Chapter 30

"You"rea braver woman than I am," Piper said, raising her glass of champagne. "Hooray for Maddie finding love again."

Maddie grinned as Tori and Keira echoed the cheer. They were having a girls" night at the store to put together flowers for Maddie"s engagement party, which she was hosting at the house she and Lucas had bought. The guest list was limited to the Harts, the Stocktons, Falcon, her dad, and her friends. Even the currently long-distance members of their squad, Ellie Kent and Brie Jenkins, were going to come back for it, which made her so happy. Maddie missed Ellie and Brie, and having them back would be amazing.

She wanted to be surrounded by those she loved, both new and old, and no one else, and Lucas was delighted with her decision. Neither the Harts nor the Stocktons were particularly social, so both families were delighted with her choice Everyone was coming, including spouses and kids.

As it turned out, that made for a lot of people. Maddie had gone from a family of two and a friend group of five, to an entire village of love…and she loved it.

Les was back in jail. It turned out that he wasn"t her biological dad, but he"d been a drug supplier to her mother, who had been an addict. When her mom had died, Les had decided Maddie might be useful to him, so he"d kept her. He"d come after her as payback for the Harts killing Ivan, wanting to punish Jacob.

She knew she"d never know who her biological father was, but that was fine with her. Maddie had the only dad she needed.

Finding out who her mother was had been life-changing for her, though. Maddie now had a past, answers, and clarity, freeing her to move forward with her life.

Maddie had decided to do her own flowers for her engagement party, and she"d hired Piper to do the rest. Piper was still trying to make it in the wedding planner industry, but she was amazing, and Maddie wanted no one else to help her.

"It"s not so bad, falling in love," she teased her friends. "You might try it."

Maddie patted Violet with her feet, joy bubbling in her heart. She was so happy. Happier than she"d ever imagined she could be. Her diamond ring glittered on her left hand. It was, of course, gorgeous, enormous, and custom designed for her. Lucas had put many special touches into the ring that made it just between them, personal and beautiful.

She"d decided to lean into being engaged to a billionaire, and she wore the ring and loved every second of it. No guilt or shame for the life she got to live. It had taken her a lot of work over many years to realize she deserved it, and she was owning that self-worth now.

"Fall in love?" Piper rolled her eyes. "Good heavens, girl. Don"t you think I"ve been down that road enough?"

"I don"t know," Tori said. "We heard how your hot landlord saved Maddie"s dad. Ex-cop, right?"

Piper snorted. "He may be somewhat attractive, but Declan is cranky, anti-social, and a recluse. There"s no chance of anything romantic happening with Declan. I think we spoke about ten words the whole car ride home. If I"m going to fall in love, it wouldn't be with Declan."

Maddie exchanged glances with Tori. There didn"t seem to be any secret pining for Declan under the surface. Piper had zero interest in Declan, which was too bad, because he seemed like a good guy. The Harts liked him, and the Harts were very selective about who they chose to accept.

But Maddie knew from her own experience that if the man wasn"t right, the best choice was to stay away. "That"s probably good that Declan isn"t your guy. It would get complicated in a hurry since he"s your landlord."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Can you imagine? He already has the key to my place. I"d invite him over to fix my sink, and he"d arrive naked because he would think it was code for sexy playtime."

They all burst out laughing at the thought of Declan showing up naked to fix a leaky faucet.

"You could do worse than Declan when it comes to naked landlords," Tori said. "The man is insanely ripped."

"Remember that day he was in his pool, helping his dog learn to swim?" Keira said. "I don"t know which was better, him or the dog."

"The dog," Piper and Maddie said at the same time, and then they both laughed.

"Seriously, though," Maddie said. "Declan"s not your guy, but maybe someone else is. You never know. I planned to be single forever, and then…" She waved her left hand in the air and wiggled it. "It can happen when you least expect it."

Piper shook her head. "No," she said emphatically. "I can"t. I"m happy for you, Mads, I really am, but my true love fix is coming from my clients and you guys from now on. End of story."

"I second that," Keira said. "I"ll be an auntie to all the little Maddies that run around this store."

"Ooh, yes, Aunt Tori. That"s perfect," Tori said. "We"ll be those eccentric spinster ladies that your kids call auntie, because we"re wild, independent women with long, gray hair, freedom, and fabulousness."

"Gray?" Piper rolled her eyes. "Speak for yourself. I"m never going gray. I think I"m going fire-engine red. What do you think?"

Maddie sat back, bubbling over with joy as she listened to her friends. She might be getting married, but her friends were hers forever. Lucas adored all of them, and they treated him like one of their besties.

Everyone she loved got along, which was amazing, but at the same time, she still had her girl time, the roots that had given her courage and life all along her journey.

While she"d been hanging out with her friends, Lucas had taken her dad out to dinner, and they were stopping by the shop on their way home to load up the flowers and take them to the house. The engagement party was tomorrow, and the Harts and Stocktons would be arriving in the next few hours as well. Everyone was staying at the house. They had a big house, but they didn"t have twenty bedrooms, so people would be crashing wherever they could. Kids would be in sleeping bags. Adults on couches, in bedrooms, in the guest house, everywhere.

It would be chaos, confusion, and awesomeness.

The front doorbell rang, and Bella walked in with Meg. "We"re here to help with the flowers," she announced. "Girl time!"

Piper let out a whoop. "Grab a glass! We"re talking about love, sex, and men."

"Perfect!" Bella and Meg hurried over, hugs went all around, and more champagne was poured.

Maddie had just settled down with a smile when Violet jumped up, and ran to the front door, barking and wagging. Maddie looked over to see Lucas and her dad walk in, both of them grinning.

Lucas was carrying a huge vase of long-stemmed red roses. He held them out as conversation stopped and everyone turned to look at him. "I had to go to a competitor to surprise you, so I apologize for that. Happy engagement, Maddie. I love you always, forever, and with all my heart."

Her friends let out little whispers of "aww…" while Maddie jumped off her stool, ran across the store, and threw her arms around the man she loved.

He"d never let her forget she was loved. Not ever. And she intended to do the same for him.

Because they"d waited a very long time to find love, and neither of them would ever take it for granted.

She"d found her home.

Want to know what happens with Declan and Piper? Or when Bella meets the cowboy who challenges everything she believes in? Order your copies now of When We Least Expect It(Declan Piper), andA Rogue Cowboy"s Kiss (Bella the absolute last cowboy she would ever want to fall for!).

Or, you can keep reading for a sneak peek of When We Least Expect It!

Things get sassy and spicy in When We Least Expect It!If you can"t stand the heat, get out of the wedding! Except that the chemistry between wedding planner Piper Sheridan and her fake fiancé, ex-cop Declan Jones, is scorching hot…and in danger of combusting into something more real than either of them wants. Sparks fly when the sassy runaway bride recruits her reclusive landlord into her world of romance, tuxedoes, and happily-ever-after when she and Declan make a deal to fake an engagement for twenty-one scorching hot days. Treat yourself toWhen We Least Expect Ittoday or keep reading for a sneak peek!

CHAPTER ONE

There was a shirtless, muscled man in Piper Townsend"s shower, and that was just not going to work for her today.

Or ever, quite honestly.

But especially today.

She put her hands on her hips as her landlord, Declan Jones, reared back with a freaking sledgehammer and aimed it at her still-intact shower wall. "Declan, don't?—"

Her grumpy, ex-cop demolition squad slammed his sledgehammer into the tile, shattering the wall and eviscerating the last vestiges of composure she"d been clinging to when she"d walked in.

"Declan!" She strode into the bathroom and poked him in his shoulder.

He spun around so fast that he bumped into her, knocking her off balance. She tripped on his toolbox, and he grabbed her arm, swearing as he averted her certain death and hauled her upright again.

Of course he could toss her effortlessly to her feet. That was so irritatingly attractive in a man, and she didn"t have time for irritatingly attractive men.

He pulled his earbuds out and scowled at her. "Don"t sneak up on me when I have a sledgehammer. It"s not safe."

"I literally shouted your name twice."

He frowned. "You did?"

She pointed to his earbuds. "Noise-cancelling?"

He looked down at his hand, then swore. "Sorry." He shoved the earbuds in his pocket. "You okay?"

Okay was such a vague term. "Technically, yes."

His brows went up. "You"re not okay?"

"You didn"t hurt me," she clarified, because did she want to have to explain to him what had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours? No, she didn"t. Home was her oasis, and Declan was probably the only human within a few hundred miles who didn"t know what had happened.

Or maybe that was an exaggeration, but that"s what it felt like, so she was going with it.

"All right." He picked up the sledgehammer. "What do you need?"

"My bathroom, but that feels like a reach right now." Normally, a glimpse of Declan"s gorgeous shoulders was enough to boost Piper"s mood in an art-appreciation kind of way, but today his royal hotness was simply a big mass of muscles and man in her way. She did not have time for her bathroom to be in a pile of rubble.

Declan glanced over at her with those bright blue eyes that always startled her with their intensity. "I told you I was starting the renovation today." He sounded cranky and tired.

Well, that was great for him that he was cranky and tired. So was she, and it was her bathroom that he"d just punctured a hole in. "Wednesday. You said you were starting Wednesday."

He frowned. "I said today."

"No, you said that you had to finish the molding in your kitchen, so you weren"t going to start until Wednesday." It was currently Monday afternoon at five, which was not the time for Declan to be in her shower.

Well, in an alternate life, maybe any time would be the perfect time for Declan to be in her shower, but in this life? Never.

He narrowed his eyes, staring at her.

"Hello?"

"I think I did say Wednesday," he finally said.

Piper blinked. "I don"t think I"ve ever heard you admit you were wrong about anything."

He flashed her a grin as he rested the sledgehammer against his leg. "I"m not that stubborn."

"You are, but I"m used to it." She waved her hand at her bathroom. "But about this?—"

He"d offered to pay for a hotel while he redid her bathroom, but this was her oasis, and she"d needed the comfort of being there. She had a tiny powder room that had a toilet and a sink, and she could shower at her gym, so she"d decided it would work. "I didn"t plan for this tonight. I need a shower."

And a miracle, but first things first.

Declan sighed and ran his hand over his short hair, his chiseled bicep flexing like God"s gift to women. His hotness had never dawned on her prior to the last few weeks, but her trio of besties had recently been on a mission to get Piper back into the dating game, and they"d fixated on Declan as a good start.

She disagreed, but their constant harping on his physical attributes was working its way into her subconscious, which was incredibly distracting and annoying, especially when he was shirtless and sweaty.

Fortunately, she had a will of steel and enough relationship trauma to withstand any temptation, so it was all good.

"It was my mistake," Declan said, "so you can shower at my place."

"Your place?" Piper had never been in his gorgeous house that shared a gravel driveway with her little carriage house. She"d never even peeked through those beautiful French doors or tiptoed past his gorgeous, landscaped pool. Declan was private, closed-off. Almost a loner, from what she"d observed from her little vantage point in his guest house. He kept people away, except for the occasional visit by his parents, brother, and sister, whom she"d met a couple times.

Declan was a reclusive ex-cop who spent his life in jeans, boots, T-shirts, and a five o"clock shadow. His sole existence appeared to be working on his house, playing ball with his dog, and bartending part-time at a neighborhood bar.

His family was well-dressed, sociable, and always looked like they knew what a shower was for. She had no idea how they were related.

"Yeah. Back door is unlocked." Declan looked at his watch. "I"ll be working until six, so you"ll have privacy. Use the guest bath to the left at the top of the stairs. It"s the blue bathroom."

Piper stared at him. "You"re inviting me unattended into your sanctuary?"

He cocked a brow. "Why? Should I not trust you?"

"No. I"m very trustworthy." Well, apparently she was also demon spawn cursed to destroy love and romance in all its earthly forms, but she doubted Declan would be worried about that apparent flaw in her character. He didn"t seem the type.

He grinned. "I know you"re trustworthy. I ran a background check on you before I rented you the carriage house. You have an hour. Once I"m finished in here for the night, I"m kicking you out, so make it quick."

A background check? Sudden alarm gripped her. Did he know about her past? He was an ex-cop. If he"d decided to dig deep, his tentacles would have gone far. "What did you check?"

His smile faded. "Credit. Prison record."

"That"s it?"

He leaned on his sledgehammer, studying her with open curiosity now. "What else is there to find, Piper?"

"Nothing." She shook out her shoulders. If Declan had uncovered her past, he wouldn"t have rented her the carriage house. It was fine. Her past was still hidden. No one except her friend Maddie Vale knew. Relax, Piper. She ducked past him and grabbed her shampoo and conditioner off the sink where he"d moved it. "I"ll be on my way?—"

"You getting married?" he asked.

"What?" Alarm leapt through her, then she saw he was looking toward her left hand. Where there was no longer an engagement ring. Had he heard what happened?

He pointed. "The magazine."

She looked down and saw that her copy of the June issue of Elite Bride was facing him. Relief rushed through her. He didn"t know. "No. I"m a wedding planner."

Or rather, a wedding killer, according to Kathryn Vespa, one of her bridal clients.

Kathryn had also called her cursed.

And bad luck.

And, most significantly, fired.

A second bride had also fired her today. And social media had embraced the new, viral hashtag #weddingkillerpiper.

And a third bride, the biggest client her firm had ever acquired, had left Piper three voicemails today, demanding that Piper call her back. She wasn"t going to do that until she figured things out, since bride #3, April Hunsaker, was definitely going to fire her.

April was her last chance. If April fired her, Piper"s career would be over.

Everything she"d worked for…destroyed.

Which meant she had to figure out how to regain April"s trust tonight.

As in, within the next few hours.

Tomorrow, it would be too late.

Game over.

Piper had twelve hours to fix the unfixable. Hence the need for a miracle.

She"d find a way, but right now, she had no idea what that path was. She was worried that there wasn"t an out, and that scared her more than she wanted to admit.

"Wedding planner?" Declan looked amused. "That job title brings fear into every man"s heart."

"What? Why? I make dreams come true. And very well, I might add." Well, except for the string of bad luck over the last ten months…beginning with her own. But that wasn"t bad luck so much as a nightmare of her own creating. Either way, same result, though.

"The bride"s dreams, maybe, but that poor groom?" Declan chuckled. "Now he"s got two women to complicate his life. All he wants is to get married, and now he has to deal with things like tablecloths, seating charts, and table centerpieces."

Piper rolled her eyes. "That"s so unromantic! Just wait until you fall in love. You"ll realize that your greatest joy is seeing your bride"s face light up as her dream day comes to life."

His amusement faded, and his jaw got hard. "No chance. No wedding in my future."

It was her turn to be curious. His reaction had been intense and unyielding, far beyond a typical marriage-averse manly-man reaction. "Really? Why not?"

Something flashed across Declan"s face, an emotion so raw and ragged that she sucked in her breath. "Because it"s not." He turned away, picked up his construction assault weapon, and slammed it into the wall of her shower again.

Piper didn"t move for a moment, stunned by the expression she"d seen on his face. Declan was always so reserved, so controlled, so grumpy, but that had been pure, raw emotion raking across his face for that brief second.

Declan had secrets, she realized. Secrets that would probably rip him to shreds if he let them out.

Wow. Just…wow. She"d had no idea that her reserved, solitary landlord was a boiling cauldron of secrets.

He looked over his shoulder at her. "You"re down to fifty-eight minutes."

"Right. I"m going." She grabbed the rest of her toiletries and bolted.

Declan had just gone from annoyingly attractive on a physical level to maddeningly intriguing on an human level.

Which didn"t fit into her life.

At all.

Piper was standing on the ruins of a promise she"d made to her mother before she"d passed away. If she failed to fix things in the next twelve hours, the dream she and her mom had created together would be shattered.

She needed miracles right now, not mistakes.

And Declan would be a mistake.

A huge, irrecoverable mistake.

Which meant she was keeping her distance from him.

In every way.

Because she was a woman on a mission, and she wasn"t going to mess it up with romantic dreams of knights in shining armor.

She"d done that twice already, and the scars still burned.

Never, ever again.

Declan could still smellthe flowers.

Piper was gone, and yet, he could still smell the flowers. Was it her shampoo? Her soap? Some sort of body lotion?

The thought of body lotion put a visual in his head that made him swear.

He set his sledgehammer down and stepped back, trying to focus on the carnage around him. Demolition was always satisfying. He knew damn well that he"d told Piper he was starting on Wednesday, but a few hours ago, he"d run into someone he used to know, and his past had been triggered.

He"d had to do something to distract himself. From the memories. From the pain in his gut. From the truth that wouldn"t stop haunting him.

Declan had grabbed his tools and almost sprinted to the guest house, ignoring the instability in his knee. That first swing of the sledgehammer had reverberated through his body, jerking him back from the grips of the past and returning him to the present.

Now? He felt back in control again, locked down, focused…except for the fact he could still smell the scent of flowers that seemed to follow Piper wherever she went.

He fucking loved how she smelled.

He was going to have to find a way to get over it.

Because he wasn"t ready for a woman, and he never would be.

That part of his life was over, and he was never going back.

At that moment, his phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at the caller. When he saw who it was, he had to take a breath before answering it. "Declan here."

He listened for a moment, his gut tightening the longer they spoke. "Yeah, I can come in on Friday at eleven. Thanks."

He hung up and let his hand fall to his side, stunned.

He"d passed the physical to return to police work.

Interview on Friday.

After three years on the sidelines, fighting to get his body to work again, he"d done it.

It was all he"d been focused on. The only thing that mattered.

But now that he was going back there on Friday… Fuck.

It was only for an interview, but the nightmares were going to start again. He could already feel it.

He took a breath. Nightmares were fine. He was fine. He had a bathroom to destroy and that would get him right.

But as he picked up the sledgehammer, he caught a whiff of flowers again.

This time, he closed his eyes, paused, and inhaled, using that light, delicate scent to steady himself.

Piper was freaking sunshine, and she had no idea how she grounded him every time he saw her.

And she never would know, because he was never going there with her.

But would he take a minute to breathe in the flowers and let it settle him?

Yeah. He would.

Because he had only a few days to figure out how to make himself walk back into that station, and the life that had nearly destroyed him.