Fight Song: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Rocky River Fighters Book 3)

by Grace Brennan

  “Yeah, I know. I was planning on going to the bakery later today. I’ve only been once since I got back, and I didn’t really look around much then.”

  “I’ll go with you,” he said, standing to take his plate to the sink.

  A knock sounded on the door, and he turned to answer it. “That’s probably Seth. I’ll get it.”

  Walking swiftly up the hall, he opened the door to find Seth standing with his hands on his hips, glaring at the smashed flower pots. “This is fucked up,” he told Jax.

  “It is. Thanks for coming so quickly.”

  “Anything for my friends and family, you know that. And you’re more family than anything, and Piper is automatically included in that since she’s your mate.”

  Nodding, Jax squirmed in discomfort. He wasn’t big on emotional displays, unless it was with Piper, but Seth’s words hit him hard. Seth was an idiot most of the time, making jokes and inappropriate comments, always testing the patience of those around him. But he had a heart of gold, and he’d do anything for the people he considered his close friends and family.

  “Thanks for coming,” Piper said, coming up behind Jax. “You don’t have to do this, but I really appreciate it.”

  “Absolutely. And don’t worry about it. I enjoy doing stuff like this,” Seth replied, an easy smile on his face.

  “We just finished breakfast, and there’s plenty left over. Would you like some before you get started?”

  “Thanks, but Amelia made a big breakfast this morning. I’d just finished eating when Jax called.”

  “Okay. If you need anything, let me know,” she said, turning to go back into the house.

  “What do you need from me?” Jax asked.

  “Nothing except the stain. I have everything else I need.”

  “I’ll go pick some up. Thanks again, Seth.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Nodding, Jax headed back to the kitchen where Piper was washing dishes. “I’m gonna run to the hardware store and pick up the stain for the planters. Any particular color you’d like?”

  “Maybe something medium dark, like the pots were. Let me dry my hands and I’ll get some cash for you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I got it.”

  Turning her head, a glare in her violet eyes, she said, “I don’t need a man to take care of me, Jax. Even for something like this. I can pay.”

  “Okay,” he conceded, walking forward and kissing her lips, ignoring the growl Snickers let out. “But don’t stop what you’re doing. I’ll bring you the receipt and you can pay me from that.”

  “Fine,” she replied, exhaling as she turned to finish the dishes.

  “We can head to the bakery when I get back,” he said, turning to leave the kitchen.

  “What about Seth?” she called.

  “He’ll be fine,” he said, waving it off. “He can take care of himself, and this way, someone will be with Snickers while we’re gone. I know you’ve been worrying about him.”

  “Yeah, that would relieve my mind a bit, as long as Seth doesn’t mind.”

  “He won’t,” Jax replied, backtracking to kiss her again. “Keep yourself safe while I’m gone.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she said with a laugh, leaning in to nip at his bottom lip.

  Frowning at Snickers when he barked again, he said, “And then me and you are gonna have a chat, Devil Dog.”

  “Hey,” Piper said, voice indignant. “Don’t call him that. He’s a sweetheart.”

  “Sure,” Jax replied, shaking his head as he left.

  That dog was definitely going to have to come to terms with Jax being around. He wasn’t going anywhere, and he sure as shit wasn’t going to stop touching and kissing Piper. He couldn’t resist her and he wasn’t even going to try.

  Piper took a deep breath as she unlocked the door to Mansfield’s. She felt sad, but she didn’t feel like she was going to cry, or about to turn around and bolt. And that was all because of the big man standing quietly behind her, lending her his strength without saying a word.

  Walking in, she gazed around her grandparent’s store, vaguely aware of Jax shutting the door behind them, the snick of the lock engaging filling the air. A sense of homecoming enveloped her, wrapping around her like a hug. Yes, she always wanted to be an artist, but she never wanted it as a career. It was always supposed to be a hobby. This place, the bakery that had been in her family for generations, had always been her destiny.

  And it still was, she realized as she gazed around her. Seattle wasn’t her home. It never had been, though she tried hard to make home. Eagle Creek was her home. This bakery was where she was meant to spend her days. And Jax… he was who she was meant to spend her nights with. Every night for the rest of their lives.

  Their destiny was each other.

  They’d taken a little detour because of Jax’s misguided attempt to protect her, but she didn’t blame him any longer. He did it because he wanted to keep her safe. And if she’d been in the same position, she probably would have done the same.

  So she was going to put it all behind her, and start over with him. Glancing over at him, she watched as he looked around the shop. His ballcap was firmly in place, bill pulled low, and his sideburns transitioned seamlessly into dark designer stubble. His cheekbones were high, hinting at American Indian heritage, and those full lips… she wanted to bite that lower lip, suck on it until he moaned.

  He was tall, thickly muscled, and intimidating, but with her, he was nothing more than a teddy bear. Something about that combination made her heart melt, and she finally yanked her gaze away as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

  She swore that she would never again give her heart over to a man, and here she was, about to hand it over on a silver platter to the man who’d almost broken her beyond repair. She didn’t have to show her hand with him so easily, but she couldn’t lie to herself.

  This man owned her, heart and soul, forever.

  Exhaling, she walked around the lobby, going behind the counter and looking things over. “Did you help Grandma here, too?”

  “I did,” he replied, deep smoky voice bringing goosebumps on her skin. “It wasn’t easy. Neither was working at the house.”

  “Why? The work was that hard?” she asked, pushing open the door to the kitchen and walking inside.

  He followed, shaking his head. “No, the work was always fairly easy. What was hard was being here when you weren’t. There are a lot of memories tied into these two places.”

  “I can understand that,” she replied with a nod, squeaking when he grabbed her by the waist, hoisting her up and planting her on the worktable.

  He stepped between her legs, murmuring, “And now we’re here together, and we can make new memories.”

  Before she could protest, his mouth was on hers, and he was kissing her senseless. Body instantly catching fire, she moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he kissed the breath right from her body. Opening her mouth, she let him in, dueling her tongue with his as she tightened her legs around his waist and pulled him in closer.

  When she finally pulled back, his erection was pressing against her center, and they were both breathing heavily. Fighting to catch her breath, she said, “I’m supposed to be taking inventory. And I’m sure this isn’t sanitary.”

  “No one is cooking in this kitchen right now. It’s fine,” he replied, voice gravelly.

  He was just lowering his head for another kiss when the ding of the bell over the front door echoed through the building. They both froze, and she pulled back to stare at him.

  “Didn’t you lock the door?”

  Nodding, a grim look passing over his features, he whispered back, “Wait here.”

  Tightening her arms and legs around him, she shook her head frantically. “No. That’s not a good idea. I don’t care if you’re a fighter. I’m not risking you getting hurt. We should call the sheriff.”

  “And what, hide in the walk-in until h
e gets here?” he answered sarcastically, both of them still whispering.

  Glaring at him, she eased her phone out of her pocket and dialed Frank’s number, the digits still remembered from her time growing up here. Pausing as a crash sounded from the lobby, she stiffened, fury burning away the initial fear she’d felt.

  First they fucked with her house and her dog. Now they were fucking with her family’s business. She’d had enough.

  “Dammit!” came a curse from the front. “Can I get any clumsier?”

  Another crash sounded, but Piper frowned, confused. That was Kelly’s voice. Why was Kelly in here looking for something? Had she forgotten something from when she worked here, and used her key to come get it? But why wouldn’t she call Piper and give her a heads up?

  “It’s Kelly,” she told Jax softly. “Let me up.”

  “You’re out of your ever lovin’ mind, Piper McCoy. I don’t care who it is. You’re not going in there.”

  Rolling her eyes, she shoved Jax back, and when he stumbled, not expecting it, she jumped off the table. Before she had a chance to move toward the swinging door, it pushed open, and Kelly walked in, still muttering under her breath. She looked up and noticed Piper and Jax, freezing where she stood.

  “What are you doing here, Kelly? If you’d called, I would have come with you and helped you look for whatever it is you’re here for.”

  “Um, well, I just—” closing her eyes, Kelly shook her head. “I didn’t know you guys were going to be here.” She looked off to the side, avoiding Piper’s gaze. “So… I have something I need to tell you. But first, I just want to say how excited I am to see you two together. Really, Piper. I’m so happy for you.”

  Frowning in confusion, Piper studied her friend, looking at the blush on her cheeks and the guilty look in her eyes. “What are you talking about, Kelly?”

  Kelly pursed her lips and finally looked up. “Well, I was just trying to give you guys a little push, you know? Stir things up so that you’d need each other …” She stopped mid-sentence, guilt all over her face.

  Piper looked to Jax and then realization dawned. “That was you messing with me? The house, my grandmother’s flower pots, feeding my dog chicken, when he’s fucking allergic to chicken—it was all you, this whole time?”

  Gasping, Kelly’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh, God, he’s allergic to chicken? I didn’t know, I swear! Is he okay? I didn’t hurt him, did I?”

  Disbelief and hurt mixed with fury, making Piper’s gut tighten painfully. So it was Kelly. This whole fucking time. Her childhood best friend had been the one behind this all along. How had she fooled Piper so thoroughly? And why the fuck would she do this?

  “How could you, Kelly? Why would you? We’re friends, and you’ve been sneaking around, messing with me?”

  “No! I wasn’t doing it to hurt you!” Kelly exclaimed, eyes wide and pleading. “That’s not what I was trying to do. I wanted to help. I want you to stay.”

  “You have a fucking funny way of showing it,” Piper bit out, taking a step forward as Jax wrapped a hand around her arm, holding her back.

  Licking her lips nervously, Kelly’s eyes flitted behind Piper to Jax before she looked back at Piper. “I wanted you to stay. And I wanted to get you back with Jax. You two belong together, Piper. You always have. I don’t know what really happened eight years ago, but I knew you two could work it out. I haven’t seen much of him since he moved back, but what I did see confirmed that he’d turned from a good kid into a good man. You never got over him, and I didn’t think he ever got over you.”

  Taken aback, Piper stood frozen. Kelly did all this to get Piper and Jax back together? But… “And you thought this was a good way to go about it? You couldn’t have just told me what you thought?”

  “I know you, Piper,” Kelly replied softly. “We’ve been best friends since we were six. You weren’t going to give Jax a chance. I could see it in your eyes at the bar. You would have kept yourself closed off from him, wrapped everything up here, and then taken off. And nothing I could have said would have changed that. I had to give you a reason to spend time with him. You never would have otherwise. And I knew if I made it look like someone was messing with you, you’d turn to him. I just wanted to give you two a chance to work it out.”

  Some of the anger slowly drained out of Piper, leaving her feeling more hurt than furious. “I almost don’t even know what to say to that, Kelly. I get what you were trying to do. I do. But surely there were better ways of doing it. You broke into my house. You let my dog loose, and God knows what could have happened to him. You broke my grandmother’s flower pots. And then you break in here today. There had to be a better way of handling this.”

  “Technically, I didn’t break in. I knew where the spare key was to the house, and I have one to the store from working here.” Kelly must have seen the look in Piper’s eyes, because she held up her hands. “Okay, okay. It was wrong, okay? But your dog was never loose. I dug the hole and lured him out with the chicken, yes. But I kept him with me, and as soon as you guys left, I took him in the house with me. And then when I saw you guys coming back, I put him on the front porch, and left out the back. Please tell me he’s okay. I didn’t know he was allergic, I swear.”

  “He’s fine,” Piper said slowly, digesting what she told her. “And I feel a tiny bit better knowing he was never in trouble, but Kelly, at the time, I didn’t know that. Can you imagine the panic that ran through me when I found him gone? Whether he was safe or not, that was a fucking shitty thing to pull.”

  Shame filled Kelly’s blue eyes, and she dropped her gaze, shoulders drooping. “I know. I know, and I’m so sorry, Piper,” she said, raising her gaze to look at Piper again. “Truly sorry. But I needed to get you out of the house so I could get in. That doesn’t excuse it, I know. I’m just explaining why I did it. And I didn’t mess up anything in the house. Just tossed some papers around, moved some books. I didn’t want to really trash anything. Just do enough so you’d know someone was in there.”

  “And the flower pots? I’m assuming you did it before coming to the fights, since you knew I wouldn’t be there.”

  “Yeah, about that,” she replied with a long exhale. “That was an accident. I meant to get in and mess with things a little again, ya know? I was hoping you hadn’t changed the locks yet, or maybe a window would be unlocked. I was searching the pots for the key, and someone honked a horn. I was nervous as could be, and it scared me to death. When I jumped, I knocked the pot over, and then tripped over it. It went crashing down the steps at the same time I fell against the other pot, and it did the same.” She held up her hand. “That’s how this happened.” She shrugged. “I got freaked out, decided that was enough, and left. I’m so sorry about your grandmother’s flower pots. I didn’t mean to do that at all.”

  Nodding slowly, Piper absorbed that. “And now? What were you going to do here?”

  Pink staining her cheeks, Kelly shrugged. “I actually didn’t have a plan, although I did make a mess out front. By accident. I—”

  “Tripped,” Piper finished for her, a small smile trying to break free. Clumsy Kelly. Same as always.

  “I really am sorry for the pots. And I didn’t know about Snickers. I wasn’t trying to really hurt anything. I just wanted to give you a reason to see Jax more,” Kelly said softly. “And… well, a reason to stay. I’ve missed you so much. That’s selfish of me, I know. And I’d never want you to do anything you didn’t want to do. I meant it when I said I’d support you in whatever decision you made. I just wanted to give you a reason to want to stay.”

  Piper nodded again, going silent as she thought over everything Kelly told her. She could feel the rest of her anger, and even her hurt, flowing out of her. Kelly’s eyes and voice were totally sincere. She meant every word of what she said. And Piper knew her friend. Kelly didn’t have a malicious bone in her body.

  She felt Jax lean in closer to her, and she shivered as his hot breath caressed her ear. “S
he’s telling the truth. All of it,” he whispered.

  Giving a tiny nod, Piper took in a deep breath. He was only telling her what she already sensed, but it was good to have it confirmed. Having a built in lie detector in her mate might come in handy one day.

  Mate? Startled, she pondered that for a second, deciding the word felt right. But she couldn’t think about that right now. She knew Kelly didn’t mean any harm, but could she forgive her? Could their friendship ever be the same? Those were the important questions she had to ask herself.

  Looking at her best friend for over twenty years, she realized, yes, she could forgive her. What Kelly did was like what Jax did, in a way. One whose intent was to protect her, one whose intent was to give her happiness. Both misguided. Misguided, but with the best of intentions. And without Kelly’s actions, Piper wasn’t sure she would have given Jax the chance he needed to win her back.

  The bell over the front door jingled, and she frowned as bootsteps sounded through the store. Before they could move, the door was swinging open, and Frank, the sheriff, was there.

  “Frank? Why are you here?” she asked, confused.

  “You called me,” he replied in amusement.

  Following his gaze to where her phone was sitting on the table, Piper realized the call must have gone through, and she hadn’t even realized it.

  “I’ve been listening this whole time,” he said with a frown directed at Kelly. “What do you want me to do here, Piper?”

  Glancing over at Kelly, she took in the resignation in her eyes, the sadness and fear. She was just opening her mouth when Kelly stepped forward.

  “You should take me in, Frank,” Kelly said, standing tall with a brave face. “I committed crimes. It’s only right. I assume you have your handcuffs handy?”

  Frank’s hand went to his belt, and Piper rushed forward. “No! There’s no need for that. No one needs to get arrested here today. I have no desire in pressing charges. And technically, she didn’t break in. She used a key. Both times.”

  Cocking an eyebrow, Frank asked, “You sure about that? Sure this is what you want to do? This is your call, Piper.”