I’ll call him tomorrow and tell him.If he freaked out, at least she’d have her answer. And if he didn’t, then it’d be the perfect time to havethe talk.
Right. That was settled. She felt better for having made the decision. And now she was going to make another one.
Just as she pulled open the bottom drawer of her antique Victorian wardrobe, Peyton wandered into her room in her PJs and dressing gown, and sat crossed legged at the end of her bed.
“What’re you doing?”
Piper pulled out a large silver gift box from beneath a mountain of stuff she’d hoarded over the years, and dropped it onto the bed. “Something I should’ve done years ago.”
She opened the box. Inside were all the cards and gifts Colton had given her. Considering they’d only been together for six months, he’d sure showered her with lots of gifts.
Then again, they had disagreed quite frequently, and every time he’d crushed her confidence with some cutting remark, he’d apologized with a present. She stirred the contents with her finger. Why had she held onto everything for so long?
You know why.Guilt. Because he was dead, while she was still alive.
Peyton picked up a small square jewelry box. “Are you throwing everything out?” She opened the box and the diamond earrings glittered. They weren’t huge, and both she and her sister had always had heaps of jewelry, but his Christmas present had really shocked her. She knew he didn’t earn that much from the part time jobs he had in between his studying and she’d never expected anything so extravagant.
The drawback, of course, was Colton then thought she belonged to him. She tried to block the thought. It was in the past. Nothing could be changed.
“Yes. Well, I won’t throw them out.” She took the box from her sister. “I’ll donate them to the animal shelter the next time they have a fundraising.”
Her mobile rang.
“Don’t tell me,” Peyton said. “It’s your booty call.”
Piper glanced at the ID. It was Mason, and her sister’s words scraped along her nerves.Is that really all I am to him?
That’s why they were going to have a talk, wasn’t it? And while she didn’t feel like having it all out with him tonight, with the memories of Colton she’d raked up, there was never going to be the ideal time. “Hi.”
“Hey, baby.” His sinfully sexy voice sent shivers along her spine and she gave a silent sigh. Was it worth rocking the status quo?
Stop being an ostrich.
“I’m outside. You going to let me in?”
When he turned up late he always called her phone, rather than ringing the bell, so he didn’t accidentally wake Alfie. It was a purely considerate gesture but for some reason tonight it rubbed her up the wrong way.
“I thought we could go to the local tonight.” She eyed her sister, who raised her eyebrows.
“Sounds good to me.”
“Okay.” She shoved her phone into her jeans pocket as she left her bedroom. When she opened the front door, his smile reached right inside her chest and squeezed her heart.
I don’t want this to end between us.
His kiss managed to wipe every thought from her head, and by the time she came up for air she’d almost forgotten why they needed to talk tonight at all. “I just need to get my coat.”
He followed her inside and greeted Peyton, who was now curled up on the sofa with her tablet. In her room she pulled on a pair of ankle boots, sighed at her lack of makeup at her reflection, and grabbed her coat. When she turned round, Mason was in the doorway watching her.
“Ready?” There was an odd note in his voice. What, had he expected to turn up and go straight to bed?
I wouldn’t say no.And maybe that was the problem? Why would he think she wanted more when up until a few days ago she hadn’t even known that herself? Her attempt to discuss things on Friday was, now she thought about it, pretty pathetic.
She pasted on a fake smile. “Yes.”
