And that—the way her ribcage felt like it was expanding too fast, and her brain couldn't keep pace—that was a real problem.
"I need to go check in with Anna." Piper bit at her bottom lip.
"Want me to tag along?" he asked.
Piper scanned the leftover destruction. "I think you've got quite a bit left to do here."
He nodded and gave her a quick kiss. Nothing special, just a standard goodbye-for-now kiss between two people who cared about each other.
That was the part that made her queasy. Because it was normal. Nothing unusual. And that made it extra special.
Right before she crossed the threshold, she muttered under her breath, "This is dangerous. I like this. I like him."
"Piper," Babushka caught her before she could get out the door. She patted Piper's cheek. "You are vorried. Do not vorry. You vill fix dress. You are like pretty duct tape. Ve are lucky you are here."
Piper almost laughed. Almost cried. Maybe both.
"Thank you." She went in for a hug because… well... it felt right.
Babushka caught her hands before she could back away. "And I know, your concern? It's not really about the dress. But ve von't tell Zachary."
Babushka held tight while she smiled a terrifying grin. Like she knew. She knew Piper's world was changing and, dammit, she liked it a whole lot.
"Right. Okay. I'll see you soon." Piper pulled away and she didn't stop. She shook her head and kept walking.
Because if she didn't get some distance soon, she was going to start admitting things no blinged-out boxer briefs or puppies could distract her from.
And she wasn't ready for that.
CHAPTER 20
20 DAYS UNTIL ANNA & DRAKE'S WEDDING
ZACH
The industrial Bernina hummed, a familiar sound that usually centered him. But today, Zach's focus was shot. Every stitch on the Wild Sack prototype pulled his thoughts tighter around one thing: Piper.
This Wild Sack was starting to take shape—his fourth today—but the momentum had slowed. Not from fatigue, exactly. Though the day was as intense as the previous. This day didn't have a dozen puppies roaming his factory floor, so that was movement in the right direction.
This was more of a quiet crowd in the back of his mind, thoughts jostling for his attention all at the same time.
He leaned back for a second, rolling his shoulders. The workshop smelled like home. Fabric and oil, with a hint of dust he'd never noticed until then.
But the football field loomed larger in his mind: the upcoming live-stream, Anna and Drake's wedding… Piper. He tugged the next swath of dyed cotton into position and lowered the presser foot.
Somewhere between the stitch lines and the seam allowance, he wasn't nervous—at least not in a traditional sense. But something hovered, right behind his usual focus.
He exhaled and ran the machine again. The fabric surged forward, the line of stitching clean and tidy. Four sacks down, two to go.
He was running a seam when his phone buzzed, Piper's name lit up the screen. The stitch went crooked.
Piper: Need your help. Can I come over?
Zach: Anytime you want to.
Piper: OMW
She showed up with Anna's wedding dress in a garment bag, another brown sack filled with white cloth, and an expression that only prompted lots of questions and zero answers.
