Always and Forever (19 page)

I start crying letting out everything I’d held in last night and, believe me, it’s
a deluge. I put my face in my hands and sob harder than I think I have in my entire
life. I throw myself back onto my bed and pound my fists into it beside me, kicking
my legs in anger at having been deceived by a fucking dream, crying out that it’s
not fair. This goes on for a minute because I’ve got a lot stored up inside me then
I flip over on my belly and putting my face in my pillow scream at the top of my lungs,
still pounding the bed with my fists, still kicking with my feet.

I stop screaming but I’m still sobbing, literally snot-bawling, when I sit up to get
a tissue off my nightstand and hear a snort.

My head whips to my master bathroom doorway to see Brody leaning against it, arms
across his naked chest, a towel wrapped around his hips and he’s smirking at me.

“Wh-what… h-how…” I stammer then fly off the bed and into his arms.

He barely has time to get ready for me, uncrossing his arms from his chest just in
time to catch me as I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. Then
shoving my face into his neck, I continue crying.

“Baby… hey…” he whispers against my temple as one of his hands holds me under my bottom
and the other strokes my hair down my back.

“I-I th-thought you w-were a dr-dream,” I stutter, my entire body wracked with my
sobs.

“I admit… I am pretty dreamy,” he whispers again.

It takes me a moment to register what he’s said and when I do, I sniff several times
against his neck, my breath doing that faltering hiccupping thing as I try getting
myself under control then I pull back and look at him. He’s smiling at me. “Y-you
made a-a joke,” and I start crying again, burying my face in his neck once more.

He chuckles then soothes, “Piper… baby… come on… it’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

When I’m finally able to get myself under control, for real this time, I pull back
and say, my voice still wobbly, “I-I’m s-so s-sorry.”

He walks to my nightstand and pulls a couple of tissues out of the box then sits on
the bed with me still wrapped around him like a baby koala.

“You already apologized. Numerous times,” he declares handing me the tissues.

“I-I did?” I whisper as I wipe my face.

“I listened to my voicemails.” He pushes a tendril of hair off my face with his finger.

“But you… you said you needed a break,” I stupidly remind him.

He nods. “I do.” When he feels my body go stiff he chuckles. “Not from you, Pipe.
I need a break from all the bullshit.”

My brow comes down and I look into his beautiful eyes. “Oh.”

He sighs. “I’m tired. I’m twenty-nine and feel like I’m ninety. This past year has
been a bucket of shit. Being away from you, seeing you with another man,” I watch
as his jaw muscles clench and unclench when he looks away. “The lies Peyton’s fed
me.”

My hands go up to hold his face turning him back to me. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry about
everything. But we’re gonna get to the bottom of everything. I want to help. Okay?”
He nods and I pull his face to mine and press my lips to his for a sweet kiss. When
I pull back, I ask, “How’s Mr. Ackley?”

“When I left the hospital, he was stable. The doctor said he probably needed surgery
but didn’t know if he’d need angioplasty or bypass. They were waiting to do the angiogram
then they’ll decide.”

“I’m glad he’s okay. I’ll bet Jane’s gonna come home from New York to stay with him
after his surgery.”

He nods. “You done crying?”

I huff out a laugh at his change in conversation. “Uh, I think. Why?”

“Feel like fucking you again.”

Oh, my.

All it takes is the removal of his towel and we’re golden.

~~~

After we shower during which we get golden again, we dress and walk from my house
to Mags’ to have a late breakfast. We’re holding hands and as we pass several citizens
of Serenity Point, I see that Greer was right. Everyone greets us or says good morning
and smiles brightly at us looking pleased as punch that we’re together. And I love
it and I think Brody does too because each time someone smiles at us, he gives my
hand a squeeze.

How could I have been so stupid to think it’d be a big deal?

“So, what was up with you and Bethany last night?” I ask, going for nonchalant and
not jealous girlfriend who will rip a chick’s face off.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brody answers.

“At the hospital?”

“She was there?” He looks down at me puzzled and I’m good with that.

We walk into Mags’ and immediately get called over to a table where Kade, Amelia,
Cassie and Jeremy are sitting. Kade gets up and pulls another table over to make room
for us to sit with them.

“How come you’re not working?” Kade asks Brody.

“Cap let us off. We’re still on-call but he told us to get out of the station since
we were out for almost fourteen hours yesterday.” He looks at Jeremy then back at
Kade. “Didn’t he tell you?”

“Yeah, but Jeremy works hard. I was just wondering why
you
were off,” Kade teases.

“Fuck you,” Brody mumbles with a grin as he sits.

As the guys start talking about last night, I glance over to see Amelia give me a
knowing look from across the table where she sits by Kade then Cassie nudges her elbow
into my side. Jeremy’s on her other side and Brody sits across from me.

I turn to Cassie. “What was that for?”

“You know what. You guys are back together.” She gives me a smile then mutters, “’Bout
fucking time.”

I chuckle and comment, “Yeah, but I wasn’t sure it’d ever happen.” I turn over the
coffee mug in front of me and grab the carafe off the table and pour myself a cup.
I look up at Brody who’s giving me his sexy half grin and I go all liquid inside wishing
I could have my wicked way with him right now. Damn. He winks at me then looks across
at Jeremy joining back in the guy conversation.

Sandra comes up and takes Brody’s and my order and I look at Amelia.

“Thanks, Mill, for being so nice last night. I know I bugged the hell out of you.”

“You did not, Piper. We were all worried. And I knew if you heard anything you’d have
called me too, so it’s no big deal.”

“That was the longest night of my life,” Cassie says.

Kade hears this. “Longest night of
your
life? Try being out there for over twelve hours then you can talk about longest night.”

Amelia smacks him on his arm. “She just means she was worried about you guys, Kade.
And I was too. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“Babe.”

She gives him a look and he leans over and kisses the side of her head. “I’ll try
not to,” he says and that’s that.

We three women talk together over the guys throughout our meal when something Brody
says gets my attention.

“This bastard,” he points at Jeremy, “kept me from breaking every fucking bone in
my body last night.”

I’d cut off a piece of my omelet and was just about to stick it in my mouth but my
fork freezes in midair. “What?” I whisper, looking across the table at him.

Brody’s eyes jerk to mine as if he forgot I was sitting there and I hear him mutter,
“Fuck.”

I lean in front of Cassie and ask Jeremy, “What’s he talking about?” I see Jeremy
glance at Brody then back at me then back at Brody again.
I
now look back at Brody. “Tell me.”

He reaches across the table and squeezes my hand then pulls it back to pick up his
mug and take a drink, stalling. If my eyes had been capable of shooting lasers, he’d
so have been melted by then as I stare hard at him waiting for him to explain. “It
wasn’t any big deal.” And now he shrugs.

I look at Kade. “What happened?”

Kade blows out a breath and purses his lips. “Just before the second explosion, the
captain kept yelling at Brody to move back.”

“I was making major headway where I was,” Brody insists.

Kade leans forward around Amelia and gives his brother a look, his eyebrow raised.
He then looks back at me and scratches his beard for a moment. “It was loud out there
so it was hard to hear anything anyway, but I started yelling at him to move back
too. Prick didn’t wanna listen.”

“Major fucking headway,” Brody grouses.

“So, yeah, the captain tells me to go tell him to move,” Jeremy joins in.

“Pitkin gets right behind him about to tap him on the shoulder when BOOM!” Kade states
with a clap of his hand making all three of us girls jump. “Fucker went flying back,
hit your boyfriend,” he points at Cassie, “they both go spinning like fucking tops
in a goddamned
Matrix
movie and land about ten yards away.”

Cassie and I both gasp at the same time and all I can do is stare at Brody.

“I had it under control,” Brody protests looking down at his coffee.

Kade lets out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, so under control. If Pitkin hadn’t been behind
you, you’d have shot fifty feet in the air and landed on a fucking fire engine.”

My eyes fill with tears as I peer across the table at him. “Brody,” I say in a choked
whisper.

He looks at me. “Baby, I’m okay.” He reaches for my hand again and I jerk it back.

“You could’ve died!” I accuse in kind of a shriek and notice that the diner gets quiet.
A couple tears fall down my cheeks and I hastily wipe them away.

“Piper,” he begins.

“No!” I snap, standing up and pointing at him. “You don’t get to act like this is
nothing.” I shake my head. “I just got you back. If I’d have lost you last night,”
my face scrunches into what I’m sure is a gorgeous look on me, “I don’t know what
I would’ve done.” Annnd I’m crying yet again.

He gets up and comes over to me, wrapping his arms around me. He kisses the top of
my head and keeping his lips there says. “I know and I’m sorry. I really didn’t think
I was that close. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

I look up at him and sniff. “Promise? I don’t want to be raising our kids alone without
their dad.”

“Baby.” He holds my face in his hands and runs his thumb over my bottom lip. “That’s
not gonna happen. I promise. I love you too much to ever do that to you.” He bends
and gives me a kiss which starts out sweet and innocent but heats up quickly as he
tries showing me he means every word he’s just said.

And that’s when the entire diner breaks out in applause.

“Shit,” I mutter as I jerk back from him.

He’s smiling down at me almost proudly knowing that I meant what I said on my voicemails
when I told him I didn’t care what anyone thought.

He cups my face in his palms and bends giving me a quick bruising kiss. “I love you,
Piper,” he says against my lips.

“I love you too, Brody,” I say right back and I don’t even get embarrassed at the
whoops and whistles going on around us.

Chapter 17

After breakfast we walk down to my store so I can check in with Darby and Brody makes
some calls while I talk with her. I tell her when I come in tomorrow, we’ll talk about
her getting more hours and she’s practically bouncing in her shoes, which makes me
laugh. We say goodbye then walk across the street and down a bit so I can pop in and
talk to Ryan. Brody sticks his head inside giving her a quick hi then goes next door
to the auto parts store.

“Heard about the uproar in Mags’ earlier. You two are quickly becoming The Point’s
sweetheart couple, not that you weren’t to begin with,” she says with a chuckle as
she does a comb out to Mrs. Shull who owns the motel on the north end of town.

I chuckle right back. “I’ll tell you about it later. Hi, Mrs. Shull. How’re you?”
I say loudly because she’s hard of hearing.

“I’m fine, dear. Not much business this time of year but Harvey says it’ll pick up
in the spring,” she yells back and Ryan bugs her eyes out at me which makes me bite
my lips to keep from laughing.

“I bet it will,” I respond to her.

“You wanna do dinner tomorrow night or something?” I ask Ryan.

“Pipe.”

“What?” I ask with a frown.

“You and Brody just got back together. I don’t think you’re gonna want to be doing
anything but him for a while.”

I snort. “You’re right. We’ll hold off on dinner for a bit.”

“Didn’t get a chance to tell you last night but I talked to Mike Monday night after
Taekwondo.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Yeah?”

“Yep.” She puts a little oomph into that by popping the “P.” “So I go over to where
he’s working out and he’s all Mr. Lifty and shit.” She gives me an “Oops” face and
glances down to see if Mrs. Shull’s going to get onto her for her language but realizes
she can’t hear her so she continues but lowers her voice some. “Looking hot as fuck,
might I add, muscles popping out everywhere. Hell, muscles on muscles popping out.
Anyway, so I go up to him just as he’s lifting a bar with like a million pounds on
it and say, ‘Here’s your thirty bucks back. I don’t have time to do your stupid floors
and even if I did, you can suck it.’ I threw the money at his feet and walked out
hearing the weights come crashing to the ground but I was so proud of myself for not
looking back.”

My mouth drops open. “You did not!”

She nods. “I certainly did.”

I crack up. “Ryan! Oh, my God, that’s awesome! I’d have paid to see that!”

She grins. “You probably can see it. Pretty sure he has cameras in there. Get Kade
to show you a playback. They’re pals, aren’t they?”

“Mike works part-time for him at the lumberyard, so I think so. Have you heard anything
from him?”

“Nope.” Another popping of the “P.” “And what’s funny is I stopped by Jen’s that night
and Stacia was all over Owen Westhouse while Mike sat at the bar unconcerned. Weird,
huh?”

“Very. Guess she was a hit and run then.”

“A screw and flew,” she says.

“A fuck and duck.”

“A nail and bail.”

“A hump and jump.”

“A hit and flit.”

“A smash and dash.”