Page 73 of Make You Mine

“Soon enough, he’ll go home with you, and you’ll never have to worry about him leaving.”

“I hope so. Sharing him was hard.” She bent down, stroking her hand down his side. “I guess all this excitement wore him out.”

“He’ll be full of energy when you get him home, I bet.”

She glanced around the bakery. “It was a good day. Better than I expected.”

“It was amazing. Would it be condescending to say that I’m proud of you?”

A grin lit up her face. “No. Thank you. It was hard, but you made it better. It meant a lot to me that you were here.” Her expression was tender as her smile softened. “And, um, about what I said earlier?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry for being insensitive.” She bit her lip and looked down at Cody. “It wasn’t even completely true. I cover a lot of my feelings with jokes. I really need to stop it.”

“I get it.” I reached out to take her hand. “We all have our ways of coping. Plus, everything that happened is still fresh in your mind. Seeing the two of them brought it all up. I know that.”

“Exactly, today brought up a lot of feelings that I’d been stuffing down for a long time.” Her eyes darted from mine again as she smiled sheepishly. “So yeah, I’m not good with feelings and confrontation. Sometimes I don’t want to deal, so I, uhhh, I don’t know, develop hobbies such as bad knitting and bird watching. Or I make stupid jokes and have sex on deserted side streets.” She shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head.

“I see.” I turned her face to mine with a finger beneath her chin. “Don’t forget about raccoon hoarding, and caftan collecting.”

“See?” She burst into laughter. “You get me.”

“I do.” I chuckled. “I’m not that great at dealing with my feelings either. I’m a workaholic and can be pretty closed off sometimes. Or I go to the other extreme and take care of someone until I drive them away with my smothering ways.”

“You’re not like that with me. I don’t feel smothered at all. Ever.” Her eyes met mine again, a flicker of vulnerability in her gaze. “And you’ve never shut me out. I like that.”

“No, you’re different. I don’t want to shut you out, but I also don’t want to scare you off.”

“You’re different too.” A small smile formed on her lips. “I would never admit any of what I just told you to anyone else. And you won’t scare me off, Ren. Being cared for like you do is what I’ve always secretly wanted.”

“I’m honored. And I’m glad you don’t find me overbearing.”

“I like my independence, but I also want to be babied. I’m a complicated lady, Ren.”

She was a fascinating mix of vulnerability and playful confidence, with an irresistible hint of shyness in her eyes. She was absolutely complicated, and I was falling in love with it.

“Have I cracked your code?” I asked her, hoping she’d tell me that I had. I wanted to know her. All of her.

Her laughter was sweet and familiar, and I loved how open she was with me, how she revealed pieces of herself she had hidden from the world. I wanted to protect that part of her, to cherish it.

“I think maybe you have.”

My heart swelled at her candor. I leaned in closer, feeling the warmth radiate from her. Our breaths mingled, and after a brief pause, I gently cupped her cheek with my hand, my thumb tracing soft circles on her skin. She closed her eyes, and I took it as a sign to bridge the space between us.

Our lips met in a kiss, soft and sweet, yet filled with an unspoken promise. “I see you, Piper, and I don’t want to lose this.”

When we finally parted, our foreheads rested together, breaths intermingling again. Her eyes fluttered open, and her smile was full of warmth and something more profound. It gave me hope.

“Let’s go home, okay?”

Home.She felt like home. Her including me when she spoke of home made my heart soar.

I held Piper's hand as we returned to the car, the evening air cool and crisp. As we got into the car, Cody jumped into the back seat, his excitement palpable. Piper looked at him and laughed, her eyes sparkling with joy. I couldn't help but smile; her happiness was infectious.

The drive back to Piper’s place was filled with quiet contentment, the kind that comes from knowing you're exactly where you're meant to be. Piper's hand rested on my leg, her touch grounding me in the moment. I glanced at her, and she met my gaze with a smile that spoke volumes.

When we pulled into the driveway, Cody was the first to leap out, bounding up the steps like he felt what I did—like he was home, and I hoped that one day this house would be my home too.

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