Page 47

PATRICK

I slammed the door to the office as I sank into the seat across from Lock. He looked up, confused as to why I was there. “Women suck.”

He slowly put down his pen and leaned back in his seat. “Um…okay?”

“My mother is here.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

“And Piper is here.”

“The woman who saved you from the bear.”

I scowled at him. “I saved her first. Why does everyone forget that?”

“Um…maybe because she literally saved your life by talking down a bear? That’s some kind of fucking miracle.”

“Whatever,” I grumbled, leaning back in my seat and staring at the ceiling.

“So…are you just going to sit here all day?”

“Why not? It’s not like I have a mother to take care of.”

“I thought your mom was going to be here for another week?”

“Oh, she is. But Piper swooped in and took care of everything. Apparently, she’s fucking magical with this shit.”

“Isn’t that why you brought her out here?”

I glared at him, jabbing a finger in his direction. “First of all, I didn’t bring her out here. She came all on her own.”

“Because you wrote to her,” he said slowly, “practically begging her to save you.”

“So?”

“So, I think that means she’s doing exactly what you wanted.”

“Maybe, but why does she have to be so fucking good at it?”

“Would you rather she suck at it and you’d have to deal with your mother instead?”

He just didn’t get it. If he’d been there this morning, he would have seen the disaster unfold. “They get along. Like…really get along.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“No, it’s a fucking terrible thing. They don’t need me!”

“Which leaves you time to spend doing other things.” His gaze flicked to the side in confusion. “Though, what you could need to do, I really don’t know.”

“Exactly! I was doing something. Now I have nothing to do.”

“But you don’t want to spend it with your mom.”

“Of course not,” I snapped.

“And you can’t let Piper think this is anything more.”

“Hell no.”

“So, you’re mad that you can’t spend time with your mother when you don’t want to, and you’re pissed that Piper is taking your mother off your hands and not spending time with you, which will make it impossible to think there’s anything more going on between you.”

I thought it over and nodded. “Exactly.”

“Patrick, has anyone ever told you you’re just like Edu?”

“I am not,” I frowned.

He raised his hand, ticking off an itemized list on his fingers. “Afraid of commitment, don’t make a fucking lick of sense when it comes to what you want, afraid to be alone for five minutes with a woman, but terrified that she’s actually leaving you alone…Does that ring any bells?”

“I am not afraid to be alone with a woman for five minutes. I spent the whole of last night with Piper in my bed.”

“Right, but what about actual quality time with her?”

The man was off his fucking rocker. “I brought her coffee in bed and talked to her!”

“Right, while you were staring at her tits.”

Okay, I had pinched her nipple, but that was only because it was there. And yes, I may have been fantasizing about her the whole time, but that was completely normal when you were with a woman.

“What the hell are you gonna do when she leaves?”

“My mom?”

“No, asshole. Piper! She’s got you wrapped around her little finger and you don’t even see it.”

“That’s not true. I would know if I was wrapped around a woman’s finger.”

“Did she order you around?”

I rolled my eyes.

“Did you obey?”

“I didn’t put up a fight. There’s a difference.”

“And why didn’t you put up a fight?”

“Because my mom was there.”

“Eh! Wrong!”

I flinched at the loud noise. “What?”

“You listened and didn’t fight because you secretly love how easily she’s worming her way into your life.”

“I do?—”

“I’m not done talking. The problem is, you like how much she gets along with your mom, and now you’re jealous because you want all that attention on you. Yet, you also want them to both include you. You just can’t stand that the women in your life aren’t giving you all the attention.”

“That doesn’t even fucking make sense.”

“Yet, here you are! Crying in your Wheaties because your mom and your non-girlfriend ran off and left you alone.”

“I’m not crying,” I grumbled.

“No, you’re just sulking, which is just as fucking bad. You’re a grown man, for Christ’s sake. Grow a set of balls and find something productive to do.”

“I am doing something productive! I came to work!”

“To whine like a little girl.” He grabbed a file and tossed it at me. “Go do some fucking research and stop crying like a little bitch.”

I scowled at him, but grabbed the folder and shoved out of the chair, grabbing my crutches.

The only way to walk was to shove the file folder in my mouth, which prevented me from getting the final word.

I made my way to the door, trying to think of an excellent comeback, but in the end, I couldn’t think of a damn thing to say.

“And Patrick,” Lock called out, drawing my attention back to him. “Be fucking thankful that you have a woman who gets along with your mother so well. Can you imagine what would have happened if they hated each other?”

I thought about it for all of ten seconds before I realized he was absolutely right. I could be fielding complaints right now. Instead, I had two women who got along perfectly and were leaving me alone. I should be happy. I should be fucking ecstatic that it was all working so well.

But as I headed out of Lock’s office, all I could think about was how it was going to be even harder to let Piper go now that my mom was falling in love with her. I’d break her heart even more than I already had. Somehow, I had to find a way to let my mom down easy when this was all over.

I stayed at work until six that night, determined not to go home and deal with the happy women in my house. If I was being honest with myself, I was probably more worried that I was going to enjoy this just as much as they were.

When I opened the door, laughter filled the air, along with the strains of Frank Sinatra. My mom used to listen to this all the time when I was growing up. It was a nightly ritual when she cooked dinner, and I couldn’t deny that it brought a smile to my face to see her so happy.

My mom held a spoon out to Piper, letting her taste the red sauce in the pan. If I was correct, it was her secret marinara sauce. She didn’t give this to anyone, but she was sharing it with Piper.

“Oh my gosh! That’s so good,” Piper groaned. “Thank you so much for sharing this with me.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure. We both know Patrick will never get married and give me grandkids, so I have to pass it down to someone.”

“Well, I’m honored it was me.”

My eyes traveled over Piper’s body, taking in the brand-new apron that she must have picked up with my mom.

She looked so fucking adorable with her hair pulled back and a smile on her face.

Everything about the scene was exactly as my mom would want it, and I couldn’t deny I liked the way she looked in my kitchen as well.

Hell, everything about this felt right, but also so very wrong.

It was fine for now, having her cook for me, but it would never last. Piper would go back to New York and do her thing, and I would go back to my bachelor life, enjoying my freedom.

“What am I not going to do?” I asked as I headed into the living room.

My mom laughed, sharing a secret look with Piper. Yeah, I heard, and I didn’t care. Mom thought I would come around with enough time, and Piper was enjoying watching me squirm. The joke was on them. I wasn’t budging under the pressure. I was a fucking rock.

“So, what’s for dinner?”

“Spaghetti,” Piper said proudly. “The first time that I’ve ever made anything this delicious.”

“You’ve never made spaghetti before?”

She spun on me, pointing the spatula accusingly at me. “Hey, don’t judge those of us who never learned.”

“I’m not,” I promised, though I really was. “It’s just odd that such a simple dish is so difficult to make.”

“Not difficult,” she retorted. “Just…not applied the right way.”

I wasn’t even sure what that meant, and I wasn’t about to ask.

She picked up the pot off the stove and followed my mom’s instructions for pouring it through the strainer.

Seriously, they made it look like she was cooking a four-course meal.

Sighing, I walked over to the counter and leaned my crutches against the wall as I watched them finish up.

They even had freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

“Then you add a little olive oil or butter to the noodles to keep them from sticking together. Personally, I prefer olive oil.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off Piper as she followed the instructions to the letter, then started mixing the noodles.

She looked so fascinated by it all that I couldn’t help but take in every expression on her face.

The way her tongue darted out to the corner of her mouth as she concentrated, and her eyes lit up when she saw the results.

Hell, it was adorable how her brows scrunched up in concentration.

I was so fucked.

“Now, I add a leaf of basil as a finishing touch, but not everyone likes to do this,” Mom continued.

My stomach growled at the aroma, and I found myself getting agitated that they were taking so long to prepare the meal. It was just spaghetti, and yes, it was my mom’s, but did they have to make a whole show out of it?

“And then?—”

“Mom!” I snapped, getting angry that she was stalling.

She shot me a grin, sliding a plate over to me. “Patrick likes his spaghetti with less sauce and more cheese.”

“Only good way to have it,” I grumbled.

“I don’t know. I think I’m gonna load up on this sauce and soak it up with the bread,” Piper grinned, loading up half the sauce on her plate.

Well, that’s what it looked like. I watched as she took a slice of homemade bread and dipped it in, then groaned, her eyes fluttering shut as she practically orgasmed from the taste.

“Give me that,” I said, snatching the pot out of Mom’s hands and pouring more sauce on my plate.

“I thought you didn’t like a lot of sauce,” Piper teased.

“Well, if you weren’t making love to your food, I wouldn’t have to take more. Besides, there won’t be any left for me with the way you’re devouring it.”

“Relax, Patti. I can always make more,” Mom smirked knowingly.

Piper twirled the spaghetti on her fork and shoved it in her mouth, mumbling around her food. “I can’t believe this was out there the whole time and I never knew.”

Mom was absolutely fascinated by her, and when she looked at me with a bright smile, I knew instantly what she was thinking.

Pick her, Patrick.

Say you’ll make her your wife.

Give me the grandkids I’ve been waiting on.

But I was a coward and didn’t want to admit that she might be onto something. It was easier for me to tell myself and Piper that I wanted nothing to do with dating or relationships. They were too much work. I liked my life the way it was. And the biggest lie of all…

I didn’t want Piper in my home every night.

Yeah, I was fucking lying to myself because if I admitted that I wanted Piper or that I wanted what she could offer me, that would mean I would have to commit to something. I would have to risk having a relationship and failing at it.

And I didn’t fail at anything.

But I’d never taken a risk like this, and I wasn’t sure I even knew where to start in this case.

I was a chicken shit, and I knew it. So, I shoved another forkful of spaghetti in my mouth and pretended that this was only for another few days.

I would get my life back and be perfectly happy with everything.

“Patti?”

I glanced up at my mom and frowned. “What?”

“I said, don’t you think we should get you a dining room table?”

“Why?”

“Because you have company and nowhere to sit.”

I glanced down at the stool and then back at her. “We’re sitting right now.”

“Right, but you should have an actual table. I mean, you haven’t done a single thing to decorate this place.”

“That’s not true,” I bristled. “I bought a picture.”

“Where?”

I glanced around, knowing I had tossed it somewhere. I spotted it on the table in the hall where I threw my keys and all the rest of the mail. Hobbling over to it, I pulled it out of the wrapping and handed it over.

Mom looked at it and frowned. “It’s a gun.”

“A very nice gun,” I said proudly.

She slowly looked up at me, cocking her head to the side. “It’s so small.”

“Well…” I shoved my hand through my hair, wondering how the hell I was going to explain this. “I don’t need a lot.”

“We can both see that, Patti, but you can’t hang this on the wall by itself. It’s too small. It’ll look out of place.”

“Then what would you suggest I do?”

Her eyes brightened and I knew I had fallen into her trap. “You could let Piper and me go shopping for you.”

“Mom—”

“Now, Patti, I come to visit you and this is what I see? You don’t have a home here. You have a warehouse!”

“That’s not true. I have a bedroom made up for you,” I argued.

“That has the bare minimum. I had to go shopping for hangers.”

I winced. “You did?”

“Unless you wanted me to hang my clothes over the metal bar in there.”

Piper snickered behind her hand, but when I turned my glare on her, she went back to shoving food in her face.

“Fine, I’ll find something to hang on the other wall.”

“Patti…”

I knew I wasn’t getting out of this. While Piper wasn’t actively working against me, she wasn’t exactly helping either. And now that it was two against one, I had little hope in winning this battle. I pulled out my wallet and handed over my credit card to Piper.

She looked up at me in surprise, carefully taking it from me. “Why me?”

“Because Mom will fill the house with pictures of flowers. I’m trusting you with my home.”

I could see the twinkling in Mom’s eyes without fully turning to her. She was already planning out our first child’s bedroom.

“This doesn’t mean anything,” I snapped.

“Of course not, Patti.”

But as I grabbed my crutches and pretended to stomp away from the table, I knew this was only the beginning of the end.