Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

K itty was pouring tequila when Piper walked into the kitchen. "You little minx," Kitty said, pointing the neck of the bottle at Piper. "You looked me right in the eye and lied to me. And to think I liked you."

"You still like me, but now you respect me as well." Piper took a breath, trying to focus on the present, instead of the little moment she'd just had with Declan. He'd been married? His wife had died? Holy crap. That explained so much.

His pain had been raw, etched into every word he'd so carefully chosen, into every taut muscle in his body, and she'd had to summon every last bit of self-control to shift her energy into a teasing vibe, instead of trying to open the door he so clearly wanted closed.

She knew if she gave him any sympathy, he would have shut down right then and there. Maybe ended their deal. So she'd fought to be light-hearted. It had worked, but wow. She could feel the weight of his past in her own heart.

"Hellooooo, Piper." Kitty waved the bottle in front of her. "Earth to Piper."

Piper took a breath and then forced a smile at Kitty. "Right. Sorry. I was trying to decide how best to play this. Would you believe we weren't involved until five minutes ago, and I wasn't actually lying to you at the house?"

Kitty barked with laughter. "More lies. I detest lies." She set the tequila bottle down and held out a glass to Piper. "Drink up, my devious little wench. I'm going to grill you like you've never been grilled."

"Right. Okay." Piper took the glass as Declan walked into the room. They met gazes, and she flashed him a light smile. Nothing heavy. Just following the tone he'd set when he'd told her about his past.

Declan gave her an adoring smile that was absolutely heart-melting. Tender. Warm. As if she was the only thing in his world that mattered. Holy cow. He could melt her defenses in a heartbeat if he chose to. What the heck?

He walked right over to her, put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. He kissed her cheek, clearly staking his claim to her, then turned to his mom. "It was my idea," he said. "I wanted to keep our relationship a secret."

"Why on earth would you keep it a secret?" Kitty asked. "I can't even express how happy this makes me, even if the woman you've chosen is a liar." She winked at Piper when she said it, though, so it was all good.

"Because it's about me and Piper," Declan said. "Not you or Eric. It happened gradually and naturally, without any external pressure. I needed that. I needed the privacy."

Hurt flickered across Kitty's face. "You think we would have messed it up? Is that what you think of us? All we want is for you to be happy."

"I know, Mom," Declan said. "I just didn't know how it would play out with Piper. We needed space to experience it. Just us." He tightened his arm around Piper again. "Plus," he said, "I didn't want you to scare Piper off. She's a fragile little thing."

Piper and Kitty stared at each other, then they both burst out laughing. And just like that, the tension was broken.

"Piper is no fragile little thing," Kitty said with a snort. "If she was, there's no way she'd be able to put up with you. Am I right, Piper?"

"He's not so bad," Piper teased. "He's much less cranky than he used to be."

"Maybe because he's in love, eh?" Kitty asked, her eyes glittering.

Tension flickered through Piper. Love? They hadn't discussed love. Yes, of course, if they were engaged, then they would be in love, but that felt so personal. Love was such a trap.

"I'm less cranky because Piper likes my famous macaroni and cheese, so now I have an excuse to bake it," Declan said, sidestepping the topic.

"Is that so?" Kitty eyed them both speculatively, clearly trying to figure out exactly what their status was, and how serious they were. "So, how long has this been going on? Days? Weeks? Months? The whole two years Piper's been living here?"

"Long enough," Declan said, again staying away from the details.

Awesome. Her fiancé was a great liar. That was a trait every woman needed in a man.

Oh, wait. No, it wasn't. She knew that from past experience.

"Long enough to…what?" Kitty asked. "Fall in love? Give me my first grandkid? Dance naked under the full moon?"

Piper's cheeks heated up. "Dance naked?" she asked. "Really?"

Kitty grinned. "Just testing the waters, my dear."

Declan looked at Piper and raised his brows. "Should we tell her?"

Piper's heart started to pound. Tell Kitty they were engaged? Oh, Lordy. That felt like such a door to open. Suddenly, she doubted whether that was such a good idea. "Maybe not?—"

"What?" Kitty slammed her palm on the table. "What in the devil's cocktail is happening? Tell me now!"

Declan raised his brows, then he took Piper's hand. "I asked Piper to marry me."

"What? When? What? "

The next few minutes were an interrogation and chaos of epic levels. Piper made up a story about how he'd proposed by taking her to a hilltop at sunrise. Declan said he wanted Piper to pick the ring she wanted, which was why they didn't have one yet. Kitty did not approve of the absence of a ring on any level. And there was a lot of outrage that they'd kept it a secret.

But eventually Kitty ran out of steam, and they were able to edge her toward the door. She held up her hands in defeat. "All right. I can take a hint. No more questions tonight, but what's your schedule? Dinner Wednesday night at the country club?"

Declan glanced at Piper and cocked his brow. She knew he was letting her decide. They'd fooled Kitty, which meant the rest of their arrangement had to serve Piper's needs. Her half was a public resurrection of her reputation. A country club dinner would be perfect. "Sure," she said. "That might be fun."

"Great. Seven o'clock. Don't be late." Kitty grabbed the doorknob. "I'll see you both then. I must be off. I have some calls to make!" Kitty giggled herself out the door and fluttered a good-bye at them through the window, before hurrying down the sidewalk, already pulling her phone out of her purse.

Declan dropped his arm from Piper's shoulder. "We have about thirty seconds to stop her. After that, there'll be no going back."

Piper took a breath. "No going back."

"All right then."

They both watched as Kitty dialed the phone, waited, and then started jabbering frantically.

The beast had been unleashed.

They were committed, for better or worse.