Chapter 29 Piper
TWENTY-NINE
PIPER
Having an entire night to myself felt like a luxury I couldn’t let pass me by. Having an entire night to myself with Rhett was indulgent beyond belief.
I slept hard for two hours and woke up to his hands drawing shapes on my lower stomach, his front pressed to my back.
As his hand dipped lower, I draped my leg over his to give him better access.
We said nothing, and my cries of pleasure were muffled by the mattress.
I turned around, and Rhett wrapped me in his warmth.
My head rested against his chest as I listened to his thrumming pulse.
We slept again and woke up before the sun, hungry for more.
I was bleary and exhausted by the time we stumbled downstairs to try out that new coffee machine. Rhett’s body pressed against mine as I dumped coffee grounds into the machine, his hands stroking my sides as he pressed a kiss to the side of my neck.
“You’re insatiable,” I said with a laugh.
“I am when you’re around wearing nothing but my shirt and a little lacy pair of panties.
” His fingers traced the waistband of my underwear above my pelvis.
My hand trembled as I haphazardly mashed buttons on the coffee machine.
A red light came on just in time for Rhett to tug the scrap of fabric down my legs.
I’d never had sex like this before. Not the hungry, uninhibited sex that Rhett demanded from me. I couldn’t get enough of him. Feeling him enter me made me forget about anything but clinging onto him and hoping I survived the onslaught of pleasure that followed.
We eventually managed to shower and have coffee while the sun did its best to poke through the cloud cover. Fat snowflakes drifted down to blanket the town in white.
“I was thinking I’d go pack the boys’ things,” I said, turning from my study of the view from the kitchen window to look at Rhett. “My sister will drop them off soon. I was thinking I could tell her to bring them here.”
“Good idea,” he replied. “We can use my car.”
My heart gave a giant thump. I hadn’t even had to ask him for help, but it didn’t matter.
Rhett was there—just like when Nate hurt his arm.
As I watched him finish the dregs of his coffee and put the mug in the dishwasher, I felt off-balance.
I’d been married to a man who wouldn’t lift a finger to help me with his own kids.
I was so used to doing everything on my own that it hadn’t even crossed my mind to ask him to help me move.
I caught Rhett’s hand and tugged him closer. He looked surprised but came easily, groaning when I lifted myself onto my tiptoes to press a kiss to his mouth.
“Don’t distract me,” he warned. “We won’t get out of here for another hour.”
I smiled against his lips. “I just wanted to kiss you.”
His thumb stroked my upper arm in a gentle caress, and then we headed for the door.
For once, I was grateful that I’d had to get rid of almost all my stuff.
Mrs. White’s place was furnished. There wasn’t much to pack.
I managed to pack up the boys’ and my essentials in our suitcases, and I planned to come back for the rest over the course of the weekend.
Rhett helped me haul everything into the back of his SUV and my rental car, and we headed back to Lovers Lane.
As I pulled up behind him to park on the street, I looked at the house and bit my lip.
Snow had been falling steadily, and now the roof was blanketed in white.
The lawn and path up to the front door were covered in snow, pristine and white and shimmering.
Burgeoning excitement made me take a deep breath.
It looked like a home. Like my home. With a couple of lights on inside and a fire sending smoke curling out of the fireplace, it would look like a dream. Maybe I could take a trip to the big box store in the next town over and get Christmas lights of my own for the eaves and porch columns.
“I’ll drop you off and go get you a shovel,” Rhett said, frowning at the snow-covered path. “Should’ve thought of that earlier.”
Smiling, I leaned over and pecked a kiss to his cheek. Then I headed inside to the warmth of our freshly renovated home.
As I unpacked the boys’ things upstairs, Rhett disappeared for half an hour.
When I heard his car rumbling to a stop outside, I peeked through the boys’ window to see him grab a brand-new shovel to clear the path and the driveway.
He made quick work of it, stopping only once to wipe sweat from his temple.
I finished what I was doing, shutting the drawer of the new dresser Rhett had chosen, and made my way downstairs.
My fingers slid over the warm wood of the staircase banister, and I couldn’t help the flush that grew in the pit of my stomach. I found Rhett in the living room, kneeling in front of the fireplace with a long barbecue lighter in his hands, the end of it pointed at kindling and crumpled newspaper.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Thought you might like a fire. Make the place feel cozy for the boys.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, throat tight.
He turned back to the fire, waiting to see the scrunched-up newspaper ignite and the flames start licking at the logs he’d stacked on the grate, then stood and grabbed the fire screen. He placed it in front of the fireplace, then stood with his hands on his hips, scowling.
“Not happy with your work?” I asked, putting a hand on his back as I reached his side.
“We should have switched this to gas. I don’t like the thought of the boys running around with an open fire like this.”
If I hadn’t been in love with him already, that one comment would have done it. I leaned my head against his shoulder and let out a sigh. “I’ll make sure they don’t do anything silly.”
“Nate will want to poke at it,” he said, turning his scowl to the fireplace poker and shovel hanging on a cast iron rack beside the fireplace.
I beamed at the side of his head, surprised and delighted by the fact that he already knew my kids’ temperaments so well. Because he was right; it was Nate we had to worry about. Alec would listen if I told him not to go near the fire, unless Nate somehow roped his brother into one of his schemes.
Our safety concerns were interrupted by the honking of a horn. I crossed over to the big bay window at the front of the house and waved at my sister, a smile breaking over my face. Now I could return my rental car and cut that line item out of my budget as well. Things were looking bright.
By the time I got my boots on and made it to the front porch, Georgia, Sebastian, and my boys were out of the car and jumping excitedly at the sight of the house.
“It’s adorable!” Georgia said.
“Mom won it in a raffle,” Alec informed her.
“Yeah, she made a big stink about it when they tried to say Mr. Baldwin won,” Nate said.
“I know,” Georgia replied, eyes glimmering as her gaze shifted over my shoulder. Rhett stepped onto the porch behind me, and my cheeks flushed. “Your mom told me on the phone. But I have a feeling she didn’t tell me everything.”
“I told you enough,” I answered. “Boys, come inside. Mr. Baldwin has a surprise for you. Boots off. Nate, you’re still not supposed to get that cast wet, so put that snowball down.”
Nate dropped the half-formed snowball and shot me an impish smile, then hurried up the porch stairs behind Alec and went inside. I waited for Georgia and Sebastian to join us, giving my sister a tight hug.
“Thanks for watching them last night.”
“We had a pizza and watched movies, and the boys stayed up way past their bedtime. It was great.”
“You’re not supposed to tell me the bedtime part,” I answered, laughing.
Georgia beamed at me, then turned to Rhett. “We haven’t officially met yet,” she said, “but I hear you’re not the easiest man to work for. Or with.”
“Is that right?” Rhett said, shaking her hand. “I thought I might have won Piper over by now.”
“I’m warming to you,” I said, then introduced the men.
Sebastian inclined his head. “Pleasure. Nice place you got here.”
“We’ve been working hard to get it up to scratch,” Rhett said, and started a tour of our home.
Our home.
The thought rattled through me, and I found myself having to take a deep, calming breath as I closed the door and took off my boots. Georgia and Sebastian were busy inspecting the house and the boys were already halfway up the stairs, but my eyes were drawn to Rhett.
He filled the hallway with his height and width, explaining what we’d had to do with the electrical work in the house. His arms gestured along the ceiling as Sebastian grunted in commiseration, and I couldn’t look away.
It felt right to have him here, to have worked on this house together, to wake up next to him and to ask him for help. It felt right to put my hand in his and tilt my head up for a kiss.
I imagined a future with him, even though I knew it was pure fantasy. What if we really did move in here? If we filled this old, creaking house with happy memories? What if I got to rewrite the rest of my life? It wouldn’t be drudgery and struggle; it would be pleasure and laughter and support.
Rhett glanced down the hallway and met my gaze. His expression softened, and for that one moment, it felt like his thoughts were mirroring mine.
What if this was real? What if this house, which had threatened to push us apart, actually drew us together? What if I’d won more than half a dilapidated house and a big tax bill? I could have won the man, the partnership, the home.
Throat tight, I forced a smile when Georgia complimented the fireplace, then glanced up the stairs at the sound of my boys’ shouts of excitement.
I looked at Rhett. “I think the boys have found their room.”
“Mom!” Nate screamed. “We have Hot Wheels blankets!”
“I got a Bugatti Bolide!” Alec screeched.
I had no idea what that was, but I assumed it was good. The boys appeared at the top of the stairs, showing off the new toys Rhett had gotten for them.
“Those are from Mr. Baldwin,” I told them. “What do you say?”
“Thank you!” they cried. Cardboard ripped, the boys disappeared, and then I heard the familiar sound of small toy cars rolling along hardwood floors.
I met Rhett’s gaze and mouthed my own thanks, chest once again feeling heavy with the weight of my emotion. He smiled softly at me, and no words were needed to convey to each other just how good it felt to see the boys so happy.
Feeling a prickling at the back of my neck, I turned my head and saw Georgia leaning against the opening to the living room, eyes knowing and soft. She smiled, and it wasn’t teasing or mocking. She looked genuinely happy for me—and that was almost too much for me to bear.
I clapped my hands. “I should’ve bought some drinks. You guys hungry? This is our housewarming!”
“I’m way ahead of you,” Rhett said. “Beers are in the fridge, and I got a couple bottles of wine while I was out. Sebastian?”
“I’ll have a beer,” he said.
“Wine for me,” Georgia replied.
“Comin’ right up,” Rhett answered before heading down the hallway and ducking into the kitchen.
Georgia met my gaze. “I like him,” she said, not nearly low enough for my taste. I was sure Rhett could hear her clearly. “The way you were talking about him, I thought he’d be some sort of villain.”
“He didn’t make a very good first impression,” I said, and saw Rhett’s head poke into view from the kitchen. He gave me a knowing look, and I had to pinch my lips together to stop from smiling. I gestured to the stairs. “You guys want to see the second level?”