Thoughtfully, Piper paced the room in slow, measured circles. She wanted to dismiss Monte’s visit as a one-time, random occurrence. However, when one of her brothers was involved in anything concerning her life, her self-preservation instincts tingled a warning she couldn’t completely ignore.
Whether Teddy or Warren or both—they rarely did anything solo—Piper had to figure her mother was involved somehow. In the story of their lives, her brothers cast themselves as brainy arch-villains capable of taking over the world. They were delusional.
The fact was, both men barely had enough get up and go to make their way to the bathroom without Mommy to show them the way. From the time Teddy and Warren were old enough to be useful, Dara Engels used them. Sometimes as a distraction. Now and then as low-grade enforcers.
Mom was the dragon, breathing fire and causing mayhem—mostly just because she enjoyed the smell of scorched earth. Her boys, though they weren’t self-aware enough to know, were the monster’s tail. Clumsy, but dangerous if they were lucky and hit you in just the right spot.
Piper rubbed her temples. Lord, her family made her tired with their constant machinations. Even her grandmother, the indomitable Moira Engels, who could be sweet as a fresh spring rain, had a ruthless streak a mile wide.
Moira hadn’t hesitated to disinherit her daughter, her only child, when she married the wrong man. Then, after the divorce, she married the same daughter off to a man she thought worthy of the Engels’ name. He wasn’t. But in Granny’s book, money, and social standing camouflage a multitude of sins.
And with Piper, the cycle had begun again. Since she reached a marriageable age—nineteen for some random reason—her grandmother and mother had been in a battle to see who could marry her off first.
Sixteen years and many failed attempts later, neither woman had admitted defeat.
Piper removed a tube of pink tinged ChapStick from the top drawer of her desk. As she applied a coating to her lips, she tried to interpret her mother’s latest move.
Monte Oliver? He seemed like an odd addition to an already convoluted
mix. Was he a red herring, or did her mother consider him a viable option in the son-in-law sweepstakes?
Piper couldn’t decide. The only thing predictable about her mother was her unpredictability. As much as she wanted to dismiss Monte Oliver, she had a sinking feeling she hadn’t seen the last of the Knights’ former starting quarterback.
Should she tell Levi about Monte’s visit? Piper nodded. She would fill him in, but not until he returned from Atlanta. What could he do with the information now except worry and stew? He had enough to think about without Piper adding weight to his already overflowing plate.
Chances were good that nothing would come of today’s minor drama. If Piper were wrong, she and Levi would deal with whatever came along.
Rubbing her arms, Piper smiled. Levi. He was a piece to her puzzle she hadn’t realized was missing. He’d always made her happy. The perfect companion. Funny. Challenging. Sometimes he angered her, but never for long.
Levi could make her cry. He could make her laugh. And now, for the first time in her life, she was in love and wondering if she’d been wrong all these years.
Was forever with one man possible? Piper still wasn’t sure. But with Levi by her side, she determined to find out.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
HOLDING PIPER’S HAND, Levi pushed a rock from the pathway. Just after dawn, the crisp morning air was scented with pine and a touch of newly fallen rain.
Combined with the feel of Piper’s fingers entwined with his and the touch of lemon that wafted from her hair, Levi had to admit he couldn’t think of a better way to start the day.
Okay, he lied. If Levi had his way, they’d still be in bed, snuggled under the covers, watching the sunrise through a pair of perfectly placed floor to ceiling windows.
Piper had other ideas. Filled with energy Levi couldn’t understand considering how long into the night and early morning they spent making love, she should have been worn out. He certainly was. But around quarter to six, she hopped out of bed, brimming with energy and insisted they take a long, leisurely pre-breakfast hike.
“You are out of your mind,” Levi grumbled, pulling the sheet over his head. “I’m on vacation.”
“Exactly,” Piper chirped like an annoying little bird. “The Knights have a bye week. Fourteen glorious days without a game.”
Though a National Football League regular season consisted of sixteen games that spanned from September to the end of December, the contests were played out over seventeen weeks.
Each team was assigned one week in the schedule where they didn’t play. A glorious break, some called the time off. Levi wouldn’t argue. Though he hadn’t faced the rigors of a full season like the rest of the Knights, after four physically and mentally grueling games, he was ready for a break. A chance to rejuvenate and recalculate. Time to be with Piper. Alone. With no distractions.
“Only seven of those days belong to me. On Monday, I get back to work,” Levi reminded her. “We shouldn’t waste a second.”
“A walk in the woods isn’t a waste. The mountain air will do you good,” she said, tugging on his arm. “Think of the appetite you’ll build up after a few miles trekking up the hills and down the dales.”
“What’s a dale?” Levi shook his head. “Never mind. First, you tell me, then you’ll want to show me. I’d rather not know.”
“Levi—”
Whatever Piper wanted to say was cut off as Levi lifted the covers and pulled her underneath.
“You want to work up an appetite? I know a perfect way,” he said, sliding his hand under her thick hooded sweatshirt. He was frustrated to find another shirt, then another. “Why are you wearing many layers of clothing?”
“The woods are chilly at this time of day,” Piper explained. She swatted away his hand and before he could mount a counteroffensive, slipped from his arms. “Pee. Wash your face. Brush your teeth. Get dressed. I’ll meet you outside in ten minutes.”
“What are you? My girlfriend or my freaking drill instructor,” Levi muttered, shivering as his feet hit the cold wooden floor.
Piper patted his bare butt and scampered from the room. Over her shoulder, she called out, “Who said I can’t be both?”
An hour later, Levi had to admit Piper had been right to drag him out of their bed. He wasn’t by nature an outdoorsy guy. He preferred concrete and steel to pine trees and babbling brooks.
Yet, something about the wide-open spaces surrounding Piper’s family cabin called to Levi in a way he hadn’t expected. Perhaps he’d been a country boy in another life. City through and through, the thought made him laugh.
More likely, Levi decided, his gaze falling on the woman by his side, the difference was Piper. She opened his eyes, his soul, his heart. To nature. To love. To everything. Life with her was a thrilling, unpredictable adventure.
“I love you.”
“Good thing,” Piper said, sinking into his embrace. “Because I feel the same and a one-sided love isn’t for me.”
Rubbing his cheek against Piper’s silky red hair, Levi massaged her shoulders. His hands moved lower, settling into the back pockets of her jeans. Snuggling close, she banded her arms around his waist, sighed, and relaxed.
“How many games have you won?” she asked.
Levi shook his head and grinned. He was surprised Piper waited so long to ask. She didn’t say anything when she picked him up at the airport after the team returned from their game in Atlanta. Nor did she comment when they stopped at his house long enough for him to change his clothes, unload one set of luggage and pack another.
On the drive up and into the Cascade Mountains, they talked non-stop, the only silence falling when they paused to take a breath. And yet, the subject of football never came up.
Once they reached the secluded cabin that Piper’s maternal grandfathe
r purchased back in the nineteen twenties, the only thing on their minds was falling on each other as they tumbled into bed.
Finally, fourteen hours after the Knights landed safely at the SeaTac airport terminal reserved for private jets, Piper asked the question Levi knew was coming.
“Remind me.” She tilted her head until her gaze met his. “Games won versus games lost since you took over as the starting quarterback. I should know the numbers, but I forget.”
“You? Forget a number?” Levi scoffed at the idea. “Didn’t anyone teach you that lying is a sin?”
“Probably.” She batted her eyes, flashes of green peeking through. “But I forgot.”
“Mm.” Smoothing back her hair, Levi chuckled. “Okay, smarty-pants, here you go. The Knights’ record is 6-6. Which put us at five hundred for the season—in case you can’t do the math.”
Piper wriggled her fingers under his jacket and the layers of two shirts and poked him in the ribs. Once she found warm skin, her hand snuck a little higher, onto his chest, and stayed put.
“Hardy, har, har. Funny, man,” she said. “Now tell me how many wins there are with you in the game?”
“Four.”
“Interesting.” Piper made a thoughtful humming noise deep in her throat. “To recap, because, as you know, I’m not a sports person, what was the team’s record before you became their starter?”
Levi’s lips twitched. Piper was determined to make her point, taking as many turns and twists as possible to get there.
“Two wins, six losses,” he told her, providing information she already knew by heart.
“And now the Knights have pulled even at six and six?” she asked with wide-eyed wonder.
“Yes.” Levi nodded. “As I said before.”
“What does that make you?” Lips pursed, Piper tilted her head to the side. “Oh. I know the answer.”
“Do you?” Entertained, Levi waited for a beat. “Tell me.”
“You, my impossibly handsome, scrumptiously sexy, friend are… Drum roll please.” Piper provided the sound effect by tapping her fingers against his bare chest. “Undefeated! Woohoo!”
Piper backed away and went into her version of a happy dance, which was like no one else’s. As he watched, Levi was reminded of the first time he suspected he had fallen in love with this amazing woman.
They were at a wedding—number twelve of what seemed like an endless string of I dos. His friends? Her friends? Their friends? Who could keep track? All he knew is that they were among the guests invited to attend. All he remembered of the day, was Piper.
Someone asked her to dance—a man who with too many drinks under his belt seemed oblivious to the fact that Piper had a date. She waved off Levi’s objection, glided onto the floor, and proceeded to have herself a great time—far away from the bumbling dickwad who fell on his ass trying to chase after her.
And then, eyes closed, head back, her mane of fiery red hair flowing around her shoulders, Piper danced. Not like no one watched. She moved as though she knew the whole world could see her—and didn’t give a damn.
One thought came to Levi that day as he smiled and sipped his beer. I love her.
The realization hadn’t come to him in a flash but as a warm understanding of his heart. The feeling flowed through his body touching every fiber of his being.
Levi didn’t worry about how much time he wasted keeping his love a secret. Piper wasn’t ready back then. And, if he were honest, neither was he. Over the next two years, their friendship grew. Their bond became unbreakable.
Because Levi hadn’t rushed toward the finish line, he and Piper could walk together. They reached the same place. At the right time.
“Why aren’t you more excited?” Piper demanded as she collapsed into his arms. Out of breath, glowing, eyes sparkling like rare emeralds, she gave him a shake. “Come on. You’re undefeated.”
“For someone who doesn’t care about football, you sure are excited by a few wins.”
“Wins, shmins,” Piper said with a wave of her hand.
“What’s a shmin?” Levi asked, laughing. With Piper, the fun never stopped.
Ignoring him, Piper shrugged.
“I know how much the chance to start means to you.” She took his hand in hers. “Wins matter to me for one reason. Because I love you.”
The woman didn’t play fair, Levi thought, his throat tightening. Trying to get his emotions under control, he lifted Piper off her feet and buried his face in her hair.
“Do you want to make me cry?” he asked, his voice gravelly and gruff.
“Not on purpose.” Piper patted his back. “I admit, at some point, I’d like to see you shed a tear or two.”
“Why?”
“You’ve seen me cry more times than I can count,” she explained. “As far as I know, you’ve never come close. Not once.”
“I cried when my parents died.” Levi let out a shuddering breath. “I was a freshman in college. When the police knocked on my dorm room door and told about the drunk driver who ran a red light, I sobbed like a baby.”
“Oh, Levi.” Piper held him as though she would never let him go. “Poor, sweet baby. I’m sorry.”
“Guess I cried myself out.” Levi brushed a tear from Piper’s cheek and smiled. “Weep for us both. Okay?”
“Okay.” Piper sighed. “You’d be surprised how cathartic a sob fest can be.”
“You should know.” Smiling, Levi took Piper’s hand. With her by his side, he headed back toward the cabin. “I’m ready for breakfast. What’s on the menu?”
“Eggs,” she said.
“Nope,” Levi responded with a shake of his head.
“Ham?” Piper asked.
“Poor little piggy,” he said. He added an oink for good measure.
“Jeez, you’re disgustingly healthy.” Piper rolled her eyes. “Would you like a kale salad with a side of tofu?”
“Okay.”
Levi hid a smile when Piper groaned.
“Remind me again why we’re together?”
“I look good naked,” Levi reasoned. “You look great naked. Together, naked, we look freaking spectacular.”
“How do you know?” Piper stopped in her tracks. “Are there pictures?”
“Would you mind?” Levi asked, fascinated by what she might say.
“Yes. I would make you destroy all copies. Immediately.” Piper sent him a slow grin. “Of course, I’d want to see the pictures first. Just out of curiosity.”
“The only images I have are in here.” Levi tapped the side of his head. “However, they’re fading fast.”
“Are they,” Piper asked, a twinkle of understanding glinting in her emerald eyes. “What can we do to remedy the situation?”
“We need to get naked,” Levi declared. “The second we get back to the cabin.”
“Fine,” Piper said as she released a put-upon sigh. “If we must.”
His Piper. She made him laugh. She made him happier than he probably had a right to be. Did so much joy come with a price? Levi didn’t know—or care. They would live for today, prepare for tomorrow, and hope forever was in their future.
The rest, as Levi learned the hard way when his parents died so unexpectedly, was out of their control.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
PIPER CLOSED HER eyes. Letting the sway of the porch swing lull her senses, she decided then and there to ask her grandmother if she would sell the cabin and the surrounding acreage to her.
No one in the family other than Piper used the property. Other than a few weekends a year the place remained locked up, visited once every few weeks by a caretaker who manicured the grounds, and did what maintenance was required.
Levi seemed at home. While she enjoyed the view from the front porch, he was inside taking a well-deserved nap.
Happy, relaxed. Piper could picture them spending a lot of time here. A day or two, here and
there, when he was busy with his job as a kick-ass quarterback. Then, longer when the Knights’ season was over for another year.
In Piper’s mind, Levi would play football until he decided to retire. He proved himself to be a strong leader and a good player, getting better and stronger with each game. If the Knights didn’t resign him in the off-season—she, with her admittedly limited knowledge of how such things worked, saw no reason why they wouldn’t—then he could find another team who appreciated him.
If Levi wanted to continue his career in another city, Piper would support his decision. They weren’t kids. A long-distance relationship between two mature, committed adults could work—would work.
Opening her eyes, Piper felt a jolt of shock. She shook her head, certain the image in front of her had to be an illusion. Or, a waking nightmare. Dara Engels never—never—walked anywhere. Period. No arguments. No exceptions.
And yet, here her mother was, trudging toward Piper like the little engine that could.
Dressed in a ubiquitous classic black Chanel suit, instead of a matching pair of low-heeled pumps, Piper’s mother wore an incongruous pair of red rubber boots splashed with white daisies and a good amount of mud.
“Why doesn’t the road come directly to the house?” Dara panted, dabbing the sweat from her face with a linen handkerchief.
“Grandfather wanted privacy,” Piper explained—a fact her mother should have known. The fact that she didn’t, spoke volumes.
“Ridiculous,’ Dara said, pushing her short, dark hair out of her face. “My mother should have fixed the problem long ago.”
Piper saw no reason to point out the obvious. Grandmother never changed anything after her husband passed away. Everything, from the house she lived in, to the style of clothing she wore, remained the same as they were the day he died thirty years ago.
Moira Engels chose to live in a self-induced time warp because she could. People with money, she once told Piper, who live as she did were considered eccentric. Anyone else who tried to do the same would be declared crazy.
The Backup Plan: A Friends to Lovers Sports Romance (One Pass Away: A New Season Book 2) Page 16
