Why does he have a fucking ring box?
We’re already married…
“I got this for you right after we got back from Charleston and I’ve just been waiting for the right moment to ask you.”
My eyes flick to his. “Ask me what?”
“Will you marry me again, baby?” he asks, popping the ring box open to reveal a gorgeous diamond band that matches the one he gave me when we got married the first time. “I know you can’t promise me that you’ll never stumble again but you were right. I did promise you forever, for better or worse so if you fall, I’ll be there to pick you back up and if you completely lose your shit and run, I’ll be right behind you. I love you, Piper Jayne Landry, and I want to renew our vows with this new family we’ve built and kick this new chapter in our lives off right.”
“Wyatt,” I breathe, staring at the ring as the diamond shimmers in the morning light. He cups my cheeks and directs my gaze back to his.
“But most importantly, I want you to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that nothing is coming between us ever again. Not another man. Not this threat to the club and definitely not your demons. I’ve loved you since I was ten years old and I’m gonna love you even after death rips us apart so what do you say? You wanna marry me?”
I stare down at the ring, my heart beating like crazy and butterflies fluttering around in my tummy. How the hell, after all these years, does this man still make me feel like a thirteen-year-old girl getting her first kiss? I turn and look up into his hazel eyes, feeling the strength of his love as a smile stretches across my face and I nod.
“Wyatt… I’d marry you a million times and it still wouldn’t be enough.”
He grins. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” I whisper, nodding and I giggle as he grabs my left hand and slips the ring on my finger with the other two. Once it’s on, he tosses the empty box onto the seat and pulls me closer, slamming his lips over mine and I’m transported again to the place were our love is the only thing that matters. In this one perfect moment, there is no drama and pain from our past and there is no threat looming over our lives. There is just us, as we were meant to be before life threw a couple of wrenches into our path.
“So,” he whispers in between kisses. “What is this surprise you brought me to?”
I grin as he starts kissing down my cheek to my neck. “Take a look for yourself.”
He pulls away and we both turn as the front door opens and his parents step out onto the front porch. My stomach flips. I haven’t seen August or Gretchen in years and I have no idea how they will react to the news that Wyatt and I are back together but in this instance, my feelings didn’t matter. This is what Wyatt needed so even if it’s terrible, I will deal with it for him. Glancing over at me, he smiles.
“You brought me home?”
I nod. “I figured if you were going to feel safe anywhere, it would be here.”
“Are you nervous?” he asks, brushing my hair out of my face as he studies me and I nod. He smiles. “Don’t be, baby. My parents love you.”
“I broke their son’s heart and ran away for ten years… Fuck. They think I cheated on you.”
“Come on,” he replies, his grin growing as he opens his door. “Let’s go tell them the good news.”
“Did you not hear me?” I hiss, the realization of just how bad this is going to be crashing down on me. Why the hell didn’t I think this all the way through? He jumps out of the truck, holding his hand out to me, and I release a nervous breath as I scoot to the end of the seat and step down, mentally hyping myself up. Okay, so it’s going to be awful and uncomfortable and they may never forgive me but for Wyatt, I would walk through fire.
When we turn toward the house, Gretchen and August are walking toward us and Gretchen has tears in her eyes, her gaze locked on me. Before I can say anything or even start to explain, she pulls me into her arms and hugs me so tight that I can barely breathe.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper to her and she shakes her head, pulling back to look at me.
“Sweet girl, you have nothing to be sorry for and just between us girls, I always knew you’d be back. The two of you were made for each other.”
A sob bubbles out of me as I hug her back, an intense relief that can only come with being home washing over me. “I missed y’all so much.”
“We missed you, too, honey,” she says as she releases me. Wyatt grins as he pulls me back into his arms with a shrug.
“Oh, yeah… I guess I already told them everything. Oops.”
“You son of a bitch,” I growl, smacking his stomach with the back of my hand as relief rushes through me and a smile stretches across my face. August and Gretchen are the closest thing I have to parents now and I don’t know what I would have done if they had hated me for what I did to Wyatt. August wraps his arms around my shoulders, sandwiching me between him and Wyatt as we all start walking back to the house and another little piece of home and family slides into place for me. It’s not the same as having my own parents back but my heart still mends a little bit all the same.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Wyatt
Walking into the house, I toss my keys on the dining room table and turn toward the kitchen to grab a beer as my mind drifts to last night at my parents’ house and how nervous Piper was to see them again after all these years. Grinning, I take a beer out of the fridge and pop the top off. Right after we got back from Charleston and Piper agreed to give this relationship a shot again, I called them and told them the whole story. My mother was not pleased, at first, but after she found out the truth, her heart hurt for Piper just as much as mine did and Dad felt guilty that he didn’t look for her after he went to North Carolina and found the house empty. Both echoed the sentiment that they should have known better. Piper has been a part of their lives for so long and they know what kind of person she is but more importantly, what kind of person she isn’t. What we have is special and there is no way in hell she would intentionally do anything to damage it.
Releasing a breath, I smile at the sense of calm I feel today compared to the storm of turmoil I’ve been walking around in for the last week. I don’t think I realized just how bad it had gotten until I woke up this morning in my childhood bedroom and it didn’t feel like there was a dark cloud hanging over me. Last night was exactly what I needed to clear my head and stop losing my shit at every turn and I’m so fucking grateful that Piper knew what to do to help me. I was so close to cracking up and I hate to think what could happen to her if I am not on top of my game with this maniac running around. I need to be focused no matter how nice it was to just relax yesterday.
We spent all day with my parents, sharing memories and laughing before Mom made a huge dinner to celebrate Piper and I renewing our vows. She also pestered us about when we would be giving her a grandchild but Piper doesn’t want to tell anyone until she actually gets pregnant so all we could say is that it will happen when it happens as we shared a secret smile. After dessert, Piper took me out to the woods behind the house where I kissed her for the first time and we made out like a couple of teenagers before going to sleep in my old room. The full-sized mattress wasn’t the greatest but it did mean I got to hold Piper all night long. When I dropped her off at the studio this morning, we both had smiles on our faces and it feels like I can breathe for the first time in a week.