46. Theo
FORTY-SIX
THEO
“Never thought I could feel like this.” I gazed at Piper as we were lying tangled in the middle of my bed. Flames from the fire caressed her bare flesh.
Piper brushed tender fingers down my face and scratched her nails through my beard. A soft smile played along the rim of her mouth. “You keep saying that.”
“I keep having a hard time believing it.”
Understanding passed through her features. This girl seeing me in a way that no one else could. “You’re an amazing man, Theo. I don’t care what anyone else has ever said about you in the past. It doesn’t matter what your mistakes have led you to believe. I feel who you are…right here.”
She took my hand and placed it over the steady thrum of her heart.
“That’s where I want to be. Right inside your beautiful heart.” It was an entreaty from my soul.
Her teeth raked her bottom lip. “Good. Because that’s where you are.”
I let my gaze wander her face, unable to look away.
Peace so close.
Tangible and within reach.
“We’d better get over to the other cabin. I bet that little man is wondering where his mommy is,” I murmured.
Redness flushed her cheeks. “And I bet Nelly knows exactly where I am.”
“She doesn’t seem to mind all that much.”
She traced the contour of my brow. “That’s because she recognizes that you’re a good man, too.”
I wanted to be.
Fuck, I wanted to be.
Piper slid off the bed and wrapped herself in the blanket from earlier. “Are you coming with me?”
I sat up on the side of the bed and set my hands on the outside of her thighs. “After that? Don’t think you could get rid of me if you tried.”
“I couldn’t get rid of you when I was trying.” Her tease wound into the wispy ease of the encroaching night.
A chuckle skated free. “You know what they say. Persistence pays off.”
She tousled a hand through my hair. And fuck, it felt nice, those fingers dragging against my scalp. The calm that whispered around us.
She sobered, arctic eyes so warm as she gazed down at me. “I’m so happy it was you who found me. You who found us.”
I curled my arms around her waist, pulled her close, and murmured at her middle, “Me, too.”
I held her like that for a while before I shucked off the intensity. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“I don’t know. I kind of like your bedroom better.” Her voice went coy.
I peeked up at her. “Don’t tease me, woman.”
A giggle rolled out of her, and she turned and sashayed from my room.
She was my utter temptation.
I followed her downstairs, and the two of us quickly dressed, constantly peeking at each other with smiles that we couldn’t wipe off our faces. We went out into the garage, and this time I led her to my truck and opened the door.
My arms went around her waist, though before I helped her up, I pressed my mouth to the shell of her ear. “Loved having you on the back of my bike. Right where you belong.”
A surprised sigh blew from her, and she leaned back farther, the words heavy with truth. “I liked it, too.”
“Now in you go.” I hoisted her up, and she squealed, joy ripping out of her as she peered down at me as I shut the door. A minute later, I was driving us across the motel’s property and up to the front of her cabin.
I jumped out and rounded to her side of the truck, whipping the door open and helping her down.
Hands continually touching. Needing that connection. The reassurance that this was real.
We strode to the door, and my guts got tangled with my heart when she pressed the keycard to the reader and opened it.
Tangled when we were met with the excitement that erupted from Finn where he was on the floor pushing a toy truck.
His little face snapped up and the most vibrant delight radiated from him as he jumped to his feet. “Mommy and my Feo get home?”
I didn’t exactly know what to do with the grief that wound with the joy.
But I guess there was absolutely nothing else I could do but scoop him into my arms when he tottered for me, holding his truck over his head as he came my way, dimple denting his cheek as he shouted, “ Wook what I got, my Feo !”
“Oh, wow. That is a cool truck,” I told him, hardly able to speak as I held him close.
Realizing what this meant.
The oath I made earlier to Piper.
The oath I made to him.
“You wike my truck?” he asked with that beaming smile. “It goes vrooooom !”
My chest clutched, and I set my palm on the back of his head and pressed my mouth to his temple. “Yeah, buddy. I like it.”
More than I really understood.