Page 120 of Wild About You
“Oh yeah?” I waggle my brows. “I have something for you, too.”
“Notthat. It’s in my purse.”
Piper tugs me toward her purse sitting on the table. She unzips a pocket in the front and pulls out something, hiding it in her palm.
“I know that you want me to go to Madison, and I understand why, but I have decided to stay here for grad school.” She holds her hand up in front of me and dangles a Whittaker keychain in front of my face.
I take it and hold her hand hostage with it. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Yes. I have given it a lot of thought. Their program is good, too, and I already know all the professors. I can keep tutoring and maybe even find a long-term substitute position. I love you so much, and I don’t want to spend any more time living away from you. We belong together.”
“Damn straight we do.”
“You agree?” The way she asks makes it seem like she’s surprised by my answer.
A small laugh escapes. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about all week. I mean, I want you to go to Madison if that’s what you want. We’ll find a way to make it work either way.”
“You weren’t planning to break up with me and ship me off against my will?”
I pull her against me. “Fuck no, but I was prepared to let you seduce me all week to keep you from realizing it.”
Her mouth falls open. “You knew?!”
“I’m sorry that I let you believe that I was pushing you away. It took me a little bit to figure it out. Though to be fair, every time I opened my mouth the past few days, you shoved your tongue down my throat.”
“I was trying to keep you from breaking up with me long enough to show you how much you mean to me.”
“Break up with you? Not a chance, baby. It’s me and you.” I snake a hand around the back of her neck and with my other hand I dig out the ring box in my front pocket. “Now my gift.”
Her eyes widen as I bring the box into view. “You asked me what was the first thing I bought when I signed my contract. This.”
I hand it to her, and she opens it slowly. Tears fill her eyes. “Why?”
“Because I wanted to share that moment with you, and I couldn’t. And when I realized that, I just knew you were my end game. I used to think relationships were all about timing, but since you came back into my life, I’ve had to accept that maybe there is no such thing as the right time. There is always going to be something I can’t give you or some event during the season I’m going to miss because I’m traveling. But I promise you that no one has or will ever love you more than I do. I love you, Piper. I’ve loved you since I was eighteen years old. Fuck yeah, we belong together, always. Marry me, Pipes?”
“Yes.” She nods. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
I slide the ring onto her finger and then kiss her. The cheers from the bar make me pull back. The guys are all watching us with giant grins.
“She said yes,” I say, a thrill shooting through me.
Piper wraps her arms around me, and I kiss her. Damn, it feels good.
When we untangle ourselves, Jack hands me a glass and holds up his. “To Piper and the rookie!”
41
PARTIES ARE THE BEST FOREPLAY
PIPER
We head backto Jack’s house to hang out for the night and within an hour, news of our engagement has spread. His backyard hang has turned into a full-blown party.
“Do you know all these people?” I ask Tyler. We’re stopped every few seconds by someone congratulating him or asking me to see the ring.
“Some of them I know by name, others I just recognize from parties. You’ll get used to it. Jack knows a lot of people.” He wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him. “Are you sure you know what you’re marrying into? I come with a whole team of dudes that are often obnoxious and sometimes awesome.”
Laughing, I lean forward and brush my lips over his. “I have a pretty good idea.”
