Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

" P iper!" April pulled out a chair and sat down as if it were her throne.

Declan swore under his breath as Piper jumped back. He was slower to let Piper go. He didn't lean away from her. Instead, he simply turned his head toward their new guest, giving her a slow once-over.

Nice engagement ring and several rows of diamond stud earrings. Extra bling around her neck. Clothes that looked a little uncomfortable, but that had all the right brand names. She was dressing to impress.

"I've been calling all day!" April was clearly irritated that Piper had ignored her calls, which made him lean forward to interject his presence.

"Hi," he said, his voice low. "I'm Declan Jones."

April glanced at him dismissively, then she saw his watch, and she paused to really look at him. "April Hunsaker." She held out her hand to him in that way women did when they wanted a man to kiss their hand.

He almost started laughing. He was so far from the kind of man who would kiss April's hand upon meeting her.

But since Piper had said women loved unavailable, rough men, he did exactly what he wanted to do, which was to ignore her hand, lean back, and survey her.

April's eyes narrowed as she lowered her hand. She was pissed, and it made him want to grin. Who the hell went around expecting strangers to kiss their hands? It was such a strange world his mom lived in, and that Piper wanted to be a part of.

"April," Piper said, leaning forward, taking the conversation back. "We need to talk."

April's gaze swiveled back to Piper. "Yes, you're fi—" She paused when Piper scratched her nose with her left hand, and her massive diamond glinted. She grabbed Piper's hand and almost dragged Piper out of her seat to get a better look at her diamond ring. "What is this?"

Declan narrowed his eyes. Yeah, he knew the ring was something special, but it was also stunning to see how quickly a big ass diamond could distract someone like April. It reminded him of why he'd stayed away from these circles.

Piper's face lit up with what appeared to be absolute joy. "I'm engaged!"

"You're engaged?" April's shock was impressive.

"I am." Piper put her hand on Declan's shoulder. "I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Declan Jones. Declan, this is April."

He gave her a casual nod and slid his arm along the back of Piper's seat, trailing his thumb over her bare arm. "Hey."

"Hi," April said, barely giving him a glance before turning back to interrogate Piper. "When did this happen? You were engaged to Clark ten months ago!"

Clark. Now Declan had a first name. He wanted more information on this guy.

"I know." Piper leaned forward. "This is what I wanted to talk to you about. When I walked out on Clark, I didn't know why I was doing it."

Lie. She's just lied. Interest shot through Declan. Piper knew exactly why she'd walked out on her wedding. Why was she hiding that ?

Piper continued with her story, not aware that she'd just revealed a secret. "All I knew was that as I stood there across from him, I couldn't do it. I imagined the next fifty years with him, and this voice inside me said 'No. Run.'"

That was the truth. Fight or flight. What kind of situation had she been in with Clark that her nervous system had put her in fight or flight mode?

"So you ran," April said.

"I did. And then, a month or so later, I was talking to Declan, something inside me came alive in a way I'd never been alive before."

April glanced at him, and Declan leaned forward, absorbed by Piper's story.

"We'd only been friends before that, but in that moment, something shifted. For both of us. We went out on a date, and I realized that the man who'd been my friend all this time was actually the piece of my soul that I'd been missing."

Well, damn. That was impressive.

April's eyes widened, but before she could speak, Piper continued her story.

"I'm happier than I ever thought possible. I feel loved in a way I didn't know existed. Being with Declan makes me realize that the reason it didn't work with Clark was because I deserved more. He wasn't my one. And I'm so grateful beyond words to have found that out before I married Clark."

Declan decided it would be helpful to interject, so he put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "I'm so grateful every day that Piper had the courage to walk away from what wasn't right. She's the most incredible woman I've ever met. She lights up my life and makes me a better man."

The words felt fake to him, but at the same time, they awoke something inside him. A yearning. A desire. A need for them to be real, to be a truth he was actually living. The yearning shocked him to his core. He'd thought he was done being in a relationship. Over with love. With marriage. With wanting more. But the way those words resonated inside him felt absolutely compelling.

Fuck.

He was not happy with that little discovery.

Piper gave him a tender smile that strengthened the yearning inside him. "Bitsy's wedding got cancelled because her fiancé was cheating on her. She can definitely do better than that, right? Think how happy she'll be when she finds the man who treats her the way she deserves to be treated."

Bitsy. Who had a name like Bitsy? That was freaking hilarious.

April shrugged. "I mean, yeah, I guess."

"And Tricia? She realized she deserved more, just like I did. She'll find her Declan."

Declan lifted her left hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. "Piper isn't a wedding killer, April. If anything, she's a bride protector, keeping her from marrying the man who isn't right for her." Damn. That was good. He liked that.

April looked back and forth between them. "Bride protector?"

"Yeah," Declan said. "Piper casts her net of protection over all her brides. Most of the time, it means the perfect wedding. But sometimes, maybe she gives the bride the clarity to realize she's making a mistake, and a bigger diamond from a better guy is waiting for her."

He tossed out the ring thing because he had to. Because it was funny as hell.

April's gaze predictably went to Piper's ring, then she looked at Declan and Piper. They both beamed at her, and he suddenly wanted to laugh. The expression on April's face was as hilarious as the one on his mom's had been. Shock. Confusion.

Piper leaned forward. "I'm good luck, April, not bad luck. It's the loser dudes who are the ones being cranky because they're losing the women who are too good for them."

April started to smile. "That's true. I never liked Bitsy's fiancé."

"Right? And, I'll be honest, your Wendall is a treasure. You've got a wonderful man. My only job will be to make your wedding perfect, trust me."

April's smile widened. "He is great, isn't he?"

"Absolutely. You know I'm the best at what I do. All you have to do is enjoy the most special day of your life." Piper winked. "I'll even keep Wendall's mom off your back. She loves me."

April laughed. "She does. I don't know how you do it, but you're amazing with her."

"Because I'm great at what I do." Piper patted April's hand. "It's all good, honey. I'll see you tomorrow at Vale's Flowers. Sound good?"

April nodded. "Yes, okay." Then she glanced at Declan. "Can he come? I think my mom would like to meet him, to know that everything's okay."

Can he come? Like he was Piper's dog? But when Piper glanced at him with raised eyebrows, Declan knew he was in. Oh, boy. He gave April a lazy smile. "What time?"

"Eleven?"

"I can work that in and stop by for a few minutes," he said.

Relief flashed across April's face, making Declan wonder if it was actually her mom who had wanted to fire Piper, not April herself. He saw from Piper's frown that she had noticed the same thing. "I'll see you later," April said. "So glad I have a bride protector on my side! That's such a better job title than wedding planner!"

Piper grinned. "I'll add it to my business card."

"Perfect!" April gave them both a quick wave, then hopped to her feet and strode back over to her table. She hadn't even sat down before her friends were leaning in, looking at Declan, and asking questions excitedly.

Piper sat back, her shoulders slumping with relief. "We did it. I can't believe it."

"That was well done. Quite a story you fabricated." Declan continued to watch April's table, and the glances shooting their way. "I think we need to dance. "

"What? Why?"

"Because we're being watched. We need to do a steamy dance that makes every one of those women jealous of us, and then we can jet." Oh, boy. A steamy dance. This night was becoming far more than he bargained for. "We need to get their discussion off you being a wedding killer and onto you being luckier than all of them combined."

Piper started laughing. "You're that great of a catch?"

"No, but I can make them think I am." He winked. "I did some undercover work in my day. I can lie with the best of them. Let's go get hot and steamy."

Piper's cheeks turned pink, and she grimaced. "I'm not really into PDA."

"Me either. We can be super awkward and uncomfortable together, but make it look like we're suave, polished, and completely comfortable making out in public. Duplicity at its best."

She laughed, as he'd hoped she would. "A perfect pair."

"Yep." He rose to his feet and held out his hand to her. "My darling, this is one of my favorite songs. Would you care to dance?"

"My little pumpkin latte, it would be my greatest joy."

He started laughing as he led her to the little dance floor. "Your pumpkin latte?" He pulled her against him, so her torso was against his, and clasped his hands behind her lower back.

She linked her hands behind his neck and gazed up at him with a deadpan expression. "No. You're not a latte. You're my Man O' War."

He grinned. "Your jellyfish?"

"Big, deadly, long-tentacled jellyfish," she said. "If there was such a thing as a hot, sexy jellyfish, it would definitely be the Man O' War."

"I'll take it as a compliment, then."

"As it was intended, of course. "

He pulled her closer and brushed his lips over her neck. "They're still watching," he said.

"I know. Don't they have anything better to do than watch a grumpy old man and his hot, young fiancée?"

He swore. "I'm not old."

"Yes, but you're so grumpy that it's almost like you're an old man."

"I'm not grumpy either. At the moment."

Piper laughed, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. "No, not at the moment, although I thought we were in for it when April first sat down. You really couldn't have kissed the back of her hand? Just a wee, little show of grace?"

"No. I couldn't have done that. It might have killed me." He swung her around, swaying to the music. "But it was fine. She was left yearning for my touch."

Piper laughed. "She's engaged. She better not be yearning for your touch."

"All women yearn for my touch. It's a burden I've learned to deal with." He pulled her close, tucking their joined hands against his chest, cradling her hand. "You'll probably need a bodyguard. Women all over the world are going to be coming for you, now that word is out that you got me."

She laughed. "I can handle it. Once you've been shot a couple times, not much can scare you."

He stiffened, and his laughter faded. "You've been shot?"

"Only twice, so it's fine."

His heart started pounding suddenly, and fear gripped him. She'd been shot. Shot. Shot. Twice.

Piper's arms tightened around him. "Declan? What's wrong? What's happening to you?"

He pressed his face to her neck, trying to ground himself in her presence. Piper was all right. She was alive. He felt her body against his. The heat. The warmth. Her curves.

"Declan?"

"Just give me a sec." He held her tightly, needing to feel her against him, forcing himself to move with the music. To his surprise, the panic attack, the terror, the memories receded before they took him. Somehow, being in Piper's arms had grounded him enough to keep ahead of his past.

Piper wrapped her arms around him and held him close. The strength of her embrace seemed to provide a shield against the memories, and his breath steadied. His heart rate slowed. His skin cooled, the beads of sweat settled on his skin.

For a long moment, they simply danced. She didn't ask again, didn't press him for details he couldn't articulate, and eventually his energy settled back into the moment, into Piper, into the present.

"That was a deep breath," Piper said. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He pulled back to look at her. "Sorry about that."

She smiled. "It's totally fine. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, hell no. It's not you." Movement behind him caught his eye, and he saw that all the women from April's table were still watching him. Shit. He'd forgotten his job. "I gotta kiss you."

Piper's eyes widened. "You don't have to do anything."

"I want to." The words slipped out before he realized he was thinking them. Piper's brow furrowed, and he swore. He didn't want to have to answer a question about what he'd meant by that, so he pulled her in, angled his head, and kissed her question away before she could get it out.