Chapter Eleven
Piper decided that her last night of living on her own should involve the three women that she loved the most. So, she invited Lorna, Sunny, and Maddie over for a girls-only sleepover.
She never really had a sleepover before.
Sunny spent the night a few times over the years, but she wanted something like she saw in the movies —a real sleepover.
She loved the idea of having the three of them over to watch scary movies, paint each other’s nails, and hopefully have a wicked pillow fight.
She wanted to experience all the firsts that she missed out on.
Sunny was the first one there, complete with armloads of food and wine.
Lorna showed up next with chick flicks she rented from the library—they all looked super gory and were just what Piper was hoping for.
The pizza delivery guy showed up next, trailed by Maddie, who was kissing Jack good-bye on the sidewalk.
“Oh, give it a rest, you two! You’ve already knocked up Mads, Jack.
Just get your pregnant ass in here so we can eat all this food, Maddie,” Sunny shouted.
Piper giggled at Sunny. Her best friend really did have a way with words.
Jack paid the pizza guy for them and waved goodbye to all the women, causing a group swoon.
“He is dreamy,” Maddie gushed. They all collapsed onto the sectional sofa in the family room and got ready for the movie that Lorna picked.
Piper even turned down the lights to get the full effect.
About halfway through the movie, Maddie rubbed her tiny baby bump and announced that she had to pee.
It was perfect timing—Piper wanted to check in with Tag and see how things were going.
He was supposed to be moving his stuff up to the cabin tonight since both Jack and Torren agreed to help out.
She loved the idea that tomorrow night she and Tag would be up at the cabin, just the two of them.
Every time she thought about it, she got goosebumps.
“Oh my God, you’re texting Tag, aren’t you?” Sunny grabbed for Piper’s phone, but she was able to pull it out of her friend’s reach just in time. She held her cell to her chest, clutching it for dear life.
“No.” She raised her chin defiantly as if challenging Sunny to try to take it away. “I was just checking the weather app for tomorrow. I don’t want any surprises,” Piper lied.
“Well, I’m calling bull crap!” Sunny was tickling Piper, trying to coax the phone from her death grip. “Come on, Pipe, give me the phone. None of the rest of us are texting our guys.”
“I have no guy to text.” Lorna made a pouty face at her own words and took a huge gulp of her wine. Maddie returned from the bathroom just in time to get in on the action.
“My guy is with Tag, and he says to tell you that they are all packing up the trucks at the condo now and going up to the cabin. He also said to tell you that Tag’s phone has a low battery and might die at any time.
Also, Tag says he can’t wait until you move up to the cabin tomorrow.
” Maddie looked down at her phone, reading over the text message again, and then smiling to herself.
“I can’t repeat the rest of Jack’s message since it was just for me and filthy dirty.
” Maddie waggled her eyebrows when the rest of the women groaned in unison.
“I can’t help it if he knows all of the good dirty words to use; it’s his gift.
” Maddie sat back on the sofa and pulled a box of half-eaten pepperoni pizza onto her lap.
She was a bottomless pit. Sunny sank next to Maddie, pulled off another slice of pizza, and poured herself some more wine.
“Wait, what guy are you not texting, Sunny?” Piper asked and sat next to Lorna, pulling a blanket over them both.
She looked at Sunny and waited for her answer.
Sunny was the most stubborn woman Piper knew, and if she didn’t want to answer a question, she would just pretend that one wasn’t asked.
“Sunny, are you seeing someone and haven’t told me?
” Piper was met with Sunny’s glare, and she knew that she was onto something.
Her friend had a secret guy on the side, and she didn’t want to spill the details yet.
Well, that was too bad. Sunny didn’t pull any punches when it came to getting Piper and Tag together.
Piper was just returning the favor. “Sunny—” Piper started.
“Oh, all right, Miss nosey pants. I’ve been texting with someone. I just don’t want to ruin it by telling anyone yet,” Sunny admitted.
“Texting? Just texting?” Piper wanted to push a little. After all, it wasn’t like Sunny not to share, especially when her news involved a guy.
“Yes, just texting. Nothing else is happening, so can we just drop it? I take back what I said earlier. Feel free to text Tag all you want. Just leave me alone!” Piper laughed at Sunny’s sour expression.
She knew that whoever her friend was texting was giving Sunny a hard time.
Men always came easily for Sunny. Maybe some guy playing hard to get would be good for her.
“All right, ladies, that’s enough boy talk for now.
Sunny, wipe that frown from your face and hand me the bowl of popcorn.
Let’s finish this movie so we can move on to eating chocolate cake and pillow fights.
” Lorna was always the one to stop little tiffs before they happened.
She was the mother hen of the group, and Piper loved her for it.
Piper turned the lights back down and tried to concentrate on the movie, but all she could think about was who Sunny’s new guy was and what Tag was doing.
Her life certainly took a turn in a very short amount of time.
She went from spending most nights alone, pigging out on pizza and ice cream, to having the most wonderful friends and boyfriend a girl could ask for.
She pulled out her phone and texted Tag.
She was sure that he would get it once he got to the cabin.
She wanted him to know how excited she was about beginning this next chapter of her life with him.
It was what she was waiting for, but didn’t know that she wanted.
As if she were afraid to wish for someone as wonderful as Tag.
A few seconds after she sent him the message, Tag sent her back a heart emoji followed by the words, “Right back at you, Honey.” Yeah, she was one lucky girl.
Tag was exhausted by the time they got all three trucks unloaded.
He was officially moved into his grandfather’s old cabin, and it felt like he was finally home.
Torren and Jack brought beer and pizza, and some delicious-looking concoction that Sunny whipped up.
Aaron showed up with one last load that he picked up from the condo after his shift was over.
He looked dead to the world as he grabbed a beer and two slices of pizza.
“Man, you look rough,” Torren said, slapping Aaron on the back, grabbing a beer of his own.
“Thanks, Tor. You always know just what to say.” Aaron nudged his friend as he passed by. “I just worked eighteen hours straight, I’m a little tired.” Aaron shoved the rest of a slice into his mouth and swallowed it down with half his beer.
“Why don’t you crash up here tonight, Aaron? That way, you can help at Piper’s in the morning.” Tag offered his friend another beer.
“If you have the room, that sounds great. I always keep a bag in my truck so I have everything I need. You never know when a call is going to turn into a few days at the station.” Aaron shrugged and concentrated on his pizza.
As a fireman, Aaron was always on call. Tag knew that his friend was dedicated to his job.
He almost gave his life to his work, literally.
“I need to get back to the condo. I have some company coming over to help me celebrate having the place all to myself.” Everyone knew what Torren meant by “company”. All three men groaned when Torren held up three fingers.
“Really, Tor? Three women? You know what to do with three women?” Aaron teased.
“Man, just because you seem a little confused about the female species right now doesn’t mean you can take it out on me.
” Torren smugly sat back in their grandfather’s favorite chair.
Tag knew that his brother had no problem with the female persuasion.
He was pretty sure that three women at once wasn’t Torren’s best. He got home from his long weekend with Piper to find five women hanging out at their condo.
Torren always was a little wild, but lately, he was taking things to a whole new level.
Tag was starting to worry about his brother.
“How about you, Mr. Big Mouth, you seeing anyone lately? Or are you still dating your hand?” Torren asked Aaron. He threw a pillow at Aaron, who dodged the blow.
“Not seeing someone, more like just talking,” Aaron admitted.
Tag knew that something was up with Aaron since he hadn’t made it into the shop lately.
He just figured that his friend was busy at work.
His department lost a few guys to cutbacks, and he knew that Aaron was picking up some of the slack.
He would pass him on his way to Sunny’s for morning coffee.
Usually, Aaron was leaving Sunny’s bakery as Tag was going in.
“So, you gonna share who you’re talking to, or do we get to guess?” Jack asked. He sat next to Aaron on the sofa, waiting to be filled in. “Okay, so we are going to guess.” Jack looked at Tag and Torren for any suggestions.
“Sunny,” Tag guessed. “I think it’s Sunny. Did you two hook up after her little stunt on the hike the other day?” Aaron froze, and Tag knew that he had hit a nerve. He almost felt bad about opening his big mouth.
“No and no, we didn’t hook up.” Aaron seemed to concentrate even more on his food, and Tag let the subject drop.
Whatever was going on between Aaron and Sunny, his friend was obviously not ready to talk about it.
Tag knew not to push Aaron, so he was happy that Jack seemed to pick up on the tension and change the subject.
“I’m heading back down to town tonight to pick up Maddie.
She doesn’t want to stay the night; she says she will miss me too much.
” Jack puffed out his chest, but Tag wasn’t buying it.
The truth was that Jack probably would be the one missing Maddie.
Since they announced that they were going to have a baby, Jack was even more overprotective than usual.
Tag couldn’t blame him; he was beginning to feel the same way about Piper, and they had been together for a few days now.
He couldn’t wait to be married and have a baby on the way.
He just worried that Piper wouldn’t feel the same way.
It was something that they didn’t discuss.
He didn’t want to push her away, and she didn’t want any promises.
They would just have to navigate their way as they went.
This was all new to him since he had never lived with another woman before.
Well, except his mother. He knew that he and Piper moving in together was right, he was just worried that they were going too fast for her.
He was afraid that one morning he would wake up and she would be gone.
He didn’t want to think about a life without Piper.
Sooner or later, they would have to figure out what their future would look like, but right now, he was willing to take what he could get.