“We know,” Matt commented, and that was it. No more needed to be said.
By the time we finished up, and made our way to the big house, I was ready for the investors the next morning, but I was really ready to see Perrin again. Of course, I found him back in Piper’s room, with Piper and one of her friends from school.
After a long and relaxing Mann Sunday dinner, I helped CJ clean up, talking over at the sink, whenI saw Piper’s blonde hair bobbing out from the top of the island, heading toward Perrin. Her friend had gone home long before, and she was getting into her nighttime routine.
I know CJ warred with herself between still living at the big house with our moms or moving out on her own. But, for Perrin, CJ living there was a gift and helping Piper with her bedtime every Sunday night was something I had learned he always looked forward to. I hadn’t noticed it at first, but he would just disappear for a while later in the evening after every family dinner. It was Rita who eventually told me why a few weeks ago. Apparently, he was Piper’s requested bed-time story reader.
“Hey, sunshine,” Perrin said, giving her the full smile that broke out like the very sun he called her. That girl had him completely in the palm of her hand, it was almost comical. She had really taken to him. Not that I could blame her.
A few weeks ago, Perrin and I were at lunch, my office and the hospital were on the same block so lunch together happened once a week or so, and CJ called to ask if I could get Piper at school. Apparently, Piper was running a temperature and needed to go home early.
It wasn’t thatuncommonfor CJ to ask for help like that from me or one of my brothers. CJ herself had driven into Denver that day for family business, and she knew if I couldn’t go, I would know the most available brother for the task. But Perrin overheard the call and instantly agreed to go, as he had scrubbed out for the day and was leaving toward home when we met up. Perrin and Piper had spent the entire afternoon together, she on his couch resting, with the most attentive baby-sitter you could ask for.
It still tugged on my heart to think about it, to think about what it was like to come home to him taking care of the kid I loved most in this world.
Tonight, Piper was coming through the living room with a book in her hand, and pulled him down to the couch and climbed on his lap, and she looked impossibly small under his wide shoulders and broad chest. Since we were similar in size, it surprised me sometimes how big of a guy he was.
CJ and Iquietlycleaned the kitchen, but we were really both listening to the easy banter of Piper and Perrin. Her giggles bubbled up, and his throaty laugh followed as well.
“Will you read me this book, P?” I heard her ask.
“Of course I will. Unlessyou want to read it to me.”
“You.”
“Fine, but one condition . . ..” He trailed off dramatically, causing me to half-snort quietly. He was so damned good with her. It was hot as hell. I think it surprised me because I knew he hadn’t been around kids in his own family, although in his work he interacted with several. Maybe that was why Piper liked him so much. His approach wasn’t to treat her as a kid, but to treat her as a friend.
“What?” she asked, her still kid-pudgy hands pressing the sides of his cheeks to make him look at her.
“Well, do you think you would let me do the voices?” He purred at her.
Voices?
“Yes! Do them! Please?” she said excitedly. She wasn’t shouting, but she was definitely excited about what they are talking about. And, I realized, she knew exactly what he meant, even if I was at a loss.
Perrin was laughing with her, and agreed that he would do the voices.
“P?” she asked, before he could even open the book.
“What is it, sunshine?”
“Are we friends?”
I could tell the question threw him off-guard. His big hand paused on trying to open the book, and he gave her his full attention. I wondered how he knew that for Piper this was serious. Kids didn’t ask questions like that unless it was important; and somehow he knew it was important to her - whatever it was.
“Of course we are, I mean, I definitely consideryouto bemy friend, Piper,” he said easily.
“Then, can I ask you something? It’s private.”
I felt CJ’s hand on mine as I instantly went very still. I tried to breathe carefully, trusting Perrin enough that he could handle this, but also ready to jump in if I felt like I needed to. I wanted to shrug off her hand and pretend like it didn’t matter. But, the truth was, no matter how long ago it was for me, this shit still scared me to death if I even contemplated Piper being in a similar situation.
Of course, if someone asked Piper to keep a secret, it could mean a whole host of things. Keeping secrets was one of the ways Rhodes had groomed me when I was a child and it put me on high alert when anything like that occurred around my niece or her friends.
“Well, sunshine, you can ask me anything. But, has your mom talked to you about secrets?” he asked.
She nodded profoundly, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Apparently, Perrin knew how to handle this. It made my chest burn.
“I know not to have secrets from you guys,” she said, with an eye roll, which got a definite low chuckle from Perrin. Somehow, he was now lumped into that group of protectors and authority figures. “That’s why I’mtelling you,” she said, shaking her head at him, as if he was exasperating her.
