Page 122 of Fourth Point Of Contact

“For the man I loved? Absolutely. I followed him around like a lost puppy. And one day, he turned around and waited for me to catch up. Then he slipped his hand in mine and told me he was taking me out to dinner that night.”

Shock didn’t even begin to cover what I was feeling right now. Dad always seemed in love with Mom, but I never thought he was mad about her like that.

“How long did you date?”

“Six months. That was more than enough time to make him wait.” The twinkle in her eyes grew. “He said he was going to marry me that spring, but I wanted a fall wedding. He was so impatient, and after how long he made me wait, I felt it was only fair to return the favor.”

“Wait, so you’re telling me thatDadwas the one who had to wait?”

“Oh, I made him suffer.”

“Un-fucking-believable,” I muttered, completely ignoring the way my mom chastised me for swearing. “All this time…I never knew.”

“Well, your father was always more of a silent romantic. He never said much.”

“No, he didn’t.” I remembered all those trips with him. He was never really relaxed. “He never wanted to leave you.”

“Those trips were all my idea. Oh, he loved taking you on them, but he hated that I wouldn’t go with. I always felt the two of you needed some bonding time, and absence does make the heart grow fonder.”

“So…all this time…”

“I tried to tell you that he was the love of my life, but you’ve always been stubborn. It’s like you didn’t want to believe that your parents could be that in love. When he died, Lord, he took my heart with him.” She sighed, smiling at me for the first time while talking about him. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you, Patti. The chance at a love that would encompass you so completely that you’d know what I know.”

I wasn’t sure what she knew, but now I understood a little more what she was talking about. And now this whole charade felt so wrong. I couldn’t trick her, not when I understood how she really felt about my dad. “Mom, Piper isn’t the one. I don’t think there ever will be aone.”

“Not if you don’t open your heart to it. I’ve seen the way you look at her. If there was ever a woman for you, it’s her.”

“Mom—”

“Trust your heart, Patti. Life is too short to waste living alone.”

I didn’t doubt her words, but I wasn’t sure I felt the same way. The love she was talking about with Dad, I didn’t think anything like that was in the cards for me. Yeah, I really liked Piper, but love was…

“I’m going to bed early. So much excitement has gotten the better of me.”

I nodded absently as she walked away. We hadn’t even eaten dinner yet. It was only seven o’clock, but now I found myself wanting to go upstairs and check on Piper again. Maybe lay down beside her and?—

I gritted my teeth, ignoring what I wanted. If I went up there, I’d fall into some trap set by my mother. I wasn’t an idiot. She told me those things to get me thinking. She wanted me to get married and have kids. That’s the only reason she sat here and told me all about Dad.

Well, I wasn’t falling for her tricks. She could play her mind games all she wanted, but I was smarter than that. I laid back on the couch and turned on the TV, determined to spend the night down here. If I went upstairs, I’d only find myself in trouble. But as I flipped through the channels, I kept thinking about my tongue on Piper’s body and how she tasted.

There was really no point in staying down here. This was what Piper came for. She even told me she wanted me in bed with her. Denying myself wouldn’t actually solve anything. I flicked off the TV and headed upstairs.

She was only here for one week. I might as well enjoy it.

I crept into the room,trying not to disturb Piper. She needed her sleep, but if she happened to wake up and jump on my cock, I’d take it. Moving around in the dark without making noise proved to be slightly more complicated than I thought it would be. I wasn’t used to being quiet for anyone. I shed my shirt first, and then my shorts, but the boxers were more difficult. I’d had to switch to loose boxers for the sake of my cast, which I found annoying as hell.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and wiggled my ass until I got them down, but they snagged on the cast. Cursing under my breath, I wiggled and maneuvered them until I finally got them free.

“That was impressive.”

I smiled at the sound of her voice. “And here I thought I was being so stealthy.”

“Are you kidding? You would have woken a herd of buffalo.”

Glancing over my shoulder, I cocked my brow at her. “Are buffalo often woken up by men wiggling out of their boxers?”

“Not sure, but I don’t want to test it either. I still have arkoudaphobia.”

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