Piper looked at me with alert eyes. The second I hung up, we both rose to our feet.
“Did something happen to Charlotte?” She sounded truly worried.
“She just won’t stop crying.” Which was bad enough even though Isabeau had tried to downplay it. “Sorry to leave in a hurry again. I’ll just walk around the house.”
“It’s okay, really. Thanks for the pralines.”
My life was so damn complicated at this point. I was on call all the time for Charlotte. I didn’t regret it—it was the way I wanted things to be—but this could become very annoying for Piper. And yet I couldn’t leave here without saying what I came for in the first place.
“Piper, I know that earlier this week?—”
“Yesterday,” she pointed out, which indicated that she knew exactly what I meant.
“Yesterday,” I continued, “I told you that there’s no space in my life for anything other than my daughter.”
“I know. And I admire you for that. She should come first, and I totally understand that, Beckett.”
I came closer to her, putting one hand on her shoulder and the other under her chin.
“But after last night, I can’t stay away. I don’t want to. You understand me, Piper? This thing between us is bigger than I realized. And definitely more powerful than my rational side.”
She smiled. “Me too. So, where does that leave us?”
“I’m not sure,” I confessed. “But I know one thing. I want you. I want to be with you all the time, but I can’t make any promises. As you can see, my life is very unpredictable these days.”
“I don’t mind,” she replied quickly. “I’m totally flexible. And remember, Charlotte is welcome here anytime.”
I swallowed hard. “You mean that?”
“Yes. I’m very easygoing. Just…”
“What?” I prodded. “Tell me anything, everything. I don’t want us to keep things from each other or this will be doomed from the start.”
“Okay. Last night, I was convinced that we could talk about work in the car and we’d be fine, that we’d figure it all out.”
I started to laugh.
“Don’t laugh at me.” Piper pouted.
“I’m sorry, but that would never have worked, babe.”
“I thought it might, but then you went ahead and seduced me with pralines and your jacket.”
“This is crazy.”
“It is,” she whispered.
It was the most complicated time of my life, but I felt in my bones that this was the right thing to do.
Clearing her throat, she said, “But we’ll still keep a professional tone in all our communication whenever your team is involved.”
“Of course.”
She hesitated before adding, “I don’t think my boss should know about us either.”
I frowned. “Really? Josh seems pretty laid-back.”
“I don’t think he’ll be very happy about it. It’s policy not to fraternize with clients or office personnel.”
