Page 158 of He's The Reason Why

“Yes or no, Marshall. We have to go in five minutes.” Piper tapped her invisible wristwatch. “Tick tock.”

Marshall stood up and turned around. “Can’t believe I’m doing this,” he grumbled.

Then he unzipped his pants and pulled them down far enough that Piper could see a palm-sized, bright-red birthmark in the shape of a heart in the middle of his left butt cheek.

Piper covered her mouth and tried not to giggle. “Oh, Marshall. That’s so cute!”

“Yeah, see, that’s not what a man wants to hear a woman say,” Marshall said as he pulled his pants up. “Especially when referring to the lower parts of his anatomy.”

“I’ve told him for years that chicks would dig that mark,” Blake said. “Don’t know what your problem is.”

“You should be proud to show that off,” Piper agreed through giggles. “Seriously, the world really needs to see that.”

“No, they really don’t. We have a deal.” Marshall pointed at both of them. “We’re even, now. No Rachel, no bare butt.”

“He’s right,” Blake said. “You did make the deal. Can’t back out now.”

“How will you do the scene if he’s not naked?” Piper asked.

“We have a stand-in,” Blake said.

“Who?” She couldn’t remember anyone on set who seemed like a good fit for a guy Marshall’s size.

Blake’s broad grin was answer enough.

She couldn’t help looking down Blake’s body. “Oh. Well then. I think I’d rather see that than his birthmark. No offense, Marshall.”

“Believe me, in this case, none taken.” He picked up the keys. “See you kids over there.”

After Marshall left, Piper peeled off her sweater on her way to the bedroom to get changed. They were going to be late if she didn’t speed up.

“I’ll be ready in just a minute.”

Blake caught up to her and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her tight against him. “It’s going to take longer than that.”

“We don’t have time,” she muttered as his hands moved over her breasts and down her stomach.

“They’ll wait.”

Epilogue

Four Months Later

Piper sat in the dressing room at The Rox for what felt like the thousandth time, except now she wasn’t alone. Her sisters were here, along with Adam, Renic, and Blake.

Having her sisters here with her reminded her of their last concert together, and what happened in the dressing room afterward. If she thought about it too hard, she could still feel the anger and bitterness of that day, but she had to really look for it now. It wasn’t just below the surface anymore. It was faded, a ghost of a memory.

If Della hadn’t gone solo, Piper might never have met Blake. She didn’t want to know what her future would have been like without him.

Mattie probably wouldn’t have met Adam, either.

Lizzie might never have made up with Renic.

Even though the breakup had been brutal and the years spent recovering had been hard, she wouldn’t trade any of it because it led her here, to this night, with Blake.

She had a feeling Lizzie and Mattie might agree with her.

“Hey, did y’all see this?” Lizzie asked. “They’re sayingConnedgrossed over a hundred million on opening weekend. That’s good, right?”

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