Reconcile

by Nicole Dykes

  Viv and Ash both have goofy smiles on their faces, but Viv still pretends to be pissed at me. “It’s still kind of early. We’re going to tell everyone else soon.”

  “I’m not gonna say a word.” I reach over to tickle Baz. “I have a little more self-control than this guy.”

  “No way!” Baz says through uncontrollable giggles.

  “Yes way!” He’s laughing hard now, and I give him a reprieve, turning back to Asher who’s watching me with a weird look on his face.

  “You think you’re ever going to give monogamy a shot? Fatherhood?”

  “Fu—” I look at Baz who has his eyebrow raised, waiting for the curse word to slip. “No. Not happening.”

  Vivienne nibbles on her salad. “Never say never.”

  “I’m saying it.” I take a drink of beer and look at Ash, wanting to shift the conversation. “I had lunch with Cole the other day.”

  “Really? How’s he doing?”

  Vivienne and Baz are deep in conversation about what’s in his salad, so I take the opportunity to talk to Ash. “Good. Angry that I’m working for a Sterling.”

  He doesn’t look surprised. “Yeah, makes sense. What did you tell him?”

  I look at Baz, who’s still busy with his mom but within hearing range and then look back to Ash. “What do you think?”

  He chuckles, “You don’t miss your family at all?”

  I shrug, shifting in my seat. “I don’t know. I mean . . . I did agree to have lunch with him.” And I have to admit it was good to see my brother.

  “Yeah.”

  “He tried to get me to come into the office and just look around. It’s ridiculous.”

  He raises a questioning eyebrow. “Is it?”

  “Yeah.” I take another drink. “You, of all people, know I don’t want that life. You know how the Rosses do business. It’s dirty. Buying homes right out from under people at dirt cheap prices and flipping them, wrecking land, and putting expensive condos up everywhere.”

  “And Linc doesn’t do that?” He looks amused.

  “Not like them,” I say firmly because Linc tries, he really does. And his company gives back often.

  “Right. And it has nothing to do with the fact that they have Piper working there with them?” I hate the smug look on his face.

  I hate that hearing her name still fucking stings. That my gut twists and my heart clenches in my chest just thinking about the girl I wronged so fucking badly when we were young. Way too fucking young.

  “It has nothing to do with Piper.”

  He doesn’t believe me. And he shouldn’t. The fact that she’s working for my brothers eats at me daily. Knowing Spencer is likely very actively trying to get into her pants—or already has—kills me.

  And I have no right to feel that way.

  Doesn’t change the fact that I do. That the thought of him touching her makes me want to climb out of my skin.

  “Maybe you should go. Maybe you need to see Piper.”

  I glare at him, hating that my brother and he seem to think she won’t stab me if I get within a few feet of her. She’s a woman scorned, and I’m not fucking with that.

  “No. She wants nothing to do with me.”

  “It was a long time ago, man.”

  “Trust me, she’s not over it.”

  A chill goes through me, thinking about the last time I saw her and the anger flashing through her eyes. He shrugs. “Well, it sounds like Cole misses you.” He grins. “Though I have no clue why.”

  I roll my eyes, but smile into my beer. Such an asshole.

  Still, as we eat and laugh and bullshit each other, my mind is where it usually is.

  With Piper Ward.

  “Good afternoon, Piper.” I look up from my desk and see the least offensive Ross brother standing in my office.

  “Good afternoon, Cole.”

  He walks further into my office, dressed impeccably in a three-piece suit and tie with his black hair slicked back. He takes a seat across from me. “How are you doing? It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with you.”

  I offer a small smile. Cole is five years older than me, so I didn’t see him much in school, only when he would come and drag Sawyer to the family car. Still, the Ross and Ward families are often together in Kansas City high society, and we saw each other at several events. And when I needed a job, I was surprised to hear from none other than Cole Ross.

  Brother of my enemy.

  Of course, he’s not the CEO of this company. That honor lies with the supreme asshole, Spencer Ross. But somehow, Cole managed to talk him into offering me the job.

  “I’m doing fine.”

  He eyes me with suspicion. Cole is the quiet one. But that doesn’t make him any less lethal. Maybe more so. “Spencer treating you okay?”

  I internally cringe, thinking about Spencer. I can’t stand him. I never could. Still, I need this job, so I pretend he doesn’t make me want to scream whenever I’m stuck in his arrogant presence.

  “He’s been fine.”

  “Piper.” His response is direct.

  “Fine. He’s abhorrent. He treats me like a secretary from the fifties and calls me ‘sweetheart.’”

  His eyebrow arches in amusement before he shakes his head. “He’s an asshole.”

  “True.”

  He stands. “But he knows his shit.”

  I bite my tongue because I know he does. He’s ruthless in his dealings. “Also true.”

  There’s a knock on the door, drawing both of our attention to the smiling receptionist, Jennifer, as she opens the door wider. “Here he is, Mr. Ross. Then she looks at Cole. ”You have a visitor.”

  No.

  My heart starts racing, urging me to escape even before my body tells me to do the same.

  “Sawyer?” Cole looks surprised. “What are you doing here?”

  Sawyer.

  This can’t be happening. I saw him a while back. I told him I was working for his brother and he’d better stay far away from me or I’d make sure he’d know personally what it felt like to have his balls ripped from his body.

  But as he stands in my office with that smug expression on his beautiful, arrogant face, dressed in a navy suit and silver tie, it’s pretty damn clear he doesn’t care about his balls.

  His eyes momentarily dart to me before resting back on his brother. “I thought I’d take you up on your offer and look around.”

  I try not to let my jaw hit the floor and look at Cole. “Offer?”

  Both men turn to me, but it’s Sawyer’s deep voice that answers, “Yes, my brother is trying to pull me to the dark side.”

  I snort with feral aggression, “As if you haven’t been there your whole life.”

  He doesn’t take the bait, and in fact, pretty much ignores me, which is completely and totally fitting. “You have time to show me around, Cole?”

  Cole shoots me an apologetic look and nods at Sawyer. “Yes. Of course.”

  Sawyer exits my office, but Cole stays for a moment. “We had lunch the other day, and I told him I was disappointed he was playing at being a Sterling. He works for Linc.”

  I didn’t know that. But I’ve also tried like hell not to pay attention to anything Sawyer-related for the last seven years.

  “If he starts working here, I’m gone.”

  Cole moves to me, placing his hands on my desk. “No, you’re not.”

  “Yes, I am, Cole. You know our history. I want nothing to do with him.”

  He stands tall, smiling with cold assurance. “If that were true, I don’t think you’d be here.”

  With that, he leaves my office. I lean back in my chair, unable to stop my hands from shaking.

  This can’t be happening.

  He can’t be coming back into my life. I can’t do this. I hate him more than I’ve ever hated anyone. His betrayal haunts me at every waking moment.

  And more than anything, I hate how he was once my whole world.

  Fourteen years old
<
br />   I watch Sawyer and Mindy suck face in the hallway, appalled and annoyed as I cross my arms over my stomach, hating how heavy my backpack is. Don’t they know they can get in a lot of trouble for this?

  She’s not even a freshman like us. She’s a freaking junior. What she wants with an underclassman, I have no idea, but it’s gross. Finally, the succubus releases Sawyer and gives him a great big, dumb smile. “I’ll see you later.”

  He salutes her like the cocky guy he is and and offers her a sly grin. “Yes, you will.”

  She blows him a kiss and tosses her teased-out, blond hair over her shoulder as she finally walks away. Then finally, Sawyer turns around to face me and smiles. “Hey, Pipes. What do you have going on after school today?”

  I shake my head and brush past him, but he catches up and slings his arm around my shoulder. “I have ballet.”

  “Yawn.”

  I roll my eyes and stop walking to face him, wishing I could hide my annoyance. Sawyer has become my best friend over the years, but we don’t always see eye to eye. I’m not a huge fan of my last name or my family, but that doesn’t mean I always push back.

  I think the time for rebellion will be later, when we’re older. But Sawyer fights it tooth and nail.

  “It’s not yawn. It’s good to learn. Then I have a French lesson.”

  “Again. Yawn.”

  “Sawyer, are you ever going to take life seriously?”

  He cocks his head to the side, and I know he’s only pretending to think it over before he says, “Nope.”

  I roll my eyes but can’t combat my smile. “What do you have planned after school?”

  “Spanish tutor. Then piano.”

  I smile. “I like listening to you play.” Not that I get a lot of time to do it, but sometimes we sneak into the music room at school and try to show each other up from our lessons.

  He looks oddly serious as we walk out the front door, and he turns to me. “Sneak out with me tonight.”

  I grip the strap of my backpack over one of my shoulders and shake my head. “No. I can’t. You know my parents have alarms and security cameras all over the house.”

  “You could try, Pipes. Come on.”

  I shake my head, hating how badly I want to, which surprises even me. “I can’t. They’ll kill me. Besides, don’t you have a date with Mindy?”

  I’m pouting, and it’s annoying me, but I can’t help it. He smiles and pulls me into a side hug. “You know you’re my number one girl, Piper.”

  “Yeah well, your tongue was down her throat a minute ago, so excuse me if I don’t believe you.”

  He chuckles at that and doesn’t release me. “Hey, if you’d let me stick my tongue—”

  “Stop,” I quickly interrupt him because I can’t think about that. About kissing Sawyer. It just wouldn’t be right. We’re friends. And my parents wouldn’t let me date anyway. Not even a Ross.

  He laughs again. “Damn. My car’s here. I can’t wait until I get my own and a license.”

  “You with a driver’s license sounds scary.”

  He smiles and lets me go, turning to look at me. “See ya tomorrow.”

  “See you tomorrow, Sawyer.”

  He starts toward his family’s town car but then looks over his shoulder at me with that cocky swagger down pat. “Hey, Pipes?”

  I smile because I know what’s coming. “Yeah?”

  “What would we be doing if we weren’t a Ross and a Ward?”

  I grin and shake my head, tucking my hair behind my ear before locking eyes with him. “Everything, Sawyer. We would do everything.”

  He winks at me and climbs into the backseat of the car, and I wave.

  Yeah, I’m in trouble. I really, really don’t want to be having these feelings for my best friend who is absolutely never serious about anything.

  “Leaving so soon?”

  I look at my phone again to check the time and see it’s already an hour past my regular time to leave. But today got away from me, and I had too many loose ends to tie up. I fight my desire to glare as I look at Spencer. “I believe my schedule says I stay until five.”

  He scoffs, and I hate that I just had to leave my office at the same time my smug asshole of a boss walked out of his. Although, I doubt he’s heading home yet. Everyone around the office knows Spencer pretty much lives for this job. “Real estate knows no schedule.”

  I hate his face. I mean it. Most women are probably infatuated by Spencer Ross’s devastatingly handsome, classic good looks, but not me.

  First of all, I see his younger brother, even though Spencer’s hair is much darker and his eyes are lighter than Sawyer’s. But he’s got the same bone structure. The same high model-like cheekbones. The same perfect nose and full lips. It’s enough for me to despise him without him even talking.

  Second of all, he’s an ass. Like a real asshole who doesn’t care about anyone and makes sure it’s the first thing that’s known about him.

  “Yeah, well I do have a schedule.” I look at my phone again, feeling a sense of panic as I try to sidestep him, but his big body blocks my exit.

  “This is why you’ll never get ahead, sweetheart.”

  I cringe, and my hand circles tightly around my phone as I clench my jaw tightly. “I work at one of the best companies in the world, doesn’t that mean I’ve made it?”

  Men like Spencer crave having their egos stroked, but I wince and nearly pull away when his finger moves to my chin and he lifts my gaze up to him. “Not for long if you’re not willing to put in the work.”

  I try to stand tall with my back straight and portray that he doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but I need this job. “And this job has my full attention and effort put into it until five. Then, if you need anything, call my cell, and I’ll do what I can from home.”

  He studies me, and I despise how vulnerable I feel with his eyes searching mine. But then, he shakes his head, releases me, and walks toward Cole’s office.

  I let out a relieved breath and then hurry to my car. I make the drive home and burst through the front door, hating that I’m late. Angela walks to me with a smile on her face, but I can tell she’s worn out.

  The older woman is nothing but kind to me though. “Well hello, Piper. How was your day?”

  I place my purse on the hook next to the door and sigh, “It was fine, I’m so sorry I’m late.”

  She waves me off with a warm smile. “It’s no trouble. Dinner is in the oven. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I nod my head and smile when I hear loud footsteps and then am ambushed by little arms wrapping around my waist. “Mommy!”

  I kneel down and wrap my arms around my beautiful little girl. “Audrey! I’m so sorry Mommy is late. Did you have fun with Angela?”

  She nods. “Yeah! She picked me up from school, and then we did crafts.”

  I stand up to face the sweet woman who lives in the apartment next door. She offered to help with Audrey after school, and I reluctantly agreed. I don’t trust very many people with my daughter, but Audrey seemed to bond with the lonely older woman almost instantly.

  Angela’s husband died several years ago, and she told me since they couldn’t have children of their own, she’s spent a lot of time watching children over the years to fill the void.

  Her own words.

  “Thank you. I appreciate it. And again, I’m so sorry I was late.” I know I can’t promise it won’t happen again. It happens a lot, and it twists my stomach every time. As amazing as Angela is, I don’t want anyone else raising my child.

  She waves me off. “Oh stop, hun. It’s no big deal. We had fun, right?” She looks at Audrey, who nods her head exuberantly.

  “So much fun.”

  I laugh. My daughter is as light and carefree as I’ve always wanted to be. “Okay, good.”

  Angela gives her a wink and a hug before leaving, and I grab dinner out of the oven before I sit down with Audrey and hear all about her day. Apparently, there was quite a bit of drama
in first grade today.

  I listen to her tell me about her friends and how she stayed out of the fight because she thought it was dumb. But the entire time, I’m staring into her dark brown eyes, hating and loving them at the same time.

  Because her eyes are exactly like his.

  Seventeen years old

  “Don’t go.”

  I smile as my lips brush against Sawyer’s again. This boy is definitely my weakness. We can’t seem to get enough of each other. The first party he talked me into going to with him was only a few months ago. When he walked me back to my house, he leaned in and kissed me goodnight.

  After that, I was a goner.

  It didn’t matter that we were friends or that he was a player. I wanted to feel that feeling again and again, so I did.

  Maybe I should make him promise me things. Maybe we should define what we are, but I don’t push him.

  Why? I have absolutely no idea.

  I just know when I’m around him, my mind is mangled and my heart races. I crave his kisses, his laugh, his jokes. Everything.

  “I have to. My mom nearly caught me sneaking back in last night. She’s going to lose her shit if she ever does.”

  He grins against my lips. “But if you go, we can’t keep doing this.” He kisses me deeply, and I groan into his mouth because I don’t want to leave.

  “Sawyer . . .” I push him back gently, my hands on his solid chest. “I have to go.”

  We’re standing in my parent’s backyard, near the pool shed where we usually meet. My parents probably aren’t even home anyway, but I can’t risk it. I’ve always been the good girl, riding on just this side of following the rules.

  But Sawyer frequently shoves me over to the other side, pulling me in with that smile I can’t seem to resist and those dark brown eyes that always flicker with chaos and possibilities. They’re so richly dark, and I often get lost in them.

  Just like I’m doing now in the moonlight as my thumb brushes over the stubble on his cheek while his lips hover over mine. “I’ll miss you.”

  I try to laugh at that, but I feel it deep inside my gut. “No you won’t. You’ll find someone else to hang out with.”