Piper was breathing hard. I could tell she was trying to keep from falling apart in front of her son.
“You’re probably right, Ollie,” she said. “Thank you for showing this to me. I’m glad to have it.”
“You’re not mad?”
She hugged him. “No, baby. Not mad at all.”
Piper smiled through dinner, but her mind seemed far away. After she got Ollie into bed, she and I sat on the couch again.
She took the locket out of the jewelry box and opened it, looking again at the hidden picture inside.
“Why would my mom keep this?” Piper whispered. “I guess she must’ve loved him, but she couldn’t be with him. Maybe that’s why she was so miserable the whole time I knew her. That’s why she hated me.”
I pulled her against me. Piper’s head tucked beneath my chin. “But she kept that locket like it was precious,” I said. “Shecould’ve kept a photo of just him, but it wasn’t. It was the three of you.”
Damn. Life really was complicated, wasn’t it?
Piper sniffled and wiped at her tear-streaked face. “There was this big presentation we did at school one year. Seventh grade, maybe? We each had a role saying something about Colorado history, and most everyone’s parents came. Zach spoke right before me, because we were in alphabetical order. K before L. My parents didn’t show.”
She took a breath, and I stroked her hair.
“But afterward, Mr. Kirby saw me standing alone and walked over. He said…” She swallowed. “He said I did a great job. I should be proud of myself, and my mom and dad would be proud if they were there.”
A sob burst from Piper’s throat. I crushed her to my chest.
There was no way I could make this better except hold her. So that’s what I did. I held her and told her, over and over, that I loved her.
“Sleep in my bed with me?” she asked.
It would be the first time I slept in her room with Ollie in the house. Another big step. But if she was ready for that, I was ready too. “You want me to wake up next to you?”
“I just need you, Grayden. I don’t think I could make it through all this without you.”
“You don’t have to. I’m going to take care of you tonight. Don’t worry about another thing.”
I knew I could spend the rest of my life taking care of her. Loving her. And it would still barely scratch the surface.
Actually, that sounded like a pretty good plan.
SIXTY-ONE
Piper
It was spring,and Grayden was finally ready to open his tattoo studio.
At least, he would be ready tomorrow. Today was a special preview just for me. I felt like a very lucky girl. That was how Grayden made me feel every day.
But I’d been looking forward to seeing his mural for over two months now. The man had been so secretive about it.
I parked in front of Grayden’s place and got out. It had completely transformed in the last several months. Fresh new paint in a vibrant green. Repairs to the roof. A new stone walkway, which led to the porch.
But the most prominent feature of all was the wooden sign hanging from the eaves of the porch.
Roses & Thorns Tattoo Studio. All in hand-painted lettering. My man definitely had some talented hands.
As I walked up the steps, the door opened, and Grayden stepped outside with a gorgeous smile on his face. I loved how much he smiled now. It wasn’t a rare occurrence anymore.
“You ready to come take a look?” he asked.
