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He thought of Dylan's advice as he pulled open the front door and strode inside. What if she did want him, but she was holding back because of fear?
And what didhewant? He loved her, yeah, but did he want more? Could he afford more? Could he risk that leap? It had taken him years to recover from his last one.
Ahead of him, he saw his mom and Piper talking animatedly, and he stopped, watching them.
Piper was drifting out of his reach as he stood there. All he had to do was nothing, and the engagement would fade. His mom probably wouldn't even be disappointed, because she'd have Piper either way.
They turned and hurried down the hallway, still chattering animatedly.
Piper was stepping into her power, and she deserved it.
If he told her he loved her, if he decided he wanted more, would that screw up everything for her? Steal from her the very dreams that were finally coming alive for her? Would she think that the deal with Kitty would disappear if she turned him down?Would she feel like she couldn't say no to him, and then, on their wedding day, she'd have to run from him, the way she'd had to run before?
Fuck. He wouldn’t do that to her.
But…he loved her. He absolutely loved her. His heart was whole again, alive, laughing, joyful, because of her.
If he told her he loved her, what did that mean for him? He'd told Dylan and Aiden he wasn't ready. Was that the truth? Or was he lying to himself?
CHAPTER THIRTY
"Do it," Kitty said. "Do it, now. You have to do it before they say yes."
Later that afternoon, Piper was sitting at her computer in her living room, with Kitty beside her. On her computer, written, but not sent, was her resignation letter. "What if the brides from today don't say yes?"
"Then we'll get more." Kitty had her feet up on the coffee table, and she was stretched back, looking confident. "You're fantastic, my darling. But if you're still working for another firm when you get an offer, she could have a case that the client belongs to her. You don't want to get in trouble, even if she's wrong."
Piper wanted to send that email so much, but she was scared.
Scared to go out on her own.
Scared to be alone.
Scared to count on herself.
Despite all her words of bravado to Declan about being independent, the idea terrified her. She was barely hanging onto her job, but it felt like it was better to hang onto it than to hurl herself off a cliff and trust she could fly.
Was a mucky pond that she knew how to navigate better than a cliff that she wasn't sure she could handle?
No. It wasn't. But suddenly, all the fears that had kept her mom stuck her whole life settled on Piper, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. "I can't send it," she whispered.
Kitty sighed and patted her knee. "You're not ready. I can see it. It's fine. Give the clients to your boss. You call me if and when you want to team up." She stood up. "I'm sure you'll get more than one 'yes' from today. It was fun!"
Piper sat back as Kitty let herself out, wishing she had the courage to call the brilliant, sassy older woman back.
Declan was in the kitchen working on dinner, and she turned to look at him, feeling better when she saw him there. He was her rock, her safety. Beside her, Angel was snoozing with her head on Piper's lap. Suddenly, all she wanted to do was curl up under the blanket, snuggle with the dog, and let Declan take care of her.
She didn't want to be brave or strong or independent. She wanted to be taken care of. To not have to summon any energy at all.
He looked up and frowned at her.
"What?" She would be so happy for him to get grumpy with her. It would be a great distraction.
"I want to interfere."
"With what?"
"Your business."
