Chapter Thirty-Seven
Now
Adjusting to her regular life came in fits and starts. Although Piper’s sunburn had faded, fireworks of freckles still covered
her nose and cheeks. Her scar glowed pink, a constant reminder of her brush with death. Sometimes Piper felt like she’d never
left her childhood home, and other times the claustrophobia of four walls forced her to run outside and gasp in breath after
breath of sunshine and summer air until her heartbeat returned to its normal rhythm. She yearned for the sound of the waves
at night and the salty scent that had lingered for days in her hair, now rinsed clean.
Adding to Piper’s recovery roller coaster was the fact that the one person who might understand this specific brand of anxiety
was giving her the silent treatment. Over the past few days, she’d reached out to Wyatt enough times to have her committed,
but she was past the point of playing it cool. She’d even marched over to the McLaughlins’ house the day he’d returned, only
to be told by a sympathetic Molly that he was sleeping.
But what frustrated her most was how much she missed him. He played in her mind like an always-on radio, a constant buzz, alternating stations between missing and worrying about him—and wondering if he was thinking about her. Puzzling over why he’d shut her out. Not hearing from him reminded her of those dark days after he’d coldly closed the door on their love. Even knowing now why he’d behaved that way as a teenager, his current silence made her uneasy. Piper felt like she was climbing a ladder whose rungs kept breaking beneath her feet.
Had he meant it in that hospital room when he told her he loved her? That felt like a million years ago now instead of mere
days. Maybe it had been the painkillers talking, and now that he was on the mend and back to reality, he no longer felt the
same way. She tried to rein in her restless, galloping thoughts, but they’d already run away like a Chincoteague pony. She
needed to see his face, look into his eyes, and know if his love burned bright or if the ocean had swallowed it like it had
their Yeti.
By Tuesday, the day of their Lonely Onlys reunion, Piper’s whole body was strung taut with nerves. Her desperation to see
Wyatt, talk to him, and hug him once more left her jittery. But instead of Wyatt’s dark curls, it was Ethan’s shock of blond
hair Piper spotted when she pulled her dad’s Buick into the Charlie’s Diner parking lot.
Ethan didn’t wait for her to get out of the car. Striding over, he opened her door and yanked her out into one of his signature
bear hugs.
“I can’t believe you’re here!” Piper cried into his ear.
“I can’t believe you’re here and not fish food.” Ethan pulled back to look her up and down, then squeezed her again.
Allie bounded over from the other side of the parking lot and piled into the hug. “We’ve been way overdue for a Piper sandwich.”
“Is Wyatt coming?” Ethan asked when they pulled apart.
“I haven’t heard from him.” Piper heard the slight catch in her voice but hoped the others hadn’t.
Allie shot a glance at Piper, her face drawn in concern. “Wyatt told me he needed to take care of a few things and couldn’t
make it, but I’m sure we can talk him into something another time.”
This casual rejection stung more than Piper expected, but she collected herself with a few deep breaths, not wanting her increasingly bad mood over Wyatt’s absence to darken the joy of this reunion with her friends.
Ethan shrugged. Not much could dull his sunshine. “More fries for us. Wyatt’s missing out! Come on, let’s go eat.”
The threesome settled into their favorite corner booth and studied the oversize menu, even though it hadn’t changed in years.
Everything listed made Piper’s mouth water.
Once they’d ordered more food than was reasonable for one meal, Ethan focused on Piper. “So, quick life update: I got a job
promotion, and things with Jack are going great. You’ll have to meet him sometime soon. He reminds me of you.”
“I can’t wait.” Piper grinned. Seeing her friends in love was the best feeling in the world.
“And Allie got married,” Ethan continued, “so what I want to know is, what’s new with you, Piper? I’ve missed you! Fill us
in on your life.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Surviving a plane crash wasn’t enough to keep you interested?” Piper laughed. The amount of change in her
world these past few weeks was dizzying. “Hmm, where do I begin? I basically blew up my life. I officially broke up with Tag
even though we were never together. And quit med school, too.”
“What?” Allie gasped. “Piper, that’s huge! How did your parents take the news?”
“My dad was cool, but my mom is teetering on the brink of a full nervous breakdown.”
Allie cringed and patted Piper’s arm. “I’m proud of you. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”
Their food arrived: plate after plate of French fries, burgers, mozzarella sticks that smelled like heaven, and large frothy
glasses of Coca-Cola.
Ethan pulled a plate of greasy fries to him. “Wasn’t Tag the hot doctor? What went wrong there?”
“Nothing went wrong. Tag’s great. It’s just that—” Piper bit her lip. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “He’s not Wyatt.” She shielded her face with her hands, elbows still on the table, waiting for the inevitable response from her friends.
Ethan whipped his head up, almost choking on a fry. “Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me there’s a chance for Wiper to get
back together? I shipped you guys so hard back in high school.”
Piper groaned into her hands, then looked at her friends. “I don’t know. I think I may have messed it up somehow. He’s not
answering any of my calls. And now I’m not sure if it’s such a good idea for us to get back together. You remember how bad
our breakup was.” She curled her lip. “What’s that saying, ‘Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me’? I don’t
know if my heart can take a breakup round two.”
Ethan pouted and pushed the mozzarella sticks in her direction.
“Speak of the devil,” Allie said in a stage whisper.
Piper whirled around, expecting to see Wyatt walking through the door, but Kiera Gomez entered and stood by the front counter,
waiting for a to-go order. She didn’t look as intimidating as she used to. Still gorgeous but softer. Muted. Or maybe it was
Piper who’d changed.
Piper scooted down in the booth, attempting to hide, but Kiera acknowledged them with a friendly wave. Great. On top of her unease over not speaking to Wyatt in days, the last
thing Piper wanted was a face-to-face reminder of her high school heartbreak.
“Excuse me,” Piper said to her friends and escaped to the bathroom, hoping to hide out until Kiera picked up her order and
left.
But when she came out of the stall, Kiera was standing by the sink.
“Hi, Piper.” Kiera twisted the ends of her long black hair around her finger. “I heard about the plane crash, and I’ve been thinking of you. I’m so relieved you’re okay. You and Wyatt.” She smiled, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. “But I wasn’t surprised to hear you were together—I always knew you two were endgame.”
“Oh, we aren’t together,” Piper corrected, her heart constricting at the statement. You saw to that, she thought as she busied herself washing her hands to avoid eye contact.
Kiera swayed on her feet. “I’m sorry, I assumed. My brother, Donovan, served with him and told me he kept a picture of you
by his bed for years.”
Piper turned off the water and met Kiera’s gaze in the mirror. Unshed tears stung the backs of her eyes. Even after they’d
parted ways, Wyatt had kept her picture close by?
“I didn’t know that,” Piper whispered, turning around. “We hadn’t talked in years, not since that day in the clubhouse...
when I found out about you. Until we ended up on that island together.”
“ What? ” Kiera’s jaw dropped open. “That doesn’t make any sense. If I had any idea that would happen, I never would have agreed to
his stupid request.”
Piper folded her arms protectively across her chest. “What request? What are you talking about?”
“I thought Wyatt would have told you by now.” Kiera knitted her brows in confusion. “Piper, nothing happened between us. I
owed Wyatt a favor for agreeing to look out for my brother at base camp, and he asked me to make it look like you had caught
us meeting for a date. It was all part of Wyatt’s plan to get you to accept the breakup since he knew he wouldn’t be able
to easily let you go. I think he needed me as a backup, so he’d actually go through with it.” She bit her lip. “But it was
all an act, I swear.”
Piper leaned back against the sink, trying to catch her breath as the information washed over her. The story matched Wyatt’s version of their breakup, and looking into Kiera’s wide brown eyes, she believed her. The revelation knocked her off balance. All this time, she hadn’t underestimated the depth of their love. It hadn’t been an afterthought or fleeting, like a passing cloud or fading sunset. It had been real then, which meant it could be real now.
A teardrop slid down her cheek, shortly followed by another.
Kiera frowned at Piper’s teary response. “I thought you guys might break up for a few weeks tops. I never imagined it would
be permanent. You were always so in sync and you were the only girl he ever looked at. I was supremely jealous of you in high
school.”
Piper choked out a laugh through her tears. That felt harder to believe.
“Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you all this now.” Kiera’s frown deepened. “If surviving a plane crash wasn’t fate screaming
at you loud enough to be together, I’m not sure I can make much of a difference. You should know the truth, though. I’m so
sorry if I caused you any pain.”
“It’s okay,” Piper said, and she meant it, finally letting go of the past. “Thanks for telling me.” She pulled Kiera into
an impulsive hug before walking out of the bathroom. Kiera wasn’t her enemy. She’d never been.
When Piper slipped back into the diner booth, tears still dampened her face.
“What happened in there?” Allie asked, alarmed. “Do I need to go beat Kiera up?” She stood as if to follow through on her
threat.
“No, sit.” Piper tugged her back down. “Everything’s fine. More than fine.” She quickly filled her friends in on what she’d
learned from Kiera, along with the real reason behind their breakup.
When Piper finished, Allie threw back her head in a peal of laughter.
“What?” Piper failed to see the humor in the situation.
“It’s just that my cousin would’ve taken a bullet for you. It never made sense how he broke up with you or moved on so quickly. But ending things thinking he was doing the right thing is the most Wyatt thing ever.”
When Allie put it like that, Piper had to laugh, too. It was such a Wyatt thing to play the martyr, assume he wasn’t good enough, and remove himself from the situation. Piper was mad
at herself that she hadn’t seen through the whole thing from the start.
“So, to recap,” Ethan said, pointing a fry at Piper. “You’re no longer dating Tag. You might be in love with Wyatt. He never
meant to break your heart, and maybe he’s always been in love with you?”
Piper nodded, her eyes shining. “I’m definitely in love with Wyatt.” The words dove off her tongue like Olympians into water,
performing a routine they’d perfected endlessly. Her entire body buzzed with euphoria.
“Yes! I knew it.” Ethan punched his fist into the air. “Wiper forever.”
He and Allie exchanged a high five.
“I never signed off on that couple’s name,” Piper grumbled halfheartedly, but she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.
“This calls for a round of milkshakes.” Ethan flagged their waitress down and ordered for the group.
“We can’t celebrate yet.” Piper’s elation burst like a bubble. “Wyatt won’t return my calls or answer my texts. We may be
over before we even start again. I don’t know what else to do.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Allie’s face darkened. “You two survived a week together on a remote island and worked through
your issues, but you’re letting technology stand in your way?”
Piper’s mouth dropped open at Allie’s passionate response, but Allie continued, holding out her hand, palm up. “Let me see
your phone.”
Piper did as she asked, watching as Allie scrolled through her contacts and double-clicked the screen.
“I knew it. You have him blocked.” Allie pressed a few more buttons and handed the phone back to Piper, grinning like a Boxcar Child who’d just solved the biggest mystery of the summer. “My guess is he blocked you, too, and y’all have been screaming into the void this entire time.”
Could it be as simple as that? If it was, she needed to find Wyatt. Now.
Behind the counter, their waitress placed cherries on top of their milkshakes.
“Wanda, I’m going to need mine to go,” Piper called out. “Can you make that two? One’s for Wyatt.”
Ethan cheered.
Wanda gave her a thumbs-up and set two shakes in to-go cups on the counter a moment later. “Tell Wyatt the extra cherries
are from me,” she said with a wink. “And these have been paid for by Kiera Gomez.”
“I need to go.” Piper slung her purse onto her shoulder and snagged one more fry. “Wish me luck, y’all.”
“Wait, fists in first.” Ethan held his hand out in a tight fist over the center of the table.
Piper didn’t have time for this, but Allie stuck her fist on Ethan’s and looked up at her expectantly.
“Fine.” Piper stacked one fist on top, then the other in the same order.
“Love wins on three,” Ethan ordered. “One, two, three. Love wins!”
“Love wins,” Piper repeated. She clasped each of their hands before grabbing the milkshakes and heading home.
Home to Wyatt.