Blue Lines: The Assassins Series: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance (40 page)

Turning slowly, she noticed that Audrey was watching her.

Piper smiled as Audrey said, “You okay?”

“I’m fine, Audrey. I promise. I’ve been having fake contractions, that’s all.”

Audrey made a face as she came closer to her. “Okay, but let me know if you aren’t,
though. Even if it is during the wedding, just sit down, I don’t care. I want you
to be okay.”

Piper smiled. “Won’t happen, I’m fine. Stop looking at me like that.”

Audrey smiled, wrapping her arm around Piper’s shoulders. She leaned her head against
Piper’s and smiled as they looked at each other through the mirror. Audrey looked
perfect, like a pregnant Cinderella ready for her ball. Piper was sure that she had
never seen Audrey look more gorgeous than she did at that moment.

“It isn’t that.”

“What is it then?” Piper asked, somewhat concerned.

Audrey wouldn’t look at her as she moved her fingers together. She took in a deep
breath before looking up at Piper. “I wanted to call you this morning when I heard
this but I figured it would be better if we talked face-to-face.”

“Okay, what?” Piper’s heart began racing from the way Audrey was acting.

“I heard that Erik has been living with Phillip and I didn’t want to believe it because
I was sure my best friend would tell me if her husband wasn’t living with her anymore.”

Piper’s guilt made it hard for her to swallow. She had known this moment would come
and if Audrey had known the extent of everything she would have felt even more upset.

“I haven’t told you because I haven’t told anyone. I’ve been a little out of it.”

Audrey said softly, “I understand that, but I could have helped somehow.”

Piper tried to lighten the tone of their conversation. “No, there is no helping me.
I’m at rock bottom with Adele blaring and a lot of Oreos and pickles.”

“Well, I know that you’ll be fine. You are one of the strongest people I know. You
could raise a baby, draw a mural, and work on a book, all while singing and dancing.
You are resilient.”

Piper grinned. “Thanks, Audrey, I needed that.”

Audrey wrapped her arms around Piper for a tight hug, but as Piper hugged her best
friend, something still bothered her.

Releasing her, Piper asked, “Who did you hear that from?”

Audrey paused. “My hairdresser. She has been sleeping with Phillip, and I guess she
has been coming over a lot and Erik has been there.”

“Oh.”

“Can I ask why y’all split up?”

Carefully Piper responded, not wanting to elaborate on her troubles. “We’ve had problems
since the beginning. They only escalated and then I told him to leave.”

“Really? I thought y’all were solid, perfect even. It is obvious y’all love each other,”
Audrey said.

“Yeah. Well.” Piper just sighed.

“Do you want it to work out?”

Audrey’s question startled her. Piper wanted that more than she could breathe, but
she felt like it wasn’t meant to be.

But that didn’t stop her saying, “Yeah, I do. I miss him a lot and I hate being apart.”

“I hope it works out.”

“Don’t worry about us. I’ll be fine. My relationship will work out the way God wants
it to. All you need to do is get ready to marry the love of your life!”

Audrey started to bounce with excitement. “Eek! I’m so excited!”

“Me, too,” Piper whispered softly, and she was excited. Not only for her best friend,
but also to find out if Erik had changed his mind and wanted to be a part of her future.

* * *

This was not the time to have a fake contraction.

Not when her best friend was about to get married. As the minister performed the ceremony,
Piper rubbed her hand up and down her right side as she breathed deeply. Fallon glanced
back at her, but Piper smiled, waving her off just as Audrey was about to start saying
her vows. Looking up at the many lanterns that hung from the trees, Piper tried to
concentrate on the beauty of the wedding and not the pain she was experiencing.

Grace Justice, Shea’s sister, knew how to plan a wedding. The altar had dazzling white
lights framing it with large teal hydrangea arrangements set on top. Teal lace runners
filled the aisles with monogrammed edges, using the letters of the bride’s and groom’s
first names, A and T. Audrey was beautiful in her wedding dress and Tate super-good-looking
in his tux, with only their baby bump separating them.

And Piper was not going to let these stupid Braxton Hicks contractions ruin this moment.
Taking in another deep breath, she looked over at Tate and smiled. His eyes were glazed
over as he held Audrey’s hands against his chest, listening to Audrey speak the last
of her vows.

“I promise that I will make you any cupcake you want as long as you rub my feet after
a long day. As long as you play any song I want, I promise I will not sing out loud.
I will flirt with you every chance I get, and expect me to steal kisses at any moment.”

“You won’t have to steal, baby,” Tate said with a big smile, causing the crowd to
laugh and cheer. Piper smiled as Audrey’s cheeks reddened, her eyes filling with tears
as she looked deep into Tate’s eyes.

“I promise to be there for you any time of the day. To love you even when you don’t
want to be loved. I’ll make sure to hold you when you are sad, care for you when you
are sick, and kiss all your aches and pains away after each game.” She paused as the
guys in attendance shouted their approval. Piper giggled at the same time her eyes
started to fill with tears of joy for her best friend.

“I will never love anyone the way I love you and I promise that my heart will be your
home for the rest of our lives. I love you, Tate Ooooder, and there is no getting
rid of me.”

Tate moved closer, running his hands down Audrey’s cheeks. Piper stole a quick peek
out at the small crowd as her eyes met Erik’s, causing her to lose her breath. He
sat in the last row, wearing a fitted blue tux. He still hadn’t shaved and his hair
was longer, brushed to the side out of his eyes. He was intensely watching her every
move and when he smiled at her she almost
melted on the spot. She was aching for him and wanted to drop her bouquet and run
into the crowd to be in his arms.

But first she needed to know if he wanted forever with her.

She listened as Tate said his own vows.

“You were sent to complete me, Audrey. No words could ever express how much I love
you, how much my life would be lost without you. I love your kooky style, your loud
personality, and most of all, how you believe in us. I love that you love me more
than anything in the world and that you are making me a father. I wouldn’t be the
man I am now without you. Audrey, I love you. Always have, and always will. It’s me
and you and chicken for the rest of our lives, babe, so get ready for one hell of
a ride.”

Audrey wrapped her arms around Tate, kissing him lavishly on the lips. The minister
laughed as he threw his arms up in the air. “I now pronounce you man and wife. You
can kiss the bride.”

“I think they’re ahead of you on that,” Lucas said with a laugh as Tate bent Audrey
back over his arm, kissing the stuffing out of her. Piper giggled through a sob, wiping
her face as she took in a deep breath. When another tweak came to her side, she hissed
in pain as she slowly followed Fallon down the aisle to the reception. They had decorated
an old barn in a vintage style, which was right next door to where they had the ceremony.
As soon as Piper walked in the door she found the nearest seat. Plopping down she
let out another breath before pulling out her phone to time her contractions by its
clock. She wasn’t sure if they were real, but it seemed like they were getting stronger.

Surely, she wasn’t in labor. That was insane. She still had almost a month to go and
there was no way that the baby was ready, but still, these contractions hurt more
than anything she had ever felt before. Leaning back in the chair, she took in deep
breaths as she looked around the room. Lights hung from the rafters of the barn, and
on each table were big teal and white arrangements. It was beautiful and Piper was
glad that everything had come together for Audrey. The bride had been a nervous wreck
about the wedding details but Piper couldn’t see a flaw anywhere.

As her pain subsided, Piper slowly stood up. She was going to have to leave early
if this shit kept up. She probably hadn’t drunk enough water today, or maybe she stood
for too long, because being in labor was just absurd. It just wasn’t happening yet.

Moving through the crowd, she made her way to the bar, getting a tall glass of water
and downing it before taking another. By her third glass, Audrey and Tate were taking
the floor for their first dance, and as she slowly drank her water, she looked around
the room for Erik. He stood with Shea Adler, nodding his head as they appeared to
be in deep conversation.

Piper wondered why he hadn’t approached her yet. It made her feel like she wasn’t
the first thing on his mind. Did he only want to talk about the baby and the future
of their child, and not the future of them? Knowing she couldn’t wait much longer,
she started for him. She’d had enough and she was ready to find out once and for all
if he loved her.

* * *

Piper looked beautiful in the long teal bridesmaid’s dress. Her hair was long and
sleek, reaching down to the middle of her back. She looked soft, beautiful, and he
couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms again. He couldn’t take his eyes off her and
as he sat in the back row during the ceremony, listening to his two friends unite,
he found himself wanting that moment for him and Piper. It was crazy but he could
see himself holding her hands, with Dimitri sitting at their feet as they exchanged
promises of love to each other in front of all their friends.

He knew he was ahead of himself; he hadn’t even told her he loved her yet. But he
could now see them as a family. He was done living life without her and he was ready
to show her that he had changed, that she had helped him become the man he wanted
to be.

What he didn’t expect was his hands starting to shake as he watched her cross the
floor toward him. He had been confident the whole day, but now he felt like a nervous
schoolboy, afraid of her rejection.

When she stopped in front of him, he reached for her and brought her in close, lifting
her off her feet to capture her mouth with his. She made a little noise before his
mouth smothered hers; he squeezed his eyes tight as her held her in his arms, his
mouth moving along hers. He must have stunned her because for a moment he was only
kissing her, but then she started to kiss him back. He felt like his heart was going
to explode in his chest and he promised himself that he would never go another moment
without the option of kissing her naughty mouth whenever he wanted to.

Parting, he teasingly chased her mouth as she slid down his body back to her feet.
She
smiled shyly up at him, as his eyes stay locked on her swollen lips.

Looking around them, she whispered, “I thought we were going to talk.”

“Talking is overrated,” he said, recovering his breath. “I think my actions speak
more than my words ever will. I want you, Piper, I’ve missed you, and I can’t do this
anymore.”

“Do what?” she asked, her face troubled as she took a step back, running her hand
down her side.

“What’s wrong?” Erik asked.

“My side hurts. I’m fine. What can’t you do?” she asked quickly, her face looking
more like she was in pain.

“Are you sure?” he asked, not convinced. She was still holding her side, her face
was a little red, and she looked miserable all of sudden.

“Yes,” she said, her eyes locked on his. “Now tell me what you can’t do any longer.”

He paused only for a moment before declaring, “I can’t be apart from you.”

“You can’t?” she asked, as her hand continued to move up and down her side.

“No, this week has been hell and I’ve missed you every second of every day.”

He paused and tried to remember every word he had imagine saying to her, but looking
into her eyes, he found that nothing was coming. “You are the only woman to ever make
it hard for me to think, sweetheart. I had this big speech on all the reasons why
you should give me another chance, but all I can think is how beautiful you are, and
how I can’t go on one more second without you by my side.”

She looked down, taking in a deep breath before looking up at him.

“So, what, you just want to go back to the way we were?”

Erik shook his head. “No, I want to move forward, I want to make a life for us, for
the baby,” he said, resting his hands on her stomach. “I needed a wake-up call, and
you screaming at me to leave was what I needed. I did some real soul-searching and
even though you are flighty as shit, I trust that you won’t leave me.”

She watched him, her eyes filling with tears, but she wasn’t smiling. What was he
missing here? Wasn’t he telling her everything she wanted to hear? “I’m glad that
you trust me,” she said slowly, “but Erik, you should have known that from the beginning.”

“I know, and sweetheart, believe me, I’m kicking myself for what I’ve put us through.
I am not my dad, and you know how I know that?”

“How?”

“Because of you. You have helped me become the man I want to be; you have been there
to encourage me, to believe in me. Baby, I would still be fucking anything with legs
if you hadn’t come into my life and rocked it to the core. You are the first thing
I think of when I wake up and when I go to sleep at night. I miss not having you in
my arms at night and I haven’t been sleeping right since I left your bed. You are
the one for me, and Piper, I am going to fight for us until the day I die.”

“Erik—”

“No, wait,” he said, putting his finger along her plump lips. He smiled as he continued.
“From this moment, I’m not scared, not as long as you are beside me. I can conquer
all my demons as long as I have you. I can do anything and only you can give me that
feeling.”