“Then why are you in such an all-fired hurry?”
Because I need you to sign off on the trust so I don’t lose my business. He was hardly going to say that.
Myles looked at Piper beside him, standing resolute in the face of all the accusations that’d been hurled her way. Her expression said this was his call, and she’d accept whatever he decided to do.
He lifted the hand he held and pressed it over his heart. Brain scrambling for something, anything to say. “Because she makes me smile. She makes me think. She makes me better than I am. Because I’m thirty-one years old, and until I met Piper, I didn’t even know my life was standing still. And now that I’ve realized it, I can’t wait another month to make her a permanent part of my life.” It’d started off a line, but by the time he finished, it felt like a vow. He didn’t have time to analyze that just now.
Piper’s eyes were huge and luminous. Her voice, when she spoke, was thick. “Well, now you’re going to make me cry.”
Myles brushed softly at her cheek. “Never on my account.”
Someone—Piper’s mother?—sighed softly.
“That’s lovely. But why wouldn’t you want to celebrate that with your family and friends?” Mrs. Parish asked.
Piper looked at her mom. “Because I just got finished riding the crazy train that was Carrie Jo’s wedding. I went through all the hoopla for Leah’s. I’ve been through it for half my friends. I have zero desire to waste a year planning something, when we want to get married now. I knew that would offend you, so we just planned to elope and surprise everyone with a party after.”
Mrs. Parish huffed. “Of course, you’d ignore tradition on this, too. It’s just like you.” She said it with a tone of disapproval that made Myles bristle on Piper’s behalf.
“Yes, it’s exactly like her, and it’s one of the things I appreciate most about her. She’s not like anybody I’ve ever met.”
Her mother seemed at a loss for what to say to that. Eventually she asked, “But why wouldn’t you even mention you were dating?”
Piper closed her eyes and almost laughed. “Because—and I say this with love—you’re nosy. Ever since Leah got married, you’ve been on my case, pushing and pushing and pushing after every date I went on. Does this one have possibilities? Is he the one? I couldn’t even give any of them a legitimate shot because of all the pressure you were putting on me. I knew Myles was special the moment I met him. I wasn’t about to let anything screw that up.”
“But—” she began.
“I picked Myles. He makes me happy. That’s the only thing you actually need to know.” Her tone brooked no argument.
“Well, if you’re dead set on eloping, I don’t see why we should stand in your way,” Mr. Parish said, with a look that suggested relief at not having to reprise whatever crazy he’d endured for his younger daughter’s wedding.
“It’s absolutely out of the question,” Gram said.
Myles tensed. “I swear to God, if you say one more word about—”
“I was wrong to pry and imply things weren’t above board. I apologize for that.” She looked to Piper. “I really do, my dear. I’m sorry to have offended you. We’ve had some...difficulties in our family in the past, and I just want to protect him from making the same kind of mistake.”
Piper inclined her head, a far more graceful acknowledgment of acceptance than Myles thought his grandmother deserved.
Gram continued. “But you can’t elope, Myles. As a Stewart, there are certain societal expectations you have to meet.”
“Hang the expectations. I’m not waiting.”
“I didn’t ask you to wait. I’m asking you not to elope. If we can put together a proper wedding on the same timeline you were planning to fly off to wherever, will you agree?”
Myles opened his mouth in surprise. This he hadn’t expected. “We’d need to talk about it.”
Gram waved a hand. “Fine, fine. Go talk. But do it quickly. There’s a great deal to do.”
Piper tugged him down the hall and into a home office, shutting the door behind them.
“Jesus Christ, Piper, I’m so sorry. I—” He broke off as he noticed her lips twitching. “What on Earth do you have to smile about?”
“How can I not be crazy about a guy who can work trollop into a normal conversation?”
“I’m pretty sure nothing about that conversation was normal, and it seemed a better option than what Traci really was, which was a stone cold bitch. But that’s a story for another day. You aren’t her. You’re nothing like her. And I’m sorry my grandmother treated you like you were. I should never have dragged you into all this.”
“As I recall, I’ve been a more than willing participant.”