Page 29 of Make Me Unwind

“Fine.” She raises her hands palms upward. “I understand that you want some time together in your new place before introducing children, but it won’t be long.”

“How do you….” Piper snaps her mouth shut and blinks. “How do you know we’re planning to live together?”

“Please.” Andrea rolls her eyes. “It’s obvious that the two of you are going to be inseparable, and I, for one, couldn’t be happier.”

“Me, either.” I lay my arm around Piper’s shoulders.

“So, tell me about you.”

“Okay.” As I talk about my time in the service, my injury, and my recovery, it doesn’t submerse me in an abyss of depression. Yes, it hurts to remember everything that happened, but I’ve reached the other side, and there’s a bright ray of sunshine leading the way to the future.

Piper is my bright ray of sunshine.

Chapter Seventeen

Piper – Five Days Later

My friend and the scent of sugar, flour, and butter greets me the second I enter Chloe’s Bakery. I grin and embrace Lexie in a quick hug. “It’s only been a week and a half since we’ve seen each other.”

She laughs while grasping my shoulders. “I know. You look fantastic. The sunshine must have agreed with you.”

“It did.” I trail behind her as we take up our usual table by the front window. The sun warms us as it presses through the windowpane.

“So, tell me about Asher while we eat cupcakes and sigh with pleasure.”

A shiver crawls along my spine as visions of making love to Asher fill my mind. Our first time might not have been what I expected, but he’s proven his dedication to pleasuring me since then.

“That good?” She arches her eyebrow as she speaks.

The doorbell jingles as another customer arrives. The shop’s interior is a mixture of white, pink, and yellow, giving it a cheery, warm vibe. I adore this place. And Chloe. She’s one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. She and her husband, Rich, and their children are staples in the neighborhood.

As if on cue, Rich strides through the bakery, causing Chloe’s cheeks to pinken. Will Asher and I still look at each other like that five years from now? God, I hope so.

I blink and return my attention to Lexie. “Yes, it’s that good.”

“Did you meet his family? What did Charlotte, Weston, and your mom think of him?”

I chuckle and unbox the pink frosted cupcake. One whiff of the baked good and my mouth is already a puddle of saliva. “Weston hated him. Charlotte thinks he’s great, and mom is already planning our children’s names.”

“As to be expected.” Lexie laughs, following suit by digging into her cupcake. “And his family?”

For a few seconds, there’s a break in our conversation as we both bite into the moist, spongy cupcakes and lick the frosting from our lips. These are so good, almost as good as sex. Cupcakes and sex? My gaze darts to Chloe and Rich chatting behind the cash register as he cups her face.

“Earth to Piper.”

“Oops.” My face heats as I refocus my attention on my friend. “Sorry about that. Yes, I met his parents. They arrived the day I left town, so we didn’t have long to talk, but it was pleasant. They were happy to see Asher relaxed and content. So that’s won me some brownie points. Even his brother was excited to meet me.”

“That’s awesome. Did you like them?” Lexie swipes her finger through the frosting and pops some in her mouth.

“They seemed like good people. His parents are retired, so they’re spending time traveling, and his brother runs the resort now that they’ve retired. He and his brother used to be close, but after Asher came back from the service, it was hard for Levi to see him as he was.”

Some of the joy eases out of me as I envision what Asher was like after his injury–sullen, withdrawn, angry, depressed, moody, basically an ass. I know those feelings and the reactions they cause well. I lived with them for too long myself.

I take another bite. “I think that gap has been bridged some.”

The doorbell chimes again as someone else comes inside, and a blast of warmth flows inside. Talking about him eases the sadness of not having seen him for three days. We’ve spoken multiple times since I left, but it’s not enough. I want his arms around me. His solid frame and warmth keeping me steady.

“When do you see him again?”

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