between us, her eyes lingering on me a little too long if you asked me, before she turned on her heel and headed back toward the front of the restaurant.
When we were finally alone, I turned to Piper and grabbed her hand. Brushing my thumb back and forth over the scar on her palm, I thought back to the day she got it. She said she had been trying to impress us boys. But she didn’t need to impress me. Ever.
“How did you find out you were pregnant?” I was sure it was in one of the journals, but I hadn’t gone through all of them yet and I needed her voice. I needed to hear her as she told me how she found out she was pregnant with my baby.
“I…I took a sip of beer and threw up after,” Piper said softly.
I looked up; being met by the most beautiful eyes I had ever looked into. Eyes that hid so much love for me.
“Really?” I curled my fingers in hers and brought our joined hands down to my lap. My cock twitched beneath them.
Her breath caught.
Yeah, baby girl. This is all yours. Every inch. Every vein. Every fiber of my damn being is yours.
She cleared her throat. “Luna had already found out she was pregnant at the time. She jokingly suggested that maybe I was as well. We all laughed but then I started doing the math.”
“Were you upset?” I inched closer to her. “Did it bother you having my baby in your belly, Piper?”
She swallowed hard. “No. Not at all. I was excited to tell you. I wanted to tell you in person, but I knew that I couldn’t. That’s actually what sparked the whole journal idea. I wanted you to know everything. Even before I told you that I was pregnant. At first I thought it was Paris that…”
“You thought I got you pregnant in Paris?”
She gave me a small smile. “Yeah. But then I remembered I got my period. I have a confession though.”
“What?”
“I was scared at first that it would have been Ashton or Aiden’s.”
The hackles on the back of my neck rose. “Why?”
“I liked them. I cared for them. I still do but not the way I care for you. Even when you’re an asshole.” She winked. “And I’m not in love with them.”
“But you’re in love with me.”
“Oh yeah,” she breathed.
My dick jumped.
She gave me a small smile, looking away. Her pinky reached out, brushing ever so subtly along my cock.
“I’m glad Brynlee’s mine too,” I told her, my voice rough.
“I used condoms with them, but I know they’re not one-hundred-percent, so she could have been either of theirs. The math didn’t add up though. And when I had the bloodwork done and my first ultrasound, it proved that she was in fact yours. Also, she has your eyes. No one I know has eyes as gray as yours. That’s one reason why I don’t talk to the twins much anymore though.”
“Really? How come?” My eyebrow raised.
Piper played with the napkin sitting on top of the small white plate. “They’re jealous. Ashton more so than his brother. Aiden doesn’t come around much and spends most of his time at a bar. That’s what I’ve been told anyway. I think that’s one reason why Ashton has become the way he has. He’s worried for his brother. All I can do is wish the best for them, but I also want our friendship back.” She shrugged.
“I heard that Aiden has a drinking problem.” But I never knew how bad it was. I held Piper’s hand tighter, unsure of what else to say.
Our waitress took that moment to approach the table.
“Good evening.” The young woman smiled, looking between us both. “My name is Lisa and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.” Her gaze met mine, something flashing behind her bright blue eyes. She cleared her throat, her smile widening. “Can I start you off with some drinks?”
Piper ordered a glass of white wine and I ordered a beer.
Lisa poured us both a glass of water and left after that, but not before I caught her staring. What the hell was with these women tonight?
Piper laughed, shaking her head.
“What?” I brushed my thumb back and forth
over her palm.
“You have an effect on women, Jaron.” She leaned her head against the back of the booth.
“I don’t do anything.” I wasn’t Sammy or even Cyrus. Hell, I wasn’t half the men in our club. I liked sex, sure, but I didn’t go out of my way for it. And I never enjoyed it as much until I started sleeping with Piper.
“You don’t have to do anything.” Piper sat up and turned her body toward me. Her gaze fell to my lap. “I feel like you’re reminding me of something.”
“I am.” I turned toward her, shielding us from anyone that came up to the table. Releasing her hand, I spread her fingers and made her cup me. “This is yours. All of it. Every inch. All of me belongs to you, baby.”
Her jaw clenched.
With my free hand, I pinched her chin, forcing her to look at me. “I mean it, Piper. I belong to you.”
Her breath caught.
I covered her hand that was in my lap and held it against my crotch. “Every inch.”
The waitress came back at that moment and placed our drinks on the table.
Both of us muttered a thank you but wouldn’t look anywhere else but at each other.
“Are you ready to order?” Lisa demanded, her voice curt and to the point when she realized that I had no interest in anyone but Piper.
Only when we placed our orders, did Piper look away from me.
“And for you, sir?” Lisa asked.
I gave her my order, keeping my eyes on Piper the whole time.
She looked my way, a flush spreading up the back of her neck before it hit her cheeks. She gave me a small smile.
Lisa muttered something that I couldn’t quite make out and left to put our orders in.
“Piper,” I demanded, my voice rough.
Her nostrils flared, the tension between us crackling into something that neither of us had control of. If ever at all.
“Yes?” she whispered.
“Say it.”
“Say what?” She licked her lips, her gaze falling to my lap.
“Tell me that I’m yours. That I belong to you. That you would do anything right now to get me back inside your tight little body.”
She looked away, pulling her hand from my lap.
“No.” I snatched it, pulling it back against me. “I don’t give a shit where we are. You want something from me, you take it.”
She snorted which was fucking sexy as hell. “I can’t when we’re in public, Jaron.”
“I fucked you at that bar. Remember?”
“Of course, I remember. We conceived Brynlee that night at the bar.” Piper pulled her hand from my lap and cupped my jaw. “This is a nice restaurant. I don’t want to taint it with our dirty desires.”
“And why not? It would give us something to remember this place by.” I covered her hand that was resting against my cheek and kissed her palm.
“This place already has something to remember it by,” she whispered.
“And what’s that?”
She linked her fingers in mine. “Us.”
Jaron
After going out for dinner the night before, we came back home and spent the rest of the evening watching movies and snuggling.
I received several texts throughout the evening, from both Sammy and Cyrus, letting me know that Price was laying low and hadn’t been spotted anywhere near us. I appreciated the information, but it pissed me off that the good mayor was fucking with me.
It was now later in the afternoon the following day and we were going to Gigi’s place for a couple of hours before picking up Brynlee.
My nerves were on edge, knowing I had to see people I hadn’t seen in almost two years. I had always considered them friends but knowing that the twins were probably going to be there as well, set me off.
“Hey.” Piper wrapped her arms around my middle, snuggling her face into my chest. “You good?” she asked, looking up at me.
I am now.
Giving her a gentle kiss, I pushed out of her hold and finished getting dressed.
“We don’t have to go,” she offered. “We can just pick up Brynn and come back here.”
I met her gaze in the full-length mirror.
“I know that the girls are wanting to see you. And I…” She looked down at her feet. “I haven’t seen them in a while.”
I turned to her. “Why is that?”
Piper sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know really but when you went to jail, I fell into myself. Everyone was as supportive as they could be, but it wasn’t enough. I needed you and I couldn’t have you.” She lifted her hand when I went to speak. “But I don’t want you feeling guilty. I’m just telling you the truth.”
Moving to the spot between her legs, I knelt on the floor and rested my head on her lap. “I am sorry. I’m so fucking sorry for everything.”
“I know, baby,” she whispered. “But like I told you before, you don’t need to be sorry, Jaron. You saved me.”
“I’ll make up for it.” I lifted my head and rose to my feet, towering over her. “I promise.”
“I know that too, but this isn’t your fault. None of it is.” She pushed me back and slid off the bed. “We’ll go for an hour or two and then pick up Brynn. I miss her anyway.”
I nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed. Dropping my head in my hands, I pushed my fingers through my hair and tried warding off the impending headache that threatened to take over. I heard her words and understood them, but it didn’t make me feel any better. My temper got the best of me and someone died because of it. It wasn’t right.
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her onto my lap and just held her.
“Jaron,” she whispered.
“Just…let me have this.” I leaned my forehead against her chest, taking a deep inhale. There was a faint scent of sex. It only lingered but it was still there. It reminded me of what we did. What we were.
For as long as I could, I would hold on because it was the only thing I knew how to do at the moment.
***
When we arrived at Gigi and Vince’s place, I shut off the car and sat there.
“Vince surprised Gigi with this home,” Piper said, pulling me from my thoughts.
“My dad told me.” My Aunt Brogan had let him know what had gone on and he, in turn, told me. He thought it would help me feel like I was still a part of everything even though I was sitting behind bars. It didn’t help but I appreciated the gesture just the same.
“I’m glad that Gigi and Vince are okay.” Piper shuddered. “But a part of me is happy that the old house no longer exists. Is that bad?”
I took her hand, enclosing it in mine. “You had a trauma there, Piper. It’s understandable that you feel that way.”
She nodded, chewing her bottom lip. “Gigi doesn’t throw parties anymore. Vince doesn’t like them anyway, but they have people over every now and again. I’m looking forward to their wedding. And Luna and Zach’s.”
And ours. My heart clenched. It was way too damn soon to think about it, but I still liked to hope that one day it would happen.
“Did you live with your parents after everything happened?” I had learned that she never went back to the old house, but I still wanted her to tell me everything. I wanted Piper to reveal every feeling, every dark secret. Her pain, her agony, and her love. I wanted to know her fantasies, her kinks, and her desires. I wanted to know every single thing that made up Piper.
“Yeah.” She sighed. “I felt bad. I think Gigi feels that it’s her fault but it’s not. God, it’s no one’s fault but Brody’s,” she said, her voice wavering.
I squeezed her hand. She said that it wasn’t my fault either. And while I knew that, I still acted out before thinking. I caused so much damn pain for her and my parents, I didn’t know how to make up for that. I just wanted to move on but the noise in my head was too loud at times.
“We should go.” Piper left the car, staring up at the house.
I forced myself to do the same and joined
her at her side. Linking our fingers, I brought our hands up to my mouth and kissed her knuckles. “We can stay an hour and then go.”
She nodded. “It looks like everyone’s in the back.”
With her hand in mine, Piper led us to the backyard. The voices from our friends carried, getting louder and louder as we neared them.
She took a deep breath and then another. “Jaron.” She stopped.
I stepped in front of her, cupping her cheek. Brushing my thumb along her bottom lip, I kissed her forehead. “Deep breath.”
She inhaled, mirroring my own breathing. “I don’t get out much anymore. It’s kind of…it’s scary.” Her voice trembled, hitting somewhere deep inside me that had never been reached before.
“Again,” I demanded, not liking the sound of fear in her voice.
Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
“Better?”
She looked up at me through her dark lashes. “Yeah. You?”
“Yeah.” Leaning my forehead against hers, I cupped her arms. “We got this, baby, and I’ll help you through it all. I promise.”
She nodded. “I’ll help you too.”
“Good because we do have this. I refuse to have it any other way.” I grabbed her hand again. “Remember, I’m a stubborn fucker.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I know.”
“Hey.”
Both of us turned at the sound of a deep voice.
Ashton Donovan stood behind the fence leading to the backyard.
My hackles rose, my stomach twisting at the sight of him. Knowing that both he and his brother used to have a thing with Piper, didn’t sit well with me.
His eyes locked with mine, a slow smirk spreading on his face.
My jaw clenched, my teeth grinding together so damn hard, a pain shot up the side of my face.
“You joining us or just going to stand there the whole night?” he threw at us.
I could see out of my peripheral that Piper was looking up at me, but I could only focus on the cocky fucker staring at us.
Ashton lifted his chin as if he were egging me on.
“Jaron.” Piper tugged my hand.