AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You won’t have any problems with Elijah from now on,” I tell her fiercely. “He’s going to prison for a long time. At his age… you’ll never have to see him again.”
Piper sits back, breathing steadily, staring straight ahead with a near-ironic turn to her lips. “All this time, you didn’t want to tell me about my dad because you’d been arrested. All this time… you thought I was going to hate you, judge you, what?”
“All of that and more,” Jules says. “I know how difficult it’s been, only having your mother. And remember Piper, how you used to idolize your dad, make up stories about who he was, fantasize about him returning one day. How could I ruin that for you?”
“I love you, Mom.”
Jules gasps and Piper giggles, wrapping her arm around her.
“Don’t sound so surprised. As if I could hate you for this. He took advantage of you. You were swept up in his allure. And then you did the right thing. You’re a hero.”
Jules melts against her daughter, bursting into tears. Piper cradles her and strokes her hand up and down her back.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment to come,” Jules sobs. “Aren’t you angry?”
“For lying, or withholding all this stuff? Yeah, I’m a little pissed, sure. But it’s nowhere near as bad as you’ve probably built it up in your head. I never knew my dad. I never knew my uncle before last night. None of that matters. We’re what matters, Mom. We’ve always been there for each other.”
“And we always will be,” Jules whispers, gripping her daughter tightly.
We sit in silence for a time, as mother and daughter hold each other. I busy myself playing with Bones. He rolls onto his back, his legs in the air, as I scratch his belly.
I look up to find Jules and Piper watching me, both of them smiling.
“Does this mean you don’t hate Pearce?” Piper asks.
Jules looks at her daughter. “Why do I sense there’s something behind that question?”
Piper looks at me, a question in the quirk of her eyebrows. I nod. It’s her choice.
“Pearce and I are in a relationship,” Piper says.
“Is he getting you addicted to drugs? Is he treating you right?”
“No and yes,” Piper says passionately.
“Then I’m not going to stand in your way.”
“I want you to know, Miss Davis, that I will never mistreat your daughter. And I will never cause her harm in any way. I’ll protect her, always. I’d never treat anybody, but especially Piper, the way Patrick treated you. You have my word.”
Jules rubs at her cheeks. “Thank you for saying that. But honestly, I don’t think it was ever about your age gap. I’ve got friends whose partners are quite younger than them, or older, and they’re happier than I ever was with Patrick. No, the truth is… I just wanted to keep Piper away from you.”
“In case he told me,” Piper mutters.
“And now it’s out there,” Jules says, shrugging her shoulders. “It all seems like a whole lot of nothing, now. I should’ve told you years ago.”
“I’m not worried about the past,” Piper says, talking to her mom but looking at me, the message is clear in her eyes. “All I care about is the future.”
Our future, I add silently.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Piper
“That went better than I expected,” I say, laying my glass of OJ on the table.
Pearce sits opposite me, staring at the end of the yard where Bones is running around, chasing every gust of wind. A leaf blows loose from the tree and he yaps, sprinting after it.
Turning to me, Pearce’s lips are pressed together, twitching, as though he can’t decide whether to smile or frown.
“Is something wrong?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he says roughly. “But I have to tell you. I can’t keep it all locked away. I can’t lie to you…”
Like your mother, I imagine him adding, but he holds that part back.
“The truth is important,” I say, trying to still my fidgeting hands, my fidgeting thoughts.
“It is,” he says huskily. “And the truth is… damn, this is harder than anything I’ve ever done. I don’t want to lose you.”
My hand snaps across the table reflexively and grips onto his arm. He’s wearing an old T-shirt that shows off his well defined muscles.
“Lose me? What are you talking about?”
“When I tell you.” He lays his hand atop mine. “You might want to end our relationship. That’s just a fact. Or you might want me to go and see a doctor.”
“A doctor? Are you ill?”
He smirks, but it fades a second later. “Not physically.”
“You’re scaring me, Pearce. There aren’t going to be any more bricks through the window, are there?”
“Not with Elijah in jail. Your mom was right. He must’ve been watching the house, spotted us together, and then tried to scare us. My cop buddy told me he was clearly on drugs when they brought him in. I’m never going to let anybody hurt you, but especially not a lunatic hopped up on drugs. In all the years I’ve lived here, that’s the first time something like this has ever happened. You’re safe, Piper. I’ll always keep you safe.”
