chance that one of these days you’re going to wake up and see yourself the way I see you, and I can’t wait to be a part of that. Whatever loving you brings my way, I’m ready for it.” Bobby brushed the tears from her cheeks and pulled her into a powerful hug. She felt a little afraid of how tight it was, but when she let herself melt into him she realized this is what loving him would be like. Maybe she’d feel squeezed, maybe she’d worry about not getting enough air, but it was the warmest, safest place she’d ever been and she didn’t want him to ever let go.
“You must be pretty jealous of Michael and Jules then, aren’t you?” Piper settled her herself onto his chest and he rested his chin gently on the top of her head. She hadn’t really cuddled much before, but now she sure understood why people did it.
“Why in the world would I be jealous of the two of them? I’m glad they are hitting it off, but I don’t feel the least bit of envy.” Bobby gazed off into the fire. He knew Piper didn’t profess her love in deep terms of endearment, but she had let him hold her, and he took that as a small pledge of love for now.
“Hitting it off? Where do you think they’re going? I imagine they went to have a few drinks, and soon they’ll be having shameless passionate sex back at his place. And you are sitting on a porch, watching a fire, holding my hand. It doesn’t seem like you planned this out quite right.” Piper smiled up at him and waited for another kiss, which he gladly gave.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now. When I make love to you, I don’t want to think about this day and everything that happened. I don’t want to share the day we make love with anything else. I don’t want to be clouded by adrenaline or cramped up in the cab of my truck like a couple of high school kids. Tonight is about holding you and kissing you and showing you that it’s safe to celebrate. I’ve got the rest of my life to love you. We’ll have our moment, and it will be incredible.” Bobby squeezed Piper tighter, and while he really did mean what he was saying, there was part of him that wanted to ignore his own advice and find a quiet place to show her how he felt.
“Doesn’t Betty have a bottle of strawberry moonshine up in her pantry?” Piper asked, sitting up and smiling mischievously. “She did say we could help ourselves to whatever we wanted, right?” She hopped up and tiptoed her way into the kitchen, lifting herself onto the counter and pulling down the mason jar of moonshine Betty had shown her months earlier. She decided to forgo the glasses and take turns with Bobby, sipping the sweet and potent concoction until she had no choice but to be content
Chapter Twenty-six
Some time during the night the fire burned down, but the moonshine had kept them warm. Bobby and Piper had fallen asleep, awkwardly curled up on the porch swing, completely tangled in each other.
Bobby was startled awake by the sound of an approaching car, and he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The engine sounded rougher than Michael’s car, and the shape of the headlights cutting through the night were unfamiliar. His job required him to take notice of these types of things. The lights were square, the car boxy, and there was a dim light on top of it. In his sleepy stupor, it didn’t make any sense.
“Wake up, Piper,” he said, shaking her gently. She heard the concern in his voice and immediately shot up, regretting the combination of the moonshine and the sudden movement. “There’s a strange car pulling in. I think you should head in the house.” Bobby remembered his service weapon was hanging by his coat just inside the door.
“It’s a cab,” Piper said, squinting to see who its passenger might be. “I can see the light on top of it.” Piper had seen more cabs in her lifetime than the average person. She recognized it in an instant.
As Bobby stood, he pulled Piper up and behind him and inched slowly for the door. He planned to quickly push Piper into the house and grab his gun. But before he could pull the screen door open he