Page 73 of Missing Pieces

Chapter Thirty

My head is pounding when I wake up. The wine felt much better last night. I roll over into a very hard body.

What the fuck is Easton doing here?

Did I call him?

Wait, he was calling me all night. And I ignored him.

I think.

I glance at my phone to try and piece together my night and see that I talked to Drew last night. “Shit.” I don’t recall any of that conversation.

Easton’s eyes blink open. “Shit is right,” he says as he looks at me. I don’t know what he means, but I can only guess last night I was a mess. He brushes his fingers through my hair and drags a thumb over my cheekbone. “You look like you got hit by a truck.”

I groan and turn my face into my pillow.

“You don’t need to talk about it, babe. I talked to Summer. I know enough.”

With that, I burst into tears again because I’m not sure if that means he wants to break up with me, if he knows the things that were said in the diner.

He sits up on the bed, picks me up and curls me into his lap. “Shhh, it’s okay. I know you don’t know what you want right now. I know everything with Drew still hurts you. But I’m here. And I’ll be here. I’ll wait for you. I’ll wait until I’m old and gray if that’s how much time you need. But I need you to know you’re worth it. All of it. Every mountain of pain and every grain of happiness. All of it. You’re worth it to me. Because I love you. And if you can’t stay and see how this love grows, then that’s okay too. Because at least I had those moments with you. That magical spell you used to open the lock on my heart showed me it was okay to love again. So I’ll wait. I’ll wait for you.”

Those words hit me so hard and shattered the guard I kept around my own heart. Shattered it and then slowly started mending all the pieces back together.

* * *

“Harper, let’s go, we needed to leave twenty minutes ago.” I hear Easton shouting for me. But trying to get ready with a hangover is not the easiest thing. I redid my hair three times before deciding to just throw it into a ponytail. Then I somehow managed to stab myself twice in the eye with my mascara wand. And now I can only find one of my shoes.

“You know maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to drink enough wine for three people last night.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t think I was going today as of last –” I look up with every intention of flipping him off, but the sight before me cuts me off. I thought he looked good in those tight ass jeans he liked to wear, or well you know, naked, but the suit was bona fide drool-worthy. The dark gray made his green eyes pop out and the sparkle in them was making my heart beat faster and I was sure we were going to be leaving more than just twenty minutes late.

He smirks at me and prowls toward me. “You think I look good, sweet cheeks?”

I just nod. He brings his lips to mine in a slow soft kiss. As he pulls away, I try to lean into him to him to keep it going, but he laughs and pushes me away. “Not going to happen. We need to leave.” I frown at him and put on my grumpy face. “Pouting is not gonna get you anywhere.”

I sigh and turn away back on the hunt for my shoe when he grabs me around the waist and pulls my back to his front. His breath whispers into my ear, “But if you behave tonight, I am sure I can find a way to get you begging for me to take off that sexy dress of yours.”

He sucks my earlobe into his mouth and I whimper and clench my thighs together.

It’s going to be a long day.

I crawl on the floor and find my other shoe under the bed. I stand up and straighten my champagne sparkly dress and strap on my stilettos. I grab my clutch and motion for us to leave but Easton stops me. He licks his thumb and wipes it under my left eye. “Your makeup was smeared.”

I smile up at him and kiss him swiftly on the lips. My heart a jumbled mess on the floor.

* * *

The wedding ceremony was beautiful. I heard the oohs and ahhs all day as everyone expressed their love for her old farmhouse. I can’t help but smile as I see the happiness on her face.

I sit at one of the tables far off to the side sipping on a glass of wine, which helped the hangover go away. I probably should have tried the old hair of the dog trick before getting ready for the wedding. I’m staring at Easton over at the bar laughing with Brett and Brooks when someone sits next to me.

“I don’t think I have ever seen someone look at him the way that you are right now.”

I’m startled when I realize it’s Trace. “You here to give me a lecture too?” I wince because it came out harsher than I intended.

“Nah. I really ain’t the lecturin’ type. I came over here to apologize for Ivy, though it should be her doing it and I’m sure she will come around eventually.” I nod and turn back to looking at the dancing crowd. Ivy and Summer giggling and twirling around to the gentle sounds of Nora Jones. “Ivy loves you, Harper. And she is so afraid of losing you, she does the only thing she ever does when she’s angry, cause a scene. But at least she didn’t light your house on fire or anything. ‘Course she’d probably be kickin’ herself afterward when she remembered it was her own damn house.”

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