“With your husband? That’s so weird to say. I thought we’d never get married, just be really cool aunts.”
Piper shook her head and said, “Maybe that’s how you’re gonna be, but God has a different plan for me.”
Reese genuinely smiled as she said, “Yup, and the plan involves a husband.”
Piper smiled as she cradled her belly and whispered, “And a baby.”
* * *
Erik couldn’t get her off his mind, no matter what he did.
His music blasted in his ear as he ran on the treadmill. He also had tuned in SportsCenter on the TV, and he was even listening to Tate talk about the different colors they were using in his daughter’s room, but nothing worked. He couldn’t kick the idea out of his head that she was a dancer. How was she so good at so many things? It made no sense. She was an artist, a photographer, a dancer, a saleswoman, and if he remembered correctly, she was going to be a teacher, too.
Piper was amazing.
With a shake of his head, he pushed himself hard, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to work out much while he was in Las Vegas. There were a lot of events that he would have to attend and he also planned on partying with the guys. So he needed this workout, but what he didn’t need was the image of Piper dancing around in barely anything. It wasn’t only that image that was in his mind, though; he also began worrying that she could fall, and hurt herself or the baby. That thought made him lose his footing and he almost fell off the treadmill.
“You okay?” Tate asked.
“Yeah, I was thinking of Piper.”
Tate gave him a knowing smile and nodded.
“I think of Audrey all the time, too.”
“Yeah,” Erik said with a wave of his hand. “She’s out dancing with her sister and I’m afraid she’ll fall or something.”
“Wow, she is still dancing?”
“Yeah, apparently,” Erik muttered. “I don’t know if I like that.”
“I know I wouldn’t. I’ve seen her dance with Reese before. They don’t take it easy,” Tate said, and since he was worried, it made Erik even more concerned.
“Great, now my mind is at ease,” Erik complained as he increased the machine’s speed. “I have to trust that she knows what she is doing.”
“That’s true. She’s not stupid. It’s just the man in us that wants to protect what is ours,” Tate said, kicking up his speed, too.
Was that what the problem was? Was he worried because he cared and she was his, or was it because he just didn’t want her to get hurt? Was it the same thing? If he was honest with himself, he’d admit that he did care for her. Erik, being the stubborn ass that he was, even with himself, couldn’t admit that, though. So when he hopped off the treadmill and grabbed his bag, he wouldn’t let himself analyze the reason why.
The only thing he knew was that he had to get to Piper and make sure she was okay.
* * *
After making sure that Tate had everything he needed to take care of Stanley while they were away, Erik drove like a bat out of hell to Reese Allen’s Dance Studio. After locking the car, he ran up the stairs and entered the gaudy yellow studio. It was bright as hell but it looked good with the black designs and shit that she had hanging everywhere. Music shook the walls as he made his way through the studio, following its beat. He didn’t recognize the song, but that wasn’t new. He usually listened to rap and bluegrass, not this pop stuff they were dancing to. He was a music weirdo, as Jakob would call him.
Erik finally found Piper among the many rooms in the studio. There in the middle of the floor stood Piper in supertight black shorts and a small black sports bra. Reese wore almost the identical thing but her outfit was yellow and blue and her body wasn’t nearly as delectable as Piper’s. Piper had piled her mass of hair on the top of her head. Sweat dripped from her brow and her body glistened with the evidence that she had been working hard. But even with all that sexiness in one little package, the one part he had a hard time breaking eye contact with was her belly.
It was so small, but protruding at the same time. He had only gotten a glimpse of it on the dock, but seeing it now, out in the open, made all of this so much more real. He wanted to walk up to her, press her against the wall, and cradle her stomach, just to feel what she felt every day. He had this unbelievable need to just hold her, and tell her she was beautiful.
“We’ll do it one more time, girls, and then I want y’all to come up here and do it,” Reese said, but Erik’s eyes never left Piper.
When she glanced over at him, she looked shocked that he was there. He gave her an awkward little wave and then slid down the wall, leaning forward on his knees so he could watch. She broke her gaze with him when the music started. Piper and Reese started to move so fluidly and in sync, it was mind-blowing. Watching them dance was like watching two of the same person. The steps they choreographed for the song were perfect, and when Piper took her solo, doing what seemed like a million little turns before kicking her leg up into her arm and falling back to where her head almost hit the ground, Erik almost flew up to help her, but she had it. A dance move he would bet most pregnant woman would never be able to do.
She was on fire.
Erik had never seen anything so beautiful and it started to piss him off when Reese took over the dance. It should have been Piper; she was wickedly awesome. Once the song was over, the girls who sat against the mirrors started to clap as they stood. They couldn’t have been eighteen, and if Erik remembered correctly, he remembered seeing them dance solos at Ally’s last recital. They were damn good, but nothing like Reese and Piper. Reese started teaching the girls as Piper walked toward him. He stood, smoothing out his shirt as she approached.
Piper shook her head and said, “Maybe that’s how you’re gonna be, but God has a different plan for me.”
Reese genuinely smiled as she said, “Yup, and the plan involves a husband.”
Piper smiled as she cradled her belly and whispered, “And a baby.”
* * *
Erik couldn’t get her off his mind, no matter what he did.
His music blasted in his ear as he ran on the treadmill. He also had tuned in SportsCenter on the TV, and he was even listening to Tate talk about the different colors they were using in his daughter’s room, but nothing worked. He couldn’t kick the idea out of his head that she was a dancer. How was she so good at so many things? It made no sense. She was an artist, a photographer, a dancer, a saleswoman, and if he remembered correctly, she was going to be a teacher, too.
Piper was amazing.
With a shake of his head, he pushed himself hard, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to work out much while he was in Las Vegas. There were a lot of events that he would have to attend and he also planned on partying with the guys. So he needed this workout, but what he didn’t need was the image of Piper dancing around in barely anything. It wasn’t only that image that was in his mind, though; he also began worrying that she could fall, and hurt herself or the baby. That thought made him lose his footing and he almost fell off the treadmill.
“You okay?” Tate asked.
“Yeah, I was thinking of Piper.”
Tate gave him a knowing smile and nodded.
“I think of Audrey all the time, too.”
“Yeah,” Erik said with a wave of his hand. “She’s out dancing with her sister and I’m afraid she’ll fall or something.”
“Wow, she is still dancing?”
“Yeah, apparently,” Erik muttered. “I don’t know if I like that.”
“I know I wouldn’t. I’ve seen her dance with Reese before. They don’t take it easy,” Tate said, and since he was worried, it made Erik even more concerned.
“Great, now my mind is at ease,” Erik complained as he increased the machine’s speed. “I have to trust that she knows what she is doing.”
“That’s true. She’s not stupid. It’s just the man in us that wants to protect what is ours,” Tate said, kicking up his speed, too.
Was that what the problem was? Was he worried because he cared and she was his, or was it because he just didn’t want her to get hurt? Was it the same thing? If he was honest with himself, he’d admit that he did care for her. Erik, being the stubborn ass that he was, even with himself, couldn’t admit that, though. So when he hopped off the treadmill and grabbed his bag, he wouldn’t let himself analyze the reason why.
The only thing he knew was that he had to get to Piper and make sure she was okay.
* * *
After making sure that Tate had everything he needed to take care of Stanley while they were away, Erik drove like a bat out of hell to Reese Allen’s Dance Studio. After locking the car, he ran up the stairs and entered the gaudy yellow studio. It was bright as hell but it looked good with the black designs and shit that she had hanging everywhere. Music shook the walls as he made his way through the studio, following its beat. He didn’t recognize the song, but that wasn’t new. He usually listened to rap and bluegrass, not this pop stuff they were dancing to. He was a music weirdo, as Jakob would call him.
Erik finally found Piper among the many rooms in the studio. There in the middle of the floor stood Piper in supertight black shorts and a small black sports bra. Reese wore almost the identical thing but her outfit was yellow and blue and her body wasn’t nearly as delectable as Piper’s. Piper had piled her mass of hair on the top of her head. Sweat dripped from her brow and her body glistened with the evidence that she had been working hard. But even with all that sexiness in one little package, the one part he had a hard time breaking eye contact with was her belly.
It was so small, but protruding at the same time. He had only gotten a glimpse of it on the dock, but seeing it now, out in the open, made all of this so much more real. He wanted to walk up to her, press her against the wall, and cradle her stomach, just to feel what she felt every day. He had this unbelievable need to just hold her, and tell her she was beautiful.
“We’ll do it one more time, girls, and then I want y’all to come up here and do it,” Reese said, but Erik’s eyes never left Piper.
When she glanced over at him, she looked shocked that he was there. He gave her an awkward little wave and then slid down the wall, leaning forward on his knees so he could watch. She broke her gaze with him when the music started. Piper and Reese started to move so fluidly and in sync, it was mind-blowing. Watching them dance was like watching two of the same person. The steps they choreographed for the song were perfect, and when Piper took her solo, doing what seemed like a million little turns before kicking her leg up into her arm and falling back to where her head almost hit the ground, Erik almost flew up to help her, but she had it. A dance move he would bet most pregnant woman would never be able to do.
She was on fire.
Erik had never seen anything so beautiful and it started to piss him off when Reese took over the dance. It should have been Piper; she was wickedly awesome. Once the song was over, the girls who sat against the mirrors started to clap as they stood. They couldn’t have been eighteen, and if Erik remembered correctly, he remembered seeing them dance solos at Ally’s last recital. They were damn good, but nothing like Reese and Piper. Reese started teaching the girls as Piper walked toward him. He stood, smoothing out his shirt as she approached.
