41. Piper
FORTY-ONE
PIPER
“I feel bad you’re hanging out with me instead of spending time with all the folks who are here for your destination wedding,” I tell Alana as we stroll down Avenida Fuerza Armadas. “I’m the most boring person in the world.”
“That is not true.” She sips on her smoothie and pulls her shawl tight around her body. The sun is shining, but the temperature is hovering around sixty degrees. The brisk ocean air makes it feel cooler than it actually is, and I shiver. “Besides, I needed to get out of the hotel. I love my family very much, but all of them in the same space for a prolonged period is not my brightest idea. I got sucked into a twenty-minute conversation this morning with my Aunt Ethel about menopause. I love the lady, but I don’t need to hear about what’s waiting for me three decades down the road.”
I laugh. “So I’m a second choice to menopause? Got it.”
“Oh, I really do like you. You should know, Piper, I’m a nosy bitch. Since you’re dating my brother, that makes you the most interesting person in the world.”
“What do you want to know about me?”
“Okay, first, I’m a nosy bitch, not a regular bitch. If you don’t want to share something, you don’t have to. I’m curious about you, obviously, but you don’t owe me any explanations about your life.”
“I think you’d like my friend, Lexi. You two are very similar.” I link my arm through hers and smile. “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know, but, seriously. Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t have an amazing backstory.”
“We’ll see about that.” Alana stops us in front of a bakery and eyes a stack of flaky croissants. “Liam told me you’re divorced. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah.” I touch my necklace chain, a reflex when I hear his name. “We met in college and got married young. There were so many signs I missed early on that warned me he wasn’t right for me, but I ignored them because I loved him, you know? The divorce was finalized a couple of years ago, and I’m so glad to be past it.”
“Is he an athlete?”
“Gosh, no. Steven is in the tech industry. He founded a startup that made a lot of money, worked long hours, never gave me the attention I craved, then slept with his secretary. It sounds so dramatic when I say it back, but I’m okay. Slightly less trusting than I was when I was younger, but okay.”
“Good. I love women who overcome a shitty experience in their life and come back even stronger.” Alana squeezes me, and I smile. “I’ve been there. I thought the guy I dated in college was The One. He was older than me, and I thought I could hold his attention. When I turned twenty-one, he dumped me and started dating an eighteen-year-old.”
“Ugh. I’m so sorry. It can be hard, can’t it? You blame yourself. You wonder what you could’ve done differently. All the while, it was never your fault.”
“Exactly. But we’re done talking about the trash that’s taken itself out. How do you like working for the Stars? I spent so much time at Liam’s games growing up, hockey lost its appeal to me.”
“Understandable, honestly. I get burnt out during the season too. I love working for the Stars, though. It’s fun to be part of an organization that cares about diversity. I know it’s a male-dominated sport, but they were the first time with a female on their roster for a regular season game. I’m one of the few female reporters in the league, and Lexi, the friend I mentioned, is the best athletic trainer in the NHL. The job itself is incredible, and sometimes I have to pinch myself to remember this is my life.”
“Ugh. That’s incredible to hear. We need more women in roles where men don’t think we belong. I created a dating app that puts the power in the woman’s hands. They’re the ones who get to send the first like. They’re the ones who initiate conversation. The men on the app can’t do anything unless she initiates first, and sometimes, she doesn’t want to.”
“What do you do for same-sex couples or folks who identify as nonbinary?”
“Your reporter side is coming out, I see,” Alana teases. “For anyone who isn’t interested in a heterosexual man, there’s a random generator to determine which party will start the conversation between two individuals. We have a team who monitors the outcome of the results to make sure users aren’t feeling like they’re never the ones who get to talk first.”
“Wow. That’s innovative. I spent a week on dating apps after my divorce and had to delete them because there were way too many dick pics. Like, why am I getting a picture of your junk at noon on a Thursday? Yours sounds much more fun. What’s the name of it? When I’m ready to dip my toes back in the dating pool, I’ll download it.”
“Planning on breaking up with my brother?” she teases, and I blush. “Did he tell you I know that you two are faking it?”
“He did, and I feel so bad. That was the whole point of the deal we made, and we messed it up twelve hours in.”
“You didn’t mess anything up. I know my brother, and I knew he was hiding something.”
“You have no idea,” I say under my breath, and she gives me a coy look. “Sorry. I’m going to be respectful of his ask and not talk about it.”
Alana hums. “The more time I spend with you, the more I like you, Piper. I don’t know what exactly you and my brother are doing, but this is the happiest I’ve seen him in years.”
My heart thunders in my chest. I try not to look too eager for more information, so I wait a beat before asking, “Really? How so?”
“You’ve spent time with him. You know how important hockey is in his life, and that’s how it’s always been. In high school and college, he was good, but he had to work twice as hard as his teammates. Playing came naturally to them, and Liam was the one trying to catch up to their skill set. That instilled a fear in him, I think. Like, he couldn’t take a second off because it would mean he wasn’t making the sport a priority. I look at him now and he’s smiling. Laughing and laid-back in a way he’s never been. He’s present . I’m not saying you’re the direct cause, but you might be.”
“We’re spending time together.” I shrug and adjust my purse strap. “I’ve slipped into his routine, and he’s slipped into mine. I’m not sure either of us realized what was happening, but he’s been a constant in my life the last few months. A pillar I’ve needed as I found myself again. I’m afraid of what could happen between us because I care about him as a person. Because he’s my friend, and the thought of losing him terrifies me.”
“I’ve always thought it was silly we put labels on relationships. Why can’t two people just spend time together without categorizing it? It doesn’t make how you feel about the person any less valid. Am I going to love Harry more when he’s my husband? No. If you and Liam are enjoying each other’s company, keep enjoying each other’s company.”
The thought of walking away from Liam makes me sad.
He’s patched up all my wounds. Mended me and healed me in a way I used to dream about. I’m sure another man will treat me right, but it’s hard to imagine wanting another man when I only want him .
My husband.
The irony of being attracted to the man I’m legally bound to when the last time I had a ring on my finger, he wanted nothing to do with me.
A laugh races out of me, and I shake my head at the absurdity of it all. At the path my life has taken this year and how I ended up here , in Spain, with the goalie who scowls at everyone but me and happier than I could ever imagine.
“Sorry.” I give Alana a sheepish look and dip my chin. “I’m not laughing at you. I love that way of thinking, by the way. I’m having a moment.”
“A good moment?”
“Yeah. I’m just really glad to be here. Thank you for getting married.”
“Oh, you’re very welcome. Did Liam tell you what gifts he got us?”
“Wait. We’re supposed to bring gifts to this? Shoot. I totally forgot. Hopefully, my millionaire fake boyfriend remembered.”
Alana rests her head on my shoulder. “Yeah. You can stick around, Piper Mitchell.”
“You’re too kind, Alana Sullivan. Wait. Are you taking Harry’s last name?”
She groans. “I wish I didn’t have to, but I want to do the traditional thing. Do you know what it is?”
“No, and now I’m afraid to hear it.”
“Clutterbuck. I’m going to be Alana fucking Clutterbuck.”
I try to hold back my laugher, but it’s impossible. I cackle until my sides hurt and tears prick my eyes. When I get myself under control, I look at her unimpressed face and lose it again.
“That is really unfortunate,” I wheeze. “You must love him very much.”
“I do. I can’t wait to go to the DMV and get called Clusterfuck or Flutterfuck.”
“Maybe Buttercuck? That’s kind of cute.”
“I like your optimism.” She pats my hand and points up the road. “Want to head back? They’re probably going to look for me soon.”
“I guess we should. This is your party and all,” I say, and we start our walk back to the hotel. “Do you get to DC a lot? If you’re ever in town, you’ll have to grab dinner with me and my friends.”
“We’re opening an office on the East Coast later this year, so I planned to make a stop up to see Liam. I’d much rather hang out with you.”
“Please. I’d love that. I’ll give you my number so you can text me and we can set something up.”
“I learned a long time ago to not meddle in my brother’s personal life, and I really don’t want to piss him off. But I’m going to say this: you’re good for him, Piper. As a friend. As a fake girlfriend. As a… whatever else you all are doing. Because I know there’s something else. Just don’t give up on him, okay?”
“I wouldn’t dare.” I smile at the sunshine on my face and the warmth in my heart. “He’s good for me, too."