16. Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen
Asher – The Next Day
Venturing into town to explore with Piper and meet her mother for lunch has benefited me more than I expected. When I returned from the service, I was in no shape to see the scenery, and once I was well enough to get around on my own, I was too sucked into my depression to want to go out.
As we walk down the sidewalk, I point out some of the older shops that were around when I was a kid. The hardware store, a barber shop, a hair salon, a couple of restaurants, and the grocery store have been around for years.
Some of the newer places were other shops when I was younger but have changed hands since I left town. Magnolia Point has become a destination spot for artists, which is why Piper’s mother is in town.
There are spaces for painting, sculpting, drawing, sewing, and even wood carving. All the updated buildings and bright colors have given the little town new life. Some locals don’t love the changes, but I see no reason to complain. The buildings that have been renovated were falling on hard times, and now, they’ve been gutted and rebuilt, making our little piece of heaven the perfect place for travelers to stop and take everything in. And stay in my brother’s resort.
I wrap my arm around Piper’s shoulders and hold her closer. When I met her, I didn’t anticipate falling for her as quickly as I have but there’s no denying it. If she lived in Washington and refused to move to Kansas City, I’d have packed up and gone there just to see her again.
I smile and kiss her temple. Instead, fate was smiling at us, putting us in the same place. Whether it was here or after I moved to the Midwest, we were destined to meet. I feel it in my soul. She loops her arm around my waist and stops, placing her hand on my stomach. “Thank you for bringing me to town. I know you have a lot of things to do.”
“Don’t.” I place my index finger on her lips. “I have nothing better to do than spend the day with you. You’re leaving in two days. I want to spend this time with you.”
She frowns and the darkness in her eyes causes me to shake my head. “Don’t worry for one second that I’m going to disappear. I sent Truman all the necessary paperwork and called my parents this morning, letting them know I’m moving.” I stroke my thumb along her cheekbone. “When you leave, I’ll pack and be there before you miss me.”
“That’s not possible. I already miss you and I haven’t left.”
Her words make my heart clutch. I open my mouth to tell her I love her and snap it back shut. I swallow hard and then say, “Piper, I’m falling in love with you. I have been since the second I saw you balancing on a paddleboard and wishing you could hit me over the head with it.”
Her eyes twinkle as she bites her lips together. Two seconds later, the laughter wins. “That’s funny because I happen to remember that exact moment. But I wanted to trip you and cause that ‘smug, I’m too good for you’ expression off your face as you fell in the water.” She winks. “But I would’ve rescued you before you drowned.”
“Thank you.” I lift her feet off the ground as she squeals and wraps her arms around my neck.
She sobers and the look in her eyes makes my chest swell. Among other things. “I started falling in love with you when you put up with Roe asking you questions about why you were wearing jeans and then you asked me if I knew what your name was.”
After closing my eyes, I rest my forehead against hers. I don’t deserve her, especially how I acted when we first met, but I’m not letting her figure that out. When I meet her gaze again, she sighs and the happiness and adoration on her face is my undoing. “Move in with me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m positive. I know what I want, and that’s you with me. Forever.”
She licks her lips and nods. “Yes, I’ll move in with you.”
“Good.” I kiss her lips and pull back. “I need to make a call.”
“Okay.” She takes a step as if she’s going to give me space. I don’t want that. I snatch her hand to keep her close and call Truman.
When he answers, I ask, “Did you find some places?”
“Yes. They’re all good, solid condos.”
“How soon?”
“One is as soon as next week and a couple the week after. One wouldn’t be available until the end of the month.” His voice is matter of fact as if he’s going through the list he collected. If I had to guess, the available units are printed out and in a file on his desk. His messy, overcommitted desk.
“Send me the photos for the one next week.” I smile at Piper’s shocked expression.
“Give me a second.”
Ten minutes later, Piper approved the location, and the lease paperwork was on its way back to the owner.
“Can you survive a week without me?’
“I don’t want to, but I’ll make it.”
An older woman with dark hair and brown eyes marches toward us. “What took you so long?”
“Mom.” Piper jumps out of my arms and spins on her heel. But instead of chastising her, Piper’s mom opens her arms and holds her hands out to me. “Come here and let me see this handsome man who has put a smile on your face.”
After introducing myself to Andrea, we walk together toward the restaurant where we’re eating lunch. “I can’t believe you met each other by chance, and now you’re moving to Kansas City.”
I lift our joined fingers and kiss the back of Piper’s hand. “I was meant to meet this beautiful woman.”
“Hmm….” Andrea studies me. “I can’t wait until Charlotte gets to know you. She’s going to put Weston through the paces if you’re always this attentive to Piper.”
I inhale. Hopefully, this means I’ve passed the first test.
One hour later, we’re stuffed from Socra-tease sandwiches at the Riverside Cafe, Andrea is telling me all about her obsession with pottery and how she ended up dragging her children to Magnolia Point for a vacation. “I love this town. I can see coming here for a vacation every year to learn and sell my pottery.”
Piper glances at me out of the corner of her eye as if she’s asking whether that’s something I’d like. “I’d also love to come here and spend time with my family.” I return my attention to Piper. “But we’ll stay up at my parent’s house. It’s big enough for everyone. They have a finished apartment in the basement and plenty of space on the main floors. There are ten bedrooms and five bathrooms altogether, leaving room for everyone.
“Don’t you think you should ask first?”
“Sweetheart, they’re going to do anything you ask. Once they meet you, and see how happy you make me, you’ll have the right to do anything you want.”
“Especially once the babies start coming.” Andrea pipes up and Piper coughs until her eyes water.
“Mom, slow down.”
“Fine.” She raises her hands palms upward. “I understand that you want some time together in your new place before introducing children, but it won’t be long.”
“How do you….” Piper snaps her mouth shut and blinks. “How do you know we’re planning to live together?”
“Please.” Andrea rolls her eyes. “It’s obvious that the two of you are going to be inseparable, and I, for one, couldn’t be happier.”
“Me, either.” I lay my arm around Piper’s shoulders.
“So, tell me about you.”
“Okay.” As I talk about my time in the service, my injury, and my recovery, it doesn’t submerse me in an abyss of depression. Yes, it hurts to remember everything that happened, but I’ve reached the other side, and there’s a bright ray of sunshine leading the way to the future.
Piper is my bright ray of sunshine.