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When Piper left the house and ran toward me and into my arms, that single moment would forever be burned in my memory. It had only been a couple of days since I gotten out of jail. Things weren’t all hunky-fucking-dory right away, but this was a start.
When I originally stepped out onto the porch, I stared out at her car and my bike sitting in the driveway. Sammy or Cyrus must have dropped off my bike. I didn’t even notice. Being too wrapped up in Piper and reconnecting with her, I had no idea they had even shown up.
My eyes scanned the street. The house was in a quieter part of town. Neighbors were few and far between. Even though Piper’s home was small, both the front and backyard were huge. My eyes flicked to a light on the wall beside the door. I remembered seeing a security panel on the wall as soon as you stepped into the house. Knowing that Piper had protection when I wasn’t around, set some of the anxiety rushing through me at ease. Her father wouldn’t have it any other way and made sure to keep his girls safe. My girls safe. I made a mental note to thank her parents for taking care of them when I couldn’t.
With my hand still on the screen door, I hesitated.
Before I could stop myself, I went back into the house in search of Piper.
She was in the living room, placing Brynn in her playpen. When she rose to her full height, she let out a soft sigh.
I rushed to her, letting my feet guide me to the person I needed most.
Her head whipped around. “Jaron, I thought you left.”
Instead of answering her, I crashed into her and enveloped myself around her.
Her breath hitched as she latched on to me.
I didn’t know what to say but I hoped, no, I prayed she could hear my words through my touch alone. I realized then I needed to spend as much time with her as I could. I couldn’t just walk away. Even if it was just to get groceries. I’d figure that out later.
“Jaron.” Her voice was muffled by my shirt.
I squeezed her, wrapping my hand in her hair. “I’m sorry,” was all I said, fisting her hair with both hands and crushing my mouth to hers.
Let me in, baby.
She opened to me, flicking her tongue along mine.
A rough growl left me as I deepened the kiss.
Piper sighed, tilting her head back.
Breaking the kiss, I leaned my forehead against hers.
“What was that for?” she asked, her voice husky.
“It was an apology.” I released her and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the couch. While Brynn played, I wanted to hold Piper.
“I thought you were going to the grocery store,” she said softly, letting me tug her onto my lap.
“I changed my mind.” I pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around her. “I can text Cyrus and Sammy and get them to pick stuff up if needed.”
“Okay.” Piper rested her head against my shoulder. “I think I know why we’re having issues.”
“Oh?”
She lifted her head. “We haven’t had much time alone. This is new for both of us. I’ve never been in a serious relationship and neither have you. So we’re bound to have some bumps along the way.”
I kissed her jaw. “We got this, and I got you, Piper,” I murmured, placing a soft peck on the top of her head. “I always got you.”
“I know and I have you as well, Jaron.” She snuggled against me. “But it’s only been not even three full days yet. We don’t have to fall into a routine right away.”
“True but I’m not a patient person.”
She sat up, a gasp leaving her. “No. I never would have guessed that.”
“Careful.” I jabbed a finger into her side, earning me a giggle. “You’re not patient either.”
Her laugh deepened. “Let’s just wait a little bit and we can get groceries later.”
I pinched her chin and covered her mouth with mine.
She moaned, wrapping herself around me.
I grinned against her lips, giving the bottom one a gentle bite.
While Brynlee played in her playpen, talking and babbling to herself, Piper and I cuddled on the couch. It was perfect if you asked me, even if we didn’t talk about a whole lot. Just being together was enough.
Jaron
It was the following Friday. I had been home for a week and while things weren’t perfect, we were slowly falling into a routine.
I would get Brynn up in the mornings so Piper could sleep in a little longer, since I was the one who made her go to bed late each night.
Whenever I went into Brynn’s room in the morning, she would be standing in her crib and her chubby little body would jump whenever she saw me approach her.
It was the start to my day that I never knew I needed and looked forward to each morning. I would get her changed, place her in her playpen out in the living room, and wake up Piper with a kiss to any part of her body that was exposed.
It was now Friday and Sammy and Cyrus were coming over for supper later that evening.
“Did you want me to grab something for supper tonight?” I asked Piper as she fed Brynlee an afternoon snack of soft crackers.
“We can order pizza so you don’t have to go to the store.”
I kissed her head. “I don’t mind.”
“Okay, well whatever you want, I can cook it.” She smiled up at me.
“Okay.” I placed a peck on Brynlee’s cheek before giving her mama another kiss. “Thank you for this morning,” I whispered.
She laughed, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “Thank you for this week.”
“One day at a time, baby.” I gave her one final kiss and left the house.
We spent the week slowly reconnecting. We talked some more and even though it was only a couple of words shared between us, it was a start in the right direction.
When I reached the driveway, I hesitated between taking my bike or Piper’s car. I knew she wasn’t going anywhere, so she wouldn’t care if I drove it.
Our fighting had been limited this week, thankfully, but we still had our moments. Of pushing. And then at the same time, a constant taking. I wanted to give, take, fight, and more. A part of me, that sick part, enjoyed fighting with her because I loved her angry eyes on me as they heated my skin until I felt like I was going to combust from the fiery stare. I bet my life that angry sex with her was dirty and hot as fuck.
Piper walked on eggshells around me. Not always. It had mostly been in the mornings after I woke up from a nightmare. She probably wondered when I would blow. I wouldn’t. Because none of this was her fault. But I was itching for something. Not sex. She took care of that. Blood maybe? A fight? She had mentioned a gym in the basement. Maybe working out would help me. I could spar with Sammy. He was a dirty fighter, but it always helped my moods after getting into it with him. Maybe I could convince both him and Cyrus to fight me. I needed to fight. To hurt. To get fucking bloody.
Forcing myself out of my head, I took Piper’s car and drove to the grocery store to grab some food and hopefully, better tasting formula for Brynn. I could still remember the taste perfectly. It was like rotten milk. Or worse. It was disgusting and there was no way I would feed that shit to her again. I found another brand in the kitchen cupboard that tasted a bit better at least, so we made sure to feed that to Brynn instead.
Piper wasn’t aware but I had arranged for my dad to set up automatic deposits to her bank account. Every time I got paid from the club, it went to her and our daughter. It started as soon as I found out she was pregnant. My dad told me that she had thanked both him and my mom for the money. He never told her that it was me who was sending the money because he felt I should have been the one to tell her.
She spent some of it on groceries, but it made me wonder what else she spent it on. If it were me, I would pay the bills and set aside the rest as a college fund for Brynlee. That was probably what Piper did. I wouldn’t have minded if she spent some of it on herself either. That had been why I sent the money to her in the first place. Since I couldn’t be there for her, making sure she was financially taken care of was the least I could do.
When I reached the store, I leaned forward, peering at the large building. I remembered coming here as a child when my parents would need to grab some things on the way home from Uncle Coby and Aunt Brogan’s place. It was bigger than before but not by much.
Putting the car in park, I took a breath and left the vehicle. It had been a long time since I was around people I didn’t know. Even being in jail, you got to know everyone. Especially when you made a name for yourself. Word about who I was got around rather quickly. Whether I liked it or not.
Grabbing a cart from the rack, I wheeled it into the store when someone stepped out of the large building. They stopped in front of me, followed by two men dressed in black suits.
My chest tightened; my hands white-knuckling the bar of the cart. “Price.”
Price Davies grinned, running two fingers along his mouth. He looked different than the last time I saw him, which would have been before I went to jail. He had lost quite a bit of weight and appeared as if he had taken up working out. His dark hair held some silver in it. Even the scruff on his jaw had some gray in it. While he may have changed his appearance, his eyes hadn’t changed. They held so much damn hate for me, a tremor of unease rippled down my spine.
“You look well, Jaron.” He cocked his head to the side. “It’s been a while. How’s that pretty little thing of yours? She still pining after you or did she smarten the fuck up and finally get herself a real man?”
I twisted my head to the side, looking around me. Two black SUVs sat at the outer edge of the parking lot, meaning the mayor had more security detail with him than the two men standing on either side of him.
“What do you want?” I asked instead, knowing full well he was trying to get a reaction from me. But I refused. It would come. In time. But not now and especially not when I was alone.
“I want to chat.” Price jutted his chin. The two men behind him, stepped forward.
“We’re in public,” I bit out. “Don’t be stupid.”
Price grinned. He smoothed his hands down the front of his gray suit jacket. The weight he was sporting around the middle the last time I saw him, no longer there. I had never been attracted to men but even I noticed how better looking he had become. I wondered why. Price Davies had a reason for everything he did. He might have even been a half-decent human being in another life, but not in this one. No. He liked little girls and that didn’t sit well with me, but it was something I had never been able to prove.
“What are you doing here anyway? Don’t you have people that do this for you?” I leaned my arms on the bar of the cart, scratching my jaw.
“If you’re referring to grocery shopping, yes.” Price nodded. “I do. But I much prefer to do this part on my own. You see.” He took a step toward me. “You took something important from me.”
The hackles rose on the back of my neck. “What are you getting at?” His son had deserved what he got. Sure, I reacted first before thinking of the consequences, but he had attacked my girl. He was lucky I didn’t do worse to him.
“My son was going to be the next mayor,” Price said, his jaw ticking.
I rolled my eyes then. “Right.” Brody Davies never wanted anything to do with politics. Of all the research I had done on him, he often looked bored in the pictures of him and his dad during his many public appearances and campaigns.
Price’s brows dropped in the middle. “You questioning me, boy?”
I chuckled then. “You don’t scare me, Price. Never have. Never will.”
“That’s Mr. Mayor to you, fuck—Jaron.” His cheeks reddened.
I grinned. “Nice catch, Price,” I said, drawing out his name. Calling him Mr. Mayor meant that I respected him. And that was something I had never done.
Price took a step toward me while his men stayed back. When he stood a couple of inches away, I could see the evil swimming in his deep sapphire eyes. “You want to know something?” he asked, low enough for only me to hear. “I don’t actually give a fuck that you killed my son.” He stepped closer. “He wasn’t even my blood anyway.”
That revelation didn’t sit well with me. It meant that he threw me in jail, made a huge fucking scene about it, just to get under my skin. Because of him, my daughter didn’t know her father the first ten months of her life. Because of him, my mother’s heart shattered. And because of him, I could have lost Piper forever.
Price smirked, curling his fingers around the handlebar between my hands. “I suggest watching your back, Jaron. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to those pretty little girls in your family. I could get a lot of money for your daughter. She would grow up in my world. She would be trained. She would be the perfect pet because she wouldn’t have the influence of the world hanging over her.” He leaned toward my ear. “I’d also have so much fun breaking Piper.”
“You even think of going after my girls...”
“You’ll what?” Price chuckled. “Remember what happened last time. You ended up in jail. Too bad it wasn’t longer.” He turned around, walking away from me but stopped suddenly. “I’d be careful if I were you. Your girls won’t always be protected. And your daughter will grow up.” He continued walking away, his wicked grin the last thing I saw before he stepped into the black SUV.
As soon as both vehicles sped away, I let out a sigh of relief but before I did what I came there to do, I called Cyrus.
“Yeah,” came his deep reply after the first ring.
“I need you to go to Piper’s sooner,” I told him, heading into the grocery store.
“On it. Where are you?”
“At the grocery store getting Brynlee some better formula and I was going to pick up food for Piper to cook but she needs a break.” I suddenly felt all eyes on me. I looked down at myself. I wasn’t wearing my cut. What could these people be looking at?
“Is it weird??” Cyrus asked.
I cleared my throat, not wanting to get into this with him. “Listen, just go to Piper’s and I’ll be there soon.”
I disconnected the call before he could ask any more questions. He wouldn’t. That was Sammy. He was the talker while Cyrus was the quiet, brooding type. That was how it used to be anyway. But maybe things had changed while I was away. I had found out during the times the twins came to visit me that there was a woman Sammy was sniffing around. But he refused to talk any more about it. So I never asked.
Quickly grabbing some food and more formula for Brynn, I made it to the checkout when the hairs on the back of my neck tingled. I looked around me, finding nothing out of the ordinary. People shopped, like they were supposed to be doing at a grocery store.
Biting back a sigh, I turned around and was greeted with a friendly smile from the young man working the cash.
“Newborn?” he asked, picking up the formula and scanning it.
“She’s almost ten months actually,” I told him.
“Ah. My sister uses this stuff for my nephew. She said it’s the best she’s found,” he added, continuing to scan the items and placing them in bags.
My gaze landed on a stack of flowers. All different types and colors. I didn’t know much about them. I probably should have paid more attention when my mom made me help her with the gardens in their backyard.
I picked up a bouquet of blue flowers, making a mental note to ask my mom what they were but I thought they looked nice, so it was worth a shot.
“Those are pretty.”
My gaze flicked to the woman standing behind me with a cart full of food and other items.
“I think whoever they’re for, will like them.” She smiled.
“I hope so.” I handed them to the cashier. “These too, please.”
He nodded, scanning them and giving me my final total.
Handing him the exact cash, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw a text from Sammy that they were heading to Piper’s.
“You’re Jaron Mercer, aren’t you?”
I frowned, glancing at the same woman behind me. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“Nope, you don’t.” Her gaze roamed down the length of me. “But I’ve seen your girl around.”
I grabbed my items, bouquet of flowers, and rushed out of the store. As soon as I reached the car, my phone rang. Fucking hell.
These people needed to leave us the hell alone. Piper and I had shit to work through. While we were slowly getting into a routine, we still needed to learn to raise Brynlee together. We needed to not fight and actually talk about our problems instead of fucking our way through them. But I knew it would be a long time before that happened.
If ever at all.
***
