She Loves Me (Harmony Pointe #3) - Melissa Foster Page 0,135
okay just dating you. You’re my best friend, my lover, and my beer-drinking, sports-watching, sass-talking, wing-eating goddess. I love you so damn much. I want forever with you—a ring on your finger, babies, burnt cookies. I want it all. And I know you thought you didn’t want to get married, but I’m hoping you feel the same way I do.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Say you’ll marry me, Pipe, and I promise you we’ll have a great life together.”
As he rose to his feet, she covered her mouth with a trembling hand.
“How could you?” she accused through a rush of tears, stumbling backward. “Everything was so good. We were happy! You promised not to try to change me. I trusted you! I can’t . . .” She ran toward her truck.
He was momentarily frozen. But then his brain kicked in and he took off after her, snagging her by the wrist. Her tears sliced through him like a knife. “I thought things had changed for you, too.”
“They did, but that didn’t!” she hollered, hurt welling in her eyes. She pulled her arm away, stumbling around Jiggs. “I won’t change my mind about marriage, Harley. I know that about myself.”
She was so mad, shaking and crying, but if she could just see them more clearly, he was sure she’d calm down.
“But you’ve already changed. We sleep together every night. We stay at your house, which according to you is huge. You told me that I wasn’t alone in this thing with Marshall anymore, and I know you meant it. I heard it in your voice. Don’t you see, Pipe? We’re already building a life together as a couple.” He paused to let his words sink in, but her tears kept falling. “What do you think has been happening between us? You can try to deny it, but you love me, and you love Jiggs, and damn it, Piper, you know I love you.”
“I knew you wanted marriage!” she said angrily. “I never should have believed you when you said you were okay with the fact that I wasn’t looking for that. If that’s what you need, then maybe . . .” She squeezed her eyes shut, as if the words trying to escape were too painful to even think about.
His gut seized, and the truth rushed out. “What I need is you, Piper, any way I can have you. I just got carried away. I started thinking about the time I lost with Marshall, about Bridgette losing her husband right after Louie was born and Marshall losing his wife and baby, and how we lost my father.” He couldn’t rein in his emotions. “I don’t want to look back and regret not telling you how I feel. I want every second I can have with you. Is that such a crime?”
She shook her head. “No, but . . . I can’t think right now.” She dug her keys out of her pocket and said, “I need space. I need time . . . I need . . .”
“You love me, Trig,” he said softer. “You’re just scared, babe. Yes, I want to marry you, but that’s not because I want to change who you are.”
She rolled her eyes and said, “That’s exactly what marriage does.” Her voice changed as she said, “Mrs. Harley Dutch! Fuck Piper Dalton. She’ll fail to exist the second we say ‘I do’!”
“You know that’s not true, and you know I don’t want that. Look at your sisters and Aurelia. Look at your parents, Piper. I know you’ve had shitty boyfriends in the past, my brother included, but I’m not them.”
She shook her head, and he had no idea if she knew how wrong she was, or if she felt too sucker punched by his impromptu proposal to think straight. Either way, he had to fix this.
“Then don’t change your name, baby. I’m not asking you to give up your job and be a stay-at-home mom. I’m only asking you to commit to loving me—loving us—forever.”
She pulled open the door of her truck and took a few steps toward him, then veered away, like she was confused. He stepped forward, but she held up her hand and said, “Please don’t, Harley. I need to go to my house and figure things out. I need you to give me space.”
Space was the opposite of what they needed. He took another step toward her. “Pipe—”
“Stop! I can’t, Harley!” She looked down at her keys and said, “Don’t come after me.