Page 7 of Black Roses

I shrug. “He never told me her name.”

Laughing, Skylar says, “He didn’t tell you Hailey is his daughter and not his girlfriend? That’s classic Mason.”

“Hiswhat?”I look between my sisters. “Isn’t he a bit young to have a daughter?” I cringe as soon as the words leave my mouth.

Baylor raises her eyebrows at me. “I was younger than he was, Pipes. He’s twenty-two. Plenty old enough to have kids.”

“Kids?” I gasp. “As in more than one?”

“No, just Hailey.” Skylar places Aaron in a bassinette. “She’s about twenty months old, wouldn’t you say, Baylor?”

Baylor nods. “God, that child is freaking adorable. Thank goodness she got her looks from her dad and not her bitch of a mom.”

Thankfully, before I get to hear any more about the adorable little girl, the front door opens and in walks a gaggle of men. And one very cute nine-year-old boy.

“Aunt Piper!” Maddox runs across the floor and jumps into my arms.

“Mad Max!” I squeeze him tightly and spin him around. I have the best memories of Maddox. Baylor had him when she was nineteen. She moved home to work at Mitchell’s and finish her degree, so she needed a lot of help from me. I was only fourteen at the time, but I became his primary babysitter. Until I left. But those few years were all it took to forge a lasting bond between the two of us. He’s the only kid I really truly love to pieces. I mean, sure, I like the other ones. But I know I’ll never connect with them the way I connected with Maddox.

Maddox and I catch up while the others remove their coats and head over to grab a bite to eat. No wonder they ordered so much.

Gavin pulls me into a bear hug. We’ve only met the one time, at his and Baylor’s wedding, but he’s my brother-in-law, so I let him hug me. Then Skylar introduces me to Griffin, who thanks me profusely for coming back to town to help plan their big day.

Mason raises his chin to me in greeting. No hug. No handshake from his extraordinarily large hand. Not even a word of hello. Geez,dickis right. It’s just as well. I don’t want to know him either. Not beyond the wedding duties bestowed upon us from Skylar and Griffin.

Baylor puts Jordan into a play saucer, keeping her busy with all of the toys at her eye level. “Gavin, Piper wants to run in the Boston Marathon. Do you have any strings you can pull at the studio to get her in?”

He ponders her question and then shakes his head. “I’ll ask around, but I don’t think so. We worked with the New York Marathon quite a bit.” He turns to me. “Too bad you missed it last month, I could have for sure gotten you into that one.” He points his fork at Mason. “What about you, Mason—can the Giants get her in?”

Mason gives Gavin a look of death. He spears him with his eyes as if Gavin has just asked him to cut off his throwing arm. Then Mason turns to me. He stares at my two-toned hair. His eyes hone in on my nose piercing. “You’rean athlete?”

My jaw drops at his inconsiderate remark. “Not an athlete. A runner.” I close my eyes briefly, thinking of the poetic accuracy of that statement.

Mason shakes his head. “You’re not an athlete. Athletes don’t have nose piercings, neon-colored fingernails, and weird hair. And your legs are too short to make good qualifying times. You know you have to have good qualifying times, right?”

I refrain from shouting expletives at the man, due to the fact that my impressionable nine-year-old nephew is sitting in the kitchen. Instead, I calmly pour myself another glass of champagne and drink it down completely.

“Plus, athletes don’t drink like sailors on leave,” he adds.

That’s it. I walk over behind Maddox and cup my hands over his ears. “You don’t know a fucking thing about me, Mason. How dare you assume that because I’m a little different, I can’t possibly be someone who could have anything in common with the kind of person you are. Which at this point, I’m sure is a self-centered, fame-hungry man-whore with a tiny little penis who drives an over-the-top car to attract anything with a vagina. Well, listen up,Dick, and listen good. I’m registered with AIMS, which I’m sure with your pea-sized jock-brain, you don’t know stands for the Association of International Marathons. And I assure you I have more than enough certified qualifying times to run in the Boston Marathon. I’m sure, in fact, that thislittlegirl with her short legs and nose piercing could beat the ass off your big-boned, callus-handed, narcissistic marathon time.”

I remove my hands from Maddox’s ears and kiss the top of his head before walking away. It’s then I notice the entire room has gone silent and all eyes are pinballing between Mason and me.

Mason walks over and ruffles Maddox’s hair before proceeding to cover his ears just as I did. “In my off-season, I’ve been training for the marathon. And yes, I can get you in. So, Piper Mitchell—game fucking on!”

He walks to the fridge and helps himself to a beer. His faded, snug jeans show off his tapered waist and muscular thighs. He gulps half the bottle down as the rest of us watch, stunned into silence. “And I’ll even let you work with my trainer at the gym,” he adds. “You’ll like her. She’s got funky hair and odd piercings, too.” He picks up an unopened box of food and tucks it under his arm. Finishing his beer, he puts the empty bottle in the trash and walks to the door. “Now if you guys will excuse me, I have to go pick up Hailey. It’s my weekend.” He reaches the door handle and turns back to me. “You can start Monday. After you’ve recovered from your jet lag. But for Christ’s sake—quit drinking.”

I stare at the closed door long after he walks through it. Then I look back at my sisters who are gaping at me. “Ugh!Mestop drinking? He just chugged a beer. How do you guys put up with that man?” I walk over and pour myself another glass of champagne just out of spite, knowing I’ll have one hell of a hangover in the morning.

I lean against the counter and take a sip of the bubbly liquid. Then I notice the room is still so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

“You like him!” Skylar’s smile spans ear to ear and she’s practically bouncing in her chair. “Oh, my God, Piper—you like a boy. You’renotgay!”

Champagne spurts from my mouth at her words. “Gay—you thought I was gay?” I look from Skylar to Baylor, gauging their reactions.

“Well, you’ve never talked about a boyfriend. You seem to have such a . . . distaste for men,” Baylor says. “And then there is Charlie—”

“Who is mybest friend,” I assert. “Not mygirlfriend. Charlie, my heterosexual friend who is currently shacking up with some random guy she shagged last year while she waits for me to return. Which is one more reason I can’t stay here a minute longer than necessary. AndlikeMason? That jerk—are you kidding me? I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole. I’m sure he’s just like all the other stuck-up athletes who think they’re God’s gift to mankind. No, the only interest I have in him is that he can get me into the marathon.”

---