“Because of Levi?” he asked with a sneer.
“Because of you,” Piper told him. “Nothing about you interests me, Mr. Oliver. Let my brother know. Or don’t. Either way, I don’t care.”
“Bitch,” Monte said as he was rolled away.
Not the least bit offended, Piper smiled and shut the office door, not with a slam, but a decisive click. Bitch? Damn straight. She wore the badge with pride to honor all the take no crap women of past, current, and future generations.
Thoughtfully, Piper paced the room in slow, measured circles. She wanted to dismiss Monte’s visit as a one-time, random occurrence. However, when one of her brothers was involved in anything concerning her life, her self-preservation instincts tingled a warning she couldn’t completely ignore.
Whether Teddy or Warren or both—they rarely did anything solo—Piper had to figure her mother was involved somehow. In the story of their lives, her brothers cast themselves as brainy arch-villains capable of taking over the world. They were delusional.
The fact was, both men barely had enough get up and go to make their way to the bathroom without Mommy to show them the way. From the time Teddy and Warren were old enough to be useful, Dara Engels used them. Sometimes as a distraction. Now and then as low-grade enforcers.
Mom was the dragon, breathing fire and causing mayhem—mostly just because she enjoyed the smell of scorched earth. Her boys, though they weren’t self-aware enough to know, were the monster’s tail. Clumsy, but dangerous if they were lucky and hit you in just the right spot.
Piper rubbed her temples. Lord, her family made her tired with their constant machinations. Even her grandmother, the indomitable Moira Engels, who could be sweet as a fresh spring rain, had a ruthless streak a mile wide.
Moira hadn’t hesitated to disinherit her daughter, her only child, when she married the wrong man. Then, after the divorce, she married the same daughter off to a man she thought worthy of the Engels’ name. He wasn’t. But in Granny’s book, money, and social standing camouflage a multitude of sins.
And with Piper, the cycle had begun again. Since she reached a marriageable age—nineteen for some random reason—her grandmother and mother had been in a battle to see who could marry her off first.
Sixteen years and many failed attempts later, neither woman had admitted defeat.
Piper removed a tube of pink tinged ChapStick from the top drawer of her desk. As she applied a coating to her lips, she tried to interpret her mother’s latest move.
Monte Oliver? He seemed like an odd addition to an already convoluted
mix. Was he a red herring, or did her mother consider him a viable option in the son-in-law sweepstakes?
Piper couldn’t decide. The only thing predictable about her mother was her unpredictability. As much as she wanted to dismiss Monte Oliver, she had a sinking feeling she hadn’t seen the last of the Knights’ former starting quarterback.
Should she tell Levi about Monte’s visit? Piper nodded. She would fill him in, but not until he returned from Atlanta. What could he do with the information now except worry and stew? He had enough to think about without Piper adding weight to his already overflowing plate.
Chances were good that nothing would come of today’s minor drama. If Piper were wrong, she and Levi would deal with whatever came along.
Rubbing her arms, Piper smiled. Levi. He was a piece to her puzzle she hadn’t realized was missing. He’d always made her happy. The perfect companion. Funny. Challenging. Sometimes he angered her, but never for long.
Levi could make her cry. He could make her laugh. And now, for the first time in her life, she was in love and wondering if she’d been wrong all these years.
Was forever with one man possible? Piper still wasn’t sure. But with Levi by her side, she determined to find out.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
HOLDING PIPER’S HAND, Levi pushed a rock from the pathway. Just after dawn, the crisp morning air was scented with pine and a touch of newly fallen rain.
Combined with the feel of Piper’s fingers entwined with his and the touch of lemon that wafted from her hair, Levi had to admit he couldn’t think of a better way to start the day.
Okay, he lied. If Levi had his way, they’d still be in bed, snuggled under the covers, watching the sunrise through a pair of perfectly placed floor to ceiling windows.
Piper had other ideas. Filled with energy Levi couldn’t understand considering how long into the night and early morning they spent making love, she should have been worn out. He certainly was. But around quarter to six, she hopped out of bed, brimming with energy and insisted they take a long, leisurely pre-breakfast hike.
“You are out of your mind,” Levi grumbled, pulling the sheet over his head. “I’m on vacation.”
“Exactly,” Piper chirped like an annoying little bird. “The Knights have a bye week. Fourteen glorious days without a game.”
Though a National Football League regular season consisted of sixteen games that spanned from September to the end of December, the contests were played out over seventeen weeks.
Each team was assigned one week in the schedule where they didn’t play. A glorious break, some called the time off. Levi wouldn’t argue. Though he hadn’t faced the rigors of a full season like the rest of the Knights, after four physically and mentally grueling games, he was ready for a break. A chance to rejuvenate and recalculate. Time to be with Piper. Alone. With no distractions.
“Only seven of those days belong to me. On Monday, I get back to work,” Levi reminded her. “We shouldn’t waste a second.”
“A walk in the woods isn’t a waste. The mountain air will do you good,” she said, tugging on his arm. “Think of the appetite you’ll build up after a few miles trekking up the hills and down the dales.”
“What’s a dale?” Levi shook his head. “Never mind. First, you tell me, then you’ll want to show me. I’d rather
