When You Became Mine

by AS Teague

  I was thankful he was here, telling me what to do. I was a bundle of nerves and I didn’t think I could think clearly enough to do this on my own. The attorney sounded grim over the phone, and I was terrified of what news I was about to walk in to.

  Lawson released my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, curling me in even closer to his warmth. As he kissed the top of my head he murmured, “I also think about how beautiful you are when you get out of the shower and your cheeks are pink from the skin scalding temperature you bathe in. When I’m sitting at my desk staring at all the monitors in front of me, I think about how much you tease me for being a geek.” He leaned his lips next to my ear and whispered, “The joke’s on you, though, ’cause I was just named Sexiest Geek Alive by some magazine.”

  I laughed and he stood upright again and continued.

  “When I pick up one of your crazy socks that’s on my bedroom floor, I think about what a pain in my ass you are.”

  “Hey now!” I protested. “I’ve gotten a lot better about that. Most of the socks make it to the laundry hamper these days. Besides, you should be glad my socks are on your bedroom floor. Means I’m in your bed.”

  “If the entire bathroom’s been turned into the laundry hamper and I didn’t know it, then I guess you may have a point there.” He angled his body toward mine and brought his other arm up to box me in against the car. His mouth had the tiniest of smirks lingering, but his eyes were sincere. “Every night, when I fall asleep with you in my bed, I think about what a lucky son of a bitch I am. And when I think about how brilliant you are, it makes my chest feel as though it may burst from pride.” His hands left the car and cupped my cheeks. He dipped his chin until we were eye to eye and it was an effort to not hold my breath as he said, “You’re not going to be forced to give up your dream. I don’t care what that guy in there says, I’m promising you right here that I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

  “Taking care of me, just like you always have, huh?” I murmured, my eyes shining with tears that for the first time in weeks weren’t from despair and hopelessness.

  “Damn right.” He pressed a chaste kiss to my lips, but when he tried to pull away I looped my arms around his waist and anchored him in place, kissing him hard.

  “I love you,” I croaked, emotion still clogging my throat.

  The solemn look in his eye disappeared as his face split wide into a grin. “I love hearing that, even if you do sound like Kermit the Frog.”

  I laughed, grateful for his humor, and slapped his arm. “If I’m Kermit, that must make you Miss Piggy.”

  “Oh, Kermit,” he said in a voice that was supposed to sound like the pink diva, but instead sounded more like a dying cat. “Let’s go.”

  I chuckled and took the hand he was offering. “Only if you promise to never talk like that again.”

  The attorney’s receptionist ushered us into a conference room and offered us water or coffee, which I declined. I didn’t think it would be a wise idea to put anything on a stomach that was trying its best to do a Simone Biles floor routine.

  I’d never met the man before, but Lawson had worked with him on some cases in the past and assured me the man was a shark among piranhas, whatever that meant. All I knew was that if Lawson trusted him, then I did as well.

  When he came in, I stood up and wiped my clammy palms on my skirt before taking the beefy hand he’d offered. He wasn’t anything like I was expecting. Mainly because he was about thirty years younger than I’d envisioned and suddenly I was even more nervous than I’d been before walking in here. How was this guy who couldn’t be much older than me going to save my medical license?

  “Miss Kelley, nice to meet you. I’ve actually heard a thing or two about you from Lawson here. Sorry that we’re meeting on these terms, but still nice to finally put a face with a name.” He pumped my hand one more time and then released his grip on my fingers and turned to where Lawson stood beside me.

  I glanced over, wishing I could ask him what he’d said to this man about me in the past, but it wasn’t the time for that. I tried to file it away for later, but my brain was all over the place the last few days, I knew it would be a miracle if I remembered my own name later tonight.

  “Wheeler,” Lawson addressed him, sticking his own hand out. “I’d say it was good to see you again, but really, I would’ve rather gone another few years of not seeing your ugly mug if it meant we weren’t in this situation in the first place.”

  I didn’t think his “mug” was that ugly, but I kept that tidbit of information to myself.

  Mr. Wheeler nodded in agreement and then gestured to the chairs we’d stood from. “Okay then, let’s get straight to it.”

  I sucked in a breath and slid back into my seat at the same time Lawson did. Without hesitation, Lawson grasped my hand, locking his fingers with mine, and gave me a squeeze. The gesture did little to reassure me that things were going to be okay, but I squeezed his fingers back in acknowledgement and turned my attention to the man who was slated to defend me.

  He opened a file folder and began shuffling through the papers inside, his brow creasing every now and again as he read over whatever documents he had.

  “Well, Miss Kelley.” He paused.

  I took the opportunity to say, “Please, call me Piper.”

  He nodded and continued, “Now, I’m going to be honest with you here. The evidence they have against you is pretty damning.”

  I sucked in sharply, surprised the State Board of Medical Examiners had any evidence at all. I hadn’t done anything wrong for there to even be evidence.

  “What kind of evidence are we talking about?” Lawson asked, releasing my hand and leaning forward, resting his forearms on the table.

  Mr. Wheeler shuffled some papers and when he found the one he was looking for he cleared his throat. He pushed his thick-rimmed glasses up on his face. “Let’s see here. Nearly one hundred prescriptions were written for Oxycontin in the last six months to…ah, six people.”

  The words that came out of his mouth hit me in the stomach like a physical blow. “That’s impossible,” I breathed. The sheer numbers of pills I had been accused of dispensing was mind-boggling and it was everything I could do to keep from vomiting on the table in front of me.

  I wished I had taken up the receptionist’s offer of water when Lawson snapped, “No fucking way.”

  Mr. Wheeler’s head snapped up, his eyes focusing on Lawson beside me as he continued his rant. “Piper hasn’t even been in the state for the last four months. How was she writing prescriptions for people when she was in Philadelphia treating kids at a children’s hospital?”

  The attorney set the paper down on the table and pulled his glasses from his face. “I’m not saying she’s guilty”—he turned his laser beam gaze to me and said—“but, Ms. Kelley—Piper, if you did in fact write these prescriptions, you’ve got to be up-front with me now so I know how to further pursue this case.” His gaze was intense, but his eyes were soft and there was a hint of genuine concern in them.

  I didn’t even have a chance to open my mouth to respond before Lawson was on his feet, the chair he’d been sitting in scraping across the hardwood floor. He slammed both hands down on the glossy conference table, the smacking noise making me jump, and leaned forward. “She did not do this. And that is the last time I’m going to hear those words come out of your mouth again. You wanna know how you pursue this case? You do it like she’s innocent and has been set the fuck up. Because, that’s the truth. The only truth.”

  His shoulders were heaving with the exertion of his rant and I reached out a tentative hand in his direction. My fingers were trembling as I placed them over one of his hands and whispered, “Lawson.”

  When his head whipped toward mine, I saw the tic of his jaw and decided not to say anything more.

  “Reed, I’m not accusing your friend here of this,” Wheeler said, his voice even. “And with attorney client privilege, I could never divulge wh
at was discussed here today. But—”

  “No. But,” Lawson said through clenched teeth, his gaze still on me. “She did not do it.”

  I pulled my lip in between my teeth and tried to give him a small smile, something to calm him, but my lips wouldn’t cooperate.

  We continued to stare at each other for another beat, my chest heavy with both despair for myself and admiration for the man who was defending me so steadfast without ever having asked me the very question the attorney just had.

  After one more second, Lawson’s breathing returned to normal and he pulled his hand from beneath mine and used it to find the chair that was nearly a foot behind him. Once he settled into the seat again, he looked back at Mr. Wheeler and said evenly, “Your job is to defend her innocence. So, tell me how you’re going to do it.”

  I sat back in my own chair and while my stomach was still tight, the pressure in my chest lifted a bit when Lawson wrapped his arm around the back of my chair and squeezed my shoulder.

  As the attorney launched into the specifics of it all, I did my best to pay attention to what he was saying. But all I could think about was how even if I was cleared of this, there was no way the residency program I’d been in would take me back. And that I would be lucky to find a school anywhere that would take me.

  I swallowed back the lump that was forming in my throat as despair washed over me.

  36

  Lawson

  “Piper?” I waited for a response, but when none came I peered around the corner into the living room.

  She sat on the end of the couch, Seven in her lap, and stroked the cat while staring into space. It was the same position she’d been in when I emerged from my office an hour ago. And except for the cat, she’d looked exactly the same when I’d gone into my office this morning…nearly eight hours ago.

  I wasn’t just worried about her. I was petrified that something inside of her had finally broken and she’d given up. I knew she was stronger than that, and more than likely she would shake out of this, but there was a nagging voice in the back of my mind that told me she wasn’t going to come back from this.

  She’d been through so much in her twenty-six years. The loss of her twin brother, nearly dying, and now losing her dreams. And despite all my efforts, it seemed like I was helpless to fix this problem for her. It was a feeling I didn’t like. I’d always been able to fix Piper’s problems, even when she didn’t know it was me who was doing it. But this time seemed to be the one that even I couldn’t wave a magic wand and make go away.

  But if I couldn’t fix the problem, I could at least try to make her happy.

  “Pippie?” I said again, this time a little louder.

  She jumped at the sound of my voice, causing my cat to jump out of her lap, and turned to look at me. “Hey. You done working?” she asked.

  Her voice sounded tired, defeated.

  I nodded. “I’ve been done over an hour.”

  “Oh.” She forced her eyes to clear as she looked at me. “Want me to cook dinner?”

  I barked out a laugh, the first time in days, and shook my head. “I’d rather not spend the night with food poisoning.”

  She didn’t even bother to look offended, just nodded and went back to staring at the black television screen.

  I crossed the floor to come stand in front of her and dropped to my knees, her eyes widening. She was sitting with her legs tucked beneath her and I grabbed her ankles, pulling them until her feet were on the floor.

  “What are you doing?” she squeaked when I grabbed her wrists and pulled her into a standing position. I didn’t answer as I pulled her down the hall, her feet reluctantly moving because I gave her no other choice. “Lawson, seriously, what are you doing?”

  I pulled her into the bathroom behind me and closed the door, finally releasing the hold I had on her wrists. “Take a shower. We’re having a party.”

  I turned away from her to turn on the faucet and once I was satisfied that the temperature was at her preferred nuclear hot, began pulling the yoga pants she was wearing down. She grabbed at them, yelping. “Party? No, no party. I’m not in the mood to entertain tonight.”

  “Good thing I’m the host then.” I knelt on one knee and tugged at her calf. When she refused to lift her foot, I tipped my head back and looked into her too pale face. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way, your pants are coming off and you’re getting in the shower. Which is it going to be?”

  She just stood there, gaping down at me until finally she relented and lifted a leg. “So bossy,” she murmured as I pulled the pants off and then we repeated the process with the other leg. After they’d been discarded in the corner, I stood and grabbed for the hem of her shirt and without any hesitation, she lifted her arms and allowed me to pull the soft cotton over her head.

  As she stood before me in nothing but a bra and panties, I had to work hard not to gaze at the way her breasts swelled beneath the pink lace. It didn’t matter I’d had her in my bed more times than I could count, or that I’d seen her spread bare beneath me. Every time I caught sight of the soft skin that was usually hidden beneath clothing, my chest tightened.

  She was a natural beauty, one that any man would be beyond lucky to get a glimpse of. And here I was, the man she’d chosen to fall in love with, able to see her this way any time I wished.

  And what I wished in this very moment was to have her. Right now, in the bathroom, with the steam filling the small space. But a quick, although satisfying, romp was not what Piper needed.

  So, instead of pulling her panties down with my teeth and burying my face between her legs, I gritted my teeth and ran the pad of my thumb across her cheek. “Make it quick, they’ll be here soon.”

  I slipped through the door and strode down the hall just in time to see the front door open, Georgia stumbling inside on mile high heels, her arms full of bags.

  “Little help here!” she shouted.

  I made it to her just in time to catch the bag of wine. “Ever heard of making two trips?” I sniped, pulling more bags from her hands.

  She tossed her hair and followed me into the kitchen. “Two trips is for sissies.”

  I shot her a look. “One trip where you spill everything is for lazies.”

  She laughed and began pulling to-go containers from their bags. “Lazies? That’s not a word.”

  I finished helping her unload her goodies and marveled at the amount of stuff that was now occupying all the space on my kitchen table. “Where’s Hampton?”

  “He’s coming. Had to grab the board games from Mom’s on the way here.” She glanced over her shoulder and when she was satisfied that Piper wasn’t within earshot, leaned forward and dropped her voice. “How is she?”

  I shook my head and grabbed a beer from the box it was in. “Not good. I don’t think she got off the couch at all today. If she did, she did a pretty good job repositioning herself in exactly the same spot she was in when I locked myself in my office this morning.” I took a swig of the amber liquid and finished. “I had to undress her and practically shove her in the shower just now.”

  Georgia’s green eyes were soft, the concern spilling over into the tight draw of her mouth. “I just don’t understand it.”

  I drained the rest of my beer and dropped the bottle in the trash can, immediately pulling another from the box. “Me neither, Georgie.”

  The front door opened again, this time Hampton striding in with Smith behind him, a stack of board games so high I could barely make out the top of his head. “Party’s here!” Hampton shouted, slinging the door closed behind him once Smith had made it inside. When he made no move to help his husband, I rushed over and grabbed half the stack of games.

  Smith gave me a tight smile and then cut his eyes at his husband and grumbled, “Maybe I married the wrong Reed brother.”

  Hampton blew him a kiss and said with a wink, “Lawson’s ass is already filled with a stick. No room for you there.”

  “God, Ha
m, you are so crude! You can’t say that!” Georgia scolded. She glanced over at where I was now also glaring at Hampton and giggled. “Even if you are right.”

  I dropped the stack of board games on one of my kitchen counters. “Hardy har har. Yuk it up, you two.”

  I jerked my chin at the group and nodded toward the kitchen. When they followed me in, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Listen, no questions about everything that’s going on.” I was answered with a trio of nods. “I mean it.” I pinned Hampton with a stare. “You especially. No talk about doctoring, okay?”

  Hampton barked a laugh. “Doctoring? What the fuck is that exactly? Is that similar to computering?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean. Just don’t talk about anything at all that could upset her, okay?”

  Hampton’s playful expression sobered and he asked, “That bad?”

  I lifted my chin. “You have no idea.”

  The concern in his eyes took on a different meaning, and I swear I saw hurt in the depths of his green eyes. “You’re right, I don’t have any idea. She won’t answer my calls or texts.” He jerked a thumb at his partner and grumbled, “I only know she’s alive because this one’s managed to get a reply from her.”

  I clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t take it personally. I live with her and don’t have any idea what’s going on in her head these days.”

  I looked through the stack of games and groaned. “Did you really bring Mouse Trap? And what the hell is Back Off Buzzard? Jesus, when I said game night, I was thinking poker. Not a bunch of games we played when we were eight.”

  “What better way to get her mind off things than to bring back a little nostalgia?” Smith chimed. “I personally love Ker-Plunk.”

  “Do I smell Thai?” Piper asked from the end of the hall, her voice bright.

  In unison we all turned and I was shocked to see that she was not only dressed in something other than ratty yoga pants, but her eyes were bright and a genuine smile was spread across her face. It was the best I’d seen her look since she’d come home, and a bit of relief coursed through my veins.