by Wendy Vella
“Not nearly enough, especially as this is not something that you would normally do.”
His eyes held hers.
“I mean, you’re putting yourself out for me, and I don’t know how to say thank you.”
“You don’t think I put myself out for people normally?”
The words weren’t spoken in anger, but Piper had a feeling she’d annoyed him... maybe even hurt him.
“Of course, but not like this... maybe.” Piper ran a hand through her hair. “I’m making a mess of this, so can we leave it at thanks, again.”
“Sure.”
The word was clipped, and she knew then she had hurt him. He got up and switched off the lights, then she heard his jeans hit the floor and he was suddenly in the bed beside her, under the covers.
“I’m sorry, I handled that wrong and sounded ungrateful.”
“No, actually you didn’t, but it’s never easy to be slapped in the face by the person you are.”
“Dylan—”
“It’s okay, Piper. We’re both tired, let’s try and get some sleep.”
“Why have you never come home, Dylan?”
He exhaled slowly.
“I know that you struggled to live up to your mom’s expectations, but you had two sisters.”
He didn’t reply, and Piper wondered if the conversation, in his mind, was over.
“I’m your friend, Dylan, and—”
“As time passed I was able to convince myself they didn’t need me because they had each other, and Mom and Dad.”
Piper looked into the darkness and thought about what he said.
“But they didn’t have each other,” he continued. “Charlie left as soon as she could and never looked back. She closed herself off emotionally like I have, and Ava....”
His words fell away.
“You’re worried about her?”
“I am, and I’m not sure why. It’s just a hunch, but something is really off with her.”
“I’m guessing you have a pretty good read on people in your line of work.”
“I do, and while she tries to appear calm, there’s something going on there. Almost as if she’s scared of something, but what?”
“Opening up to you, maybe?”
He made a sound in his throat. “Sure there’s that, but we had a talk. I wrestled her into the car, and she made me drink something that was green and usually in my salad. It was a start.”
“I like the leafy green smoothie.”
“Why?”
“It’s healthy.”
“So is fish, but I don’t put that in a blender.”
Piper found a smile in the darkness. Then she felt Dylan move, and suddenly there he was, leaning over her.
“Dylan.”
“Piper, I need to tell you something.”
He touched her cheek, just a brush of his thumb, and she shivered.
“What?”
“I bought a box at the supermarket.”
“I’m not pregnant.”
“Pleased to hear it,” he whispered against her neck.
“Grace is through there.”
“Do you think parents give up sex when they have children?”
He kissed her. Soft and slow, it had her head reeling in seconds.
“We’re not doing that.”
“Okay, let’s just make out then.”
“You are a bad man.”
“And you’re a bad woman, that’s what I like about you.”
His hand slid under her shirt and cupped a bare breast. He rubbed her nipple, making her arch off the bed.
“Let me help you forget, Piper, just for a while.”
He climbed over her and took off her T-shirt. His lips followed his hands, and she was soon moaning as he took her to the brink, then over the edge. When he’d sheathed himself in a condom, and slid inside her, it was better than last time. Better, more intense.
“God you feel good,” he whispered in her ear.
“More than good,” Piper replied.
It was slow and agonizingly sensual, until Piper grabbed a handful of his hair and urged him on. His laugh was low and dirty, and seconds later he was pumping into her hard and fast. Piper came apart beneath him.
They lay together breathing heavily in the darkness.
“Sleep now.”
He turned her on her side, and soon she was doing just that.
Grace woke two hours later crying. Piper bolted out of bed. Reaching for the lamp, she switched it on and found her T-shirt and panties. Pulling them on, she nearly landed face first in the chair.
“I’ll make a bottle,” Dylan said getting out of bed.
Grace was red-faced and standing up in the cot.
“Hey, baby girl.”
“Mama.”
Piper could do nothing to stop the sob.
“I know, Gracie, I miss her too.”
Picking her up, she held her close.
“Jesus, what is that stench?” Dylan appeared in the doorway.
“Sh-she just asked for her mama.”
“That’s tough.” He placed a hand on Piper’s head. “But I think we have bigger problems, starting with whatever the hell is in that diaper.”
Piper suddenly became aware of the smell emanating from Grace.
“Oh my lord, that’s terrible!”
“Okay, operation diaper removal starts in five. Let me get the bed set up with a towel and bring in the things we need.”
“Did you get a face mask?”
“Funny girl.”
He was back with everything. After laying out a towel, Piper put Grace on it, and the little girl began to cry.
“She doesn’t want to be put down.”
“How are her eyes not watering?” Dylan pinched his nose. “How such a cute little thing can make that stench is beyond me. Here, give her the bottle.”
Piper did, and the crying stopped.
“Okay, so give her a bottle while changing a diaper... especially if it’s loaded.” Piper committed that to her mental notes. She then undid the buttons at the bottom of the bunny sleep suit and slid out Grace’s legs.
“So far so good,” she muttered.
“I’m torn between fascination about what the hell is in there, and wanting to run for my life at the same time.”
Piper opened the diaper tabs.
“Mother of God, no way did that come out of her!” Dylan made a gagging sound. “It’s like some kind of explosion.”
“It’s up her back, go get the other sleep suit.”
“Gladly.” She heard him running from the room.
“And a bag to put this in!”
Piper wiped as much as she could off with the diaper, then eased it from under the baby.
“You need to hold her legs up, or it’s going everywhere. Amazing how flexible they are, she’s not even flinching,” Dylan said, looking over her shoulder.
“Bag!” Piper snapped.
He held it out, and she dropped the loaded diaper in there.
“I think you should invest in a water blaster.”
“Wise ass,” Piper said, taking the wet wipes he held out for her. “Can you believe the color of that?”
“I’m kinda proud of her.”
“That’s something my cousins would say.”
“And likely will.”
Piper felt warm about the fact that Joe, Jack, and Luke would be at her side raising Grace, as would her mom and Bailey. Plus there was the community.
“Keep those suckers coming,” Piper said, taking another wet wipe from Dylan.
She worked steadily, removing every sign of poop from Grace’s little bottom, until finally it was done.
“And that’s yet another reason every parent who has experienced that in the middle of night should be called a hero,” Dylan said, tying off the bag. “My level of admiration has increased tenfold in a matter of hours.”
“It’s amazing people don’t stop at one, really.”
“Not really,”
Dylan said, nudging her aside so he could fit Grace into her clean sleep suit. “I mean look at that face.”
She leaned in and braced a hand on his back. There was Grace smiling up at him around her bottle.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Piper had been tired before and knew this was what millions of parents worldwide were doing at the same time as her, but it was hell, she wasn’t going to lie.
Grace had woken twice more crying, and each time she’d just picked her up and shushed her back to sleep. Dylan had slept on oblivious, which was a good thing, she reminded herself as she crept back into bed. He wouldn’t be with her tomorrow night, or the one after; this was her deal, not his.
Why then did she resent the fact that he was snoring softy? Tiredness was making her mean.
Sliding under the covers, she closed her eyes. An arm came out and pulled her into a solid, warm body.
“You okay?”
“Peachy.”
He was snoring minutes later. She enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded, especially when all she wanted to do was cry. Joanie had been too young to die, and still had so much life to live, and Grace had a right to have her mother at her side.
“I love you, Joanie,” Piper whispered into the dark.
She then leaned back into Dylan’s chest, and just for tonight... or what was left of it, she let herself sleep there.
Piper opened her eyes slowly. They felt scratchy, but the light coming into the room told her that it was at least morning now. Her last visit to Grace had been at three. She squinted at the clock on the nightstand; the red letters said 7:00.
Rolling over, she looked for Dylan, but the bed was empty. It was then she heard the singing, soft and off-key.
Getting out of bed, Piper made her way to the room Grace was sleeping in and found Dylan there. He was lying on his back on the single bed, and Grace was sitting on his chest clapping her hands.
“You need to go easy on Piper for a while, okay, sweetheart? She’s new at this, but I know she’d gonna be awesome, just like those uncles you’ve inherited. You’ll have them wrapped around your pinkie in no time.”
“Hey, you.”
He lifted his head and smiled at her.
“Grace and I have been getting acquainted.”
“I can see that. What time did she get up?”
“Five thirty.”
“Oh wow, you kept her quiet until now.”
“You looked tired, and I remember vaguely you getting out of bed a few times.”
He sat up with the baby in his arms, making her gurgle.
“So how about we eat some breakfast, then hit the road.”
“Yes, and Dylan—”
“I know, thanks, right?”
“Yeah. I couldn’t have got through last night without you.”
“Yeah you could, although that bowel explosion would have been a struggle.”
“Ha,” Piper said, then yawned.
“I’ll go pack up.”
“I gave her a bottle and some yogurt.”
“Thanks. You’re good at this.”
“It comes back to you.” His smile was loaded with boyish charm.
They packed, and loaded everything in the Range Rover. Piper paid the bill, even though Dylan wanted to split it.
“No way you’re doing this for me.”
“But I slept in that bed... with you, and let me tell you—”
Piper put her hand over his mouth.
“The mattress was a bit hard,” he said solemnly, although those blue eyes had a wicked glint.
Grace was in his arms, and the sight was enough to make her heart sigh. The man had no right being that hot. She felt way too comfortable here with him. Like he was the right fit, which of course he wasn’t, and never would be. But what they’d just been through had changed them—there was no way it couldn’t. Piper, however, needed to remember that this was a brief moment in time, not a long-term one. He’d be going back to his life soon and she hers, and now that included Grace, so a relationship was not in her immediate future... even if Dylan wanted one, which of course he didn’t. Shut it down now, girl.
Mrs. Little, the social worker, met up with them at the police station again, and while she wasn’t overjoyed, she seemed happy enough to let them take Grace. She’d also retrieved a lot of the little girl’s things. Dylan stowed them all in his car.
“Not entirely sure that woman knows how to crack a smile,” Dylan said when they were on the road out of Rummer.
“I doubt she has much to smile about in her line of work.”
“There is that.” He turned to smile at Grace, who garbled something to him. “She just told me she’s ready.”
“How do you figure that?”
He looked surprised. “You didn’t hear that?”
“Idiot,” Piper said around a yawn.
“So food is my guess, and strong black coffee.”
“Yes, please.”
“You okay?”
“Sure.” She managed a smile.
“You need to grieve for her, Piper. She was your friend and you loved her.”
“I know, but this morning I woke up angry at her, which isn’t fair, but I can’t help the way I feel.”
“That’s normal, I’m sure, and I’m also sure it’ll be a roller coaster of emotion for a while yet.”
“I know, it’s a process, right?”
“Right.”
They drove in silence, a comfortable one, both lost in their thoughts. Grace soon fell asleep, so they got drive-through coffee and bagels.
“When do you think you’ll be leaving Ryker, Dylan?”
“Maybe in a day or two. It depends on Dad and his recovery, there’s been a complication with his liver. Then there’s the issue with Charlie.”
“But he’ll be all right?”
“The doctors hope so.”
“What’s Charlie’s issue?”
“It’s her thing, so I can’t share, but she’s having some problems at work, and someone’s targeting her. She’d been accused of something she didn’t do.”
“How do you know she didn’t do it?” Piper asked, purely out of curiosity.
“She’s my sister,” he said. “Of course I believe her.”
“Okay sure, I get that, but it’s not like you’re close or anything.”
“So because you’re close with your cousins, you’d be okay to believe them, but I can’t do the same for Charlie?”
Piper swallowed a mouthful of coffee and thought it tasted like heaven.
“Okay, lack of sleep is making you cranky, that was not what I meant at all. I was just trying to say in a roundabout way that you know nothing about your sisters, so what makes you think she’s innocent? It wasn’t an accusation.”
“Well then maybe you need to explain yourself better.”
He threw her a testy look. This was more like the man who had arrived in Ryker and less like the one she’d woken to who had been playing with Grace. She liked the last one best, but perhaps understood the first one better now. His attitude was a facade that protected him. In fact, Dylan Howard had a compassionate streak a mile wide. Plus, and this was the kicker, he was one of the good guys, and Piper was a sucker for hot good guys who tried to be bad ones.
The Howards, Piper realized, had all learned to hide their emotions. She was pretty sure their mother was the main reason for that, as she knew his dad, and he was a gentle, soft man. Too gentle, was her guess. She doubted he’d stood up to his wife much.
“Maybe.”
“I’m not a person who talks about this stuff much, Piper. I don’t do emotions, and I don’t get real close to people.”
The words sounded like they were wrenched from him. She watched as he took a mouthful of coffee.
“That’s sad, and I’d have to disagree. Since coming back to Ryker you’ve done all of the above.”
Dylan shrugged, and she knew he wished he’d kept his thoughts to himself. “Maybe, but then I think that’s Ryke
r Falls. It turns you into a different person. I’ll change back when I return to New York.”
“Again, sad,” Piper said. “I don’t have many people I’m really tight with. I was pretty isolated before I came to Ryker, and yet now I couldn’t live without them. My cousins, Bailey, and Maggs. They’re a part of me, and I think make me stronger, because I know that if I need any one of them they’d have my back.”
“Not everyone needs people, Piper.”
His jaw was gritted now, hands clenched on the steering wheel.
“No, I get that actually. I’ve known plenty of people who are loners, and happy about that fact. But you and your sisters aren’t loners by nature is my guess. Self-preservation has sent you all in that direction.”
The look he shot her was pure frustration. He wanted this conversation done with.
“Haven’t you got enough to worry about without including the Howards in the mix?”
“I like you, so I want you to be happy. Plus, what you just did for me and Grace are not the actions of a cold, heartless man.”
That made him grunt. “Thanks, and I quite like you too.”
Piper giggled.
“I like that sound.”
“My mom says I’ve grown up but not my giggle, which is pretty annoying really most of the time. But thanks for saying that anyway.”
His mouth curled up on one side.
They drove in silence after that, both deep in thought. Piper was sure he was thinking about her words, and she hoped he did, because if nothing else changed before he left Ryker, she at least wanted him to have a relationship with his sisters.
“Grace has just opened her eyes, shall we stop and feed her somewhere?”
“Sounds good.”
It was a sobering thought that she and this man had just shared an experience that was usually reserved for two people who were committed to a life together. Two people who had created a child. It had pulled them closer, no doubting that, but now he was going and that thought produced a sharp pain deep inside her.
I cannot care for him.
But of course she did, because she’d never have slept with him otherwise. But she’d never show him that. Whatever this was, it would go away; it wasn’t the lasting type of caring, just the fleeting kind.
They’d barely spoken a word to each other over the last hour, and by the time the car drove down the main street of Ryker Falls, the tension between them had climbed.