Page 155 of Power Play

She doesn’t sound embarrassed but proud, like she successfully completed one part of her journey and moved on to the next one.

“You poor thing.” My mom gives her a sad smile and touches her hand. “How long ago?”

“A couple years. It was difficult. The worst thing I’ve ever gone through, but I’m on the other side of it now. I know I got hurt, but if I hadn’t jumped into a relationship with the first guy who gave me attention, I’d be in a different place in my life. I might not have landed in DC, and I might not have met Liam. We wouldn’t have ended up together, and it makes me sad to think about a life without him in it.”

Piper looks at me as she says it, and it doesn’t feel like those words are an act. It feels like she means every single one of them, and it makes me sad to think about a life without her in it too.

“I would’ve always found you,” I say hoarsely. “And if I couldn’t find you, I would’ve waited for you. Two years. Three years or four. Doesn’t matter.”

She gives me that smile again.

The one that makes me feel alive.

Like I’ve been sleeping for thousands of years and now that I’m finally waking up, she’s the only thing I can see.

“You two are going to make me cry and it’s too early in the day for tears. You’re so strong to overcome that, Piper.” My mother grabs a napkin and wipes under her eye. “I hope Liam is gentle with you.”

Piper nods. “The most gentle. Who would’ve thought the big goalie was such a softie? Between me and Pico, I know he likes to pretend he’s tough. I see the real him, though.”

“Easy there, Sunshine. Don’t give away too many of my secrets.”

“Oops. Too late.”

My mom looks between us and smiles. “Liam, you know I don’t care what you do in your personal life. Single, married, dating for fifteen years. It doesn’t matter. I just want you to be happy, and it seems like you’re both very happy.”

I tip my chin in Piper’s direction. “Are you happy?”

Her eyes hold mine, and she gives me a slow nod. “Happiest I’ve ever been. Are you happy, Sully?”

“Very fucking happy,” I tell her, and it’s the damn truth.

FORTY-ONE

PIPER

“I feelbad you’re hanging out with me instead of spending time with all the folks who are here for your destination wedding,” I tell Alana as we stroll down Avenida Fuerza Armadas. “I’m the most boring person in the world.”

“That isnottrue.” She sips on her smoothie and pulls her shawl tight around her body. The sun is shining, but the temperature is hovering around sixty degrees. The brisk ocean air makes it feel cooler than it actually is, and I shiver. “Besides, I needed to get out of the hotel. I love my family very much, but all of them in the same space for a prolonged period is not my brightest idea. I got sucked into a twenty-minute conversation this morning with my Aunt Ethel about menopause. I love the lady, but I don’t need to hear about what’s waiting for me three decades down the road.”

I laugh. “So I’m a second choice to menopause? Got it.”

“Oh, I really do like you. You should know, Piper, I’m a nosy bitch. Since you’re dating my brother, that makes you the most interesting person in the world.”

“What do you want to know about me?”

“Okay, first, I’m a nosy bitch, not a regular bitch. If you don’t want to share something, you don’t have to. I’m curious aboutyou, obviously, but you don’t owe me any explanations about your life.”

“I think you’d like my friend, Lexi. You two are very similar.” I link my arm through hers and smile. “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know, but, seriously. Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t have an amazing backstory.”

“We’ll see about that.” Alana stops us in front of a bakery and eyes a stack of flaky croissants. “Liam told me you’re divorced. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah.” I touch my necklace chain, a reflex when I hear his name. “We met in college and got married young. There were so many signs I missed early on that warned me he wasn’t right for me, but I ignored them because I loved him, you know? The divorce was finalized a couple of years ago, and I’m so glad to be past it.”

“Is he an athlete?”

“Gosh, no. Steven is in the tech industry. He founded a startup that made a lot of money, worked long hours, never gave me the attention I craved, then slept with his secretary. It sounds so dramatic when I say it back, but I’m okay. Slightly less trusting than I was when I was younger, but okay.”

“Good. I love women who overcome a shitty experience in their life and come back even stronger.” Alana squeezes me, and I smile. “I’ve been there. I thought the guy I dated in college was The One. He was older than me, and I thought I could hold his attention. When I turned twenty-one, he dumped me and started dating an eighteen-year-old.”

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