Say You Still Love Me(115)

“I’m fine.”

She hesitates. “Do you miss being with David?”

“No. Not at all. I was never meant to be with him.” I toy with the paper wrapping from the package. It’s foolish, but I can almost feel Kyle’s hands on it.

Speak of the devil . . . David pops his head into my office then. “Renée, I need you now.”

“And I need you now,” I demand.

“I don’t have time—”

“Two minutes.”

“She sounds like her father,” he mutters, handing Renée a folder. “Meet me in my office.”

Renée marches out, her calf muscles bulging from her high heels.

“What is it?” David asks, and he has the nerve to sound annoyed.

“What was that stunt earlier today in the lobby?” I ask calmly.

“What stunt?”

I glare at him.

“Oh, so he ran up here and cried to you? What kind of man are you with?”

“David!” I snap. “What were you trying to do?”

He begins pacing around my office, his hands on his hips. “I know I was joking around about it because it was funny at first. Shocking. It didn’t really hit me until after I got home and replayed what you said, and how you said it.” He stops in front of my desk. “You’re in love with this guy, aren’t you?”

I purse my lips.

That’s answer enough for him.

“Fuck . . .” David sighs heavily. “I guess, I don’t know. In the back of my mind I thought you’d be so focused on taking over for your dad that you wouldn’t have time to date, and then eventually you’d wake up and realize I’m the guy for you and we’d get back together. I did not see this coming. The last few days have been . . . weird for me.” He frowns as if replaying them in his head. “I almost told Kieran everything on the green today.”

“You what?” I hiss, my body going rigid, the urge to run for the lobby, to protect Kyle from what’s about to come, overwhelming.

He holds his hands in the air. “I didn’t. I wanted to, but I didn’t.”

I sink with relief into my chair.

“So I want you to know that I’m not okay with this, and I’m probably going to be a dick every once in a while because I’m not okay with it.” He frowns. “But I won’t tell Kieran. I don’t want him to do something that would hurt you.”

My annoyance with David softens. Words like that don’t come easily for a man as self-absorbed as he is. “Thank you for the warning. But please don’t harass Kyle. It’ll make people talk.” Thank God Gus is already aware of our relationship.

“I was just letting him know that if he hurts you, he’ll have to deal with me.”

Kyle and David are the same size, but something tells me Kyle would win that fight. I bite my cheek to keep the laughter at bay. “You’re still an idiot. But that might be the most considerate thing you’ve ever said to me.”

His lips twist as his gaze drifts across the way. “Maybe I should start screwing the help, too.”

And . . . he’s back.

“I think that’s a great idea. She already has your children’s names picked out.”

“What?” Panic flashes across his face.

“I’m kidding. Now go away so I can work.”

Except now my focus is splintered between pie graphs and babies.




“Hello?” I holler, kicking the door shut and slipping off my shoes. I’m exhausted, it’s a quarter to ten, and I told Kyle I’d be home two hours ago. The kitchen and living room are empty. He’s not in our bedroom, either, I note with dismay.

I’m just about to call his phone when I catch movement on the patio.

I smile. Kyle, Ashley, and Christa are standing beneath a canopy of lights strung from every corner.

“There you are,” I murmur, wandering out to wrap my arms around his waist from behind. His cotton T-shirt is soft against my skin. “I’m so sorry I’m late.”

His fingers graze mine. “That’s okay. Ash put me to work as soon as I got here.”

“It looks great.” Outdoor furniture, surrounded by gauzy curtains and tall palms, fills the formerly empty patio.

“See, Christa? Piper thinks it looks great,” Ashley says, in a way that tells me Christa’s had a few criticisms.

“We need to move that end over by a foot,” Christa directs, pointing to a far corner, waving the staple gun toward Kyle.

He shifts in my arms and leans down to kiss me. “Your dinner is probably cold by now.”

“I know. I’ll heat it up in a bit. I need to talk to you first.” I hook my finger through his belt loop and tug, leading him inside and down the hallway, all the way into my bedroom.

He smirks. “So, is talking code for—”

“Do you want to have kids?” I blurt out.

Kyle’s mouth drops open. “Uh . . .” He pushes my door closed behind us. “Eventually.”

“How many?”

He hesitates, frowning. “What’s going on, Piper? Where is this coming from?”

I sigh. “Renée.”

“Renée knows about us, too?”