forever before we pull away, his forehead resting on mine, his lips swollen from my teeth. My eyes are closed as I catch my breath, the air mingling with our short pants. I lick my lips before grazing them softly against his again before he chooses to pull away first.
The look in his eyes is full of heat and lust and I know what he wants. He smiles and brushes the pad of his thumb against my lip. “What was that for?”
I swallow. “I just wanted to.”
My words must affect him because his eyes flare as he gives me a quick peck that barely lingers despite his expression darkening, like he wants it to. He steps away and grabs the plates rather than expecting anything more. It’s because of that consideration, paired with the way my lips tingle and body heats, that I want it so much more. But we don’t rush the dinner he made as we eat at the table and talk about anything we want to.
Jesse.
My parents.
His father.
Mr. Ford has always been a kind man, more so after his wife passed away. Despite his loss, he did everything in his power to raise Carter the way he deserved to be raised. He passed on his values and morals. And every single day of his hard work being a single parent is one I admire ten times more now after hearing the financial struggles they had growing up. His father worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, not that anybody would have known it. He was there for Carter when Carter needed him, going to any function or event for his son. It’s clear to see in the way Carter speaks of his father that he loves him.
In return, I tell him all about Ainsley and her condition, the struggles of school, the strength I see in her, and how much it hurts to see her cry when she thinks I’m not looking. He already knows my love for her is the strongest love I can ever have, and how much I love Danny for giving me that feeling through the little girl he loved most too. The more I talk about her, the more tears well in my eyes.
We’re on the couch with Cap at our feet when I let one of the tears slip past the barrier and stream down my cheek.
He holds my hand in his, resting them on what little space is between us on the cushion. “She’s an amazing little girl, isn’t she?”
“The best,” I whisper, clearing my throat so the raspy tone fades. “She gets it from both of her parents. Willow—did you meet her?” He shakes his head. “Danny told me from the day they met that he knew she was it for him. She came from a rough background and fought for everything she had. I think Ainsley gets a lot of her spirit from her mom.”
He squeezes our hands. “Danny was a lot like that too.” I nod in agreement. “You don’t have to punish yourself like I know you’re doing. What happened to him isn’t your fault, Piper.”
I’ve told myself that hundreds of times over when I reach a low point, and most of the time I believe it. But like Carter has said before, we’re human. And humanity comes with weakness and self-doubt that brings people down the second they’re trapped inside their own mind.
I stare at our hands. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me. While I wasn’t behind the wheel, or the one who created the storm, I was the one who chased him away.”
He stares in confusion.
“I thought I loved him.” I draw in a breath, finally admitting aloud what nobody knows. Not even Jenna. “I thought he finally realized he loved me that night, but it was a moment of weakness for him. And as soon as—” I choke on the words, struggling to catch my breath as more tears fill my eyes. “As soon as he realized what we’d done, he couldn’t even look at me. He said it was a mistake, Carter.”
Sympathy instantly clouds his eyes. “Oh, Piper. I didn’t know.”
Letting go of his hand, I swipe furiously at my cheeks and force myself to breathe. I close my eyes and count to five, opening them only when I’m calmer. “I think about that night all the time. Not because I’d slept with him, but because I knew it was a mistake. It hurt when he told me that, it