Page 9

CHAPTER NINE

Piper

When Paxton asked about birth control, I panicked.

When I was with Harris, I got pregnant once.

We were using protection and it failed. His reaction was to tell me that we couldn’t afford to have a kid.

I ended up having a miscarriage. Harris seemed relieved and when I told him how much it hurt me, he said we’d have a family ‘one day.’ A week later I found out about him cheating.

So as hard as that time was for me, I’m glad I didn’t have a baby with him.

I stopped taking my birth control after finding out about Harris cheating. I didn’t see a need for it, I wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of girl. So why take it?

Paxton’s reaction to this situation wasn’t what I would’ve expected. But the look he gave me last night is telling me that he’s not lying. I’m still trying not to freak out about this.

I open my eyes and look at Paxton. He’s a gorgeous man even when he’s sleeping.

“Your thoughts are loud.” He yawns.

I laugh and sit up to go to the bathroom.

“So are we still in the 'bathrooms are solitary time' stage?” Paxton smiles.

“We’ll never be out of that stage. Brushing teeth, bathing…okay. But peeing and pooping? That’s not sharing time,” I say to him.

He laughs more and watches me go to the bathroom.

“Did you want to join me for a shower?” I ask him as I open the door.

Paxton jumps up and is in the bathroom before I can get the shower on. We make love again and it’s as explosive as last night. He even spends time gently washing me up after. I’ve never had anyone treat me like this.

“Thank you,” I say to him.

“For what?”

“For showing me what it’s like to be cared for. For not getting angry that I’m not on birth control.”

“Baby, I’ll always take care of you. As for the birth control? Protection isn’t only on you, it’s on me too. I want to have a family with you. But if it’s something you’re not ready for, I’ll get some condoms and use them. Did someone hurt you? I feel like someone did something to you.”

I look up at Paxton.

“Harris. I was with him for three years. One day I wasn’t feeling good and I realized that my period was late. So I took a test…”

Paxton holds me as I talk.

“When I told Harris, he said we couldn’t afford a baby. And that one day we would discuss it. A few weeks later I miscarried. When I told him, he sounded relieved. And then a week after that, I found out he’d been cheating on me for the last six months. The worst part? She was pregnant.”

“Fucking asshole,” Paxton says quietly.

“There’s a part of me that’s still sad about the baby. But there’s the other part that’s relieved I’m not tied to him in any way. So when you said that you want to have a family with me? It made me feel cared for, you weren’t even mad about it.”

“Why would I be mad? There’s nothing you could do that would make me mad.”

“You’re like my fairytale prince. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but thank you.”

“I’ll always be here for you. That much you can count on.”

After Harris, I told myself screw it, I’m fine alone. Now that I have Paxton? I don’t want to be alone ever again.

Paxton

I made the archway that Rhett and Emiko are standing under.

Standing beside my brother as he says his vows makes me think of my own vows.

I can’t wait to be standing here with Piper.

I know that we’ll get there, I don’t know when, but I know it’ll happen.

My girl looks beautiful standing next to Emiko.

After the ceremony, we head back to the house for the reception.

Everything here was made by someone in our family.

Rosaura made their wedding cake and it’s gorgeous, with cherry blossoms cascading down the side like a river.

There’s also a lot of finger foods like mini corndogs, mini pizzas and sliders.

Emiko wanted mini foods because of the kids.

“You know it’s your turn next,” Rhett says as he comes and stands next to me.

“I hope so. I don’t want to push Piper. But I know that she’s the one.”

“You’ll get there, I thought that Emiko would need more time. But she surprised me, and look where we are now. Even after all she’s been through.”

“Piper was hurt before and I think she’s a little hesitant because of that.”

“She’ll work through it and you’ll be there when she’s ready.”

“I will.” I nod. “So how’s it feel to be a husband?”

“I love it. My wife—I’ve said it in my head a lot, but now I get to say it out loud. Are you sure you’re okay watching the twins for us? We can postpone our trip if you can’t.”

“Of course we’re sure. You and Emiko need some time to yourselves. It’s only a week.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Plus, everyone’s staying until you get back. So the kids will have a blast while you’re gone.”

“I wish Mom and Dad were here today.”

I hug my brother. “Me too.”

We spend the rest of the night celebrating Rhett and Emiko.

Unknown: I gave you some time with Piper. Now it’s my turn. Do you think you can stop me?

Fuck. I head over to Sebastiano and show him the text.

“We have guys watching everyone coming in and out of the party tonight. And we have them in shifts so that no one can come onto the property. But as far as we can tell, Marc is still in southern Montana of us. He hasn’t come back up here yet.”

“I don’t know who this could be. Some crazed book fan?”

“I wish I knew. We will know something soon, I called Salvatore to ask if he could run the number, maybe see where it was bought and who bought it.”

Salvatore Mancini is the Sheriff of Lake Renegade.

He is also part of the Chicago Mafia. Between him, Sebastiano and Francesco, I’m hoping they can help us figure out who this is.

I’m starting to wonder if it’s Marc, especially since they’re tracking him in southern Montana.

He’s at least three hours away from us and it looks like he’s leaving Montana now. So if it isn’t Marc, then who is it?

“Is there anyone else we should be looking at?” Sebastiano asks.

“No one that I know of, Marc is the only one we’ve had issues with.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, since we’re all here, did you want Piper to know about us?” Ares Athanasiou asks.

The Athanasiou and Nikolaidis families are shifters. Not the kind you read about in fantasy books. Real-life shifters. The Athanasious are polar bears and the Nikolaidises are white tigers. When we found out about them earlier this year, it felt like I was dreaming. Real-life shifters.

“I would like her to know. I meant to ask your dad and Panagiotis about it.”

“Let me talk to them about how we’ll tell her and I’ll let you know. Also, does she know about these weird texts you’re getting?”

“No, she doesn’t know. I didn’t want to worry or scare her. But now that I got this second one, I think I need to tell her.”

“I agree, she needs to know in case whoever this is comes after her,” Lorenzo says.

“I’ll talk to her tonight. I don’t want to take away from her enjoying today with Emiko.”

We spend the rest of the night celebrating my brother and new sister. Tomorrow they leave for their honeymoon in Ireland. Then I’ll talk to Piper and hopefully we can figure out who it is that’s threatening us.