Blue Lines(31)

“We weren’t sure how we were going to do this,” Erik lied. “I wasn’t sure if I was ready to be a father and kind of freaked for a while. We broke up but then I decided I couldn’t be without Piper any longer and asked her to marry me yesterday and she said yes.”

“You’re married?” Harper, Rowan, and Reese yelled all at once.

Erik laughed. “Surprise!”

Piper elbowed him as she nodded.

“We’re in love. We want to be a family.”

“This is insane,” Harper said, looking over at Jakob.

“Oh, Piper,” Rowan said, shaking her head as she held her hand over her mouth. There it was. The ultimate disappointed look from her mother.

“Piper, baby, why didn’t you tell us?” Blake asked, but Piper couldn’t look at her father. She couldn’t look into his eyes and lie.

She couldn’t.

“It was all so sudden, Daddy.”

Minutes passed with only Ally making a noise. Piper’s heart was pounding against her ribs and she could feel Erik’s hands trembling. Talk about uncomfortable moments.

Finally Cooper cleared his throat before saying, “I think we need to talk, son, outside. Piper, no offense to you, sweetie, don’t think that we aren’t happy to have you in our family, and having our grandchild, but I need to talk to Erik.”

Nodding her head, since she didn’t feel at all offended, she said, “Yes, I understand.”

She glanced back at her family as Erik pressed his lips to her temple. Her traitorous eyes fell shut at his gentle touch, and when his lips fell to her ear, she took in a deep breath as he whispered, “Stay strong, stick to the story, and everything will be fine.”

He gave her one last kiss on the cheek and followed Alla and Cooper out the door. Jakob was close behind and when the door shut, Harper started yelling. “Are you fucking crazy? You don’t love him! He sleeps with everything that walks!”

“Piper, sweetie, what have you done?” Rowan asked.

Piper took in another deep breath and ran her hands through her hair.

“Is it really that crazy for you all to believe that I love him?”

“Yes!” Harper and Reese and what seemed like the entire room cried out together.

“He’s a dick!” Reese added.

“And he probably gave you everything from the clap to herpes!” Harper said as Piper shook her head. “Why didn’t you tell me this the other day? You said you were pregnant and that was it. Why didn’t you tell me then who the father was?”

“Harper, it wasn’t time. I wasn’t ready to say, and really, you guys, he isn’t a bad guy. He is good to me and I love him,” Piper argued.

“Piper, baby, why didn’t you tell us about the pregnancy back when it first happened? We could have helped you. Erik isn’t going to stay; you know how he is,” Rowan said, her hands moving with every word.

“Wait a minute,” Harper said. “I know what’s going on—Piper, he is using you for something. What it is I don’t know, but I do know Erik Titov does not want a wife and baby. He is Jakob’s total opposite. He’s told Jakob and me both over and over again!”

“Now you’re stuck with his baby and you’re gonna be a single mom because he is going to leave,” Reese said with a disgusted look on her face.

Piper was getting pissed. She usually could take the females of the Allen clan coming at her, but for some reason she was about to blow a gasket this time. She was still so overwhelmed by how much her life had changed. She hated lying to them, she wanted to tell them the truth, but most of all she wanted the support of her family. She wanted the love they showered Harper with, not this. This was wrong. They were supposed to love her no matter what! No matter whom she loved or who knocked her up. They were supposed to support her.

Putting her hands on her hips, Piper let them have it. “And what is wrong with that? What would be so wrong about me being a single mother if it came down to it?” Turning to Harper and Reese, she continued: “I take great care of Ally, and when I teach at the studio I’m amazing.” Her mom was standing next to her twin as she said, “Yeah, I tend to mess up and make bad choices, Mom, but at least I’m still a functioning adult. I don’t ask for money. I don’t sleep on your couch. I am happy, and now I am having a baby, and I have a husband. Why can’t y’all be happy for me?”

Whatever happened to unconditional love? Piper’s disappointment in her family probably equaled their own in her.

“You’re emotional from the pregnancy,” Harper said, “and Erik doesn’t really want this. Piper, please believe me. Leave him, and come live with me, I’ll help you, and then we can talk about adoption or something. You don’t want this. You are just starting your life with the book stuff and everything; you don’t want a baby.” She pleaded softly but Piper didn’t want to hear that.