Country Kisses (3:AM Kisses Book #8)(50)
Sorry, but if you can swing by this evening about five, it would be perfect. I know Piper mentioned she was meeting up with Owen and her friends at the Black Bear. I swear this will only take 15 minutes. Plus, this way Wyatt can wish her a happy birthday. He’s a bit under the weather, so it works out great.
“Check this out.” I flash my phone to Piper, and she openly frowns.
“That’s fine. At least I’ll get a hug from my big bro on my big day. And then, we can get to the Black Bear, and you can finally meet Cade.”
My girl parts clench, because Lord Almighty, my parts and I are well-acquainted with every last thing that boy is packing.
“Sounds like it’s going to be a lot of f-u-n!” And I am suddenly feeling s-i-c-k. I’m pretty sure her birthday isn’t the right time to let her know I’ve been yanking both her chain and her brother’s—literally—for the last few months. I might just have a quick “dizzy spell” and take off to see Caila instead. I could sure use her no-nonsense advice right about now. Caila would never have gotten herself into such a twisted pickle. I can’t believe I’ve let it get this far. I feel like such an ass. They’ll both hate me once they realize what I’ve done. I’m a pariah, a witch, a real life predator that saw what I was after and chomped down on it with my greedy little teeth. I’m a man-eater, and the man I’ve eaten alive—tasty as his hot buns have been—is my best friend’s brother. How exactly did I think this was going to end other than in disaster? Certainly, there is no good way around this. If I had any balls at all, I’d show up at the Black Bear tonight. Thankfully, I’m a lady, through and through, and I’ve decided to opt for a more reasonable solution—run.
“It’s not going to be f-u-n.” Piper does a mediocre imitation of me, and I twist my hand in the air, letting her know it’s so-so. Every now and again, when she gets good and irritated, she gives it a go. She’s done it so much so that I’ve actually started rating her. She’s not bad, but she hasn’t shown improvement in a good long while. I think once she discovers the truth about who I’m bedding, her irritation will propel her imitation of me to an Oscar-worthy caliber. “Owen says Cade is dating some girl, but he wouldn’t tell me who. I bet anything it’s that two-timing ex of his.”
A nervous giggle scratches at my throat. Good God, Piper is ready to bust me a new one, well, not me per se, the so-called ex. Who knows? Maybe Piper would be relieved to find it’s me playing with her brother’s plumbing and not some old girlfriend who once jerked him around.
“She’s been after him for months. It’s like she’s stalking him.”
My antenna goes up. “Stalking?”
“Yeah, she showed up in town, and she’s been begging him to take her back.”
“Really.” It comes out far more incredulous than it has to. No wonder Cade agreed to keep things low-key. No wonder he got so high-strung at the movies that night! I bet he spotted her in the crowd. My stomach churns just thinking there’s some hussy out there trying to snag my man right from under me. The nerve of this pathetic little thing. I’m practically Cade’s girlfriend. I’m more familiar with his body at this point than I am my own. Hell, I think after Piper’s birthday disaster, I’ll head over to Cade’s house and make my feelings clear as crystal. Of course, I’ll have to fess up to knowing his sister—knowing that I knew exactly who he was when I landed naked in his bed. That will be the hard part, but once that bandage is ripped off clean, we’re off to a freshly mended start. That is, until tomorrow when we have to sit Princess Piper down and let her in on a couple of hard truths. I’m pretty sure she’ll die on the spot when she finds out all those late night heated discussions about Hot Buns were directly related to the boy who’s been gifting her noogies all her life.
Yes, it will be awkward, but it will be necessary. Sometimes, painful things have to happen for us to move on to the next phase of our lives. Hopefully, that won’t involve a physical altercation such as a mandatory beat down from Piper to me. I like my features just the way they’re arranged, my teeth included. No need to involve emergency rooms or cosmetic surgeons.
My hand moves absentmindedly to my scar and lingers there a moment.
“Hey, is everything okay?” Piper nudges my knee with her bare foot.
“Yes. Just fine.” I smack her pretty pink toes as if they were roaches. She knows I hate her sticky feet all over me. “In fact, I have to run across the street to see that girl, Roxy. It looks as if all my interviews for my marketing class are happening at the same time. I’ll be back in a second. I promise, I’ll make it quick.”
I grab my backpack and blow the birthday princess a quick kiss.
I can’t wait until tonight. Long after Piper has blown out her last candle—most likely after I’ve done a little blowing of my own—I’m finally going to profess my love to Cade James.
And hopefully by tomorrow at this time, this entire nightmare will be long over.
As soon as I hit fresh air, that nervous energy that’s been clinging to me all morning eases up just a smidge. I may not have to dish out a lie after all tonight when I tell Piper I’m about to lose my lunch. I was already swaying on my heels back there just thinking about it. Maybe I’ll squeeze that visit with my sister in a little earlier than anticipated. I don’t think she’d mind seeing me twice in one day. I just can’t get my head around what I’m about to do.