Chapter 11
As they sang the final notes, Myles brought Piper to a stop. Her eyes were dilated, the pulse in her throat hammering, and it took everything he had not to take her mouth right then and there. Applause broke the spell.
She recovered first, turning toward the crowd with a laugh. “Myles Stewart, ladies and gentlemen! Our Bob Wallace is a man of hidden talents.”
Understanding his cue, Myles gave a sweeping bow.
They vacated the stage for Tucker. Myles wanted to pull Piper into the hallway, outside, anywhere but in the middle of all these freaking people. But she went back to her seat. Resigned, he followed.
After doing Nat King Cole proud with his rendition of “L-O-V-E”, Tucker made way for Tyler. As the opening notes of “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” began to play, she looked out at the audience and arched a brow. “Really?” Somebody cheered from back near the door. Tyler just shook her head and offered up a little wave as she launched into the song, hamming it up, and wringing every ounce of parodied emotion out of the piece.
Brody didn’t seem to be amused by the performance. The poor guy looked like he’d been gut punched, white-faced and a little sick. What was that about?
When Tyler finished, Brody met her at the edge of the stage to take the mic. He murmured something that had her frowning before she returned to her table. The music started and something in the room palpably shifted as Brody fixed his gaze on Tyler and began to sing, “I’ll Stand By You.”
This. This is what Piper was talking about.
Myles watched, as captivated as everyone else in the room, while Brody serenaded Tyler with a sincerity that evoked all the feels, as his sister would say. Through it all, Tyler sat, cheeks flushed, twitching in her seat.
When he finished, the crowd went nuts, rising to a full-on standing ovation. Eyes still on her, Brody stepped off the stage, passing the mic off to Myles. Tyler was up in a second, jerking her head toward the fire exit and the alley. Without a word, Brody followed.
“Oh boy,” Piper muttered.
“That’s either really good or really bad,” Myles observed.
“I can’t stand it.” She broke away from the crowd of singers and cut toward the front door.
Myles tossed the mic to Charlotte and trailed after her. “Piper, you’re going to freeze in that dress.”
“Don’t care.”
“You can’t just eavesdrop on them.”
She spared him a bare glance of disbelief. “What kind of reporter are you?”
She had him there. Giving up, he followed her outside, sneaking around to the alley that ran behind Speakeasy. They peered through the space between one of the employees’ cars and the wall as Tyler’s laugher rang out.
Hands clasping hers, Brody’s face was serious. “I hardly think this is a laughing matter.”
That just elicited another round of giggling.
Oh Jesus, he didn’t do something stupid like propose, did he?
Tyler managed to choke down her mirth long enough to get out, “Brody, Ollie is my dog.”
“Your… dog,” Brody said. “But I heard you talking, at the shop earlier, saw the toys, and I thought…” He trailed off.
The smile was still in her voice as she said, “You thought he was my son. That he was our son.”
“I… yeah.” There was no mistaking the disappointment on his face.
Tyler’s laughter died. “Brody, honey, did you honestly think it was possible that I could’ve had a child, your child, and somehow you wouldn’t have known about it? That I would have kept such a thing from you, if it were true?”
He released her to scrub both hands over his face. “Okay, yeah, when you put it that way, it does sound ridiculous. But I just… from what you said it sounded like you were talking to a child. And then he was seven. And…”
“You leapt to some really impressive conclusions. Why didn’t you just ask outright? If not me, then Tucker or Piper. They could’ve told you otherwise.”
“I figured if they hadn’t told me, it was for a reason. Same with you. I… I’m sorry for making things weird. God, you must think I’m an idiot.”
In the face of his supreme embarrassment, something in Tyler’s expression softened. “Doesn’t have to be weird if we don’t let it be. Come on, I’m sure there’s a list another mile long of requests waiting for us.” She held out a hand, probably the first gesture of peace and welcome she’d made to him since he got back. When he took it, she pulled him in for a hug. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For wanting to do the right thing.”
As soon as the door slapped shut behind them, Piper surged up from her crouch, flinging her arms around Myles’ neck and hugging him tight. “Your plan worked!” She kissed him, a quick smacking thing, ended on a bubbling laugh almost before it was begun.
Myles was out of self-restraint. As he slid his arms around her, Piper’s delight shifted to confusion, then awareness. He didn’t give her time to pull away before capturing that mouth he’d been dreaming about for weeks. If she’d pushed him away, he’d have let her go. Reluctantly, but he’d have managed. Instead, she slid her fingers into his hair and opened for him on a sigh.
That almost instant acquiescence fired his blood, had him wanting all of her in fast, greedy bites before starting all over again. But he’d been waiting too damned long for this, so he forced himself to slow down, keep the tone slow and easy, with just a hint of an edge to remind her that he wasn’t the mild-mannered music producer he played on stage.
He’d wanted this, wanted to taste her mouth in private, before they crossed that line in whatever fashion Nate deemed appropriate for the show. She tasted of the lemon water she’d been drinking all night. There was nothing of the timid Betty Haynes about her now. She was the one who dove deeper, pulling him under with a sexy little moan that had his control fraying.
Myles had just enough sanity left to remember where they were. In an alley, only a few dozen feet away from their entire cast of co-stars and a good portion of the entire town. With his last shreds of control, he eased back. Piper stared up at him, cheeks flushed, lips wet and rosy. Her breath wasn’t altogether steady. As he watched, awareness seeped back in for her, too. Before she could say anything—like This was a mistake—Myles spoke. “Tyler and Brody aren’t the only ones who make a good team on stage and off.”
For the first time since he’d met her, Piper Parish was speechless. And it was pretty damned adorable.
He chucked her under the chin and stepped back before he dove back in where they’d left off. “I’ve got a late night to put the paper to bed properly, but I’ll see you at rehearsal, Betty. Meanwhile, I’ll be dreaming of March 20th. And so will you.”
Whistling, Myles walked away, leaving his lovely leading lady staring after him.
Choose Your Next Romance
Oooee, Piper sure didn’t expect to be left hanging. I hope you were adequately prepared But don’t worry, you don’t have to wait for the conclusion of their story. Grab your copy of Just For This Moment to continue. Turn the page for a Sneak Peek!
Or, if you’re into the matchmaking vibe, allow me to point you to The Misfit Inn series, which features a precocious matchmaking teenager who’s all too happy to interfere in her aunts’ lives. And those of many other couples in Eden’s Ridge. It starts with When You Got A Good Thing.