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A part of me wants to kick him out because it can’t be good, and whenever Marco is around, it signals trouble. The other part wants me to pull him close and draw him further in as he drags me back into his world, a world he’s tried to protect me from.
The irony about how he’s showing up on my wedding day doesn’t escape me. A day that I’d been in turmoil about and had several second thoughts about, leading to our wedding being much later than Kenneth originally wanted. Is this a symbol? Is his appearance today a sign that I should pay attention to?
“Piper,” he says.
God, how I love the way that he says my name.
“What’re you doing here?” I ask after the door closes on my mother and best friend.
“I heard you were tying the knot today.”
“Yeah, I am.”
“I thought you knew that you would always belong to me, Piper. I thought you said that I owned your heart. What happened?”
“Life, Marco. Okay? Life happened, and things changed and...I mean, what did you expect? You won’t leave your wife and...I couldn’t continue being a yo-yo for you. In and out of my life, playing with my emotions.”
“I never played with your emotions. You always understood what it was.”
“I did. Then one day, enough was enough. I could be your rock and hold you down, but at some point, I had to choose me, Marco. So I did. You popping up all these times—”
“Was never planned,” he grunts angrily. “You showed up at my bar.”
“And you showed up at a gala for my fiancé, the man I’m about to marry today.”
“I had no idea you two were together. How could I?”
“Same as you’ve always known everything else.”
“Forgive me for fucking up because I didn’t know that one.”
“I don’t believe it. Sides, all those years ago, you let me walk away. You didn’t try to stop me. Then that night at the gala, you walked away. Not even a goodbye was I worthy of.”
His jaw clenches, and he bows his head. When he opens his eyes again, he shakes his head.
“You’ve always been worthy of more than I could give you.”
“I had to do what I needed to protect myself.”
“Walking away from you the night of the gala was the best thing I could do to protect you. I wasn’t in a good place, Piper. I would’ve hurt you too badly. Don’t you know that I—”
“I know,” I say, cutting him off by placing a finger to his lips.
He bites my finger, forcing a smile to my lips. “Know that it hurt me to hurt you. I didn’t want to do that.”
“I know. Marco, I’ve always known your heart. Where nobody else might understand, I always did. No matter how hurtful it was, I understood.”
We stand there for several seconds, staring at each other.
“I still...” I turn my head away, blinking back the tears.
Not after I spent a grip to get renowned cosmetologist Champion Smith to fly in to do my makeup and hair today.
“You still?” Marco prompts.
“I still love you, Marco.”
A scowl crosses his face, and his eyes close for a minute. I see the tattooed brass knuckles on his neck move as he swallows.
