Page 94 of Tragic (Lark Cove 3)

But I’d never regret finding my mountain. It was where I’d found Piper.

Or maybe she’d found me.

Piper leaned back and sniffled, then scooted off my lap. But instead of going back to her corner of the couch, she settled into my side and rested her head on my shoulder. I threw an arm around her back, keeping her close.

“I’m sorry, Kaine. I’m so, so sorry.”

I rested my cheek on her hair. “So am I.”

We sat quietly for a while, leaning on one another until Piper broke the silence with a question I was hoping to avoid tonight.

“Why didn’t you see your mom for three years?”

“It’s a long story. Let’s just say that after Shannon and the baby died, she made some choices I couldn’t live with. I was hurting and felt like she’d betrayed me, so I left. I cut off all ties and came up here to disappear.”

“What choices?”

I sighed. “Just . . . family stuff.”

Piper stiffened. The air in the room, which had been so warm with her curled into my side, dropped ten degrees. She pushed off the couch and left the room, walking down the hallway that led to a guest bedroom, her office and the garage.

Fuck. I’d promised her an explanation, but my vague answer had just shut her down. She didn’t know it was for the best. This was the part of my story I refused to talk about, even with my mother. There was too much rage there. Too much pain. I hadn’t let go of those emotions and until I could handle them myself, I wasn’t going to unload them on her.

I stayed on the couch, letting my head fall backward again, and gave Piper a few minutes. But as I listened to her slam cupboard doors and stomp around, I realized space was only making things worse.

Pushing off the couch, I went down the hall and found her in the guest bathroom, setting out some towels on the countertop. Her eyes met mine through the mirror as I leaned against the doorjamb.

“I’m sorry,” I told her. “There are still some things I’m working through myself. Can we save the rest for another day?”

She sighed and looked down at the sink. When she looked up, her eyes saw right to my core. She must have seen the pain there because she gave me some grace with a small nod.

“Thank you.”

Piper’s gaze dropped to the towels. Her hand slipped off the cotton and splayed over her belly. “With everything that happened to you. I can’t imagine. Do you . . .” She took a deep breath. “Do you want—”

“Yes.” I stepped into the room. “I want them.”

Them. Her. Us.

I wanted it all.

“Okay,” she breathed and her shoulders dropped.

Leaving Piper again would be nearly impossible. She’d ingrained herself into my life. And I’d missed enough of this pregnancy. Though it scared me, a spark of excitement was there too. I was getting the chance to be a father again.

I was getting the chance to try this again with Piper.

I’d cut her deep with that argument in the shop. I was a top-grade asshole for the things I’d said and then leaving for so long. I’d always be sorry for how I’d reacted. Now that she knew why I was scared, would she forgive me?

I sure as hell hoped so. Because then we could start over. Go back to the beginning and try our best not to fuck it up again.

“Where do we go from here?” I had my ideas but wanted to hear hers first.

She shrugged. “Let’s just take it slow.”

Slow. “I can do that.”

“If you need anything else in here, just let me know.” Piper patted the towels, then shooed me out of the bathroom.