Page 23 of Easton’s Claim

Charlie’s mouth opened in shock and Wyatt’s eyebrows first shot upward, then crashed together in a foreboding scowl. “What the hell do you mean?” he growled out, his protective reaction exactly what Easton had expected, but it also meant that Wyatt didn’t trust Easton’s intentions.

He tamped down his annoyance and raised a hand in self-defense. “I love her.”

His brother and sister stared at him as a taut silence hummed between them.

“I’ve loved her a damn long time. When I came home this past spring and found out she was single, I made up my mind that I was going to make my move next time I was back.”

“Um, okay, wow,” Charlie said, face blank with surprise. “Does she have any idea you feel this way about her?”

“She does now.” He’d shocked her pretty bad last night but he hadn’t been able to keep his feelings buried any longer.

“And?”

“And…I’m hoping she’ll give us a chance, once she has time to think it over.”

“So this is serious, right?” Wyatt asked, his scowl now mellowed to a puzzled frown, in full concerned big brother mode. “You love her, and you’re going after her because you want…what?”

“It’s as serious as it gets. She’s it for me.”

At that both his siblings gawked at him. He sighed. “Yeah, I know this comes as a surprise to you guys. It did to her too.”

“Well no kidding,” Charlie remarked dryly, her dark eyes now gleaming with excitement.

“That’s why I wanted to tell you guys up front. She’s got certain…reservations, I guess you’d call them, about us being together. On top of that, Greg did a number on her self-esteem and she hates that she’s been the topic of town gossip for so long. She’s hell bent on moving to Minnesota for her dream job teaching at a private school.”

Charlie nodded. “This whole thing has been so hard on her. Piper’s strong, but it’s worn her down and she’s just started to find her footing again. It’s why she wants to start fresh elsewhere.”

“Well I’m gonna do everything I can to convince her to stay,” Easton said. “I laid most of my cards on the table for her last night.”

“Wait, wait. What do you mean,mostof your cards?”

“I may have left out the L word. Didn’t want to freak her out completely and scare her off for good right out of the chute.”

“Yeah, I guess I can see your reasoning on that one.” Charlie set her mug down and leaned forward to rest her forearms on the table, her eyes intent on his. Worried, but hopeful. “So what did she say?”

“All the things I just said, plus she brought up our age difference, and her concern that anything romantic between her and I might wreck her relationship with the family.” He shrugged, still hoping she’d get over that part.

“And you said…?” Charlie prompted.

“I think it’s an excuse, so I told her to sleep on it and left it at that.”

His sister groaned and closed her eyes. “Seriously?”

Easton’s face started to heat up. “She was in shock. I wanted to give her time to process it and think things over without any pressure from me. I’m only telling you guys about it because I know she’ll be worried about what you think and I don’t want that to get in the way. I need you both to give us space while we figure this out,” he added, a slight edge to his voice.

Charlie sighed and picked up her coffee while Wyatt continued to study him from across the table. “So did she seem receptive to the idea of you two together, or not?” his brother asked.

He grimaced. “She was pretty dead set about not being willing to go there.” God, he hoped he’d be able to change her mind. He didn’t know what he’d do if he couldn’t. “But you guys know that no matter what she decides about us, I’m standing with her through this mess. I’ll protect her either way, with everything I have.”

Wyatt’s frown disappeared and Charlie’s lips curved in an approving grin. “Oh my God, you really are in love with her,” she murmured.

“Yeah. If I had my way, I’d move her into my place in Alexandria right now. Permanently. But I guess she’s not quite ready for something like that yet,” he added with a sheepish grin.

Wyatt shook his head. “This isn’t at all what I expected you to tell us this morning,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee, amusement in his eyes. “I knew you had a thing for her for a long time, but I never realized it ran this deep. I hope things work out for you.”

The pressure in his chest eased slightly. It shouldn’t have surprised him that Wyatt had picked up on it. “Thanks. Me too.”

“Gonna be weird for the first little while,” Charlie said. “If you guys do get together, I mean. She’s been like a sister to us all for like, almost twenty years.”

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