by Ali Parker
“Promise?”
“Of course, I promise, you sap! You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”
I sighed and rested my head on her shoulder. “How am I going to live somewhere where you aren’t a short drive away?”
“We’ll talk on the phone all the time. And we can video chat, too.”
If I’d done the Casanova thing right from the start, I would have had all year to mentally prepare myself for leaving New York and, in turn, my family and best friend. But I never saw it ending this way. It was supposed to end with me and a big wad of cash in my hands, and then everything would go back to the way it was.
Or a variation of how it was.
This was a lot of change in a very short amount of time. Within a week, to be precise. And even though I knew it was what I wanted, needed, and deserved, it didn’t make the pill any easier to swallow.
“Pipes?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Janie.” My bottom lip quivered.
Janie pointed an accusing finger at me. “Hey. Rein that shit in. You said no tears. I’m holding up my end of the bargain.”
I dabbed at the corners of my eyes with my thumbs. “Sorry.”
She draped her arm around my shoulders and let out a steady sigh. “Also, before I forget, I need to say something.”
“Oh?”
“If Wyatt ever hurts you, you tell me, and I’ll march my ass right into that farmhouse of his I’ve heard so much about and stick my high heel up his Texan ass. Okay?”
The laughter we shared after that was much needed, and as always, I was grateful for my best friend, who could always lead me out of the darkest of places, no matter the toll.
If I thought saying goodbye to Janie was hard, saying farewell to my parents at the airport was harder. We hugged several times over while Wyatt stayed loyally at my side, guarding our suitcases. All my boxes and other items would remain at the apartment with Janie until tomorrow when the moving company would pick them up and drive them to the ranch. It was weird to think about all of my things being added to a house full of Wyatt’s things, but I hadn’t really had much time to think on that.
My mother gave me a final fierce hug. “We’ll see you soon, sweetheart. Try to enjoy these couple of weeks, okay? Planning a wedding is stressful at best. But this is a magical time for the both of you.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I smiled. “We will.”
I pulled away and turned toward Phillip. He knuckled me in the shoulder like I was his older brother, not sister, and then he tipped his chin toward Wyatt. “Take care of her, will you?”
“I will,” Wyatt said. “Though I hardly think she’ll need taking care of. She’s going to have me running all over the place, preparing for this wedding.”
My father was the last person for me to bid farewell to before Wyatt and I passed through security and went to find our gate for our flight.
He pulled me in for a hug that was even fiercer than my mother’s, and then he kissed the top of my head. “I’m proud of you, sweetheart. We’ll see you soon. Less than two weeks. Maybe you and I can squeeze in some time to practice our father-daughter dance?”
“I would love that, Daddy.”
He cupped my cheek. “Me too. Now, you two run along before you miss your flight.”
Phillip chuckled. “He just wants to get back in the limo so he can figure out the light sequences in the ceiling.”
Everyone laughed.
Then Wyatt took my hand and pulled me to him. “Time to go, Piper.”
I tucked my hair behind my ears and offered my family a final wave before I turned with Wyatt. I took my suitcase out of his hands and toted it along behind me, and when we reached security, I paused to look back before we rounded the corner and disappeared from view.
The three of them waved at me, and I waved back, and then, with a full heart and a light step, I followed Wyatt around the corner.
And even though we were surrounded by moody travelers, it felt like it was just the two of us.
“You all right?” Wyatt asked, shouldering our carry-on.
I stared ahead at the security checkpoint. At the guards who looked like they were more miserable than the travelers, and the scanners, and the belts that pulled luggage through to scan them.
“Yeah.” I grinned, and I turned toward him. “This is really happening. In less than seven hours, I’m going to be back on the ranch.”
Wyatt’s smile made me want to tackle him to the floor right then and there and devour him with kisses. “Home sweet home awaits.”
We crept down the line and eventually made it through the security check. From there, we passed by a cafe, ordered some coffees, and made our way to our gate, where we waited snuggled up into each other while we sipped our coffees and talked about how wild it was that this was all happening.
Our three days together at the hotel had been pure bliss. We didn’t spend it doing much else than having sex, eating room service, and cuddling, and that had been my definition of paradise. We’d used the Jacuzzi outside on the patio, which was lovely in the cold crisp evenings, and we’d indulged in a massage at the spa as well, which helped release the tension I hadn’t realized I was carrying around.
Our section was called for boarding, and we collected our things, got in line, and passed through the final checkpoint before taking the ramp onto the airplane. We found our seats in first class and settled down. Wyatt was back up on his feet in less than two minutes, helping people tuck their bags into the overhead compartments.
I watched him the whole time.
I watched the friendly smiles he shared with the strangers and the way he brightened their day. And naturally, I watched the strip of his stomach and hips that showed beneath the hem of his shirt when he stretched up to put bags away. I let my gaze linger on the dark hair that trailed from his navel down into his jeans and the deep cut of his hips.
He caught me. “Would you mind not objectifying me while I’m trying to be a good citizen?”
“I can’t help it.” I rested my elbow on my armrest and my chin in my hand. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of checking you out.”
“Even when we’re eighty?”
“Especially when we’re eighty. Are you kidding?” I giggled as Wyatt fell into his seat beside me and put my seatbelt on for me. I swatted at his hands but he didn’t pull away until it was fastened. “I can see the future Wyatt Brewer now. You’ll trade in your cowboy boots for hush puppies and your leather vests for wool ones with argyle prints. It’s the definition of sexy.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You have my permission to put me out of my misery if it ever comes to that.”
“You’ll need the arch support when you’re an old man.”
He turned toward me, his gaze just as devious as I suspected mine was. “And what about you, fiancée? What kind of old lady will you be? The sort to scatter doilies all over the ranch? I hope you’ll be the bonnet-wearing sort.”
“Bonnet? What century is this?”
“You’re going to be a country girl. Bonnets are still acceptable.”
“I’ll have you know I’ll be wearing red lipstick and leather until the day I die.”
“Sexy,” he growled before pressing a kiss to my lips that was entirely inappropriate for a fully packed plane like this. I pushed at his chest, but he wasn’t having it, so I gave in and yielded to his kiss as his tongue explored my mouth.
When we parted, I was breathless and I could feel the heat in my cheeks. “Scoundrel.”
“Prude.”
“I am no prude.” I played with the collar of his shirt and thought of all the wild things I’d done this year, things I would not want him to know about. Not right now, at least. Like joining the mile-high club, for instance.
“No?” Wyatt challenged, catching my wrist and stilling my fidgeting fingers. He looked me over and his eyes lingered on my skin-tight leggings and my crotch. I pushed at him but
he pushed back. “Does that mean fooling around on the flight is out of the question?”
“It most certainly does!”
He grabbed my thigh and squeezed. “A shame. It would have been a good way to pass the time. My hand between your thighs. Nobody would hear. These business types are always wearing headphones.”
I played it cool and extracted my wrist from his grip to face forward. His words had caused a stir below my belly and I sighed woefully. “Now I’m going to have to use the bathroom.”
“Why?”
I seized my chance to tease him as mercilessly as he’d teased me. “Because my pussy is wet, thanks to you.”
Wyatt made a sound deep in his throat and ran his hand up my leg.
“Down, boy. Save it for when we get home.”
Chapter 10
Wyatt
We were thirty-six thousand feet up in the air when Piper excused herself to use the bathroom for the third time. She stepped over me, skirted around a flight attendant in the aisle handing out glasses of wine, and made her way to the front of the cabin where she ducked into the bathroom.
We’d spent the first hour of the flight chatting aimlessly about the wedding, the ranch, and the next two weeks. Chaos was the only word that seemed fitting to describe it. Jackson’s wedding-coordinating team would be arriving the day after tomorrow, and after that, it would be full speed ahead to the wedding in thirteen days. It was a lot to process and I was equal parts nervous as I was excited.
I was eager to get my girl home. There were so many things I wanted to show her, primarily the new barn that had been completed roughly five months ago after the Bucks burned it down and nearly killed me in the process. But I was also looking forward to getting her back there and surprising Boone and Dodge, who I hadn’t shared the good news with yet.
They’d be elated to see Piper again. Hell, I was sure they’d missed her as much as I had in her nine-month absence. She’d become one of us in March. Not only was she an extra set of capable hands on the ranch, but she was also a joy to have around.
And according to Boone, she made me a much more enjoyable person to be around.
I didn’t doubt his words were true. Piper brought something out of me that I’d long since lost hope of ever finding again.
I declined the wine when the flight attendant offered it to me but took two iced glasses of water for Piper and me. She was still in the bathroom. I wondered what was taking so long as I leaned across her seat and peered out the window at the blue skies peppered with fluffy white clouds. We had about three and a half hours left of flight time, give or take.
I was settling back down in my seat when Piper came back from the bathroom. She kept her eyes down and turned away from me as she sat down and put her seatbelt back on.
“Hey,” I said, trying to look up into her face.
She looked out the window and sniffled.
“Hey,” I said again, softer this time. “What’s going on? Are you feeling all right?”
I knew she had an aversion to flying. Aversion wasn’t the right word. She had a genuine fear of flying. It set her on edge. But she’d been doing fine the last hour. Had something happened that made her anxious?
Piper sniffled again and begrudgingly turned back toward me. “I can’t stop thinking about my parents.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling a little guilty that this answer brought me some relief. “I’m sure they can’t stop thinking about you, either. But the good news is you’re going to see them soon. Ten days soon. That’s not so bad, right?”
“It’s not that,” she said, shaking her head.
“What is it then?”
Her shoulders slumped and she let out a broken sigh that made my heart ache for her. My girl had been through a hell of a lot this past year. I knew there were burdens she was carrying. And I knew they weren’t all going to disappear overnight simply because we had our happy ending. She’d been hurt. And she’d done some hurting, too. It was the kind of pain that followed a person for a while. I wished I could carry it all for her when she looked over at me with tear-filled eyes.
It seemed there were always tears in her eyes these days.
“I feel so guilty for leaving them like this. They still need me. They need my help. I know that they’re happy for me but it’s going to cost them not having me there to pick up the slack. To help with my dad’s health. To make sure my mom isn’t doing everything on her own. This all feels terribly selfish.”
This was something I could not fix with words.
“How can I help?” I asked.
“You can’t. I can’t. Ugh.” She hung her head and rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands. “I just feel like there’s no easy solution to this. I’m so torn. And I feel like me getting caught up in these things and crying to you all the time isn’t fair, either. We’re supposed to be celebrating. I shouldn’t be dwelling on all the bad when there is so much good.”
“You’re not dwelling. You’re concerned. And it’s not without merit.”
She blinked at me.
“Piper, you’re going to be my wife soon. You don’t have to carry these worries on your own. And you don’t have to try to solve them on your own, either. I have the means to help. Let me.”
“Wyatt. It’s not that simple.”
“Of course, it is,” I said. “Your family needs money. We have a lot of money. So let’s give them some.”
She blinked rapidly again, and this time, her lips worked to form words. It took a moment for her voice to catch up. “We?”
“Yes. We. What’s mine is yours.”
“Shouldn’t we talk about that? I mean, I thought you might want to consider a prenup or—”
“No,” I said as soon as the word “prenup” spilled out of her. “Absolutely not.”
She hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. Everything that is mine is also yours. And that means they’re my family too, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for family. Let me talk to your father when they come down for the wedding. I’m sure there are terms he and I can agree on that won’t compromise his pride.”
Piper searched my eyes. “How did I get this lucky?”
“We’ll see how lucky you feel when we get back to the ranch and you’re mauled by Boone and Dodge. They don’t know I’m bringing you back with me.”
She gasped. “You haven’t told them?”
“Nope. I thought it would be a nice surprise. They’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed them, too.”
“So long as you didn’t miss them more than you missed me, I’m all right with it.”
Piper giggled and held up her hand, holding her thumb and index finger about an inch apart. “I only missed them a tiny bit more. Just a smidge.”
“A smidge, huh?” I mused. “Be careful, woman. I might disregard your wishes to be respectable passengers on this airplane.”
“Don’t,” she warned, arching an eyebrow at me.
I leaned over the armrest and encroached on her space. She didn’t back away. She was playing just as I was. “I won’t, so long as you don’t test me.”
“Is that a threat?”
“A promise.”
By the time we landed and collected our luggage, it was eight o’clock in the evening. There was a car waiting for us at the terminal, and the driver put our suitcases and carry-ons in the trunk as I opened the door and let Piper in ahead of me. The weather was unusually cool, and she was shivering when I slid in beside her, so I aimed the vents at her and asked the driver to turn up the heat when he got in and started the car up.
Her shivering was a good excuse to sit wrapped around each other for the hour and a half car ride to the ranch.
When we pulled onto Cherry Road, Piper sat upright and pressed her face up against her window. Her breath fogged the glass as the cherry trees flicked by outside.
“It looks the same,” she said. “Do you know how many nights I dreamed about this drive?”
&n
bsp; “About as many as I have, I imagine.”
Since she left, I’d dreamed of bringing her home at least three times a week. I always woke to an empty house and with a hollow feeling in my gut. I’d carried that emptiness around with me for nine months, right up to the moment Jackson Lee opened that door and told me to come with him. Then it was like someone had frantically taken a shovel and filled me back in and I was whole and new again and fit to be Piper’s man.
We passed the Doherty ranch, which glowed up on its hilltop, the colonial house standing like a proud castle. Piper sighed happily as she watched it pass by, and then we passed the Kirby ranch. We were less than a mile from home, and Piper seemed to sense it because she slid in close, held my hand, and practically vibrated with excitement.
The driver came to a slow stop outside the iron gates at the end of the property. I got out of the back of the car and unlocked them. I stayed as he drove through, closed them up again, and got back in the car. We drove slowly up to the house, and I spotted two silhouettes framed by the porch lights.
“They’re waiting for me,” I said, pointing up at the house to Boone and Dodge who stood at the top of the steps.
Piper nudged my knee with hers. “Want to screw with them?”
“Hell yes, I do.”
Piper giggled and leaned forward to tap the driver on the shoulder. “Excuse me. Could you do us a favor and pretend I’m not here once you park?”
The driver, a middle-aged man with a bald spot on the top of his head and a gap in his front teeth, smiled in the rearview mirror at her. “Of course, miss. I’ll fetch Mr. Brewer’s bag from the trunk and return to my seat. Will that suffice?”
“Yes,” Piper said, clapping her hands together. “Yes, that’s perfect. Thank you for indulging our foolishness.”
“A little bit of fun is hardly foolishness, miss.”
He stopped the car about twenty feet from the bottom of the front porch steps. I turned toward Piper, gave her a peck on the cheek, and then slid across the seat to my door. “Make ‘em sweat a bit, won’t you?”
