Chapter 29 Felix #2
“No shit, Sherlock.” My tone is straight-up defensive because I’d like to punch my brother right in the nuts. “I picked out something Piper would like. She’s fucking beautiful just the way she is. That woman—my woman—doesn’t need any—”
I break off when Ian pulls me into a tight hug, still holding onto the velvet box like I’m cradling a caught ball in the end zone. “Well done, Felix.” He pulls away and cups my face between his giant mitts, clapping his palms against my cheeks. “You figured it out.”
Oh. He approves. Okay, then. Let’s fucking go.
“Hell, yeah, I figured it out.” My voice is a little trembly. Could be I’m developing sympathetic pregnancy hormones.
“It’s perfect,” Chase says.
“She’s gonna love it,” Eric adds with a laugh. “Assuming you don’t screw up the proposal the way you did last time.”
I wince. “About that. I need to do this right. I want to propose right here. This house…” I gesture around us. “It’s her childhood home, and Sadie raised her here. Honestly, I’ve felt more at home in this house over the past few weeks than I have anywhere in years.”
The three of them nod like they’re picking up what I’m laying down.
“You could go big.” Eric gives me a slow wink. “I hear secret garden themes are a thing for NFL players.”
I shake my head. “Much respect to my man in KC, but I’m done with secrets. That’s half of what got me into this mess in the first place.” I set the ring box on the counter. “Besides, Piper would see right through some elaborate production. She’d know it wasn’t me.”
“So what is you?” my brother asks. I have a feeling the great and powerful Playmaker already knows the answer, but I’m going to get there on my own.
I massage a hand over the back of my neck thinking about the past month. “I don’t want something ostentatious. Part of why I fucking fell for her is that Piper makes the ordinary moments feel special. She doesn’t need grand gestures. I want it to be real.”
“What about wildflowers?” Chase asks quietly. We all turn to look at him. “There are acres in bloom at the farm. Molly says they’re the perfect mix of delicate and resilient.”
Hats off to the quiet cowboy with his mic drop moment.
Delicate and resilient describe Piper perfectly.
Strong enough to keep going after losing her mom as a kid, soft enough to love a little girl who isn’t hers, and brave enough to make the decision to keep our baby even when her life was falling apart.
“That’s exactly her,” I say.
Chase reaches around to pat himself on the back. “I’m kind of an expert on women, just don’t tell Molly I said so.” We all laugh, and then he continues, “I’ll head back to the farm and call her on the way. We’ll bring back enough flowers to satisfy every bee on the planet.”
He turns for the door. “Wait,” I call out. “I also need a dog.”
Ian snorts. “You’re going to pick out a dog for the woman who wants to make her own decisions about everything?”
“Good point.” I scrub a hand over my face. “I need a stuffed dog that can represent getting one together. Based on how much she adored Max, committing to a dog might mean more than the actual ring. But, yeah, she gets a say.”
Three sets of eyes flick to the overflowing basket of stuffies visible through the doorway to the family room.
“I don’t want to use one of Ellie’s. This is for Piper.”
“I’ll run to the toy store in town,” Eric offers.
“Buy every breed of stuffed dog they have.” The idea builds momentum. “Hell, all the animals in the store. If Piper decides she wants a pet giraffe, I’ll find a way to make that happen.”
Eric grins. “Now you’re cooking with peanut oil.”
I turn to Ian and voice the question that refuses to stay buried in my chest. “What if she doesn’t come back?” The words come out raw in a way I hate but can’t seem to help.
“She’ll come back,” Ian says. “I’ll call Sadie and tell her the plan—”
“No.” I move toward the counter. “I’ll call Sadie. I want to ask her permission to marry her sister.”
“Dude.” Chase points a finger at me, then shifts to a thumbs-up. “Getting Sadie in your corner. Pro move.”
“Agreed,” Eric adds.
I grab my phone and immediately see a missed call from Piper. Several texts, too. I didn’t unmute it after Nancy left and I saw Ian’s message.
The texts are general variations of the same theme.
Piper: Call me.
Piper: Are you around?
Piper: Felix?
The last one was fifteen minutes ago.
I pull up voicemail, my stomach dropping to my toes as Piper’s voice fills my ear, shaking and hesitant in a way that makes my blood run cold.
“Hey, um, sorry to bother you. I know you’ve got a lot you’re dealing with and.
..well...” A ragged inhale. “I started cramping, and there’s some blood.
Sadie’s driving me to the hospital, but I was just wondering if you could.
..” She trails off. “Never mind. I’ll call you later with an update. Don’t worry about me.”
Don’t worry about me.
The phone nearly slips from my grip.
“What is it?” Ian’s voice sounds far away.
“Piper.” The word comes out strangled. “She’s bleeding and cramping. Sadie took her to the hospital.”
The room goes still.
“Something’s wrong,” I manage, my chest constricting, the air suddenly too thick to even draw a breath.
A moment later, I feel the solid weight of Ian’s hand on my shoulder, grounding me so I don’t come apart. There’s no time for that.
“It’s going to be okay,” he says.
“You don’t—”
“No,” he admits. “But you have to keep it together for Piper.”
Fuck yeah, I do.
“What do you need?” Eric asks quietly.
I look toward the stairs, where Ellie is sleeping peacefully, completely unaware that the woman we both love to the moon and back might be in trouble.
“Can you stay with Ellie?” My voice sounds hollow. “She should nap for at least—”
“However long it takes,” Ian tells me. “I’ve got her. You know where you need to be.”
“We’re here, too,” Chase says. “Whatever you or Piper need.”
Eric nods. “We’ll wait to hear before we do anything else.”
The proposal plans. Wildflowers and stuffed animals. All of it suspended now, hanging in the balance along with everything we stand to lose.
I grab my keys with shaking hands. None of it matters without her.
Ian’s right. I do know where I need to be—at Piper’s side, for as long as she’ll have me.
Without another word, I race past all three of them and out the door.