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.”
He looked down at her expectantly and she shook her head as she watched him, a pained look on her beautiful face.
“That is the most you’ve ever said to me, Erik, and what kills me is that you haven’t said the one thing that could make everything you’ve done wrong go away.”
“Huh?” he asked, confused. He was proud of his speech, thought it was a real winner. Was he wrong?
“I love you, so much, and I am so glad that I have helped you and that you are finally realizing that you can trust me, but Erik, I want your love. I want you to love me. I don’t want all these other words. I want you to love me forever and to show me that you will always love me.”
Erik looked down at her confused. Hadn’t he said that?
“You have always been a creature of action. You always acted before you spoke and I adore that of you. But please, show me you love me, tell me you do, but if you don’t, then I’m sorry, I can’t do this. No matter how much I’ve helped you change and how it will probably kill me to walk away, I can’t be with you if you don’t love me.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I just can’t.”
“But Piper, I do—”
“Oh fuck,” she gasped, interrupting his proclamation of love. She bent over, holding her middle as she took in a deep, shuddering breath.