If that’s what she believed, no wonder she’d left him.
“I have to talk to her. I have to fix this.”
“You have to prove to her that you’ve always been in this for her. Your father may have manipulated you into acting, but you’d never have gone through with the marriage if you didn’t love her. It’s not how you’re built. And she wouldn’t have suggested it if she didn’t love you.”
There was still hope, if he could only get her to listen. But he couldn’t get through Tucker, so how was he going to even get in the same room with her? He considered the only thing that might pull her out of hiding. It was sneaky and manipulative in its own right, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Pulling out his phone, he dialed his sister-in-law. “Leah, it’s Myles. I need your help.”
~*~
I am a coward, Piper thought as she pulled into Leah’s driveway.
She should’ve gone home and waited for Myles. She’d promised Tucker she’d talk to him today. She’d even taken another day off work to wallow in her self-pity and psych herself up for the confrontation. Now that the worry had passed, how would he react? Anger? Frustration? Relief? He’d all but turned the town upside do
wn looking for her last night, practically beating down the doors of all her friends to find her. Piper couldn’t reconcile that with what she’d overheard. But she was too afraid to hope she was wrong. And she was terrified of getting confirmation that she was right. So when her sister had texted in need of an emergency babysitter, she’d jumped at the chance. Having some quality one-on-one time with her nephew might be the lone bright spot to what would undoubtedly be a horrible day.
Besides, if Myles was true to form, he wouldn’t even be off work yet.
Piper let herself in, calling out over the recognizable sounds of Blues Clues, “Leah?”
Preston, who’d been playing with trucks in front of the TV, leapt up, making a beeline for Piper with a screech of glee. “Pie!”
She scooped him up, feeling her heart squeeze with gratitude for this tiny boy who never failed to lighten her mood. Pressing a smacking kiss to his sticky mouth, she said, “You know what the absolute best thing about you is, Pres?”
He angled his head, waiting.
“You love me for me, exactly as I am.” She cuddled him close, loving the feel of his little arms wrapped tight around her neck.
Leah appeared in the hallway. “The rest of us love you for exactly who you are, too.”
Piper bridled. She couldn’t help it. The reaction was so long ingrained, it rose up and spilled out before she could stop it. “You have to say that. You’re my sister.”
But for once, Leah didn’t rise to the bait. “Sweetie, I know you think you’re the black sheep of the family, and maybe there’s some truth to that. You aren’t like the rest of us, and that means a lot of times we don’t understand you. But that’s never meant we don’t love you.”
“I know you love me.”
“Do you? Do you really know that?”
“Sure. In an if I needed a kidney and one of you was a match, I know you wouldn’t hesitate to give it kind of way.”
Her sister blew out a breath. “Come back and talk to me while I finish my makeup.”
Piper really didn’t feel like discussing this, but she’d inadvertently opened this can of worms. She could deal with listening to why Leah thought she was wrong. Again.
“You want to hang in here with Blue?” Piper asked Preston.
“MyPie!”
Piper closed her eyes, a part of her weeping for the fact that her nephew was just as in love with Myles as she was. How could she break his heart too?
“No Uncle Myles tonight, buddy boy.”
He wiggled to be let down and went racing down the hall to his room. “MyPie!”
She’d go play with him once Leah was gone.
Her sister stood at the bathroom vanity, smoothing foundation over her face. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot since that day we went dress shopping.”