Chapter 16
“We need to be on our best behavior tonight, Puck.”
His tongue is lolling out of his mouth as he perches in the front seat of my truck. I clip his leash on before I give him one more scratch and get out of the car.
I’m nervous as I open the door and grab my purchases from the front seat. Not even before my first NHL game or the Stanley Cup finals was I this nervous.
Because I’m about to meet Piper’s parents for dinner.
And not just any dinner…Christmas dinner.
I’ve never done this before in my entire life. I’m not someone you bring home to meet your mom and dad. I’m usually the one you sneak out at night to go meet.
Puck sniffs the grass as we walk to the front porch. My foot hits the wood as the front door swings open and Piper comes out.
She looks…well, I’m not sure what she looks like as she comes into the light of the porch.
“Uhh, Piper…what are you wearing?”
“This?” She pulls the sweater away from her. “Noah gave it to me as a joke. Didn’t think I’d wear it.”
The blue sweater is covered in patches with the Black Diamonds logo, lights sticking out from different places. It flashes in an array of colors, making it even uglier.
I groan. “Please don’t show this to Cassie because she’ll make me wear one.”
Piper beams up at me. It tells me everything I need to know.
“There’s one for me, isn’t there?”
Piper nods. “Puck too.”
“Your brother got my dog a sweater?”
“Uh-huh.” Puck takes this opportunity to bark between the two of us. “I’m sorry, Puck. I didn’t say hi to you.”
Piper kneels down and plants a kiss on his muzzle. I blow out a breath, trying to shake out the nerves.
“You okay?” Piper asks, returning to her feet.
“Do you think your parents will like me?” I blurt out.
Wow, way to be cool, Cash.
“Why wouldn’t they?” Piper asks.
“Maybe the fact that we’re not really dating?”
“They don’t know that though.”
Cassie told us we have to make this thing believable. Spending the holidays? I don’t think it gets more real than that.
Still. It does nothing to calm the nerves coursing through me.
“Will they like me though?” I ask again, staring up at the front of a brick, two-story house. Black shutters line the house. Two chairs sit in the corner of the porch. Everything about this place looks homey. Somewhere Piper would’ve grown up.
“Of course they will.”
Her words do nothing to reassure me. Nothing about my appearance gives people the warm fuzzies. Too many tattoos. Too much of a scowl. Dark eyes and a darker look to match.
“Cash. You are way overthinking this. Just act like you would when you’ve met your past girlfriends’ parents.”
“And how would that be?” I ask.
Piper gives me a quizzical stare. I try not to squirm under her intense gaze. I never knew a pair of blue eyes could be so intense.
“Have you never met a girlfriend’s parents before?”
“Why is that so unbelievable?” I snap back. Too quickly.
A smile lights up Piper’s face. She is enjoying this far too much for my liking. “Cash. I promise, just act like you do when you’re around me.”
So pretend not to think about her naked? Doesn’t seem like sound advice, but something I can work with.
“I just hope your dad likes me.”
Piper squeezes my arm one last time before opening the door. “It’s not my dad you have to worry about.”
Oh shit.
And here I was thinking that her dad would be the hardest person to win over.
I follow Piper inside, doing my best not to stare at her ass. The last thing I need is to have one of her parents see me checking her out.
The house feels smaller on the inside than I expected. An office sits off to the left with a smaller sitting room on the right.
“C’mon.” Piper grabs my hand and doesn’t let me linger in the entryway. She grabs Puck’s leash from me as I kick off my shoes. The hallway is lined with pictures of their family. Of Noah playing hockey. Her dad playing football. What looks like family trips to the mountains. School pictures. Everyday things that make up a family.
Something I never had growing up.
The hallway opens up to a cozy living room, fire blazing in the fireplace with the Christmas tree decorated with haphazardly made ornaments, likely from when Piper and Noah were little. An oversized sofa and love seat dissect the room that flows into the kitchen beyond it. It’s not anything that’s overly modern.
It’s well-loved. A sweet aroma fills the room from a candle flickering on the table.
It’s then my eyes sweep over the couple sitting at the barstools at the counter. Noah is sitting next to them.
Here goes nothing.
“Mom. Dad.” Piper drags me forward a few more feet. “This is Cash. My boyfriend.”
“Still weird to hear that,” Noah cuts in.
“Noah!” Piper seethes.
A woman with light blonde, bobbed hair rounds the counter and holds out her hand for me to shake. Piper is the spitting image of her. It’s where Piper gets her beauty.
“Cash. It is so wonderful to meet you. I’m Tenley, Piper’s mom. And this is her dad, Jackson.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I hand over the bouquet. “These are for you.”
“That is so kind of you. Thank you.”
I hold out my hand to shake her dad’s hand.
“Cash.” His voice is deep. Curt.
Piper said I didn’t have to worry about her dad? That doesn’t make any sense. He’s intimidating as hell. He was a kicker in the NFL, so not like a giant lineman, but his presence is overwhelming, even though I’m taller than he is by a few inches. Gray peppers his hair.
“It’s nice to meet you, sir.” I hand over the bottle of bourbon. “This is for you.”
Jackson takes it from me with a nod. “I appreciate that.”
“Since when are you so formal?” Noah asks, popping a nut into his mouth.
“Noah.” This time, from her mom. “We said you had to be nice tonight.”
“What? It’s not every day I get to see him act like an idiot.”
“Noah!” All three of them yell at him this time.
“Is it too late to send Noah home?” Piper asks, grabbing a beer from the fridge for me.
“You mean you don’t want to spend the holidays with your brother?” He wraps an arm around her and rubs his knuckles on her hair.
“Oh my God, stop!” she shrieks.
Tenley grabs the beer from Piper and hands it to me. “I’m sorry about them. I don’t know where they get it.”
“It’s weird to see Noah like this, to be honest.”
“Joys of being a big brother,” she tells me. “Do you have any siblings, Cash?”
I shake my head, taking a sip of my beer. “It was just me growing up.”
“Well, we’re glad to have you here for dinner.”
“Thanks for inviting me. And letting Puck come.”
The dog in question has made himself at home, lying on his back in front of the fire. His favorite place to be.
“We couldn’t let him be alone either.” She squeezes my arm before going back into the kitchen. “Dinner should be ready soon.”
Piper shoves Noah off her and walks over to me, calling over her shoulder, “I hope you get traded!”
“You wound me, Piper.” He mocks being injured.
I can’t help but smile at these two.
“It smells great in here.”
“Piper made dessert,” Noah tells me. “Her famous apple pie.”
“What makes it famous?” I ask her as she comes up to me holding a matching sweater.
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” She winks. “Now, c’mon. You need to put on your sweater before dinner.”
It’s then I notice everyone has one of the sweaters on. It makes my chest swell. Like I’m part of the family.
Piper leads me back through the hallway and up the stairs.
The hardwood floors creak beneath my feet. More pictures line the stairs.
“What’s this picture?” I pull Piper to a stop.
It’s her dad holding the Super Bowl trophy and a small baby.
“That was the night I was born.” She rests her chin on my shoulder. “It’s my favorite picture.”
“You were born the night of the Super Bowl?” I ask, turning to look at her.
Piper nods. “Mom went into labor just before halftime. Dad made it just in time.”
“Wow. That’s quite the story.”
There’s another picture next to it. One of all of them together in matching T-shirts, with the trophy front and center. Piper and Noah are both screaming but I don’t think I’ve ever seen two parents look happier.
Piper tugs my arm, moving me farther up the stairs. Everything about this place explains Piper. She grew up with more love than I ever experienced. It’s a wonder some man hasn’t snatched her up already.
Thank God they haven’t because she’s mine now.
For however long she’ll have me.
The room Piper pulls me into has soft gray walls and a dark purple bedspread. Prints of flowers and mountains hang on the walls. It’s Piper through and through.
“This is my room. You can change in here.” She flops back onto the bed, eyes roving over me.
“Uh-uh. Don’t look at me like that.” I kick the door shut behind me. “No funny business, Princess.”
“I’m not getting any ideas, Cash.”
The way she says my name tells me she has all the ideas.
“Your parents are downstairs,” I whisper. Grabbing the neck of my shirt, I pull it over my head and drop it next to her.
Piper’s eyes trail over the bruise. It’s gone down some, yellowing at the edges.
“It looks better.”
“Feels better too.”
“Good.” Piper stands, resting her hands on my sides before pushing up on her tiptoes. “Do you have time for one kiss?”
“I can always spare a kiss for you, Princess.”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, I dip her low. Shock covers her face as I smile right before laying one on her.
I love the way her fingers dig into my shoulders, holding on. I lick my way into her mouth, wanting more. No, demanding more.
We both get swept away in the heat of the kiss. I know I shouldn’t, but I do. Until someone is calling out for us.
“Piper! Cash! Dinner is on the table!” a voice from downstairs calls out.
I pull back, staring down at Piper’s wet lips. “Better get going.”
“Don’t forget to put your sweater on.” She grins at me.
Piper helps me tug it over my head. “How do I look?”
She throws her head back in laughter. “You look way too hot to be wearing this.”
“Good.” I nip at her lip before dragging her downstairs. I don’t want anyone to come looking for us.
By the time we get downstairs, Puck is already in his sweater, chewing on a bone.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Tenley tells me, setting a dish on the table, “but we got some bones for him.”
I smile back at her. “Not at all. That’s very kind of you. I’m surprised he’s so happy. He usually doesn’t like people.”
She nods. “Piper told us. He didn’t fight us when we put the sweater on. Gave him some treats.”
“Looks like it worked.”
We all take our seats around the table as dishes are passed around. They’re chatting about everything and anything. It makes me feel like I’m a part of something, even if I’m not talking.
For once, the lonely feeling of spending the holidays by myself isn’t there. Normally, I spend the day at the arena getting in a good, hard workout. Instead, I went for a walk with Puck before bringing him here.
The two of us spending the day like most people. With a family.
It’s a feeling I don’t want to get used to. Because Piper isn’t mine to keep.
“How are you feeling after that hit?” Jackson asks.
I waggle my head, taking a heaping spoonful of green beans. “Not the worst hit I’ve ever taken.”
“Do you think you’ll be ready for the next game?”
“Nothing will stop him,” Noah chimes in.
“Damn right, Strawberry.”
“Strawberry?” Tenley asks.
Noah groans. “It’s my nickname.”
“Aww, my sweet strawberry.” His mom claps him on the cheek. “How did I not know this?”
“I hate you, Willy,” Noah tells me.
“Nah, you love me.” I blow a kiss at him.
Conversation carries on around us as we eat the incredible meal Tenley cooked. Beef tenderloin. Garlic mashed potatoes. Green beans. I never would have had something like this on my own.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat dessert,” I groan, setting my napkin on my plate. “That was delicious.”
“Thank you, Cash.” Tenley smiles back at me.
“We can clear the table,” Piper says.
“Actually, I’d like a word with Cash.” Jackson tilts his head toward the hallway and I dutifully follow.
The room he goes into is one I haven’t seen. It’s full of dark wood and leather furniture. Pictures of him playing are on one wall with two gaudy rings sitting in the center of a dark wooden bookshelf.
His Super Bowl rings.
“Piper’s been through a lot these last few months.” Jackson’s voice is very matter-of-fact as he pulls a bottle of bourbon and two tumblers out of a cabinet. “Her ex did not treat her well.”
“He’s a douche.”
Jackson smirks at me, handing me a glass.
“I’m aware.”
“Sorry. I know he’s my teammate and all, but I can’t stand him. Especially with how he treated Piper.”
“And how do you feel my daughter should be treated?”
“Like the princess that she is.” The words come out faster than I expect. I don’t need to blow smoke up Piper’s dad’s ass, but it’s true.
“Good.”
“Duncan was a dick to her. I will never hurt her like that.”
Not if I can help it. Even if I don’t deserve Piper. Piper is goodness personified. She’s sweet, kind, caring, and sexy as hell. I’m not even in the same league as her.
“You better not. Otherwise you will have the entire wrath of the Fields family coming down on you.”
“The entire family, sir?”
He gives me an assessing glare, nodding his head. “Yes. We will do whatever it takes to protect her from getting hurt again.”
I swallow down the last of my drink. It’s always the quiet ones you have to be worried about.
“I understand. It is not my intention to hurt Piper.”
Again with the assessing glare. This is why I never went home with any of my past girlfriends. If you can even call them that. It’s not like I gave in to the bunny lifestyle of hockey, but I had the occasional steady woman that I kept around.
Too many issues to want to make things permanent with anyone.
“Good.” Jackson swallows down the last of his drink before heading back to the kitchen. Not before stopping in front of me. “I like you, Cash. Don’t let me down.”
I smile into my drink. It felt like a test I had to pass tonight. Piper’s family means everything to her. Even if this thing isn’t real, I didn’t want to be a dick to her family.
I guess she’s rubbing off on me in more ways than I thought.
Dessert is already being tucked away into containers by the time I head out to the kitchen.
“We’re going to head out,” Piper tells me, smiling at me from the counter.
“What, no dessert? I want to try some of your famous apple pie.”
“It’ll keep.” She bounds over to me. “I’m ready to go.”
“Wait!” Piper’s mom calls out. “I want a picture of you three before you go.”
Piper rolls her eyes but walks over to the tree to get Puck situated. He would follow any command she gives him.
“You know what this means, right?” Noah asks from beside me.
“What?”
“Welcome to the family.”