Blue Lines(52)
Piper nodded, hating to see the hurt in Reese’s eyes.
“I know, but I thought that Erik needed time to think before I told people.”
Reese shook her head. “Out of all the men.”
“He’s a good man, Reese.”
“He’s a cocky son of a bitch who thinks women should fall at his feet. Plus he is too damn smooth for his own good. He could talk his way out of a murder rap. Be careful.”
“He won’t hurt me,” she said, and she knew that it was true. Well, he’d never physically hurt her … emotionally was another story.
“Let’s hope not,” Reese said with a shake of her head as she walked over to the stereo.
“But I’ll be here if he does.”
“Thanks,” Piper said as she sat on the floor and started to stretch.
Nothing was said as Piper warmed her muscles, but the whole time, her mind was moving at the speed of light. She needed to know if Reese had slept with Erik, and she knew that if she didn’t use this moment to ask, she would forever regret it. Why, out of all of the women Erik had slept with, this one mattered the most, she didn’t know, but it did, and she had to know.
“Hey, Ree.”
Reese looked over her shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Did you sleep with Erik?” Piper asked, feeling a tremor in her voice.
Reese started laughing. “Isn’t it a little late to be asking that?”
Piper nodded as she looked down at her growing belly and said, “Yeah, but I need to know.”
“Have you asked him?”
“No.”
Reese slowly shook her head.
“No. I don’t even know if he wanted to. I never gave him that opportunity.”
Piper laughed as relief filled her. She had planned to ask Erik, too, and then she would know the truth. If he said they did, then she really didn’t know how she would handle it but she would cross that bridge later. At that moment, though, she believed that they hadn’t; she trusted her sister. “Okay, forget I even asked,” Piper then said. “Bring your happy self on over here and let’s get this done. I have a plane to catch.”
“With your husband? That’s so weird to say. I thought we’d never get married, just be really cool aunts.”
Piper shook her head and said, “Maybe that’s how you’re gonna be, but God has a different plan for me.”
Reese genuinely smiled as she said, “Yup, and the plan involves a husband.”
Piper smiled as she cradled her belly and whispered, “And a baby.”
* * *
Erik couldn’t get her off his mind, no matter what he did.
His music blasted in his ear as he ran on the treadmill. He also had tuned in SportsCenter on the TV, and he was even listening to Tate talk about the different colors they were using in his daughter’s room, but nothing worked. He couldn’t kick the idea out of his head that she was a dancer. How was she so good at so many things? It made no sense. She was an artist, a photographer, a dancer, a saleswoman, and if he remembered correctly, she was going to be a teacher, too.
Piper was amazing.
With a shake of his head, he pushed himself hard, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to work out much while he was in Las Vegas. There were a lot of events that he would have to attend and he also planned on partying with the guys. So he needed this workout, but what he didn’t need was the image of Piper dancing around in barely anything. It wasn’t only that image that was in his mind, though; he also began worrying that she could fall, and hurt herself or the baby. That thought made him lose his footing and he almost fell off the treadmill.
“You okay?” Tate asked.
“Yeah, I was thinking of Piper.”
Tate gave him a knowing smile and nodded.
“I think of Audrey all the time, too.”
“Yeah,” Erik said with a wave of his hand. “She’s out dancing with her sister and I’m afraid she’ll fall or something.”
“Wow, she is still dancing?”
“Yeah, apparently,” Erik muttered. “I don’t know if I like that.”
“I know I wouldn’t. I’ve seen her dance with Reese before. They don’t take it easy,” Tate said, and since he was worried, it made Erik even more concerned.
“Great, now my mind is at ease,” Erik complained as he increased the machine’s speed. “I have to trust that she knows what she is doing.”
“That’s true. She’s not stupid. It’s just the man in us that wants to protect what is ours,” Tate said, kicking up his speed, too.
Was that what the problem was? Was he worried because he cared and she was his, or was it because he just didn’t want her to get hurt? Was it the same thing? If he was honest with himself, he’d admit that he did care for her. Erik, being the stubborn ass that he was, even with himself, couldn’t admit that, though. So when he hopped off the treadmill and grabbed his bag, he wouldn’t let himself analyze the reason why.