Page 55 of Nova

''Why is that?'' London asks.

Piper takes a sip of her soda. ''I've never been away from dad for more than a night and never as far away as another state. I know I give him a hard time about letting me go, but the truth is, I don't want to let him go either. My dad and the guys…I think I'd miss my family too much.'' Piper stops talking and gets a faraway look in her eyes, and I can tell her mood has shifted. Reaching across the table, I place my hand on her arm. ''London and I are here if you want to talk about it, sweetie.''

Piper remains quiet while looking at her lap. London and I share a look, and I give her a nod.

''My birth mom left my dad and me when I was six months old,'' London says, and Piper snaps her head up. ''Like you, I have an amazing dad. Also lucky for me, he married an equally amazing woman who adopted me when I was six.''

Piper doesn't say anything but keeps her gaze locked on London, so London takes that as her go-ahead to continue. ''When I was fifteen, my birth mom showed up. Just like that,'' London snaps her fingers. ''She shows up on our doorstep with her own story about why she left and that she was ready to have a relationship with me.''

''Really?'' Piper asks. ''What did you do?''

''At first, nothing. I was angry and I was hurt. I didn't understand how she could walk away from her child. Then, after all those years, she suddenly decided she wanted to see me.''

''So, what happened?''

''It took some time, but after a few months, I agreed to meet with her. After I got over the initial shock of the situation, I decided I wanted answers. Answers I knew only my birth mom would have.''

''Did finding the answers help you?''

''They did. And I can tell you now, I have a solid relationship with my birth mom. I'm not as close with her as I am to the woman who raised me, but I'm no longer in a place of resentment. It took me years, but I finally realized we all have a different journey in life. I can honestly say that mine was exactly the way it was meant to be. I'm incredibly lucky to have been raised by two of the most loving parents. Had my birth mom not made the decision she did, my life could have turned out differently.''

Piper is quiet as she absorbs each word London says. ''So, you're saying I should talk with my mom. That it might help me to understand why she left?''

London shakes her head. ''I can't make that decision for you. It's something you have to figure out on your own. You have to do what is right for you. Telling you my story is to let you know you are not alone. I understand, and I'm here for you. So is Promise and your dad. Don't be afraid to talk to them. Don't bottle up your feelings and close them out.''

''London is right, sweetie," I jump in. ''Your dad will understand any decision you make. He will back you up one hundred percent, and so will I. Nobody wants to force you to do anything you're not comfortable with. Your dad is just worried about you because you have crawled inside yourself instead of leaning on him to comfort you.''

Piper swipes the tears rolling down her cheek. Sliding out of my seat, I settle into the one next to her. I pull her into my arms. ''I've just been confused. I don't know what to do,'' she says.

''Oh, sweetheart,'' I tuck her hair behind her ear. ''It's okay to be confused. You are allowed to feel whatever you're feeling. Just know that talking about what's going on inside your head helps. Let the people who care about you be there for you. Okay?''

Piper sniffles and nods. ''Okay. And you're right. I already feel better. I promise to talk to dad when we get home.''

After our lunchtime talk, Piper was feeling emotionally drained, so we put a raincheck on our mani-pedi and went home. The second we walked through the front door we found Cain standing at the stove making dinner, Piper went straight up to her father and wrapped her arms around him. I offered to finish making dinner while the two retreated upstairs to talk. An hour later, Cain walks into the kitchen where I'm currently sitting at the table, takes my hand, urging me to stand and without a word pulls me into his chest. He holds me for the longest time, not saying a word. After several seconds he speaks. ''Thank you for today; for givin' my little girl what she needed.''

I melt further into his embrace. ''You're welcome, honey. Did she talk to you?''

Cain pulls away. ''Not yet. She's sleepin' now.''

I sigh. ''She's had a long day.''

Sensing Cain had a bit of a day himself, I lean up on my toes and kiss his neck. ''How about I put the spaghetti sauce on to simmer, and we have a beer out on the porch?''

Cain cups my face and kisses the tip of my nose. ''I'd say that sounds fuckin' perfect, Sugar.''

* * *

A week has passedsince the drama with Piper's mom and whatever has been going down with the Hell's Punishers. Cain still hasn't told me all the details surrounding the man who attacked me; only the club is continuing to look for him. He's also assured me I'm safe. I believe him. Being with Cain makes me feel protected. For instance, no matter where I go, one of the guys is with me. Today it is Fender. I'm at the grocery store picking up a few things when my cell rings. I smile when I see it's Jackson calling. I answer. ''Hey!''

''Promise.'' The tone in his voice is off, alerting me to something being wrong.

''Jackson, is everything okay?''

''Look, I'm not sure I should be calling you. You probably don't want to know, but I felt you should.''

''Know what? Tell me?''

Jackson sighs. ''It's Thomas. He had a heart attack. I found him slumped over at his desk this afternoon.''

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