Always and Forever (22 page)

Curiously, I haven’t seen Peyton anywhere which is unusual for her because she’s at
Jen’s almost every night, but this
is
a holiday meant mostly for couples and maybe she didn’t want to do the couple thing
tonight. Whatever.

“And she’s told you no ten times. So back the fuck off,” Drew repeats.

Mike narrows his eyes on Ryan which makes him look sexy as all get out, standing there
in his black suit. He wears a light gray shirt under it with a dark gray with light
gray stripes tie that he’s loosened and a dark lock that’s come loose from his David
Beckham hair hangs on his forehead. Yep. Totally sexy. “You’re fucking beautiful,
Ryan. I know I blew it with you but I’d like another chance.”

This makes me suck in a breath and my mouth hangs open. Oh, my God! How romantic is
this? I look at Ryan and see her still shooting him a “Go right to hell” look. She
looks around and when she spots me, she stomps over, grabs my hand and jerks me along
behind her heading toward the restrooms in the back.

“Can you believe that drunken asshole?” she snaps as we walk.

“Well, I kinda thought it was romantic to tell you the truth,” I reply.

She stops and looks at me. “You’re kidding. Look, Pipe, I know it’s Valentine’s Day
and everyone’s over the moon with all the love bullshit, but c’mon. That wasn’t romantic
it was annoying!”

I shrug. She’s not going to convince me otherwise because it
was
romantic.

And then I hear Brody talking on the microphone. Now what?

“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but I’d like your attention, please, since everyone’s
looking this way already.” He chuckles. “As most of you know, Piper Knowlton and I
dated for almost twelve years…” The crowd lets out a few whoops at that. “And then
we broke up.” Now the crowd boos.

I look at Ryan, my eyes great big. “What’s he doing?” I whisper.

She grins at me. “I don’t know, but he’s definitely doing it in style.” We turn and
start making our way back to the dance floor where I see him standing on the raised
platform where the local bands set up when they play.

“But now, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen has decided to give me a second
chance. Guess I’m luckier than you were, huh, buddy?” I see Mike flip him off as everyone
laughs. “Piper? Where are you, baby? Come on up here.”

“Go,” Ryan says, pushing me in the back toward the dance floor.

Holy shit. When I get to the floor, everyone starts clapping and whistling. Holy shit!

“There you are. Come here,” he demands in what I swear is his sex voice. Gah!

I bite my lip and make my way up to him. He reaches a hand down and helps me step
up onto the platform. “Isn’t she gorgeous?” he remarks and now my face looks like
Drew’s does most of the time.

“What’re you doing?” I mumble out of the side of my mouth.

“She asked what I’m doing, folks.” He looks at me, his eyes all glittery and green
on me. “I’m doing what I should’ve done a long time ago.” Then he drops to his knee
in front of me and I die.

The end.

…

Just kidding.

My hands go to my cheeks because I’m freaking out, my heart’s about to pound out of
my chest and tears fill my eyes turning him into a handsome blob of man kneeling at
my feet.

He looks up at me. “Piper, I’m a fuck up.”

That gets the crowd going.

“But I’m a fuck up who loves you, and with your help, I’m getting better.” More laughs
with a few “Awwws” thrown in. “I think I’ve loved you my whole life to be honest with
you. It’s just that up until I finally realized that fact when I turned sixteen, I
was an ass whose only focus was working on perfecting my resting dick face.”

This makes me choke out a laugh.

“You’ve stood by me through everything and I want you standing by me for the rest
of our lives. I promise to make you laugh every day. I promise to make you feel like
you’re the most beautiful woman in the world every day, because you are, and I promise
to give you my heart, body and soul, all of me, every day for the rest of our lives.
You’re my always and forever, Piper.” He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a ring
box, flipping it open with his thumb and my mouth falls open at how gorgeous the ring
is, vintage style with a two-carat square diamond in a white gold halo setting with
pavé set diamonds surrounding it. Holy wow! I look at him in awe as my hand trembles
in front of my mouth.

“Piper Elaine Knowlton, would you do me the very highest honor of being my love, my
life, my wife, my everything from here until forever?”

I close my eyes as the tears stream down my face. When I open them, I look at him
and nod.

“She said yes, everyone!” he announces. Taking my hand, he slips the ring onto my
finger then pulls me down into his arms giving me the hottest kiss yet while the whoops
and hollers become background noise. I give him an even hotter kiss right back and
he pulls away and grins then murmurs, “Fuck me.”

Chapter 19

I’m face down on Jen’s desk, my arms stretched out in front of me, as Brody pounds
inside me from behind.

“God, yes! Brody, please!” I cry out. It’s not like anyone’s going to hear us with
how loud the music’s playing in the bar.

“Please what, baby?” he says all husky and gravelly and command-y, pushing in deep
then grinding hard against me.

“Please make me come! Please!” I beg shamelessly, panting because I’m right there.
I’ve been right there three times already and he’s pulled back which has been driving
me insane. And I can’t take it anymore.

He pulls out and now I whimper. God!

“Look at you,” he says, flipping my skirt up higher to my lower back as he runs his
hands over my bottom. He squats behind me and slowly runs his hands down the backs
of my thighs, over my calves and brushes his fingers over and around my ankles then
moves them back up. “Most beautiful backside I’ve ever seen,” he mumbles. Then one
of his hands goes between my legs where he rubs his fingers over my swollen core making
me gasp when he slides a finger inside. “So fucking wet… and all mine.”

His other hand slides to the front where he pushes his fingers against my clit and
I’m done for, crying out his name as my body stills yet shakes at the same time. I’m
at once inside myself yet floating outside my body. Dear God.

He stands and grabbing my hips, his fingers digging into them hard, plunges inside
powerfully, rocking his hips against mine so forcefully the heavy oak desk under me
makes a squeaking noise as it starts moving across the floor with each of his thrusts.
Damn. Then with a violent surge, he comes with a groan. He retreats and powers back
inside with a grunt, doing this twice and then he’s still. Holy smokes.

His head falls to my shoulder and I feel his quick breaths against my skin. “You fucking…
undo me…” he says between gasps for air.

After we make ourselves presentable I’m searching everywhere when I hear him say from
behind me, “Looking for this?”

I turn to see him swinging my Valentine’s Day red thong back and forth on his finger.
I swipe for it but he holds it too high for me to reach. “Nuh uh. This is mine,” he
informs with an impish grin and puts it in the breast pocket inside his jacket.

“What if I go on the dance floor and spin and everyone sees my hoohah?” I protest,
eyebrow up.

He barks out a laugh. “I’ll kill every motherfucker in here then.”

And that settles it. We walk out of Jen’s office and down the hallway. When we get
to the doorway that goes into the bar, Brody pulls me to him and lands a big one on
me.

“What was that for?” I say, dizzy from his kiss.

“To keep you honest.”

“What the hell does that mean?” I ask with a frown.

“I don’t know. I’ve heard it in movies and always wanted to use it.”

I throw my head back and laugh. “God, you’re a goofball. But you’re my goofball.”
I smile and tiptoe up and brush my lips against his. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he says, taking my hand as we walk back into the bar… to the claps
of our family members standing there waiting on us.

Oh. My. God.

There’s my mom and dad, Greer and Clay, Carolina and Lucas, Kade and Amelia, Cassie
and Jeremy, and Ryan and Drew all smiling at us and I know they know what we were
just doing. I bury my face in Brody’s jacket and they all laugh.

Kill me now.

~~~

“And you all got to see it?” I ask my family about Brody’s proposal.

“We did. That’s where Brody was this afternoon, if you were wondering. He was asking
my permission,” Dad answers.

“
Our
permission,” Mom corrects, giving Dad a look.

Ah, so that’s where he’d disappeared to.

“
Our
,” Dad emphasizes.

“We called Greer right away so they could be here too,” Mom adds which makes me hug
her.

Dad takes a drink of champagne. “What is this shit?” he says with a grimace.

“Henry!” Mom scolds.

“Emma, you tasted it? It tastes like that fingernail polish remover stuff you use.
I need a real drink. Anybody need anything?” he asks the table.

Everyone shakes their head but Mom says, “Get me something that has fruit on a skewer
that sticks out of the glass.” She looks at Greer and me and giggles. “I’ve always
wanted to have a drink like that.”

“One chick drink coming right up,” Dad announces, giving her a wink then leaves the
table.

We’ve pushed several tables together and the Kellys and my family are all having various
conversations. And it’s really cool.

“You happy?” Mom asks.

“Very,” I declare with a smile. “I love him.”

“I know you do.”

“So what’d you get Brody for Valentine’s?” Greer asks.

“Shit! I left it in my store! Damn it. I need to run and get it.”

I walk down to where Brody’s talking to his parents.

“Hey, baby. What’s up?” He puts his arm across my shoulders and bends to give me a
sweet kiss.

“Hey. I need to run to the store for a minute. Can I have my keys, please?”

He frowns. “Why?”

“It’s a surprise.” I flash him a naughty smile as he fishes my keys from his pocket.

His mouth goes to my ear. “I like surprises. Like how surprised you’re gonna be when
I fuck you against the wall when we get back to your house.”

A shiver races through me. “I can’t wait.”

He kisses the side of my head. “Hurry back.”

“I will, baby,” I say and take off.

I pass Dad on my way out. “Where’re you going?” he asks and I chuckle because he’s
got a beer in one hand and a drink for Mom in the other that’s got a stick in it with
all kinds of fruit slices on it.

“To my store. I forgot Brody’s Valentine’s gift. I’ll be right back!” I inform him
and take off out the door.

It’s a bit chilly out but my store’s only a few doors to the north, so I go as quickly
as I can in the ridiculously high heels I’m wearing. I cut between two buildings then
walk up the alley to the back door of my store unlocking it and going inside disarming
the alarm. I walk to my office reaching inside the doorway to turn on the light then
go to my desk to retrieve the huge box I’ve wrapped both gifts in. The tickets are
at the very bottom under layers of confetti and the boxer briefs are closer to the
top under confetti too. I want him to dig then think all I got him was the boxers
then really surprise him with the tickets.

I pick up the box and am just about to hit the light switch when the back door to
my store opens then closes. “Hello?” I call out sticking my head out into the dark
hallway. I can see two shapes but don’t know who it is. “Who’s there?”

I hear a woman hiss, “Go!” then the shadows start walking toward me.

What in the world?

“Can I help you?” I ask wondering what’s going on.

“Yeah, you can help me,” I hear a woman say with a snort then suddenly it looks like
the shadowy figure behind puts a foot into the back of the shadowy figure in front
and launches them toward me. Whoever the front figure is falls at my feet with an
Oomph! I throw Brody’s present behind me and kneel down by whoever it is and ask,
“Are you okay?”

A swollen and tear-streaked face meets mine and I cry out, “Peyton? Wh-what happened?”

“I’m what happened,” the woman answers, coming into the light.

I’m puzzled and shocked at the same time when I recognize her. “Hannah?”

She seems pleased that I know who she is. “I see she been talkin’ ‘bout me.”

“What on earth is going on?” I inquire.

“Well, here’s the deal, Red,” Hannah begins and it’s then that I notice she has a
freaking gun and I notice it because she waves it around as she talks. What in the
name of fuck is going on?

At that point in time, I’m honestly waiting for a film crew to come in to say I’m
being
Punk’d
or some shit because this has to be the most ridiculous scenario I’ve ever been in.

“See, Peyton here forgot to send me my check this month and I can’t be havin’ that
happen.” She walks around in front of Peyton. “Can I, bitch?” She kicks Peyton in
the side and I yell out a “Hey!” because no one, not even Peyton, should be treated
this way.

“What’s going on? What’re you talking about, check?” I ask trying to get to the bottom
of this.

Hannah’s flat eyes hit mine. “Like you don’t know. Bitch here told me you knew everything
and that you’d give me money too.”

Peyton curls up in a ball in front of me and I hear her softly crying. Good God.

“Why don’t we go have a seat and you can tell me what’s going on because I really
have no idea.”

I watch as Hannah considers it and notice that Ryan would really be having a fit right
now because her roots have really grown out.

“Tell you what, here’s what’s gonna happen,” Hannah instructs. “You’re gonna give
me all the money you have here then I’m gonna put a bullet in her head,” she points
the gun at Peyton, “then I’m gonna put a bullet in
your
head. Then we’re even.”